The worst of Greydon’s plague outbreaks occurred over one hundred years ago. The Lord Mayor ordered cats and dogs to be killed, for he feared they carried the taint sickness.

Unfortunately, the true carriers were the black rats, who in turn were the hosts of tainted ticks from Odlund that spread the germ. Without predators to kill the rats, their population grew, and the death toll soared.

Once panic set in, many fled for their countryside estates. Some even took their pets. It’s said that fever cats and plague hounds originate from this stock. As these pets ate the rats, they inevitable consumed the tainted tick as well. The germ evolved and corrupted the pet from within.

Now, cats and dogs roam the Cavallon countryside, with rat-shaped heads, hairless tails, and swollen bellies. It’s said that when they hiss or bark, flies expel from their throats, or when they die, their bellies erupt, releasing the pestilence swarm colony.

These threats are rounded up, and thrown alive into pyre pits, still today.