Soporific Doldrums

The severe boredom that sets in after a ship is stranded at sea can make crews do increasingly strange things.

Transmission & Vectors

Doldrums appears to be socially contagious, when one person starts fidgeting, the next may start doing it too.

Causes

Soporific doldrums is believed to be caused by being stuck at sea too long, especially if the air is polluted or survival supplies are low.

Certain personalities, such as extremely impatient or excitable people, are susceptible to this illness.

Symptoms

Patients may catch the fidgets, which differ from person to person. Examples include repeatedly kicking at chair legs, chewing empty air, muttering to themselves, or shifting around so much that the seats of their pants wear out.

Another symptom is sleeping too much from a lack of activity. This could make them even weaker if they do nothing but indulge in it.

The longer the illness goes without treatment, the higher the chances of patients having their rage build up until they finally go ape. At this point, most crews use brute force to keep them down as it is hard to make them see reason. While doldrums aren't fatal by themselves, the consequences of going ape from too much doldrums would be.

Treatment

Soporific doldrums can be resolved by offering less boring activity to patients, although this isn't always feasible when out at sea. It's one of the reasons average pirate luggage includes books and toys.

Prognosis

Not fatal if the signs of boredom are caught early.

Cultural Reception

Before the theory of social contagion was proposed, people thought pirate crews under the influence of doldrums were driven insane from supernatural causes. Anyone who caught it was viewed with suspicion as it was believed they could catch it again and explode.

However, in the Pits, doldrums patients who didn't reach the enraged stage are treated as ordinary members of society would, as they figured out the connection between boredom and doldrums.

Type

Mental

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Uncommon