Weave Sickness

Weave Sickness (also known as the Pthumerian Scourge, the Pthumerian Curse, Weave Madness) was a condition that was believed to have stemmed from excessive contact with pure magic from the Weave. It made several appearances throughout history, with the most powerful outbreaks occurring during the First and Third Eras.

## Symptoms

The early onset of Weave Sickness was insidiously benign, with victims suffering minor headaches, nausea, and vomiting. The symptoms would rapidly grow worse, however, and after the first symptoms showed it was often too late for the sufferer. The second stage of symptoms was much less benign, marked with massive migraines, visual and auditory hallucinations, and distinctive purple fluid leaking from the eyes and ears. These symptoms would worsen until the victim died, in many cases still screaming incoherently due to the massive headaches the disease caused.

The occurrence at Heartforge during the Third Era was notably different in that it had a disturbing third wave of symptoms. Sufferers transformed into misty black entities, violent and with very few memories of who they used to be. These beings possessed powerful psionic and elemental abilities that seemed to vary based on their environment at the time of conversion. This strange happening was never able to be explained, with some experts suggesting this event was not actually an occurrence of Weave Sickness at all, but merely a similar disorder.

## Occurrences

It is believed the Weave Sickness has shown up in isolated cases throughout history, with the sufferers normally being foolhardy mages. Constant exposure to high amounts of magic in short amounts of time seemed to trigger the disorder, and as such most people were of no risk. However, in two separate cases, large outbreaks of the disease did occur, with disastrous consequences.

### First Era

The Weave Sickness was first identified when it surfaced in the Pthumerian Empire during a 4 century span between 74,900 PC and 74,500 PC. The disorder was initially rare, but began to become more and more common over the years. Though seemingly immune to most maladies including disease, the Pthumerians had no such defense against the Weave Sickness, and died in droves. The disease's origin was eventually tracked to the Dawnstone, and the disorder died out soon after the artifact was disposed of. However, it was believed to have killed around 1,500,000 Pthumerians during it's span, along with an untold number of other races. It is believed the Pthumerians could resist the effects, but still suffered from this disorder acutely due to their natural magical affinity.

### Third Era

The Weave Sickness is believed to have resurfaced in the Dwarven capitol of Heartforge during the early 3000s. The progression of the disease was far more rapid and violent than before, completely wiping out 100% of the city's population, save for one. The staggering speed at which the disease progressed was believed to be due to the Dwarves lacking the magical resistance of the Pthumerians, another potential explanation for the strange transformation that occurred amongst the people affected. This disorder caused the total collapse of Dwarvish society. The staggering death toll was estimated to be anywhere from 10,000,000-15,000,000, around 50% of the total Dwarvish population. This makes it the second deadliest disease known in Lorian by sheer death toll, only falling behind the Dread Plague.

## Famous Sufferers

* Pheros the Mad (77,900 - 74,990 PC)
* Edwin Kellesky (2550 - 2620 AC)

## Immunities

It is believed some races and species had a natural immunity to the Weave Sickness, as they dwelled in places of high magic for millenia with seemingly no ill effects. Below is a list of species believed to be immune to the disorder:

* Beholders
* Dragons
* Various forms of Fey
* Warforged