1. Notes

Vide Pestilentiae Capitis

Scientific Notes

Or better known as the "Phantom Plague Headache" is a still mostly unresearched disease, that only befalls Superhumans. A lot of researchers, medical professionals and scientists are not sure what causes it, and how severe it can become, because the most severe cases were reported by superheroes, that shortly died on duty.




Symptoms

  • Headache
  • Power Amplification
  • Phantom Pain
  • Increased Vitality and Motivation

Progression of the Disease


The very first symptom that people describe are migraine-like headaches, sometimes throughout the whole day. One of the reasons why this disease got it's name. But very soon those headaches grow worse and worse. Sometimes over the course of just a few months, but more common is the span of a few years.

When those headaches are at their worst; patients described pain that felt like someone scratching the inside of their skulls and eyeballs; they suddenly stop. A few days long, patients complain about their never ending headache, and the very next day it is gone.

And mere days after the headaches stopped, it has been observed, that the abilities of the patients grow exponentially stronger and sometimes even evolved, far beyond any normal measurable limits.

Simultaneously with the increased powers almost all of the patient reported an increase in their overall mood, which led to more general productivity on their end, which also raised their mood again, starting an intense cycle of a "mood-high".

After a few weeks the headaches start again in various levels of pain, this time accompanied by another power amplification, whenever the headache starts. Patients have also reported feeling pain in body parts, that they never had, like feeling pain in a third arm, or another leg. Some even go as far as to say they feel like they have a second head that hurts instead of the headaches.


If there are any other symptoms following the second waves of headaches, they have not yet been reported or observed.



Therapy


Since the discovery of the disease, a lot of research has been made to find any sort of cure, but non of the tried methods seemed to work, so it was decided to first concentrate on treating the symptoms, instead of the whole sickness.

Most painkillers work really good on the headaches, so for the most part this is the go to therapy for it.

Psychotherapy is the best course of action when patients are stuck in the "mood-high", to help them overcome the decrease of the former heightened mood.


One of the experiments, that got stopped almost the same week it started, which was aimed at finding a cure, included putting the patients in some sort of airtight capsule, that got filled with all sort of chemicals and contrast agents, as well as something able to conduct electricity. Every time the fluid in that capsule got changed, the power of electricity changed as well, to observe the body's reaction, as well as other important micro-biological results. After just 4 days of testing, the very first subject died due to complications. The Daily Slice still says that the lack of oxygen and dubious research-methods were the cause of death. This has yet to be proven.

Most other research basically stopped after that debacle.


Conclusion


Most people that got the Phantom Plague Headaches never got cured, simply because researches still have not found one. The only ones that ever reported the fourth stage, headaches and power amplification, were superheroes, that shortly died on duty, so there is no conclusive data to show if maybe the disease is the reason for their rather early demise.

From what we gathered so far, the general progression of the disease is not linear, and not all stages have been observed in patients. Some might just have the headaches for some time, without an actual measurable power amplification, some only reach the mood-high and get treated in other facilities. The only similarity between all those cases, is a higher concentration of a special sort of cell, only found in superhumans, that changed appearance the longer the patient was sick.



If you suspect you are sick with VPC, please contact your local hospital (Guardian General e.g.), A.E.G.I.S.-Emergency-Care-Centers or The Twin Hearts foundation, to get a thorough expenseless Check-Up!