Flaying Plague

The Flaying Plague was a deadly Garou disease during the Dark Ages.

Overview

In the winter of 1229, the Garou of a sept in Lithuania fell victim to a strange fever. At first it seemed to be some strange offshoot of consumption. Then the boils appeared. Then the boils become ulcers that grew into huge abscesses, then the skin fell, agonizingly, from the bones. Every Garou of that sept died. Then the fever stuck again, a little further west, this time at a Red Talon caern in the Polish forests.

That summer, the strange fever would literally decimate the Garou of Europe.

The plague advances ever westward. Hundreds of Garou die; hundreds more are left hideously scarred. Theurges fight to cure the plague, but the best they can do is contain it. The plague, the Warder doctors say, is spread by the miasma of breath, but they know precious little else about it. It seems to affect only wolves and werewolves; no normal human, Kinfolk or otherwise, has fallen to the Flaying Plague.

The Garou still have no idea what caused the plague. Speculations abound, but no solid evidence has emerged proving any theory. The plague is particularly devastating to the Red Talons, as it kills their Garou and Kinfolk with terrifying swiftness. Even now, the Garou Galliards are whispering that the plague has forever altered the holy balance between wolf and man. Packs of Garou have spread out across Europe, seeking the cause of the plague as well as a cure. None have reported any success yet.

While the Silent Striders destroyed the Circle of Red, they didn't find the source for the Plague. It wasn't until the 14th century that the plague had completely abated on its own.

References

• DAW: Dark Ages: Werewolf Rulebook, p. 38
• DA: Dark Ages: British Isles, p. 51