Dreamfever
During 13:25 by Agerian calendar, a disease struck the country that no one is quite sure where it originated from. Many blame Plaguefinger for its creation and Healer's representative for failing to note or cure it, but there are no definitive records on the matter. Whatever the cause, it has not been spotted since its second wave some 85 years ago.
During its first year, the dreamfever mostly affected children, occationally teens, and only on extremely rare cases, adults. Its victims would gain a high fever overnight without any previous symptoms, giving the disease its name. This would soon be followed by weakness of body and violent trembling, and as it progressed to its final stages, difficulty to stay awake or coherent. Majority of the children that caught dreamfever would die, with most survivors beloging to nobility or well-off merchant families that could afford to hire a skilled mage to heal their children. However, magic was never a guarantee, and there are even some children who survived without it.
When the epidemic spread through the land, the King declared that all sick children would have to be transported to the South-Eastern island that at the time was mostly uninhabited. Many opposed to this, and not all could even make the long journey across the large country and to the coast. Thus, while most to the East of the mountains and on coastal areas were forced to cross the sea, many in the more isolated areas remained home.
The children that were taken to quarantine were rarely alone: their sick siblings or a parent would often be there with them to comfort them. During this time, a lullaby that those parents sang to their dying children began to spred; the island gained the name, Song Island, and the lullaby the name, Song Island Lullaby.
In time, dreamfever faded, and slowly lives began to return to normal. For approximately one year, it was but a terrible memory in the minds of people, but then it returned. This time, however, mostly adults that had been with their sick children caught the disease, and children were mostly safe from it. Yet again the King ordered the sick to be taken to the Song Island, where many adults gathered, knowing they would soon meet their lost loved one again.
When the flow of people turned to trickle, then dried out, the King ordered the island be burned in hopes that the disease could thus be defeated. The island burned for days, and it was seen from far away, leaving the coastal area and sailors passing by in grim silence as they understood what it was they were witnessing. Some claim the lullaby never ceased, and that one can still hear it on the ashen wasteland if they just stop to listen to the wind.
It was during this time that the Song Island lullaby gained its final verse, one that is often omitted if sung, as many feel like it most directly refers to its grim origin.
Due to its wide spread, most knew someone affected by dreamfever. Many looked for someone to blame, and the easiest, most visible target was the representative of Healer. Two of them lost their lives during and after the epidemic, and third had to flee the country in fear of meeting the same fate. For a long time, the position was turned down due to the hatred it faced, and Ager went without one for fourteen years.
Dreamfever hasn't been recorded since its second wave, and most hope that this is a sign that it will never return.
The First Wave
During its first year, the dreamfever mostly affected children, occationally teens, and only on extremely rare cases, adults. Its victims would gain a high fever overnight without any previous symptoms, giving the disease its name. This would soon be followed by weakness of body and violent trembling, and as it progressed to its final stages, difficulty to stay awake or coherent. Majority of the children that caught dreamfever would die, with most survivors beloging to nobility or well-off merchant families that could afford to hire a skilled mage to heal their children. However, magic was never a guarantee, and there are even some children who survived without it.
When the epidemic spread through the land, the King declared that all sick children would have to be transported to the South-Eastern island that at the time was mostly uninhabited. Many opposed to this, and not all could even make the long journey across the large country and to the coast. Thus, while most to the East of the mountains and on coastal areas were forced to cross the sea, many in the more isolated areas remained home.
The children that were taken to quarantine were rarely alone: their sick siblings or a parent would often be there with them to comfort them. During this time, a lullaby that those parents sang to their dying children began to spred; the island gained the name, Song Island, and the lullaby the name, Song Island Lullaby.
The Second Wave
In time, dreamfever faded, and slowly lives began to return to normal. For approximately one year, it was but a terrible memory in the minds of people, but then it returned. This time, however, mostly adults that had been with their sick children caught the disease, and children were mostly safe from it. Yet again the King ordered the sick to be taken to the Song Island, where many adults gathered, knowing they would soon meet their lost loved one again.
When the flow of people turned to trickle, then dried out, the King ordered the island be burned in hopes that the disease could thus be defeated. The island burned for days, and it was seen from far away, leaving the coastal area and sailors passing by in grim silence as they understood what it was they were witnessing. Some claim the lullaby never ceased, and that one can still hear it on the ashen wasteland if they just stop to listen to the wind.
It was during this time that the Song Island lullaby gained its final verse, one that is often omitted if sung, as many feel like it most directly refers to its grim origin.
Aftermath
Due to its wide spread, most knew someone affected by dreamfever. Many looked for someone to blame, and the easiest, most visible target was the representative of Healer. Two of them lost their lives during and after the epidemic, and third had to flee the country in fear of meeting the same fate. For a long time, the position was turned down due to the hatred it faced, and Ager went without one for fourteen years.
Dreamfever hasn't been recorded since its second wave, and most hope that this is a sign that it will never return.
