Seasickness

There's nothing I can do - nothing I know how to do! This isn't in my training - I never learned this!

— Voishö Medic on an affected ship

Affecting the The Voishö people alone, the mysterious Seasickness disease coursed through entire fleets, devastating communities with its high mortality rate and unclear origins.

The First Afflicted Ship

It did not begin as a fleet-wide tragedy. At first, rather, it was viewed as nothing but a passing wave of illness - a common cold. However, soon, the symptoms exhibited began to deviate, they deviated to the point at which they could not be associated as something even remotely similar to being benign. But by the time they communicated this to the rest of the fleet, it was too late. It had spread.

Immunes

Despite the high mortality rate and infection rate of the ailment, there were some who simply could not seem to catch it. This was first noticed when several medics showed absolutely no sign of infection, despite handling a surplus of infected patients beyond the point where it could be excused by impeccable surgical and medical hygiene.

Immunes, to the general Sailor population, are regarded as the lucky ones. Those who are given a chance that the rest of them didn't get. But in truth, the life of an Immune is far more nuanced - one watches those around them die, panic, frenzy, and they can't relate in the slightest.

I haven't gotten it yet. And I can't quite tell whether that's a blessing or a curse.

— Immune Sailor

There is no adrenaline, no fear to keep their mind off of the brutal reality. Besides that, everyone discovered to be an Immune is required to become a Medic, no questions asked. It is a matter of consent that few deign to attempt to understand, unable to view their position as anything but blessed.

Speculation of Cause

There is not a clear cause of this disease - epidemics that have occurred only twice in all of Voishö history. But many have theorised that it is caused by a mutation, or infection in the algae, ultimately spreading to the entire ship as the algae products are used. Since the last and most severe infection, algae health regulations have increased exponentially out of sheer paranoia from surrounding fleets.

Infection Rate

Extremely High

Mortality Rate

36%

Rarity

Two-time event

Symptoms

The body system most greatly affected by Seasickness is, contrary to the prior conception of seasickness, is the nervous system. While at first, a patient may experience tingling body parts, heightened sensory and emotional sensations, and even dementia-like memory loss in some. As time goes on, in critical patients it will progress to a symptom in which the spinal cord appears to bend and surrounding blood vessels break, leading to an appearance that is often described as an almost otherworldly situation.