The disease known as Ghun'tlor (lit. "Cursed Blood") is a disease known to
affect orcs, and sometimes people of mixed
orcen and human
bloodlines. Fatigue, hallucinations, loss of weight and the inability to eat
certain foods are all symptoms, from a mild to severe degree. The disease is
thought to originate among the orcs from the
Northern regions of Sarvonia but it has
been documented in other areas where people of
orcen ancestry are known to live, such as
Lorehaven and the
Kaaer'dár'shín tribe of Caeel’heroth.
Symptoms.
The symptoms of Ghun’tlor can begin in childhood or adulthood as there seems no
set age range where the disease is most likely to strike. The disease can
progress quickly, beginning with fatigue and light headedness. The victim often
can live and work normally for many weeks or months thinking that nothing is
wrong except that they are simply tired. The victim rarely seeks treatment at
this stage.
The second stage usually begins with weight loss and loss of appetite. The
victim is no longer hungry and becomes sick to the stomach if any meat is
eaten. Violent vomiting is the typical result of eating meat at this stage. The
victim can eat fruits and vegetables and that has been known to ease the
symptoms for a while, but the lack of meat in the diet is often the most
disturbing symptom as half-orcs are known to be hearty meat eaters. This stage
can range from mild to severe, mild being that large amounts of meat a day are
not tolerated to severe where little to no amount of meat is tolerated.
Another symptom, usually coupled with the intolerance for meat, is probably the
most frightening. Hallucinations are common among those with Ghun’tlor as the
victim begins to "see" and "hear" things that are not there. The hallucinations
can be past memories, dreams or nightmares. The hallucinations can vary between
small noises or occasional "shadows" to seeing entire situations or occurrences
before them. The hallucinations can last between a few
blinks to several minutes and
are coupled with extreme disorientation.
Effects.
The deterioration of the mind's ability to discern between what is real and
what isn't and the physical inability to gain nourishment from meat are the
chief effects of this disease. Also, as the victim cannot eat as they used to,
they lose weight and strength. Fatigue is also a noticeable effect as the
victim becomes more tired after certain physical exertions that before would
have had no effect.
Cure/Prevention.
There is no known cure for Ghun’tlor. A child affected with the disease can
learn to tolerate the symptoms by eating little or no meat and usually the
effects of the hallucinations are not as severe. With the proper care, a child
can learn to cope with the symptoms by eating fruits and vegetables, little
meat, and exercising daily to build stamina. The hallucinations can be coped
with by having someone to accompany the child in case the victim becomes
disoriented and lost. Usually, a child growing up with Ghun’tlor cannot be a
warrior as the symptoms would hinder horse
riding or fighting. However, it is thought that many shamans who claim to
receive visions from gods or spirits are actually adults who have lived with a
mild form of Ghun’tlor all of their lives.
An adult who begins to display the symptoms of Ghun’tlor can be more of a
challenge to treat. Often, the adult cannot cope with the slow descent into
maddening hallucinations and the inability to eat meat and they grow depressed
and frustrated. The loss of the ability to perform their duties also hinders
the victim. An adult with Ghun’tlor requires a drastic change in lifestyle and
often they do not have the willpower to do so. If the effects of the disease
are ignored, the fatigue and hallucinations can cause the victim to act in
unpredictable ways and more than once has a victim simply wandered off chasing
an illusion of the mind only to fall off of a cliff or mistakenly attack random
passers-by thinking that they are a foe meaning to harm them.
Juk’lan tea, a drink made from the
leaves of the juk’lan shrub,
combined with waterberry juice, is a common remedy used by the peoples of the
North to ward off the symptoms of what the
Kuglimz call the Lor’ang’urg
disease. The tea helps relieve fatigue, sleep disorders, and other ailments and
is also used to help treat the effects of Ghun’tlor by relieving fatigue and,
to a small degree, the severity of the hallucinations. The tea’s recipe was
most likely passed down from the
Kaaer'dár'shín’s Kuglimz
ancestors and has been a staple medicinal drink for the tribe ever since.
Vector/Cause.
The cause of Ghun’tlor is unknown, although it is thought that the unstable
merging of orcen and
human blood is the cause. Such
interbreeding between the two
races is thought to sometimes cause the child formed from the union to have an
unstable body unable to handle the differing racial characteristics. The
disease has been known to be passed down along a family line, but not always,
as the disease can become known in a family with no previous allowances of the
disease. The only known fact is that Ghun’tlor strikes those of
orcen bloodlines and those of mixed
human and orcen
bloodlines, with the symptoms more severe if the
orcen blood is greater whereas the disease is more mild with a lesser
degree of orcen descent.
Endemic.
Ghun’tlor is known among the
Kaaer'dár'shín tribe of Northern
Sarvonia as there exists a clan within that tribe that is known to be a mix
of human and
orcen heritage. The cases among the members of the tribe are rare, perhaps
one out of every twenty children born have the disease and one out of every
fifty adults can begin to exhibit the effects of the disease, at any age after
seventeen years. There have been cases of Ghun’tlor all over
Sarvonia where half-orcs
reside, but the most cases are in
Northern Sarvonia. The extent of the disease amongst full-blooded
orcs is unknown, as the
orcen tribes rarely keep such records and
usually kill or disown weak members.
The port city of Lorehaven in the
province of Manthria is inhabited by a
fair number of half-orcs and thus Ghun’tlor has been documented there as well.
Unlike the less civilized Sarvonian
orcen tribes, the
Lorehaven half-orcs
with Ghun’tlor are often given juk’lan
tea, however, the leaves of the juk’lan
are not native to Manthria and often have
to be purchased. As a result, those with the disease have a more difficult time
stemming the symptoms as purchasing the tea results in a life-long investment
of coin.
Myth/Lore.
It is thought that many of the great shamans of the
Kaaer'dár'shín tribe have
Ghun’tlor because of the many visions the shamans claim to receive. The
shaman's visions can range from a simple vision, unobtrusive and quiet to a
complete journey where the shaman claims to be following a spirit guide through
forests and plains until the vision leaves him suddenly. The shaman interprets
this vision and the clan listens and follows his instruction.
It is known that the shamans of the
Kaaer'dár'shín are forbidden to eat meat for religious purposes as a way of
demonstrating their allegiance to the spirits. It is seen as a personal
sacrifice. Knowing the symptoms of Ghun’tlor makes this sacrifice easier to
maintain as those with the disease cannot digest meat anyway. It is thought
that this non-meat diet was purposely sanctioned by the shamans long ago as a
means of avoiding the stigma of not being able to eat meat. Nevertheless, the
shamans revere the "visions" they receive and that makes not being able to eat
meat something worth enduring.
Whether these visions are hallucinations arising from the Ghun’tlor disease or
if they are genuine is unknown. However, if a child exhibits the symptoms of
Ghun’tlor, they are often seen as blessed by the superstitious
Kaaer'dár'shín and depending on
the shaman's interpretation of the child's visions, he or she is deemed as
worthy of becoming a shaman one day.
