Shaking Plague

The Shaking Plague was a disease that ravaged the city of Scardale Town of Scardale in 1370 DR. Victims of the plague exhibited tremors, pox, and lack of speech in fairly rapid succession. It was a fairly deadly disease, having reduced the city's population from over 10,000, in 1370 DR to only 4,440 just two years later.

Acquisition
Although the definitive cause of the disease was unknown, and many had their suspicions, it was known to be both physical and magical in nature, perhaps the work of mages bent on the city's destruction.

Effects
The earliest observable symptom of the Shaking Plague was that after which it was named: uncontrollable shaking of the limbs. These tremors would make martial combat and the casting of spells with a somatic component completely impossible; it did not however impede the victim's movement. Over a tenday, black, pus-filled boils would appear around the face, underarms, and groin. These would grow in size, turn yellow and eventually burst, releasing a golden discharge that was contagious to the touch. The pain was so intense that it could cause a near-constant whimpering in those afflicted.

Prevention
Observing the distribution of the disease in a larger sense, it did not spread outside of the city. Local villages and towns nearby were largely unaffected. Interestingly enough, lizardfolk were completely immune to the Shaking Plague, and even forayed into the city to feast upon the infected deceased.

Cure
Very few victims of the plague recovered on their own, while immersing their bodies in water appeared to alleviate some of the pain of the symptoms. The most reliable, known cure for the Shaking Plague was a particularly expensive combination of divine and arcane spells. The simultaneous casting of dispel magic and cure disease upon the victim would instantaneously purge any trace of the disease from their body. Due to the cost of these spells, many of the city's inhabitants could only dream of being cured after infection.