The Scouring of Aethelas

Plague / Epidemic

The events surrounding the ultimate destruction of the kingdom of Aethelas by the Withering Plague.

On a cold, autumn morning, a fishing boat discovered a large, dead creature of unknown origin while fishing off a north-eastern shore. The strange creature was brought aboard the ship and taken back to the town for examination. Little did they realise, the creature housed a prehistoric plague created by the ancient wizards of Nel'Akhiron thousands of years prior.   The flesh of the creature was handled and dissected, the townspeople unwittingly releasing the eldritch contagion amongst themselves. From here, the plague travelled aboard a shipment of fish bound for the Capital City, epicentre of trade for Aethelas. Once the discrete sickness penetrated the markets of the Capital, it quickly spread through contact and bodily fluids. Food and drink shipped out from the Capital to other settlements, became perfect delivery systems for the plague.   Within a day of its unearthing, the plague began to show symptoms. Hours after manifesting, the victim would be near-death. Sores would grow all over the infected individual's skin, eventually turning black and actually rotting while the victim was still alive. Teeth, hair and nails would fall out and the infected person would start vomiting blood and bile.   Panic set in and this strange new ailment was designated the Withering Plague (often called "the Wither") due to its effect of rapidly decomposing the living individual. Once the person had reached the horrific state of near-death, they were diagnosed with "Resurrection Sickness", believing the person had actually become undead despite the fact that they were still technically alive, albeit for not much longer.   The plague spread quickly and absorbed the entire kingdom. Some cities tried to barricade themselves within the walls of their castles, keeping out the waves of infected individuals that begged for help. Others opted to purge the infected populace by fire and sword in an attempt to stem the spread of the plague.   Regardless, the Wither swept over them all and the vast empire of Aethelas fell to ruin in a matter of weeks.   There was a mass exodus of people at the western end of the kingdom, who fled into the mountains. Many didn't survive the journey, however the bottleneck of their escape route allowed those fleeing to stem the spread of infection.   Eventually, those who remained crossed the western border into the wide-open plains and grasslands. Here, they founded their own brand-new kingdom founded on new values they established for themselves, sworn to avoid the mistakes of the past they saw as the cause of the Scourging of Aethelas.