Whispers have swept the land of Estrago in recent months. However, scared the villagers are, they are not scared enough. Mad sheep’s disease – it is best we do not delve too deeply into the etymology of the disease – is indiscriminate. Initially, the disease disguises itself as common herpes, resulting in many innocent spouses sleeping with the chickens. In the following days, the diseased will take a turn for the worse. A high fever will set in, and the victim will begin to experience the long, bloody, and painful experience that is medieval diarrhea – resulting in the disease being commonly referred to as the brown plague. When left untreated, the disease attacks the victim’s nerves often causes victims to lose control of their limbs, the economic implications of which could be devastating. Although the plague is just beginning to appear in Estrago, curiously no nobility or lords have contracted the disease. 

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After the invention of showering, the King deemed public healthcare to be a superfluous expense, cutting it from the budget to fund his guillotine project. Despite this, the citizens of Estrago should be grateful because the King’s tax policies have helped foster a robust healthcare market with options for every budget. 

The Royal Academy of Sciences annually produces the finest plague doctors in Estrago. The students at the academy are well trained in all of the most current and innovative fields of science: everything from religion to the humors, and even alchemy. After completing general education courses, the doctorate students specialize in a field of medicine. The most common specialty is bloodletting, but other popular tracks include incense crafting, urine studies, and hand washing. Upon graduation, the doctors receive their robes and masks, officially becoming plague doctors. The doctors then travel from village to village to treat the sick of the Estrago, however very few villagers are ever treated by one. After training for ten years, the doctor’s charge an arm and a leg – often literally. It is said that the only thing bigger than a plague Doctor’s beak is his purse.  

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Most citizens of Estrago turn to the church for their healthcare needs. Every village has at least one church usually in the center and serving as the town meeting hall. Part of a priests training is that of treating the ill and destitute of the world. The church teaches that illness is a symptom of moral depravity in one’s life, but turning towards the faith will offer redemption. Priests treat the sick in the church, and pray and read scripture. The ill must however prove their dedication to redemption, through a substantial tithing, and those who demonstrate true piety by donating a horse, or an equivalent sum in gold coins, may even receive essential oils from the priests’ personal stashes. Although the churches services are much more accessible to the public, it must be said that many savvy individuals run very profitable gravestone businesses near churches. 

 

 After a recent brothel bubble popped, there is an alarmingly large sector of Estrago’s population who cannot even afford to donate to the church. These impoverished individuals are left largely to fend for themselves, rationing ginger root, and attempting to self-apply leeches. Leeching is taught to the plague doctors, as it is proven to remove to remove bile from the body. It is however very dangerous without the proper training.