Reglasjimva Disease

Even the gods themselves show their ire against Haunaele and the evils they bring with this new sickness they cast upon the land. We must end this ware once and for all to appease them!

~King Lokahi

During the Haunaele-Lokahi War, the Eruption of Pescis Charirfla caused more destruction in less time than the entire ware. The loss of sentient lives may have been zero, with the Mea'ala Continent being believed to be uninhabited, but the scars from the destruction remain today. Entire species of flora and fauna became extinct within an hour, and the land became uninhabitable except for a few dragons for years. As the angry volcano spewed ash into the air, the effects of the eruption were not limited to Mea'ala. Not only did most of the world experience at least partial darkness for years, but, several people became chronically, and terminally ill with what became known as, Reglasjimva.

Propaganda and Myth

The volcano erupting was a warning from the gods. The sickness was the punishment for not listening. Lokahi was quick to blame Haunaele for both. King Lokahi's advisors used the sickness spreading across the land to encourage military recruitment. All over the Lokahi kingdom, cries of “kill the cause, cure the sick,” spread like wildfire. Every time they went into battle, soldiers were encouraged to turn against their Haunaele brethren with promises of a cure. Many began to believe King Haunaele him self was sacrificing women to convince the gods to continue spreading illness. If you asked the Lokahi government, this was the only logical explanation, and the only “cure” was victory.

Reality

The reality was the sickness plaguing people was caused by the ash and toxins released by the eruption at current day Asafoetida. Areas seemingly unaffected were simply lucky enough that the toxins either didn't reach them, or were in such low concentration that they only had mild symptoms that went unnoticed. Some healers did figure out that protecting themselves with a mask or covering seemed to help but, with the government refusing to use science or logic in favor of propaganda, prevention, and treatment were scarce.

Symptoms

For generally healthy individuals:

• Runny Nose

• Irritated throat

• dry cough

More severe symptoms:

• chronic shortness of breath

• wheezing

• chest pain

• scarring of lungs

• in extreme cases: lung failure/death

A society lost to sickness

While the sickness spread across many people and places, one group of people was affected more than any other. Despite the belief that Mea'ala was unoccupied, there was actually a group of people, known as “Keiki La,” living on the island. They lived a peaceful life on the beaches and in the surrounding jungles. They were one with the land and the creatures that lived there with them. When the earthquakes started and the volcano erupted, they sought shelter wherever they could, including sea caves, and the mountains. Those that survived, came out of hiding to a land covered in ash and cast in darkness. They tried their best to find a way to continue to survive while they inhaled incredible amounts of volcanic ash and toxins. The ocean could offer no safe haven. The lucky ones collapsed from dehydration before the sickness could take them. The unlucky ones, spent their last moments gasping for air, further filling their lungs with the very thing that was killing them. Their entire society was lost to history forever in less than two weeks.

^{Healer by Roxanlita via Artbreeder}

Type

Physiological

All art is created and/owned by Roxanlita unless otherwise noted.