Lore Spotlight: The Heroic Age - The Dwarven Plague

In War and Aether, the Heroic Age was a time of great strife and surmounting changes across the lands. One event that would change the fate of Dwarves forever is the Dwarven Plague of the early 6th century. Read on to learn more about how the Dwarves went from a weakened kingdom, to near extinction in the dark ages.

[Dwarves care for their own admist the Plauge - Art generated using Adobe Firefly]

Nothing was ever of greater threat to the Dwarven people than that of the Dwarven Plague. For as long as Dwarven kind have been on Zale, their ancestors had passed stories down the generations of a terrible plague. This plague would cause fevers, chills, muscle weakness, partial blindness, and then death. While all on Zale would burn their dead for fear of the Undead, it was often the Dwarves who would burn their dead out of fear the Plague would return. The Plague came with a high mortality rate, Few who caught the disease would survive, and among those who survived - while physically they would make a full recovery - they would become infertile for the remainder of their lives. 

The Dwarven Plague received its name from the fact that it, quite simply, only affected the Dwarves. The likes of humans, elves, and orcs all seemed unaffected by the disease - and despite the dwarve’s hearty bodies, they could not shake it off. In later centuries it was discovered that the plague was carried from home to home, infecting standing water sources like wells and lakes by way of vermin, wildlife, and other humanlikes who would drink from these sources. The larger the body of water, or the more the water moved, the lesser the risk of contagion - but when so many would get their water into a bucket, it wasn’t difficult for the whole bucket to become contaminated. The Plague devastated Dwarven populations across all of Zale. While rumors spread that the Plague was the result of a Grahtian plot, the plague met it’s end by the mid 6th century. Though the damage had already been done, and it’s effects could be felt for centuries thereafter. Especially due to the loss of the Dwarve’s greatest defense against the plague, the Kingdom of Naktari.

The Dwarven Kingdom of Naktari was a fierce government who once industrialized and destroyed the desertlands of Torvakla, met in open warfare with the elves of the Reaches, and were the first and only to conquer the Underworld. Naktari practiced and held to many ancient traditions that, while some would call foolhardy, citizens of the Kingdom assured was a necessity. Rarely did disease befall the peoples of the Kingdom. Unfortunately, Naktari was already weakened in the centuries following the Awakening, due to civil wars, an exhaustive war against the elves, and devastating losses at the hands of the Grahtians. By the time of the Plague, the only remnants of this once-great kingdom sat behind the golden gates of the undercity of Gobrakdium.

Gobrakidum was believed to be the only fortress that may defend against the plague - regularly practicing ancient customs to hold back disease. But after great earthshakes rocked the Underworld in the early 6th century, the great golden gates of Gobrakidum were found sealed, never to be opened again. Whatever secrets the kingdom held to combat plague and disease were lost - right when dwarven kind needed them most…

We hope you enjoyed this week’s Lore Spotlight! What interests you the most about the timeline of Zale, or are there any requests for W&A Lore that you’re interested in? Comment below and we’ll check’em out!