Ira's Plague and Casmyn

[tourmaline07]

Finding this game very enjoyable with the crafting being incredibly well worked and a satisfying loop (I'm playing via Game Pass).

I wanted to praise in particularly what was a really sensitive and thoughtful exploration of mental illness in a videogame in Casmyn's personal quests as she's overwhelmed by the aftermath of a major game event. I'll try to explain without too much spoilers.

It's heart-warming to see how the weavers respond and don't just accept the superstition of Ira's Plague (which Casmyn's illness is know as) and the player as part of the quest hunt down info to her illness , and then prepares something which helps her. It's also great to see the entire weaverband just support her and reassure her and let her talk about what's happening as she sees it even if it makes no sense to them.

When something is found which helps Casmyn it's also good they ask her if she's happy for the player to talk about it to one of the Enclave bosses too who helps prepare something which helps. The player doesn't mention Casmyn by name and keep her privacy too.

As someone who's had experience with a family member who has experienced something like Ira's Plague , who also is from a cultural background which views mental heath through the lens of superstition and isolates people from the people who can help them based on it .this really touched me and meant a lot and I want to thank the developers and writers for shining a light on this.

[IndigoAK]

I just finished this quest and I agree. Very well written.

As someone who suffers from two different anxiety disorders, there's a lot in this quest that I could relate to and it was nice to see it handled in a very thoughtful and even creative way.

[Rain Skyward]

I’m in the middle of the quest right now, but I respectfully disagree. There was something I found a little disturbing they mentioned her illness/curse whatever wasn’t caused by the fact that her parents were different species however when they list the cause of the illness they say it was a combination of her genetics, the religious upbringing, as well as her sleeping habits which means yes actually there was some truth that horrible stigma of half breeds having issues. It felt clunky like the writers were trying to have their cake and eat it too.

Also I thought it was very weird shot at religiousness too.


Maybe my opinion will change after I finish the quest but from what I’ve seen so far the proposed solution is a tranquilizer to help her sleep, which seems like a bandaid solution.

[IndigoAK]

I think you're misinterpreting the genetic factors bit.

The game goes out of its way to suggest that all the species in this game are 100% compatible in terms of breeding. If that's eliminated, then genetic factors become your normal genetic predispositions.

And why wouldn't the developers take a swipe at religions causing trauma? It deserves to have swipes taken at it. I mean, just ask anybody who's ever escaped from a religion and they'll (maybe not gladly) tell you all about the baggage it's left them with. If nobody ever talked about it, none of them would ever heal.

[blinglog]

Honestly one of the best portrayals of mental illness I've seen in a game

[Rain Skyward]

Originally posted by IndigoAK:

I think you're misinterpreting the genetic factors bit.

The game goes out of its way to suggest that all the species in this game are 100% compatible in terms of breeding. If that's eliminated, then genetic factors become your normal genetic predispositions.

And why wouldn't the developers take a swipe at religions causing trauma? It deserves to have swipes taken at it. I mean, just ask anybody who's ever escaped from a religion and they'll (maybe not gladly) tell you all about the baggage it's left them with. If nobody ever talked about it, none of them would ever heal.

The only instances we have in the game of folks getting that plague/illness thing are folks that 2 individuals that had a very came from a very specific combination of races. That’s why I mentioned it feels like the writing is trying to have its cake and eat it too when it comes to saying that the origin of the illness is partially genetic. It sounds like there is a truth to the stigma of those of mixed races being predisposed to that plague/illness, that bothers me. I do not think that was intention of the writers but that’s how it comes off because it’s not mentioned happening with any other combination or breed of races.

As far as religious trauma goes my heart goes out to you and anyone else that has experienced it. It is awful and I honestly pray justice comes for you and anyone else that has experienced it in any form. We can’t throw the baby out with the bath water, and a lot of people have experienced healing from all sorts of experiences through God.

[LaughAndReload]

Originally posted by Rain Skyward:

Originally posted by IndigoAK:

I think you're misinterpreting the genetic factors bit.

The game goes out of its way to suggest that all the species in this game are 100% compatible in terms of breeding. If that's eliminated, then genetic factors become your normal genetic predispositions.

And why wouldn't the developers take a swipe at religions causing trauma? It deserves to have swipes taken at it. I mean, just ask anybody who's ever escaped from a religion and they'll (maybe not gladly) tell you all about the baggage it's left them with. If nobody ever talked about it, none of them would ever heal.

The only instances we have in the game of folks getting that plague/illness thing are folks that 2 individuals that had a very came from a very specific combination of races. That’s why I mentioned it feels like the writing is trying to have its cake and eat it too when it comes to saying that the origin of the illness is partially genetic. It sounds like there is a truth to the stigma of those of mixed races being predisposed to that plague/illness, that bothers me. I do not think that was intention of the writers but that’s how it comes off because it’s not mentioned happening with any other combination or breed of races.

As far as religious trauma goes my heart goes out to you and anyone else that has experienced it. It is awful and I honestly pray justice comes for you and anyone else that has experienced it in any form. We can’t throw the baby out with the bath water, and a lot of people have experienced healing from all sorts of experiences through God.

This post contains spoilers for the quest Drowned.

The quest will eventually have you speak with the Spindler in Cassadin’s hold. She explains that Ira’s Plague is a derogatory term that was adopted due to ignorance and fear of the unknown/unexplainable. However, with research, people began to understand that Ira’s Plague was not a curse inflicted by gods, but an affliction of the mind that many races experience, including the Rahm, Obrun, Ashar, and Khasil. There are many symptoms, including intrusive thoughts, hoarding, obsessive compulsions, etc., but a lack of sleep was documented as one of the largest impacts for worsening the condition. Because Khashar do not sleep nearly as often as other races, those afflicted with this mental disorder have more severe symptoms. The Southern religions of Mayda did not understand this because it wasn’t studied. So, they explained the illness as a punishment of the gods, and because it most noticeably afflicted Khashar, they invented the excuse that it was because they had one Ashar and one Khasil parent. The religion goes on to explain that Ira’s Plague is a punishment for sins of Kashar’s ancestors, and the only way to “cure” it is to repent and right any past wrongs.

TLDR; Anyone can be afflicted with “ira’s plague” because it is a mental illness. Kashar were more likely to experience more intense symptoms because they do not sleep as often as other races. However, because mental afflictions were not well understood, the southern religions believed that the goddess of justice was punishing the children of interracial couplings.