Creeping Sleep

"An illness by many names, and fear of many ageing emperials, this is not something you can fight twith teeth and claws, nor flee on strong wings. It seems to rather irritate the emperials that we sylphs have a much firmer grasp on such mental conditions, as well as ways to treat them that they could not find for many centuries!"
A nest dwelling sylph on creeping sleep

Causes

Although old age is the primary cause, it is thought that is is increased by lack of movement over long periods of time. It is much more common in large nests, rather than more modern city settlements, as within these older empirials are not expected to move around a lot, most simply lie and grow by absorbing magic energy.

Symptoms

Slow speech patterns, lethargy, gradual decline and of energy absorption rate which can ultimately lead to death.
Extreme moods may also be caused as the slowing brain finds these difficult to deal with.

Treatment

Some think that by getting more exercise you can slow the progression, however it has been difficult to prove this as most patients are unwilling to take part, and quite a bit larger than the researchers.
It was believed that eating eggs or young empirials cold help slow the progression, but this has since been deemed immoral by most emperials.

History

For a long time it was not recognised as an illness, as the whole concept of mental illnesses was something very difficult for the empirials to grasp. They eventually learned about mental illnesses from the sylphs, and even after that it was a while before it was recognised.
The turning point was noticing that some emperials could continue to live healthily for many years longer than those affected by creeping sleep,

Cultural Reception

Particularly large emperials with this disease often became a menace to the nest if they hunted other empirials or sylphs in an attempt at curing themselves. These often got chased out by groups of mid sized emerials or royals able to stand up to them.
Less violent ones where usually ignored apart from the occasional close family member - though this is rare due to the lack of 'family' in the sense that sylphs or humans would see it. Even dead emperials are often not disturbed until the smell of rot breaks through and others realise what has happened - often many moons later.

Type

Mental

Origin

Natural

Rarity

Common

Affected Species

• Emperials