Sixth Plague of Ihyll

The **Sixth Plague of Ihyll**, also known as the **Curse of the Beastmen**, **Curse of the Krighal**, or **Lycantrophy**, is a major disease that first appeared in the mid-2nd century AW and is the sixth of the Plagues of Ihyll. The Sixth Plague only affects Humans who, upon coming in contact with the disease, have their bodies and minds transformed, becoming wild savages out for blood. These are known as the "Krighal Taresh", Hreki for "Beasts of Blood" or by the outdated term Beastmen.

Unlike other Plagues of Ihyll, the Sixth Plague is curable to an extent. By capturing Krighal Taresh and exposing them to relics of their old Human self, their sanity can gradually be restored. This can lead to them retaining their Human mind, though their bodies are lost forever to the curse. These cured variants of the plagued are known as the "Krighal Vitna", Hreki for "Beasts of Mind".

A final yet significantly rarer subgroup of the Krighal is those with enhanced powers. Originally from Yratessia, these Humans begged Ihyll to be infected with the Sixth Plague voluntarily to defeat the more powerful armies of Daletia. The Goddess of Death obliged, granting them the disease, though it was a more potent variant. This final group can tap into the powers of the Spirit Realm and has a greater connection to Ihyll. They are called the "Krighal Okk", Hreki for "Beasts of Shadow."

## History

The Sixth Plague of Ihyll first appeared in the Golden Empire of Toscov in the early 140s. The reason for the Plague appearing there was seemingly random, and Ihyll later revealed there was no true motivation for it to appear in the Eastland. Humans turned into Krighal Taresh, who began stalking the countryside and preying on small villages and travellers. The disease originated from the Kinzovan Mountains and is spread via physical contact, such as via clawing at or biting a Human. From the Kinzovan Mountains, the Plague rapidly spread to all corners of the Empire as packs of rabid Krighal Taresh infected increasingly more people, leading to an exponential growth in the number of infected. The Empire's infrastructure was crippled as overland travel became practically impossible. In response to the Plague, Emperor Budimiv I founded the Beasthunters which would later be renamed the Anti-Krighal Watchmen.

Finding a cure for the Plague did not take long, as the Kymelian Order was rapidly deployed thanks to the presence of the Kymelian Kingdom within Toscov's borders at the time. The Kymelian Order were under the direct supervision of the Goddess of Health, Kymelia, and remains the foremost group of doctors to this day. Due to their medical expertise, it didn't take too long for one of its members, Mikhail Ivolanov, to discover a cure. Ivolanov discovered that a Krighal Taresh's sanity could be restored, though no cure could be found for the infected's bodies which were stuck in their new form forever. Due to the personal motivations of Budimiv I and his successor Ludimik II, Ivolanov's findings were ignored and both Krighal Taresh and Krighal Vitna were slaughtered indiscriminately, with many seeking refuge in the so-called Blue Forest in modern-day Lesterwood.

Tensions between the Krighal Vitna and Humans reached a boiling point during the War of the Fifteen Princes between Budimiv's fifteen children. Two of his children, Prince Woldar and Princess Zivura, had been infected while fighting the Sixth Plague and subsequently became Krighal Vitna. While Zivura tried to calm tensions, the more violent and rash Prince Woldar led the Krighal Vitna of the Blue Forest on an extremely violent warpath against their perceived oppressors. The two siblings together made up the Krighal Princes, one of the five factions during the civil war. Ultimately, the Krighal Princes fell due to defeat in battle and treachery by the Imperials, yet regional resistance in the Blue Forest continued for some time under the even more aggressive leaders Vaskah Savin and Zsemyon Surikolsky. After Surikolsky was finally defeated by Imperial Prince Deslov, recently appointed as the Prince of Kovka, Deslov struck a peace agreement with the many non-violent Krighal who remained in the Blue Forest.

The Krighal Vitna were free to leave, with many striking out to the North and South. A final, more daring expedition, landed on the shores of Nuj Tarrok, founding the City-State of Point Mikhail despite the almighty Empire of Hrek on their border. While the Hrek were violent warmongers against other Dra Kh Lozzi empires on the continent, they treated the Krighal Vitna with curiosity. In time, trade ties were established with the Krighal City-State, as the two cultures shared ideas and inventions with one another. Ultimately, it was the Hrek who gave the Krighal Vitna, Taresh, and Okk their widely used names.

On the Mainland, the Krighal lived in more isolated communities, away from Human settlements, who often viewed the Krighal as undesirable. One notable exception came in the late 10th and early 11th century with the rise of the Kingdom of the One in the western Marenbach Mountains. A highly religious movement led by Alwin the Holy, he accepted and even encouraged Krighal to join his ranks. For many Krighal Vitna, the Kingdom of the One gave them a sense of purpose and thousands flocked to Rosendorf to join Alwin the Holy's cause.

A final surge of outbreaks of the Sixth Plague came voluntarily in recent years. Since the Daletian Civil War broke out, the racially diverse natives of the region known as Yratessia have tried to carve out an independent state away from the Daletian Empire. However, despite their willpower, they still suffered defeats at the hands of Daletian legions. In a moment of desperation, an envoy representing the Yratessians travelled to the territory of Clan Shadow-Guard to personally meet Ihyll, begging her to be infected with the Sixth Plague. While the request struck her as odd, Ihyll agreed. The envoys returned to Yratessia where, soon after, Humans became Krighal. However, they did not turn into the violent Krighal Taresh as many had expected. While preparations to cure the Krighal Taresh had been made, instead, the infected became what is now known as the Krighal Okk. Ihyll had unleashed a mutation that kept the Human sanity intact and even gave the Krighal Okk enhanced magical powers and a sense of connection with the Spirit Realm. Soon after, the Krighal Okk descended on the unprepared Daletians, and, while not single-handedly turning the war, scored some major victories against the Empire.

Word of the Krighal Okk spread quickly and other zealots of Ihyll begged her to be infected with the Sixth Plague. Smaller regional outbreaks have occurred in Gurtrenn, Point Mikhail, Rosendorf, and Weckstein as a result. The recent rise of the Krighal Okk has given the Sixth Plague a mixed reputation. While many, especially in the Eastland, remember the horrors of the original outbreak over a thousand years ago, others view the Plague as an improvement of the Human body, making them faster, tougher, and stronger. Others are unconcerned, considering the Krighal Vitna and Okk a non-threat due to their relatively low numbers compared to the Human population. While there are certain regions where the Krighal have a large presence, in most places in Enselonde, they are simply a tiny minority.