Maggot sickness is the last epidemic to strike the Frankish lands, having struck in two waves over the last decade. Its symptoms are sleepiness, fever and local inflammations. About two of three untreated victims die. The corpses of its victims decay unusually swift, being virtual breeding grounds of worms, flies and other creatures of filth.

The growth of cancers is caused by the taint of Chaos, corrupting the natural life processes. As such, cancer is rather common in the Magocratic Confederation, and an occupational hazard to those working sorcery. Cancers are not always simply clumps of useless tissue; some have been known to rupture and bring forth other things. Cancers are also called chaos eggs or Gaea's eggs.

Diseases

More people die of disease, scourged by Namtar the Facecutter, than all the goblins of the world could butcher.

Leprosy, typhoid fever and cholera all take their toll on the human race. The diseases behave much as they do on Earth, though effective cures are quite different.

The pox (smallpox) is one of the most feared of all diseases. The pox is extremely virulent.Its first wave brought the Cargan empire to its knees, and what survived of the empire was scarred and weakned. Much the same may be said of the individual sufferers of the pox. Age has mellowed the pox somewhat, but it is still a horrible affliction. Its first symptom is fever, headaches, chills and general weakness, four days after the fever sets in, a rash appears on the face and limbs of the sufferer, going gradually from red bumps to pus-filled blisters. The blisters break and dry up in about nine days, sometimes leaving scabs. When the scabby coverings break, they often leave deep pits and scars that mar the appearance.