In the US, there is a part of the world so steeped into folklore, the area known as the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Legends of ghost ships, demons, immortality, and various other superstitions run unfettered through the streets.
Aeons ago, a hopeful colony from England, who sought to find the secret of immortality, settled in this area. They established a mansion and several houses in the Cape Fear region. Whilst they knew of the failure of Roanoke, none of them expected to experience the catastrophe that would soon befall them. Before the American revolution came about, they had all disappeared without a trace. Only rumors were spread about their fate.
The actual truth is they were amongst the first victims of what would become known as The Tarhelian Plague. The very creation of the Tarhelian Plague was through uncertainty. When the settlers landed, they heard of the Indian gods and became afraid. Their fears combined with their desires, mainly for gold, caused equilibrium between the two to devolve. As people disappeared one by one, eventually animals repopulated the forest. The plague had nothing left to feed on and it collapsed.
While this tragedy befell the Settlers, a Native American tribe tried many times to convince the people to get out of the area and for them to live elsewhere before it was too late. A few of the settlers, that listened to reason and/or did not change completely, left and joined the tribe. But the majority lived under the curse. After the last human was gone, the Natives put a parameter around the colony and kept it a secret, they have never told anyone outside of their own communities.
But due to the highly active imaginations that would later descend to Cape Fear, the ancient plague would return and it did, with a vengeance...
The Tarhelian Plague is a condition where a person will suddenly begin changing into an animal or some other type of creature. The changes range from anthropomorphic, which means they would appear as an animal with human attributes to them i.e. a human build to their body and possibly human hair, to nonmorphic, where that person would change completely into an animal physically. Some nonmorphics do speak while others have even lost that general ability.
How the Plague "infects" people is unknown but many tend to believe coming into contact with those already affected by it will trigger it. While this might be true in a sense, what causes it to effect someone like this is based upon their perception of the Plague. So, if someone strongly believes they will become infected by having contact with others who are changing, it will more than likely happen.
In actuality, to call it a Plague is a misrepresentation since most of those originally infected are people who have a close connection to a certain animal or creature. However, fear has distorted the truth as per usual and since the Plague is influenced by an individual's perception, it affects people in several different ways. The two other names for the Plague are The Gift, as deemed by those who see the transformations as just that, and Equilibrium, thus named by those who have an objective point of view about the changes and try to find a balance.
No actual evidence of the Plague's existence is present. As thus, it is viewed mainly as a bogus legend by most skeptics.
I. Fear is a powerful force, it compels us to believe in the impossible and act in a way we might not normally behave.
II. Uncertainty is the base of fear, we are afraid of what we cannot understand.
III. Uncertainty can also lead into desire, and from there into a profound longing
IV. Uncertainty can also take us to indecision, and that leads us to neither love nor fear, it takes us to Equilibrium.
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The following philosophies are what influences the Plague's affects upon an individual. In order to better understand, one must break down the three different ways the plague is perceived:
1.) The Tarhelian Plague: Those who view it as this are usually influenced by fear since they look at it as something they will be infected by.
2.) The Gift: Those who view it as this are usually influenced by desire since they openly accept the changes.
3.) Equilibrium: Those who view it as this are usually at indecision and/or viewing the changes from an objective point of view.
Those who view it as The Tarhelian Plague generally tend to treat it as sickness which they fear. As such, they will stay away from the woods since those already changing are rumored to be taking up residence in there. If those who consider it a plague end up in the presence of "the infected," they will most likely begin to change as well since they'll feel as if they have been contaminated. Since this perception is based upon fear, most people who continue to look at it as a plague throughout their transformation will most likely end up a nonmorphic since they fear losing themselves to the changes. Most who are the nonmorphics influenced by fear will lose the ability to speak because they allowed themselves to be victimized by their own fear. However, there will be some acceptions they can still retain their speaking capabilities. It should also be known that those who are in fear of their transformations tend to struggle greatly with the instincts/behavioral traits of the animal they are becoming.
Those who view it as The Gift generally tend to treat it as if they have been blessed with the honor to experience what it is like to be their favorite animal and/or creature. Their transformation will be influenced by how much they indulge in what the changes have given them. Those who see this as a gift will range from anthropomorphic to nonmorphic, depending on what they desire to experience.
Those who view it as Equilibrium did not desire for the changes but are not in fear of them. Instead, they view it from an objective point of view and try to find a balance between themselves and the changes. As such, most of those who interpret this as Equilibrium end up as anthropomorphics in the long run.
