The Blues

A mysterious fatal disease which causes the victim's skin to turn blue at the point of death. It is suspected that the disease emerged from the Sherwood Depths tunnel district, as its earliest victims were all from this area.

The Blues is an RNA virus still undergoing intensive study. Its incubation period is thought to be only a matter of days, with illness and death following within two weeks. Illness is characterised by the rapid onset of fever, malaise, muscle pain, headache, and the inflammation of the pharynx. These are followed by vomiting, bloody diarrhoea and eventually the blue discolouration of the skin. The cause of death is eventual complete organ shutdown. At the moment the mortality rate is 100%, leaving little chance of a vaccine until such time as a subject survives the disease. The Blues is known to be sexually transmitted, which at the moment appears to be the only form of contagion.

As it is a very new disease, there is still a lot to learn about it. Intensive research of the virus is being conducted by both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) who have set up joint labs in secure tunnel areas donated by The Steam Guild. The entire town of Gunbridge Bells is under quarantine until the contagion risk is determined absolutely.