Dragon's Doom

Dragon's Doom is the most deadly disease to ever hit Totania, the very catalyst for the Age of Plague that ravaged the world as its third Age. It killed millions and destroyed long-standing organizations.

The Disease

There are those who say because Dragon's Doom was made artificially that it is for some reason something they need to worry about less, or must blame someone for. While it is true that Viaxis Vammush is to blame, Dragon's Doom is more than anything the fault of the state of Draconian society, The Grand Wizard Struggle, and the Tamdian ideals of alchemy and perfectionism.
More than this, however, Dragon's Doom is the culmination of the evil of the world, which had built up through the Age of Heroes and Age of Tranquility. For all good things must come to an end, and with times of justice and peace, there must be times of horror and strife. This is the balance of the world, and this is what Viaxis Vammush helped bring to the world in his own twisted way.

Effects

Dragon's Doom is best characterized by green warts that appear on the body. This is the most common image, one of the "Usurper Plague" that killed Vimbish Baxcol and is modeled after the Green Dragon Lord Fraeton the Usurper. In the public zeitgeist, this is its most common and well known appearance.
The truth is that there is no consistent color of Dragon's Doom. It is a disease of the soul, and thus draws on the power and personality of its victim. It can be all colors of Chromatic Dragons, with each giving the warts a special property.

Vimbish Baxcol by Jarhed

It has not been observed what causes each, though much study was done, conflicting accounts and the necessary isolation that destroyed most trade and information routes prevented consistent data from reaching the ears of those that needed to find it.
What can be said for certain are what each wart was able to do:

• Red- Emit flames
• Blue- Emit lightning
• Green- Emit poison
• White- Emit ice
• Black- Emit darkness
• Orange- Emit flames
• Yellow- Emit light
• Brown- Emit rocks
• Purple- Emit gas

Some say that there was a strain of the disease that grew later in its life, over a hundred years after its initial spread, that was golden and would emit each and every one of these magical effects at random.
This is not the only effect of Dragon's Doom, as it also weakens the body. The magic needed for these warts to produce such fantastical effects drain the energy from whomever has the malady, making it so each day that passes they lose more and more control over themselves, weakening until they can no longer move.

Viaxis Vammush by Jarhed

The Plaguewalker

Viaxis Vammush, also known as the Plaguewalker, was the 20th Draconian Grand Wizard.
Viaxis was the descendant of Qelbor Vammush, the 9th Grand Wizard and second in the Grand Wizard Struggle, who had used a spell to create a disease centralized on his target to kill his predecessor and take the title. Viaxis wanted to live up to his ancestor.
He used the spell he created carefully in a lab in the village of Tamd, taking it to Zephys where he challenged Vimbish Baxcol, the 19th Grand Wizard, to a fight.
Viaxis used the spell on Baxcol, killing him and usurping his position.
Viaxis himself would die of the disease after 4 years as Grand Wizard, regretting his decision to cause such chaos, but happy at the mark he made on the world.
He would be succeeded by another alchemist, Uardel Rairinn, who was appointed to the position to fix Vammush's mess. She was unable to do so, dying as Viaxis did, of Doom.

Dragon's Doom also is said to eventually cause one to begin breathing out the magical element that their warts emit. This is one of the final stages, as their body is beginning to dispel the last embers of its life force as fast as it can to ease the pain, as the body aches and ceases movement.
Then, the victim dies, the warts receding and all records that the plague happened fading away. This made the disease near impossible to study, as they needed live specimens, which increased rate of contact and transmission.

Magna Pestis

Viaxis Vammush's spell, known by most as Plague, is actually not called that. That is the name of Qelbor Vammush's spell, which killed 8th Grand Wizard Medroth Umtic. Viaxis Vammush's spell is known as "Magna Pestis" or "The Great Plague." Viaxis wanted to one-up his ancestor, and did so in name as well, with an adjective as well as the use of Draconic to strengthen the spell.
It was a spell that constantly evolved to fight back against a cure, and one that spread easily through contact in the air, with skin, or with bodily fluids. Proximity to infected meant a high likelihood of infection.
None have been able to replicate Magna Pestis, though many consider this part of the Great Tamdian Experiment, alongside the Magnum Opus of the Philosopher's Stone and the Perfect Homunculus. If the spell ever were created again, it is said that there would be no way to stop it. This does not deter many of the isolated Tamdians, who believe they would be safe in case of plague.

Yersin Renshu and Lannis Simond by Jarhed

Cure

Due to the evolving nature of the disease, and the requirements to be near a living patient, most researchers passed away before completing their research. It was difficult to compile the research of the dead, however Yersin Renshu, a Jihdi Human scientist and Beastmaster, was able to send animals into labs to collect the research. He used this and, for the latter half of his life, combed through the notes of all the previous scholars before him.
A cure was discovered in 406 for Dragon's Doom, 8 years after the Age of Plague officially ended. Yersin Renshu worked with the Elven Bard known as Lannis Simond to deduce a cure for Viaxis's plague. Music was the cure, particular frequencies which Viaxis hated to hear were able to attack the bacteria and cause it to flee.
Viaxis Vammush was a Tamdian with a hatred for Ealla and its Bards. Due to this, he did not account for the music he particularly hated to hear, for he desired to kill it and, in its death, cease it forever. For this reason, Eallan bands traveled the world, spreading their music to free people from the plague, with Lannis Simond playing a concert in every major city, sponsored by the research grant of Yersin Renshu.
This is considered one of the greatest musical tours in all of history, a farewell tour to the strife of the Age of Plague and a greeting with open arms towards the Age of Unrest. It was called during its time: "Au Revoir à Tous" or "Goodbye to All." The band of Lannis Simond played songs in mourning and honor to those that died, particularly those that died researching Dragon's Doom. Then, they played songs looking to the future, and looking to make a good future from the unrest. This concert played in 410 in Zephys, with some major figures in attendence being Salasar Feaphed, Giapin Tilrak, Otikul Nurdesh, and Euler Law. Yersin Renshu's animals were given a special place of honor, and have statues in Camor Keep.

The World Court

Some say the World Court had something to do with Dragon's Doom. Part of this is because all official documents and records say that not a single Judge of the World Court was infected with the plague, and even moreso that none of them died during its peak.

Judge Delta by Jarhed

This is easy to disprove, but of course there are many who refuse to believe that their theories have been disproven. The World Court was not effected for many reasons.

• Every Judge wears a mask over their heads and observes a distance to keep away from all people.


• The World Court rarely, if ever leaves their towers. Dragon's Doom further isolated them from the world.
  
  
  • Many say this is the cause for their detachment from true justice and the outside world in general.


• All non-Judge employees at The Marshal had a twenty-step morning routine to check whether they had the disease. If they did, they would be detained until it either went away or they passed away.


• Viaxis Vammush was placed on the most wanted list for his term as Grand Wizard, but no World Court enforcers could reach him for fear of catching the disease.

Lockdown

The World Court were also the ones who put in place the suggested lockdown laws across the world, which some nations followed while others did not.
The Lizardfolk listened, already worried about their dwindling population, while the Orcs laughed at the World Court's attempt to control them, and the Korvians partied away despite the rampaging plague. They had survived plague before and it made them stronger, so they saw no reason to worry about it until it was too late.