Black Grain Blight
An Entry in the Encyclopaedia Exilum Novum, Year 499 AR
“Better to burn the barn than feed the devil’s bread to your children.”
Black Grain Blight is a dreaded affliction that strikes those who consume bread or porridge made from tainted grain — particularly rye — harvested in damp, Rift-shadowed years. Though mundane in nature, its horrors have inspired centuries of Imperial superstition, with some calling it the Whispering Fire or the Peasant’s Curse.
Transmission & Vectors
Through consumption of contaminated grain products (bread, porridge). Not infectious from person to person.
Causes
The mold (Claviceps ferrumii) develops in improperly dried rye and barley stored in humid conditions, particularly during Obscurum and Ascensus. Consumption of its spores introduces toxins into the bloodstream.
Symptoms
- Burning sensation in limbs and extremities (the “Whispering Fire”)
- Necrosis of fingers and toes (blackening and gangrene)
- Hallucinations, mania, false prophecy declarations
- Convulsions, vomiting, and eventual death in severe cases
Treatment
Immediate cessation of consumption. Feeding with clean grain gruel, purifying infusions of sol-blessed water. Advanced cases may require amputation of affected limbs. Priests of Sol Invicta often oversee recovery.
Prognosis
Variable. Early detection and clean diet lead to recovery. Advanced cases risk death or permanent disability.
Sequela
Amputations, chronic weakness, psychological trauma from hallucinations.
Affected Groups
Primarily poor, malnourished peasants, besieged soldiers, and those dependent on communal granaries.
Hosts & Carriers
Fungus grows in rye and barley; the grain itself is the host. Animals consuming infected grain may suffer mild symptoms but rarely fatal.
Prevention
Proper drying and inspection of grain. Offerings to Sol Invicta and ritual burning of moldy stores. Use of air circulation and sun exposure in granaries.
Epidemiology
Most common during famine or siege conditions. Outbreaks typically follow poor harvests, damp seasons, and neglect of religious rites. Peasant populations in outer provinces most at risk.
History
First recorded case in 87 AR in the provinces. Most infamous outbreak: Siege of Castrum Ferrum (312 AR), where the besieged garrison succumbed to madness and death. Led to creation of the Inspectores Frumenti.
Cultural Reception
Feared and pitied. Victims sometimes ostracized as cursed. Farmers view it as divine judgment for greed or neglecting offerings.
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