Overview This disease is named for the legend of Feyronn the Drewynn, the legendary Undead Assasin enlisted to serve Queprur after his death in 1436, who curses people that break vows or do not present him a silver coin upon their passing. Consumption is an assault of the phlegm upon the choleric constituent. Starting with the lungs, phlegm amasses to unsustainable levels, overwhelming and crowding out the choler from the lungs and eventually drowning the victim in their own fluids. A person with consumption undergoes a slow decay of health, 'consumed' by the withering of the body, accompanied by many vague symptoms throughout the body.
Incidence, Causes Some rare healers believe this is a communicable disease, spread by sneezing or sharing saliva from another person. Others find this idea to be preposterous and disturbing. It is readily apparent to many healers and clerics that this disease is a curse of some sort, though it does tend to affect more than one person in a household. This author posits that this illness is a blight by some supernatural force or entity. In short, current knowledge of the method of contracting the illness is a guess, at best.
Symptoms, Effects Typically, Feyronn's revenge is heralded by cough productive of phlegm that lasts more than 3 months, blood in any coughed-up phlegm, persistent fever or fever that comes and goes, night sweats that drench the sheets, and weight loss--hence the other name for this disease, consumption. Other symptoms may include chest pain especially with inspiration, loss of appetite, broadening and flattening ('clubbing') of the fingertips, and 'air hunger'--a sensation that one is suffocating or cannot take in enough air.
In most cases, a victim will succumb to the suffocation and drown in their own phlegm. This is actually a humane outcome for this disease, compared to the alternative. This process may take anywhere from 6 months to 5 years, though scholars have not determined who will survive longer with this form of the disease.
The alternative form of Feyronn's revenge is crowding out the choler in other parts of the body, not restricted to just the lungs. If the bones are withered with disease, they make break at the slightest touch or misstep. This may also happen to the spinal bones, which can become brittle to the point of collapsing after a simple sneeze. If the brain and spine are affected, a person may be stricken with Falling Sickness, delirium, or rendered comatose permanently. If the gut and belly are affected, a person will have a slow, grueling wasting which is painful atop the withering of the body. If the heart and veins are affected, the person will be rendered an invalid by the Malefic Grip. This is a very long, protracted process that often lasts from 1 to 12 years, which erodes the sanity of the afflicted.
Diagnosis Cough producing phlegm for longer than 3 months, especially blood in the phlegm that is coughed up, is almost always consumption until proven otherwise. Tumors may also cause blood to be coughed up, so a healer is directed to methods to exclude the possibility of tumor - of which there are few. In essence, there are very few ways of knowing for sure who has consumption until the disease is very advanced already, and by that time the abundant, nefarious symptoms should make it painfully obvious that the victim is succumbing to Undead Feyronn's disease.
Cure, Prevention There is no cure for consumption. However, there are methods for ameliorating the suffering of the remaining years of victims' lives. Hjaghrin Jeppreth, an esteemed healer and traveling lecturer from Marcogg, has advocated a conservative approach consisting of confinement to a temple of health or sanitarium, rest, prayer, drinking milk, healthy diet including avoidance of phlegm-producing foods and drinks, exercise, and avoidance of extreme weather.
In addition to these measures, Felina Esai of the Quaelhoirhim, a scholar of healing arts, has suggested some herbal remedies to assuage some of these woes. Hot juk'lan cha from Northern Sarvonia, is purported to remedy breathing ailments, possibly by liberating stopped-up phlegm. Hearth wine, from the hearth bush, may help to fortify the defence of the body and invigorate the soul. Finally, khmeen seeds or oil can calm the cough and alleviate some of the other aches of the disease.
Lore In the 1440s, the legend of Queprur-Cursed Feyronn arose, presumably to warn people away from treachery and as a folk tale to frighten children. It is told that Feyronn was enlisted to the service of Queprur after his death in 1436, and he now claims the lives of people who betrayed others or who go against their sworn vows. This same legend instructs people to put a silver coin in the mouth of the recently-deceased before burial, as payment to Undead Feyronn so that he might be appeased in his afterlife and not drag their soul to the Netherworld.
History Treatment of consumption has not changed much in recorded history, nor have healers made great strides in elucidating the cause of illness. What little we know has come from observation of past paroxysms of this disease.
Consumption comes to Cavthan by sea
In 1034, Cavthan encounters a merchant ship bringing 8 living souls and 43 deceased crew members which drifted into port. All aboard are withered husks of people, gasping and coughing bloody phlegm. Soon after the unwelcome arrival, many townspeople come down with similar ailments. Town healers suggest sick people go on sea voyages, hoping that the salty air will clean their throats. Unfortunately, all 63 of the sick townspeople die slowly over the following 4 years.
Consumption strikes outskirts of Nyermersys
In Nyermersys, 1287, the outlying city quarter of Charka suffers the appearance of a withering disease or blight which runs rampant among the squatters' huts. Town officials close the city gates to anyone showing signs of illness, denying sick people access to shelter, food and healing. There is some mention of a close association of the squalor of living conditions with the chance of getting the cough with bloody phlegm.
Presumed outbreak of consumption in Voldar prison
In 1349, the prison in Voldar reports several drunkards who all strangely come down with a wracking cough of bloody mucus and night sweats within days of each other. Because it is feared that they are cursed and might spread their curse to anyone who attends them, they are sectioned off from other prisoners and allowed to die in conditions of solitude, obscurity, and ignominy.
Azhira, is there a way for the moderators to grant you access to also modify and edit the original entry of this topic? It'd save me a lot of time, and hopefully save you the headache of going through me to make each modification you want. Call me lazy, or slothful, or whatever, but don't call me Jane.
Please, Azhira, I would love for you to co-author this with me, please! Tell me what to do, I could really use your help infusing more mystery and general darkness into this entry. The remaining edit I had in mind was to include the method of necropsy into that short italicized blurb I've written.
I didn't have any further ideas for how to carry on with this. Could I leave that part, the vampiric, the occult, the creepy part of the entry to you?
I understand that Santharia is generally done in the vein of Tolkien, but... I tried to mimic the style of H.P. Lovecraft in the methods section. Does that look, well, more ominous and spooky?
I should say at this point that I still have revising to do, and I hope to have a next draft finished soon-ish.
Thanks, Valan & Alt. I'll put some time and effort into "Santh-ing it up", maybe conjuring images of seedy back-alley illicit activities and shady black market transactions with unseemly characters. I hope this can yet fit into a Tolkien-esque world of intrigue and shadow.
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