Excerpt from the Journal of Arriane Belfort

Record Submitted - 4E 295, 16th of Second Seed

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Date [REDACTED]

Order's from the Vicar came in today. Looks like me and the cat are off to Cheydinhal. Appears we are doing some quarantine work for an outbreak of some sort. Can't complain. The Vicar's been getting... touchy again.

Date [REDACTED]

It's much worse than I thought. And it appears J'hzar and I are not actually here to do quarantine work. The Imperial Battlemages have set up ward barricades around most of the town. I can see what look to be dead in the streets, but no other signs of sickness here. A strange purple fog seems to be entrapped within the large warded area. General Lex says he has a few of his men he'd like us to look at tommorow.

Date [REDACTED]

In all my years tending the sick, I have never seen an affliction of the mind so vile. It's as if Sheogorath himself has poisoned the afflicted men. J'hzar and I have had a chance to observe them, and it is unsettling. The affected absolutely refuse to sleep, which makes diagnosing them inherently difficult, as I'm having trouble distinguishing which of the symptoms are from sleep depravation, and which are from the disease itself. I'll have to get a closer look. The general has the affected in warded cells, and is hesitant on giving us access. How does he expect us to treat these men if we can't examine them properly?

Noted symptoms:

-Auditory & Visual Hallucinations

-Paranoia

-Lethargy, with moments of mania

Date [REDACTED]

The General has permitted us to more closely examine the affected, under direct warding from the battlemages. He believes this affliction to be highly contagious. Strange for a disease of the mind. Most of the affected recoil in terror from me. One tried to attack, which would explain the shackles. The rest remained in a wakened state of lethargy, spouting madness, with consist of themes of 'waking nightmares'. An interesting development happened later in the afternoon; One of the affected fell asleep. He looks, almost dead, but for the tiniest trace of breathing. His mouth lies agape in a most disconcerting manner. The general looks worried, and was insistent on removing him, and placing him back in the town.

Date [REDACTED]

I understand the general's fears now. I was allowed to observe the affected as he was moved. The battlemages moved quickly. A little too quickly actually. One tripped and fell, while carrying the body towards the ward enclosure around Cheydinhal. The affected then began to... leak gas from his open mouth. A vile dark purple colored smoke, acrid in stench. It touched me and two of the other battlemages. We were quarantined immediately. It seems I have found the infection vector finally. I've been placed in one of the ward cells.

Date [REDACTED]

My sleep last night was absolutely terrifying. Visions of things that should not ever have been seen. I heard a voice too. Calling me to rest. But it's wrong... I can feel it. It clawed at my soul, at my mind, pulling me, but I resisted. I felt like I got no rest. J'hzar watches over me now. It's nice to have his company. He should be so lucky to have an intelligent subject such as myself. I hope we find a cure.

Date [REDACTED]

Another terrifying dream. Worse then the first in fact. The only moment of respite I had was that the other two battlemages that were subject to the gas were there with me, but even though we were together, I felt no comfort. We were all powerless to the nightmares we beheld. I saw the afflicted today. The one that was supposed to be brought back to Cheydinhal, but fell... He sat in the corner of my room, and screamed at me to stay awake. I knew he wasn't there. J'hzar could not see him. Or he paid him no mind. That would be a cruel trick. Though... I must be losing my mind. Every time I blink, I see a glimpse of that wretched nightmare now. I don't think I will sleep tonight.

Date [REDACTED]

Staying awake is difficult, in such a small place. I force my self to pace. J'hzar continues to watch me. His gaze though, he looks... hungry. I've decided to stop talking to him. I hear whispers, coming from the other side of my cell wall. I want to hear what they say, but no matter how much I tell them to speak up, they do not listen. I think Staying awake will be difficult again. My eyelids get so heavy. I would have slept long ago, if the visions I saw with closed eyes were more comforting then what I see with open.

Date [REDACTED]

Three days awake now. I see rats. Terrifying things. But when I try to look at them, they scurry away. I want to kill them, but I am to tired to move. The whispers have stopped. But... now they scratch on the wall. I prefered the whispers. I heard J'hzar say he was going to kill me, if I did not sleep. But he denies it. He said it to my face, yet he denies it! Filthy khajiit. Interesting, how the ward that forms one distorted wall of my cell wails like a child screaming. I think I may have gone mad. Wards do not do that, right? I cannot remember. Wailing wards? There's a joke in there somewhere. I hate rats.

Date [REDACTED]

I almost fell asleep. I scratched my arm till it bled to keep myself awake. J'hzar says nothing to me anymore. He just opens his mouth, and laughs. All day! I scream at him to stop, but he doesn't listen. The scratching next door has turned to a loud, banging sound. I miss the whispers. The Rats have eaten my blanket, and have claimed my cot. I shall sleep there no more, it seems. It is funny though, when you think of it right? A woman and her rats. A crazy rat lady. And I told my mother I wouldn't be a spinster!

Date [REDACTED]

A new voice. Female. Screaming. QUAGMIRE! QUAGMIRE! QUAGMIRE! QUAGMIRE! I can't help but repeat. I am so weary. And my arm is sore. I think one of the rats bit me last night. I found this journal today. Good quality book. Terrible writing. Someone's smeared blood over the damn thing, and has written the most innappropriate things about J'hzar. He'd be quite handsome. To bad he bleeds from the ears.

Date [REDACTED]

QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE YOU WILL SLOSH THROUGH MUD AND BLOOD AND LIVE FOR YOUR PRINCE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE QUAGMIRE YOU WILL SCREAM AND LAUGH AND WAKE AND SLEEP FOR YOUR PRINCE