Dulls

The Dulls virus causes neural damage that produces a unique mental condition. The afflicted lose initiative and ability to make decisions. The public has come to call victims of the disease Dulls or a more pejorative ‘’Drones’’.

The Dulls is airborne and spread all across the world. Fortunately 98% of the population appear to have either high resistance or outright immunity. Its nature is only dimly understood, but fortunately enough progress was made to allow for Dulls Vaccine to be developed. Unfortunately its application involves light brain surgery and its cost prevents mass immunization. There are unconfirmed blogosphere reports that Cradle managed to develop means of overcoming natural immunity to Dulls, though it apparently requires brain surgery as well.

The prevailing attitudes in the society are shunning and ignoring the issue. Many dislike being near the Dulls and in some extreme cases they are even prosecuted.

The criminal elements have taken full advantage of the virus, well before governments and NGOs managed to react. Dulls are forced to work in the illegal workshops, as essentially slave workforce. They are often subjects of illegal experiments or part of human trafficking operations. In a number of locations, warlords have attempted to turn them into soldiers, with mixed success. Most of the Dulls trade rests in the hands of the Cradle, a powerful international criminal organization.

The superheroes team Liberators are fully dedicated to protecting Dulls victims and Fairbanks Foundation is a major NGO organization, that both provides care and advances search for cure.

