Thraxian Plague of 1996

The Thraxian Plague of 1996 was an epidemic of an unknown virus that spread throughout Zargothrax during 1996. The virus, which has still not been identified, spread throughout the country beginning in February 1996. The virus was responsible for the deaths of the two elder sons of King Navid III, leading to Shapur XIV inheriting the throne after the death of his father. Shapur was also briefly infected by the virus, but survived. Survivors of the virus reported a variety of long-term effects, including brain damage and the development of new allergies.

Spread of the virus

The first identified case of the virus was in an unnamed seven-year-old boy in the capital city of Castle Zargo. After being brought to a hospital by his family, doctors could not identify the cause of the boy's symptoms. He was kept overnight for several days, however on the third day staff in the hospital began to fall ill with similar symptoms, followed by people they had come into contact with. Shopkeepers also began to fall ill, indicating that the virus did not require prolonged contact to pass between hosts. Two weeks after the boy was admitted to hospital, there had already been over 500 deaths attributed to the mystery virus, and the virus had managed to enter the royal palace.

Cases of the mystery virus began to appear in numerous other towns across Zargothrax, leading King Navid III to close the borders of the country entirely. While some who contracted the virus survived without long-term symptoms, others developed permanent syndromes ranging from novel allergies to severe brain damage. Around 5% of those who contracted the virus passed away due to either the virus or related causes. Seven months after the virus was first discovered, however, case numbers began to drop suddenly until nine months after the unnamed boy had been admitted to hospital there were no cases of the still-unidentified virus being recorded.

Deaths of royal princes

Around eleven days after the presence of a novel virus was first identified, staff in the Royal Palace began to fall ill. Those who showed symptoms were sent away, however not before the King's children had all contracted the virus. The two eldest sons, the Crown Prince and his one-year-younger brother, passed away in hospital after receiving treatment for the mystery virus. The third son, Shapur, managed to survive after spending a month in hospital. However, he was diagnosed with post-viral brain damage, which many believe is the cause of his present-day eccentricities as King.

Suspected causes

The virus which caused the plague has still not been identified. Due to the state of the Thraxian economy, medical storage equipment was of substandard quality, and no samples of the virus survived. Since the virus seemed to disappear of its own accord, it became impossible to identify its nature without a sample; as no conclusion was reached while the plague was still within the country and viral samples could be easily obtained.

Rumours that the plague was man-made continue to proliferate around Zargothrax, with the death of the princes leading some to believe that the virus was intended as an assassination attempt with a high rate of collateral damage. Variants of this theory include a deliberate infection of patient zero or, more implausibly, a genetically-engineered virus: however, the technology available at the time makes this highly unlikely.

Aftermath

Due to the death of his brothers, Shapur unexpectedly became Crown Prince, and later King, after the death of his father. The brain damage Shapur suffered during his own infection with the mystery virus has led to a number of controversial and eccentric decisions as King, including issuing royal decrees mandating cat ownership, and attempting to change the country's flag to a photograph of himself photoshopped to look like he was in space. Shapur has also been accused of being disinterested in ruling, spending much of his time carrying out scientific experiments in the basement of the Royal Palace and leaving governance to his 21-year-old son Prince Bahman. This is also frequently attributed to the damage he suffered during the plague.