Decay

Decay or the “Apple Cut Disease” was one of the most deadly plagues of all time. It reduced the population by a massive 45%. The plague hit the Phoenix Empire hundreds of years ago and resulted in the death of an estimated 15 million people living in Alae Ignis. Originating from the sixth tribe and later travelling all across the four states, the plague took the lives of a total of million people. Although there were several theories regarding the cause of Decay, the government deduced that the pathogen responsible was called "Catalica-Solido".It was most likely carried by “Canis Lupus”, a carnivorous animal trained by merchants for carrying goods. The pathogen spread fast as the people of the sixth tribe comprised of merchants who often migrated from state to state.

Symptoms - The human body when attacked by the "Catalica-Solido" suffers from rapid oxidation of the body organs. The symptoms of this plague can be compared to an apple when cut and left out in the open. An apple in such a situation starts to rot away, and the same happens to a human body when suffering from Decay. Victims would start feeling sick as the immune system of the body starts rusting away. Slowly the body starts decaying from the inside. Cough and fever occurs as a starting phase, finally resulting in death within a day or two. Decay is fatal and cannot be cured.

Impact - Even though it took about 60 million deaths and a whole year to overcome this plague, the great minds of the Research and Development Branch of the Government found the cure. Despite that the plague left a deep scar on the empire, both socially and economically. The economic conditions after the plague became worse, and the land of many Lesser Ones were claimed by the Master Race to stabilize the falling economy. Statistics show that 45 million deaths out of all 60 million were of the lesser ones. Only 15 million deaths were of Master Race. This led to many conspiracy theories, that the master race were in possession of the cure to begin with, and they were communicating with their reapers to escape from their death. This plague not only brought about imbalance between the death-birth ratio but also created a rift between the two classes.