These small parasitic insects are the cause of an endemic disease in the Near East known as Chigoe Fever. Chigoes, or sand fleas, remain concealed beneath the sand until some unfortunate animal wanders past. The chigoe leaps an incredible distance to attach itself to the victim’s body, and then burrows under the skin to feed. The welts raised by these insidious pests are so painful, even a large animal can suffer a slow, wasting death when infested by enough parasites. According to the latest research by the Alchemists’ Guild, a virulent illness that once swept through Bastok is thought to have been the result of an invisible toxin transmitted through these deadly parasites.