Hobbit plague
In two words: Gluttony plague
This is a horrifying condition, every hobbit's worst nightmare, where ones food ceases to satisfy oneself. The body is taken over by a seeming infection which converts all the nutrition they consume into raw, untamed power. This cannot be controlled except by exceptional wizards, and often leads to death of the victim by: explosions, fire, ice, chronic shrinking/growing (with scientifically realistic consequences), ect...
Transmission & Vectors
Widely unknown, it is believed to be transmitted by the consumption of certain foods. Wizards have been able to determine upon experimentation whether a particular item is cursed. Coconuts are widely thought to be the original item to contain this curse, and potatoes, pumpkins, and corn often followed.
Causes
Unknown.
Symptoms
6 hours-1 day: Heightened appetite, victim is either to hot or to cold.
1-3 days: Extreme hunger, and the random spawning of small explosions, small flames, small bursts of freezing water, ect...
3-10 days: Death by explosions, fire, freezing, or growth/shrinking side effects.
Extremely rare cases (10 days-onward): in extremely mundane people, the symptoms never progress beyond the second stage, and victims survive in a torpid 'walking coma' for an indeterminate amount of time.
Treatment
complete starvation stops the effects, but death occurs by... starvation.
Affected Groups
Hobbits, occasional Hobbit-Human breeds.
Prevention
Avoid: coconuts, corn, wheat, or pumkins grown near the shore of the southern half of the mainland. also, imported products,
Epidemiology
Condition commonly starts fall after harvest, and has been connected to north-western winds the previous winter.
History
In the year 479, Hobbiton is struck by a great plague. At this time, communication and trade had been established with the Great Kingdom of Man, and as many as 1/5 of Hobbitons inhabitants left the island for the relative safety of the mainland. Another 1/7 of Hobbits, died. Without the intervention of King Marothsa (the 12th) all of Hobbiton would have fallen to ruin. With his help, the plague was contained, and its carriers and their families deported to the island of Helkar, now called the Forbidden isle. Rumor tells that this island holds the plague, to this day.
Cases still rarely appear, most often in the fall. Sparse Hobbit-Human interbreeding (esp. after the Hobbit immigrations) has made select members of humanity susceptible, but human cases are extremely rare.
Famous cases are the mother of Prince Earlton 'the Good', she was believed to have a Hobbit as grandfather, who lived until his granddaughter was killed by the plague. He survived the plague, and was deported to the Forbidden Isle for containment reasons.
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