The Great Plague began around 01/04/10046, and lasted until about 07/01/10048, lasting about four years. Some related historical information is also included before the start of the plague.
A troubadour in a tavern in Rougtero brings rumors from The Rhine:
“A single priest of Isis has been able to cast spells for months now in a small fishing village somewhere in The Rhine, the grouping of islands around Centralia. I don't know the exact location though.”
A hiring is posted publicly:
WANTED: Mission Specialists to travel to a distant world on a resource-building exercise. If interested, contact Hester at the Stopover Inn, Meeting Room 2.
The day following the listing, the officials at Terminal 3 received a note indicating that off-world vacationers are no longer welcome on a plane called 'Pendia.' A Jearnian logging company was also summarily evicted from the plane and all contracts with said company were cancelled. The portal was then closed by revocation.
The following news broadcast was widely distributed by the Centralian Guild of Wizards:
“A plague has spread across the planet of Jaern. All major population centers have been hit and hit hard. It is known that magical healing will stop the symptoms and fend off dying, but they come back within weeks. As such, there are long lines in some of the larger cities where healers heal. Orusians and other priests desparately attempt to feed these healers units. Dwarves around Jaern are panicking and searching for relief. The city of Centralia has shut their gates barred entry into the city. Many portals have been shut down to prevent the plague from spreading off-world. All portals to Centralia have been shut down, as well as the portals to other Jaernian locations. A shipping portal is still intact for ships, so quick travel between Centralia Island and Lojem is still possible.”
A message is delivered to many prominent mages across Jearn:
“The Centralia Guild of Wizards has researched a new healing spell that replaces rank 7 Common Magics. They will also replace rank 10 and 15 in Common Magics, but those spell haven't been researched as of yet. In order to purchase this spell, you must not have bought Common Magics up to this point yet and when you learn these spells, you will be replacing ranks 7, 10, and 15 with these healing spells. You cannot mix and match these ranks, either you take Find, Know Element, and Know Magic OR you take these three healing spells.”
A description of the Rank 7 Common Magics spell is provided as well:
7 - Lesser Heal
Time to Cast: 5R All within the area of effect that are
Resist Check: 4d6 vs WIL negates willing or fail the Resist Check are
Target: LOS 10' + 5/F' healed 1d6 DP.
Duration: Instantaneous
Area: 10' + 5/F'
Effect: heal all in area
The message continues:
“The Mage's Guild will teach this spell to members for free or non-members for 20 silver. Members are welcome to teach the spell free of charge to non-members and I am sure that the Lojem Guild at the portal farm can also teach this spell by now.”
The Centralia Journal reports:
As joyous news of the recent retrieval of a powerful divine artifact of Isis spreads across the plague-stricken islands of Jaern, celebrations quickly turn to barely-controlled mobs. Soon after the abilities granted by the artifact begin relieving wearied clerics, the plague changed. Worldwide, the disease worsened in its effects, accelerating to kill in half the time as before. Researchers who had been warning and preparing for the possibility of mutated strains of the illness have been baffled at how quickly the new version has spread, as it seems the change was nearly simultaneous across the world. This has led many to believe that the plague’s cause is not like any other, but they are unsure as to what may be the cause. (Read Full Article)
An adventurer's notebook includes a page of various interconnected observations:
“Almar is completely unable to grant spells to any of his followers or access this plane (Jaern).”
“Vormaxia and Zeferin cannot grant their followers spells greater than rank 6 on this plane. These gods are also completely unable to manifest on this plane.”
“All of the gods mentioned above work as per normal on other planes.”
“All known off-world portals are being watched either overtly or covertly by priests of Anubis and Orus (or just followers of these deities). Priests of Almar will be apprehended and jailed (and probably executed due to public outcry).”
Also, a notice goes up around Little Karfelon and Centralia Island:
“A portal has been created in Little Karfelon to connect the portal farm and Centralia Island. The portal is free to use from the portal farm end, but costs 5 silver to use from Little Karfelon unless a ticket is obtained from a participating Centralia Island merchant stating something was purchased from them.”
A message is again delivered to many prominent mages across Jearn:
“The Centralia Mage's Guild is able to teach the Rank 10 healing spell (creatively named 'Heal'). You must have learned the Rank 7 Lesser Heal spell in order to learn this one. Teaching it to members is free, for non-members they charge 50sp.”
A description of the Rank 10 Common Magics spell is provided as well:
10 - Heal
Time to Cast: 5R All within the area that are willing
Resist Check: 5d6 vs WIL negates or fail the Resist Check are healed
Target: LOS 10' + 5/F' 2d6 DP.
Duration: instantaneous
Area: 10' + 5/F' radius
Effect: heals all in area
When this event occurred, the sky returned to its normal blue color. Whether or not there is direct causation between these two events is debated.
A letter is sent to all members of the Centralia Guild of Wizards, written and signed by Wilhelm Grafen of the Centralia Guild of Wizards. The contents of this letter is included in our archive.
A confidential is published in the Geleia Times:
“For those who live in Southam or have any type of relations there, the following rumor has been heard:
The merchant council plans to release a list of import goods that will require a specific entry vector. The three classes of entry will be rail, portal, and general.
It is rumored that this list was prompted by financial interests of one of the merchant lords in the GRC (Geleian Rail Consortium).”
This confidential is listed next to the following article:
“A tavern just south of the marketplace and in the northern dock district was annihilated by a orange beam from the heavens. The tavern, The Righteous Expanse was built on the ruins of the Stokard Import warehouse which had been destroyed there previously. No other adventurers were within, but a minor riot occurred that evening. The resulting crater is approximately 150' across and 30' deep and is cordoned off at the moment.”
Just after the new year, the following notice is posted at around Centralia and Lojem:
Due to a lack of resources because of combating the plague, both Wizard's Guilds offering item identification have increased prices.
Centralia Mage's Guild has a new price structure:
The Lojem Wizard Guild has increased their price to 27,000sp which will provide the previous level of identification that was offered.
An adventurer's log from the time reads:
“The plague loses its magical component, and reverts to a minor curable illness. Those sick are easily taken care of on their next time through the lines.
Isis is back, yet drained from the effort of stripping the plague. It is too early to determine whether she has been changed from her experiences in a human, and also how much of her is what she was and how much is Anna.
Word is spread of the efforts of those who helped in bringing back Isis, with emphasis placed on the participation and key role of Captain Briggs, the T'orite.
Revolts in progress across the world have a lot taken out of them as the peasants who had joined in desperation begin running back to get the plague cured.
Many messes are left to clean up. We'll see what happens.”
A message is posted publicly:
“The plague is over, but the Centralia Guild of Wizards has finished researching the last of the healing spells. They will teach it to members for free and non-members for a small fee.”
A description of the Rank 15 Common Magics spell is provided as well:
15 - Greater Heal
Time to Cast: 1R All within the area that are willing or fail
Resist Check: 6d6 vs. WIL negates the Resist Check are healed 6d6 DP.
Target: LOS 100' + 20/F'
Duration: instantaneous
Area: 100' + 20/F' radius
Effect: heal all in area