Typhoid
Description
Typhoid, often referred to as the "Fever's Embrace" in folklore, is a malicious ailment that leaves entire communities in its cruel clutches. Victims are tormented by a high fever that sends them into bouts of delirium, as if whispering with unseen spirits. Their strength wanes and is followed by a relentless, wracking pain in their bowels. Their skin turns sallow and is often adorned with rosy spots, as if marked by some sinister blossom. It's said that the victim’s insides churn as if consumed by fire and ice. Whispers among healers speak of a demon that is said to reside in contaminated water and food, which possesses and ravages the bodies of those it can ensnare.
Typical Exposure
Typhoid is often thought to be borne on ill winds, especially among densely populated settlements, and carries the taint of the underworld. The more practical-minded contend that it comes from consuming tainted food or water, the demon of the Fever's Embrace lurking in the murk. Some villages are known to enact rituals of purification for their wells and food stores in an attempt to ward off the Fever’s Embrace. In times of outbreaks, the wells are often abandoned, and those who fall ill are quarantined in an attempt to starve the demon of new hosts.