Mountain Fever

IMPORTANT: Remember that the Guild of Diggers requires all its workers to return to the surface every 45 days. Keep an eye on your day/night lamp, update your schedule every day, check the current date with your foreman. Should you at any point feel that you need not remove your wet boots before going to sleep, return to the surface immediately. If you notice any signs of Mountain Fever in your colleague, report the behavior to your foreman.

Transmission & Vectors

The disease is not infectious.

Causes

Any dwarf that stays too long within the deepest levels of the mountain may become smitten with Mountain Fever.

Symptoms

The victim starts to enjoy the elements of the tunnels of the mountain more than is natural. They want to be inside tight places, surrounded by darkness, preferably cold and damp. They will become unwilling to remove their clothing. As the disease progresses they will want to work without any kind of light source and spend their days without any source of heat nearby. If untreated the victim will one day wander into the darkness of the mountain and will, in all probability, never be seen again.

Treatment

Spending time outside, or shallow parts of the caves, slowly reverts the symptoms. A victim that has been close to succumbing to the disease may need to be locked up to prevent them from going back into the depths. A dwarf that has been found, after having succumbed fully to the disease, can never be rid of the madness.

Prevention

The madness can be staved off for a longer time by making sure that working conditions within the mines are as homely as possible. Dry, warm halls, full of light and good food, keeps the dwarf grounded and unwilling to go into the dark. But very few mining operations can afford such luxury in the depths of a mountain.

Type

Mental