Red Plague

The threat of plague and disease sits upon nearly all civilizations at all time. There were the occasional outbreaks here and there during the Nerathi Empire, but the entirety of Rhonnos suffered when the Red Plague struck.

Most scholars believe the Plague made it's way to the shores of Rhonnos on an Oni vessel that came to port along the Storm Coast, most likely in Port Regal itself. The first confirmed incident was in 942, and it soon sprung up in Benka, Zhun, Harrendel, and Ghale. A few months later, it was seen in Quarn and a few months after that, a handful of cases were seen in Usgard and Fallcrest.

The northern cities were not affected nearly as badly, but the Plague disrupted trade for months and caused serious repercussions in all lands. Those who could, left the southern cities and hid out in the countryside. However, most were stuck in the cities and watched the bodies pile up daily.

The Red Plague was a brutal disease. Some claim it was contagious from proximity and the air, others say it required touching the diseased or the corpses. A few were sure it was a sign of displeasure from one of the Gods, with Zehir the most common culprit. Regardless of it's source, the Plague hit the high and the low, Humans, Elvenkind, Dragonborn, and races of all types. It began with a simple dry cough, which deepened over a day or two into a heavy, phlegmy cough. Then the first signs of it's namesake would begin. The victim's eyes would become overwhelmingly bloodshot and their vision would lessen. Their skin would become ruddy and in some cases, the blood would pool and form large red welts.

If the disease had progressed that far, the unfortunate soul could still be saved with luck. But if they began to leak blood from their orifices, they were done for. Once the first drop of blood left the body like that, the person had less than a day to live, as the blood of their bodies would start to gush out.

In time, the plague dwindled and disappeared, but the people of Rhonnos still live in fear of it returning.