Mental Afflictions

There are many things that exist within the world of Cairne that defy perception and expectation of reality, from the Void-born horrors that stalk the lands to the dangers that lurk unseen within the Realms that exist in parallel,  juxtaposed over the world of the living. Encountering these strange and often terrifying things can, in many cases, be far too much for an individual to manage within their psyche, leading to a trauma or divergence from what is considered a healthy state of being. While the majority of these can be treated and overcome over time or through the use of the skills of a Benevolent or other healing, the more serious or repetitious stimuli that cause this malady can occasionally lead to longer term effects that require more intensive treatment, or in rarer cases, remain untreatable.
It should be stated that these afflictions are among some of the most difficult to manage and heal, and in the case of the Gauldowhynna Elves, a commonality that they all share that resists even the most skilled of healing attempts. Depending on the cause, the tables below should allow for a wide variety of potential outcomes for characters that carry these conditions.

Causes

In the twisted and haunting realms of Cairne, the fragile fabric of sanity often teeters on the edge of collapse. The denizens of this world face a myriad of perils that can shatter the human mind and plunge it into the depths of insanity. From psychic damage to terrifying situations, mental and physical trauma, arcanist magic, and even the unique condition afflicting the Gauldowhynna Elves, known as Spectral Fragmentation, the causes of insanity in this world are as diverse as they are harrowing.

• Psychic Damage: Encounters with Cairne's horrors and otherworldly entities can inflict psychic damage upon mortal minds, rending their sanity with a mere glimpse of the indescribable horrors that lie beyond the veil. When exposed to such malevolent forces, characters must make resistance checks, with failure resulting in minor or major insanity effects, as their minds struggle to comprehend and process the unfathomable, or suffer the damage of psychic attacks.
• Terror: Terrifying situations can push individuals to their psychological limits. Confronting nightmares made manifest or enduring life-threatening perils can trigger fear instilled resistance checks. Failed checks may lead to temporary or even permanent insanity effects, leaving characters scarred by the traumatic experiences they have endured.
• Mental and Physical Trauma: In a world ravaged by catastrophe and chaos, mental and physical trauma run rampant. The weight of loss, violence, and desperation can break even the strongest spirits. Characters who endure traumatic events, such as witnessing the annihilation of their homes or enduring prolonged periods of torture, may suffer long-lasting mental scars. When confronted with extreme trauma, characters must make resistance checks to determine the extent of their mental fortitude. Failed checks could result in indefinite or permanent insanity effects, as their psyche struggles to cope with the horrors they have endured.
• Arcane Influence and Magic Artifacts: Within this the realms of Cairne, magic is a potent force that weaves through and often alters the fabric of reality. Arcanist workings, forbidden esoteric knowledge, and dark artifacts can taint the minds of those who delve too deeply into forbidden knowledge. Casting spells that push the boundaries of the mortal mind or tampering with lost artifacts of the old world, may require sanity checks to preserve the caster's mental stability. Failure to maintain a grip on their sanity can result in a range of insanity effects, from minor distortions of perception to permanent shattering of the mind.
• Spectral Fragmentation of Gauldowhynna Elves: The Gauldowhynna Elves, a once glorious race intertwined with nature, face a unique affliction known as Spectral Fragmentation . Their very existence is linked to their ancient Spirit Tree, which, as it withers and decays, is slowly corrupting the very spiritual essence and core of the elves. As the tree weakens, the entire species is plagued with various mental ailments, reflecting the gradual disintegration of their connection to the Tree's ability to take in the spirits of the fallen and allow them to be reborn, granting them a kind of immortality, but with the Tree is slow decline, this is no longer the case. The Gauldowhynna Elves must contend with a multitude of insanity effects that are both individual and collective in nature. Delusions, emotional instability, visions, and uncontrollable compulsions haunt their minds to varying degrees, and make them largely unpredictable and unstable, venerable to further fracturing as well. 

Symptoms

Minor Short Term Insanity Effects:

1. Hallucinations: The character frequently sees or hears things that aren't there.
2. Paranoia: The character becomes excessively suspicious and distrustful of others.
3. Phobias: The character develops an irrational fear of a specific object or situation.
4. Compulsive Behavior: The character engages in repetitive, uncontrollable actions.
5. Insomnia: The character has difficulty sleeping and experiences chronic fatigue.
6. Disorganized Thoughts: The character struggles to maintain coherent thinking patterns.
7. Memory Gaps: The character frequently forgets recent events or important details.
8. Hypersensitivity: The character becomes overly sensitive to sensory stimuli.
9. Delusions of Grandeur: The character believes they possess extraordinary abilities or importance.
10. Mood Swings: The character experiences rapid and unpredictable changes in emotions.
11. Catatonia: The character enters periods of unresponsiveness and immobility.
12. Obsessive Thoughts: The character fixates on specific ideas or thoughts, unable to let them go.
13. Emotional Numbness: The character feels detached and unable to experience normal emotions.
14. Tics or Twitches: The character develops involuntary muscle spasms or repetitive movements.
15. Self-Harm Urges: The character feels compelled to harm themselves in various ways.
16. Agitation: The character becomes easily irritated and restless.
17. Disassociation: The character feels disconnected from their own thoughts, body, or surroundings.
18. Inappropriate Laughter or Crying: The character displays uncontrollable and out-of-context emotional responses.
19. Impulsive Behavior: The character acts without thinking, engaging in risky or harmful actions.
20. Visual Distortions: The character's perception of the world becomes distorted, causing visual abnormalities.

Major Short Term Insanity Effects:

1. Split Personality: The character develops distinct and conflicting identities.
2. Homicidal Urges: The character feels an intense desire to harm or kill others.
3. Delusions of Persecution: The character believes they are being targeted or hunted.
4. Catatonic Stupor: The character remains motionless and unresponsive for extended periods.
5. Schizophrenia: The character experiences hallucinations and delusions, often with disorganized speech.
6. Manic Episodes: The character enters prolonged periods of extreme euphoria and hyperactivity.
7. Suicidal Ideation: The character constantly contemplates or plans their own death.
8. Amnesia: The character suffers from partial or total memory loss.
9. Violent Outbursts: The character displays uncontrollable fits of rage and aggression.
10. Dissociative Fugue: The character suddenly wanders away from their normal life, forgetting their identity.
11. Paralysis: The character becomes physically paralyzed in certain situations or conditions.
12. Erotomania: The character develops an obsessive belief that someone is in love with them.
13. Cotard's Delusion: The character believes they are dead or do not exist.
14. Delusions of Control: The character believes their actions are controlled by an external force.
15. Suicidal Tendencies: The character engages in self-destructive behaviors with the intent to end their own life.
16. Thought Insertion: The character believes that thoughts are being implanted in their mind by an external entity.
17. Panic Attacks: The character experiences sudden and intense bouts of extreme fear or anxiety.
18. Body Dysmorphia: The character becomes obsessed with imagined or minor physical flaws.
19. Sensory Overload: The character becomes overwhelmed by sensory input, leading to disorientation and distress.
20. Dissociative Identity Disorder: The character possesses multiple distinct personalities that take control at different times.

Indefinite Insanity Effects:

1. Amnesia: The character's memories become permanently fragmented or inaccessible.
2. Chronic Paranoia: The character is constantly suspicious and untrusting of others.
3. Delusions of Control: The character believes they are being manipulated by an external force indefinitely.
4. Persistent Hallucinations: The character experiences ongoing and vivid hallucinations.
5. Chronic Manic Episodes: The character alternates between periods of mania and depression without end.
6. Chronic Suicidal Ideation: The character continues to harbor thoughts of self-harm or suicide indefinitely.
7. Aggressive Psychosis: The character's aggression becomes a constant and unpredictable presence.
8. Perpetual Catatonia: The character remains in a state of unresponsiveness indefinitely.
9. Incurable Phobia: The character's phobia becomes deeply ingrained, never diminishing or going away.
10. Eternal Schizophrenia: The character's delusions and hallucinations persist unceasingly.
11. Inescapable Split Personality: The character's multiple personalities continue to coexist indefinitely.
12. Irreversible Violent Outbursts: The character's rage and aggression are a permanent aspect of their behavior.
13. Enduring Erotomania: The character's belief in someone's love for them remains unshakable.
14. Eternal Cotard's Delusion: The character persists in their belief that they are dead or nonexistent.
15. Constant Panic Attacks: The character experiences chronic and recurring episodes of intense fear and anxiety.
16. Permanent Body Dysmorphia: The character's fixation on physical flaws becomes an everlasting obsession.
17. Unending Dissociative Identity Disorder: The character's multiple personalities persist indefinitely.
18. Forever Thought Insertion: The character remains convinced that external entities implant thoughts in their mind eternally.
19. Eternal Sensory Overload: The character is perpetually overwhelmed by sensory input, unable to find relief.
20. Insurmountable Insanity: The character's sanity is shattered beyond repair, lost forever in madness. (Roll on the permanent table)

Permanent Insanity Effects:

1. Complete Amnesia: The character loses all memories, their past erased from their mind forever.
2. Absolute Paranoia: The character trusts no one, forever convinced of hidden agendas and conspiracies.
3. Irreversible Delusions of Control: The character firmly believes their every action is manipulated eternally.
4. Eternal Hallucinations: The character is trapped in a permanent state of vivid and persistent hallucinations.
5. Eternal Mania: The character's mind is forever consumed by endless manic episodes.
6. Incurable Suicidal Ideation: The character's mind is perpetually plagued by thoughts of self-harm or suicide.
7. Irreversible Aggressive Psychosis: The character is consumed by an eternal, unquenchable rage.
8. Forever Catatonia: The character is forever lost in an unresponsive state, cut off from the world.
9. Unbreakable Phobia: The character's phobia remains omnipresent, never diminishing or disappearing.
10. Eternal Schizophrenia: The character is trapped in an eternal cycle of delusions and hallucinations.
11. Indissoluble Split Personality: The character's identities become permanently fractured and unresolvable.
12. Unending Violent Outbursts: The character's rage and aggression are a permanent, uncontrollable aspect.
13. Eternal Erotomania: The character's delusion of being loved persists for eternity.
14. Inescapable Cotard's Delusion: The character's belief in their own death or nonexistence endures forever.
15. Forever Panic Attacks: The character is forever plagued by unrelenting panic and anxiety.
16. Permanent Body Dysmorphia: The character's fixation on physical flaws becomes a lifelong obsession.
17. Eternal Dissociative Identity Disorder: The character's multiple personalities are permanently locked in place.
18. Forever Thought Insertion: The character is eternally convinced of external thoughts being implanted in their mind.
19. Boundless Sensory Overload: The character is condemned to an eternity of overwhelming sensory input.
20. Irreparable Insanity: The character's sanity is forever lost, trapped in an unending nightmare of madness.

Treatment

There exist a number of known ways in which these maladies can be treated, and while the most skilled healers when it comes to damage of the mind are the Benevolents, Mentalists, Spiritualists, Arcanists, and Musicians have been known to have been effective in some cases as well. Below are only a few examples of possible and known methods currently in use:

• Counseling and Therapy: By utilizing extensive psychological knowledge and empathetic abilities to engage in one-on-one counseling sessions, focusing on active listening, guidance, and therapeutic techniques, this method is a tried and true way to help individuals process their experiences and develop coping mechanisms. While it does tend to take a significant amount of time, the results are among the most successful of all.
• Herbal Remedies and Tinctures: Drawing upon their understanding of the botanical world, the Benevolents craft herbal remedies and tinctures that can soothe the mind. These concoctions may contain calming herbs, such as lavender or chamomile, which aid in reducing anxiety and promoting relaxation.
• Meditation and Mindfulness Practices: Teaching individuals mindfulness techniques and meditation, the Benevolents and Mentalists help them cultivate inner peace and focus. These practices enable individuals to better manage their thoughts and emotions, alleviating the impact of minor insanity effects.
• Therapeutic Steam Devices: Harnessing the power of steam technology, specially designed devices emit steam infused with calming and restorative properties. Individuals can immerse themselves in the soothing steam, which helps cleanse the mind and rejuvenate their mental well-being.
• Psionic Harmonizing: Mentalists can utilize their powers to create harmonic resonances that counteract the chaotic energies associated with major insanity effects. By harmonizing the affected individual's psychic energy, Mentalists can restore balance and stability to their minds.
• Spiritual Manipulation: Spiritualists can focus their abilities to allow for the manipulation and redirection of spiritual energies. They employ their skills to seek and restore coherence to the fragmented minds of the afflicted by cleansing the spiritual essence of a being and rearranging their spirit in a more unified manner. 
• Ougham Collective Psychic Healing: Ougham and some Mentalists with unparalleled psychic abilities, can band together to form a psychic network, pooling their powers to initiate collective healing sessions. Through the combined strength of their psychic energies, they strive to mend the shattered psyche of those suffering from indefinite and permanent insanity effects within their midst.
• Melodic Resonance: Musicians with a deep understanding of the emotional impact of melodies and harmonies can craft compositions specifically designed to resonate with the afflicted. They skillfully weave together intricate arrangements that evoke feelings of calm, hope, and inner peace. By playing these melodies, they create a resonant field that harmonizes with the troubled psyche, promoting a sense of emotional balance and soothing the effects of insanity.
• Empathic Resonance: Most Musicians with a deep understanding of the emotional impact of melodies and harmonies can craft compositions specifically designed to resonate with the afflicted. They skillfully weave together intricate arrangements that evoke feelings of calm, hope, and inner peace. By playing these melodies, they create a resonant field that harmonizes with the troubled psyche, directing the emotional state of the listener under their influence, and pushing out the negative factors that have led to their altered state of mind.

Type

Mental