Gibbers (The Gibs, The Rambles)

Location: Jackals, Althar

Type: Mental

Signs and Symptoms

Early Symptoms of Gibbers include

• Sleepwalking
• Sleeptalking
• Sleep paralysis
• Fascination with nonsensical riddles
• Claiming to understand and know answers to any riddle

Late signs of Gibbers include

• Delusions of being a Jackal or other Althar race
• Talking only in nonsensical sentences, nonsensical riddles
• Belief that everything is tied to some supernatural conspiracy
• Ability to pass Gibbers on to others through sleep talking
• Paranoia, feelings of spiritual malaise
• Dementia

Diagnosis

Native Althar races cannot contract Gibbers. Look for any non-native individual who takes a new interest in riddles or begins sleeptalking. If the individual begins to devise riddles of their own with no answers, or if they see patterns where none exist, suspect them of having contracted Gibbers.

Transmission

Gibbers is acquired when an individual gives too much interest or validity to the ramblings of purebred Althar Jackals, who are notorious for talking in their sleep. Their ramblings usually deal with riddles that have no answers, made-up conspiracy theories of a spiritual nature, or false foretellings of impending doom or disaster. Listening to this sleep talk rambling is not enough to acquire Gibbers; the listener must take the sleep talk seriously and believe it. A week of earnest listening is usually enough to contract Gibbers.

Risk of Exposure

Any individual of a non-Altharian race in the presence of a sleeping purebred Jackal is at risk of contracting Gibbers. While their sleep ramblings may be nonsensical, after a while an individual can begin to "make sense" of them. When this happens, the risk of contracting Gibbers increases. The risk of contracting Gibbers can be reduced by either 1) wearing earplugs or 2) the Jackal informing the individual that they are not to take the sleep-ramblings seriously. Non-purebred Jackals (or Jackals not living in Althar) tend not to sleep talk and have not been known to cause Gibbers. An individual in the advanced stages of Gibbers can transmit Gibbers to other individuals by getting them to buy into the ramblings and nonsensical theories.

Treatment

Early and late stages of Gibbers are easily cured by removing the afflicted individual from the presence of sleeping Jackals or Althar indefinitely. The individual will return to their normal, rational self in time, usually no longer than a month for the most advanced cases.

Prognosis

Gibbers is not fatal, but is contagious and can spread through a community if education about Gibbers is inadequate. It is ultimately an unfortunate, debilitating annoyance requiring outside intervention to cure. To date, no individual has suffered permanent damage or mental alteration from Gibbers after being treated.