The Crimson Plague

## **Official Description**

**The Crimson Plague** was an endemic plague that swept through the kingdom of Velaris, killing many people. Its name comes from the signature symptom of the sclera of the eyes turning bright crimson red. People who are infected with the plague usually dies within days or weeks, and in rare cases, survive for a month or a few.

## **Symptoms**

Like what its name implies, the scleras of the people infected by the Crimson Plague turn into crimson; the brighter and more prominent the color is, the more infected the person is by the plague. In later stages, the area surrounding the eyes also becomes a sickly red shade and bright red veins appear around the eyes, making it appear as if the eyes are crying blood. The shade of red and veins are more prominent in the face, shoulders, the fingertips, waist and thighs, knees, and tips of the toes. In Kellan Xalvador's flashback, Indirah Alnazar, who had the plague at the time, has a nasty cough and appears sweaty and gaunt.

According to Indirah, the Crimson Plague could also make the infected person lose their ability to breathe properly, making their hearts beat quicker than usual and their voice croaky and raspy. She also noticed that some people develop a mild flu, which explains why one of Indirah's symptoms were non-stop coughing. The body temperature also dangerously drops to at least 33.6°C as opposed to the normal 37°C, as if the person has hypothermia.

## **Story Origin**

The Crimson Plague is the result of the massive population outbreak of the **Fire Scorpion**, which started the endemic in Velaris. The Fire Scorpion first had an outbreak in the Lazarette, with Velaris' previous king being the first carrier of the plague when the scorpion stung him. He was taken back to Palacio Velaris to cure him, but unbeknownst to him, the king has already spread the plague with him back to the kingdom. All infected people are taken to the Lazarette where the plague doctors try to cure them, although the majority of the people still died and was left buried and cremated in the Lazarette.

Indirah, who is only around 10 at the time, got the plague herself and was rushed to the Lazarette in order to cure her. Sunset Mendoza's father, who is one of the very few plague doctors in Velaris specialized for the Crimson Plague, was desperate to keep her alive, especially since she's the only one her brother has. After a few months, Sunset's father finally found the cure and tested it on Indirah, stopping the plague from killing her. Although fully cured and can no longer infect others, she retained the red tint in her sclera. With the cure, the plague's spread halted, ending the endemic in Velaris.

## **Production Origin**

**Austin Dy** and **Amree Aguinaldo** turn to a lot of things for inspiration, mainly the current worldwide pandemic, Covid-19, the Ten Plagues of Egypt, the Black Death, and Amree's sore eyes (which she calls the "Red Plague" even if she knows sore eyes isn't a plague) in 2015. The Coronavirus is pretty telling since it's become a worldwide problem, and the Ten Plagues of Egypt and the Black Death lead to the idea that the Crimson Plague should be manifested in the form of deadly insects. Amree's sore eyes has been the inspiration for the Crimson Plague's horrifying symptoms.

## **Trivias**

* Indirah Alnazar is the only one in the main characters to have the Crimson Plague, just like in real life how **Amree Aguinaldo** was the only one to have sore eyes.