Rat-Rot
Even now, Druvenia is not the cleanliest of cities nor was there any organized effort to keep trash and other waste off the streets and the gutters until recently. This squalor provided breeding grounds for vermin and pestilence, which eventually festered into a strain of viral hemorrhagic pox colloquially referred to as Rat-Rot, as rodents were the first vector of infection.
As the disease progressed, it wreaked havoc on the tissues of the infected, the boils rupturing the surrounding skin into large, weeping sores. This phase of the sickness was the most agonizing and the desperate, pained howls of the stricken filled the night air for many a month. Following this period of intense pain, the disease would enter into a kind of false remission during which the sores and lesions would dry and harden, giving the sufferers a sort of scaly countenance, further adding to the discrimination they would face.
A day or two later, the Rot would enter its final stage, earning its name as the infected literally begun to spoil from the inside, rotting while alive to feel it happen. However, this was reportedly a stage during which most sufferers admitted to being content and felt the least amount of pain. There were even recorded cases where those who reached this stage were ecstatic, reveling in their condition rather than cursing it.
Whether this was a psychological symptom of the Rat-Rot or some other malady of the mind entirely, witnessing the jubilation of someone whose flesh was sloughing off of their bones was deeply disturbing to those who treated these late-stage patients.
The mortality rate of Rat-Rot was exceedingly high, with only perhaps one out of ten of those stricken living to tell the tale about it, and even those individuals would be disfigured and scarred for the rest of their lives. The final death toll of the disease was approximated to range from 20,000 to 50,000 people before its quelling through quarantine efforts, burning of the bodies of the infected and a new-found focus on public sanitation.
The initial resistance from the populace was strong, as many were suspicious of the usually hands-off Council's sudden interest in their well-being. However, as the streets grew cleaner and the incidence of Rat-Rot began to decline, public opinion started to shift. Being employed by the Purification Guild came to be a respected position and even the criminal elements of the city-state, up to and including the infamous Midnight Exchange, do not harry or mug those wearing the white-and-black frock of the Guild.
While Rat-Rot was eventually brought under control, the Purification Guild remains an integral part of Druvenian society, continuing to work towards the prevention of future outbreaks and the overall betterment of public health. This shift towards prioritizing the welfare of the citizens marked a significant change in the governance of Druvenia, hinting at a future where the needs of the people might hold greater sway over the decisions of the Sullen Council, once thought aloof and uncaring.
Disease Characteristics
Rat-Rot presented very little symptoms before it was too late for conventional medicine to cure, staying in relative hiding before suddenly causing bursting pustules to form onto the skin and membranes of the infected. The fluid that would gush from these boils was highly infectious, and thus anyone with the disease was quickly ostracized from wider society and swept under the metaphorical rug, forced to eke out a miserable existence in the sewers and alleys of lower Druvenia or beyond the walls in the outskirts of the city.As the disease progressed, it wreaked havoc on the tissues of the infected, the boils rupturing the surrounding skin into large, weeping sores. This phase of the sickness was the most agonizing and the desperate, pained howls of the stricken filled the night air for many a month. Following this period of intense pain, the disease would enter into a kind of false remission during which the sores and lesions would dry and harden, giving the sufferers a sort of scaly countenance, further adding to the discrimination they would face.
A day or two later, the Rot would enter its final stage, earning its name as the infected literally begun to spoil from the inside, rotting while alive to feel it happen. However, this was reportedly a stage during which most sufferers admitted to being content and felt the least amount of pain. There were even recorded cases where those who reached this stage were ecstatic, reveling in their condition rather than cursing it.
Whether this was a psychological symptom of the Rat-Rot or some other malady of the mind entirely, witnessing the jubilation of someone whose flesh was sloughing off of their bones was deeply disturbing to those who treated these late-stage patients.
The mortality rate of Rat-Rot was exceedingly high, with only perhaps one out of ten of those stricken living to tell the tale about it, and even those individuals would be disfigured and scarred for the rest of their lives. The final death toll of the disease was approximated to range from 20,000 to 50,000 people before its quelling through quarantine efforts, burning of the bodies of the infected and a new-found focus on public sanitation.
Societal Impact
As Rat-Rot was directly caused by a lack of organized sanitation efforts, the Sullen Council, in a move uncharacteristic of the secretive group of leaders, decreed that a portion of the workforce of Druvenia must be devoted to public health and sanitation. This new directive mandated the establishment of the Purification Guild, tasked with cleaning the streets, maintaining sewage systems, and educating the populace on hygiene practices.The initial resistance from the populace was strong, as many were suspicious of the usually hands-off Council's sudden interest in their well-being. However, as the streets grew cleaner and the incidence of Rat-Rot began to decline, public opinion started to shift. Being employed by the Purification Guild came to be a respected position and even the criminal elements of the city-state, up to and including the infamous Midnight Exchange, do not harry or mug those wearing the white-and-black frock of the Guild.
While Rat-Rot was eventually brought under control, the Purification Guild remains an integral part of Druvenian society, continuing to work towards the prevention of future outbreaks and the overall betterment of public health. This shift towards prioritizing the welfare of the citizens marked a significant change in the governance of Druvenia, hinting at a future where the needs of the people might hold greater sway over the decisions of the Sullen Council, once thought aloof and uncaring.
by Midjourney
by Midjourney
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