The Murk Plague

The Murk Plague was the most devastating plague to ever infect Laitheran. It caused millions of deaths, but the epidemic itself didn't kill as many people, it was instead the paranoia created by the plague that killed so many people. The Murk Plague began in 1555 AC and was discovered and identified in a small Rishian village. The Plague is a parasitic one, and the parasites are birthed from the Murk Matriarch, a sentient being. The parasites, which are referred to as "Murklings," are implanted into people by the Matriarch. After successful implantation, the parasite has complete control over the person's body and is able to manipulate it. The Murkling has absolute control over the host and can transform it into terrifying beasts. However, the Murklings usually mimic their host's behavior and abduct more people for the Matriarch to implant Murklings into after they gain a person's trust. When a Murkling is discovered inside of a person's body, they go into an entirely offensive mode and attack the closest person to them. Due to a Murkling's ability to manipulate the shape of their host, Murklings are formidable opponents. Murklings are capable of growing talons, sharp teeth, and much more predatorial-type of body parts.

The Murklings and Their Matriarchs
The Murk Plague comes from the Murks, a species that's capable of asexually producing Murklings. While only females, who are referred to as Matriarchs, are able to do this, the males, who are referred to as Patriarchs, serve to advance their species. Matriarchs have sexual organs capable of producing both Murks and Murklings, the Murks sexually and the Murklings asexually. However, Patriarchs themselves are unremarkable and don't have much of a use after they assist the Matriarch in birthing new Murks. So, some Patriarchs offer themselves up to the Matriarch once she's unable to produce more Murks, and this offer is normally accepted.

Asexually, the Matriarch produces her Murklings via eggs. These eggs aren't required to be fertilized, and new individual Murkling are hatched from it. Murklings, unlike their Matriarch, have the capability to take over a sentient mind. The Murklings, if they find a way into a body, can take over the creature and manipulate its body at will. The Murklings can be devastating in some situations and are able to mimic their host's behavior. Because of this, hundreds of Murklings blend into society and abduct people in complete secrecy, and when they're found out, they either flee or fight to the death for their Matriarch. The purpose of abducting their prey instead of just killing them is so they are able to feed the Matriarch, as well as receive more Murkling brethren. The Matriarch, and in some cases, the Patriarch, feed on the people brought to them by the Murklings. Following a feast, the Matriarch implants a Murkling into the remains of their food, who would still be alive but in much pain. The Murkling then takes control of their host and regenerates what was eaten by the Matriarch. Following a successful implantation, the Murkling travels out into the real world to abduct more people to bring to the Matriarch, thus building up the Matriarch's arsenal of Murkling slaves. The Murklings are dependent on the Matriarch, as she's able to produce food for the Murklings. Murklings are also able to live off their hosts, but only for a short period of time. Because of this, if the Matriarch of one colony of Murks is killed, then her Murklings will die as well. Even if the Murklings try to find another Matriarch, they will die as well. The Murklings can only consume food from their Matriarch, and only that Matriarch.

The Murks Arrive on Laitheran / 1555 AC
Overall, four hundred Murks arrived on Laitheran in 1555 AC through Magical Rifts, half of them female and the other half males. At this point, there were about forty Murks per continent, which meant forty Murk colonies. For the first five years of being on Laitheran, the Murks spent their time learning the world through their Murklings. In addition, this was also the time in which most of the Patriarchs outlived their usefulness. After mating with their Matriarch, most Patriarchs gave themselves up to the Matriarchs for food. However, some Matriarchs did choose to use their Patriarchs to a further extent. During these five years, the Matriarchs and their Murklings remained clandestine and passive to the outside world. Other Matriarchs also established relations with their fellow Matriarchs and organized relations. During this time, the Matriarchs also gave birth to their offspring (Not the Murklings). It would take at least two years before a Murk Matriarch could give birth to other Murks, as their development is extraordinarily slow and bothersome. Murk offspring develop gradually, and it would take at least twenty-five years before the new Murk became useful in either reproduction or Murkling production. Female Murk offspring also have the capabilities to replace their mother as Matriarch, if she was to be killed.

The Discovery of the Plague / 1560 AC
The Murk Plague was first discovered in a moderate Rishian coastal town by a team of investigators. The investigators were sent there to discover the cause of various disappearances in the area, and they discovered the Plague in the process. First, the team of investigators exposed the man they believed was abducting people during a town meeting, in which this man showed the townspeople more than what they expected of a kidnapper. When the town turned against this individual, he abruptly transformed into a deformed monster. The monster began to massacre nearby townspeople and was eventually put down by fire. At first, it was believed to be a result of the Druid's Plague, but after investigating further, the team sent to this town found out that the man hadn't even bound a Seraph, and wasn't a mage. They brought their findings to the government of Rishia, and after that, there were more occurrences involving people randomly deforming into hideous monsters and assaulting the nearest person. Rishia attempted to keep these occurrences a secret, but it wasn't long before word got out to common people.

Rumors of the Matriarchs / 1560 AC - 1580 AC
For the next twenty years, dozens of rumors began to spread around Laitheran about the Murklings and their Matriarchs. While most were absurd and unreasonable, some individuals did spread the correct rumors. Whether they be witnesses of the Matriarchs or the Murklings, people began talking about colonies in Laitheran. The creatures inside of these colonies became known as Murks, and they swiftly became a threat to public order. The abrupt transformations of people became known as the Murk Plague, and it inspired fear and paranoia in thousands of people. Some governments even performed taboo, and hired Plaguebearers to discover more about this Plague; it was their specialty after all. The Plaguebearers eventually exposed the Murklings, the parasites that took control of their host. Several Plaguebearers even attempted to replicate a Murkling's abilities through their own plague, but none were able to do so. Word of the Murklings was inevitably discovered by ordinary people.

Laitheran in Chaos / 1570 AC - 1625 AC
After about fifty-five years, Laitheran delved into utter chaos as a result of the discovery of the Murklings. Towns and cities erupted into fighting after their inhabitants gained knowledge of the Murklings. Their paranoia controlling them, thousands of people accused others of being Murklings and had their accused be executed for the safety of the town. In most cases, the person wasn't a Murkling, and when they were, the Murkling would take a lot of people with them before being killed or retreating to elsewhere. Even if the person wasn't a Murkling, the accusers would continue to accuse others for the safety of themselves and would go on witch hunts to find the Murklings. In some cases, the Murklings were even behind the accusations. Towns and cities would further be divided, and cliques of people began to form. They'd fight other cliques and brought destruction down onto their village or city by spreading fires or killing each other. Infamous groups that are known as "Murk Hunters" also became prevalent. Murk Hunters traveled from village to village, murdering their inhabitants to search for Murklings. The nations of Laitheran were unable to stop these groups and bring order, as even their militaries and administrations delved into chaos.

Attempts at Reorganization / 1625 AC - 1660 AC
Step by step, the riots, and the massive witch hunts, began to slow down in Laitheran. By 1625 AC, most governments were in a position to bring order and reclaim land lost to insurrectionists and crime. The Matriarchs were still a grave issue, but the nations of Laitheran had discovered ways to root out hidden Murklings. Due to their instinctive behavior, Murklings react to pain in a very negative way and often enter a defensive state when damaged. Plus, mages were ordered to cast magic, as a Murkling was unable to use the magic its host might've possessed. In 1625 AC, the first Matriarch was killed in the Sovereignty, and many more Matriarch deaths would occur afterward. The governments of Laitheran recovered at separate times, but they'd gradually kill off the Matriarchs and their offspring as time progressed. In 1660 AC, about one-hundred fifty Matriarchs were killed off. The remaining fifty were thorns in the sides of Laitheran's nations, as they'd be the fittest of Matriarchs among the original two-hundred to arrive on Laitheran.

The Last of the Matriarchs / 1660 AC - 1667 AC
For the next seven years, the nations of Laitheran hunted the remaining fifty Matriarchs and their Murklings. These Matriarchs and their Murklings were considerably stronger than the Matriarchs who were killed before 1660 AC, as they managed to survive the culling of their species. They knew the tricks of the races of Laitheran, their ways of magic, and their tactics. Experience was their weapon, as they, along with their Murklings, fought against dozens of enemies. However, they weren't invincible. The nations of Laitheran, now organized and vengeful, fought against the Matriarchs with a burning passion. One by one the Matriarchs were killed, and their homes burnt to the ground. The last of the Matriarchs who was referred to as "The Empress," was killed in 1667 AC. The Empress was the cause of the Battle of Teroth's Keep, a battle in which an expeditionary force comprised of several nations fought against hordes of the Empress' Murklings. They stormed the keep, and after a brutal battle, the Empress was killed along with the rest of her Murklings. This would be the last Matriarch and the end of the Murk Plague.