Milk Eye

There are many carnivorous predators in the The Ironstone Mountains, few of which are edible by the Isturian people.   Of these, the wyrms of Isturoth are the most fierce and deadly. In the event an individual manages to slay one, their scales, horns, quills and bones are highly sought after and quite valuable, leaving a large amount of meat to dispose of. Never to be wasteful, some Isturians attempt to make use of this meat by curing or stewing it, as it is too tough and ropey to cook as is.   The flesh of the wyrms is exceptionally high in sodium and fats (and indeed any of the carnivores in Isturoth) and is not fit for human consumption. Thus, eating wyrmflesh is known to give the consumer temporary blindness, a flaring up of cataracts in the eyes.

The most obvious sign is the milky whiteness covering the iris and pupil of one or both of the eyes. Naturally, the victim will be blinded in the affected eye(s). Other symptoms of the disease include:

• Swelling of the stomach
• Bruising of the face
• Kidney and heart failure

There is no definitive cure but to wait it out. However, consuming plenty of vitamins through fruits and vegetables can help speed up the process.   In a small number of cases though, the cataracts do not disappear and the blindness becomes permanent.

A surefire way to avoid milk eye, is to refrain from eating the meat of carnivorous predators in the mountains, particularly wyrms. However, among poorer populations, the meat is often eaten out of desperation, while rich individuals eat it as a status symbol. Both are equally as susceptible to milk eye.