Mana Poisoning

I Don't Feel Too Good....

It starts out like a cold. A sniffle, some fatigue... You think you caught it on the subway to work, since it's always crowded with sneezing, coughing and other disgusting habits. Or maybe it's the hours you're working at your part-time job; you wake up so early, and get home so late that it wouldn't be surprising that you're so tired all the time.

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Maybe it's the flu? You threw up today at lunch after barely taking a bite out of your food. You feel awful and clammy, and some of your co-workers say you look like death. You're sent home early, and collapse into bed after popping some vitamin C and some gravol.

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You wake up with a dry mouth and a pounding head. The lights hurt your eyes, and as you flop upright, you see from the corner of your vision a faint teal. It seems to coat the surface of your skin, and you watch as it drips upwards, eventually straining like water droplets before breaking off, floating upwards. You tilt your head back to watch as it moves toward the ceiling. The hum of your pulse is in your ears, as you realize what's happened. Its not a cold, or a flu. You have Mana Poisoning...And it's bad.

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Fumbling, you grab your phone and manage to text a friend to take you to the emergency room. They text you back speedily with some concerned emojis, and you drop the phone on your bed before flopping back down beside it. You can only wait for a ride to the emergency room, and see what can be done, hopping to bounce back quickly.You heard that your boss' wife was out of commission for over two months to recover...

Transmission & Vectors

Transmission of Mana Poisoning is complicated, due to the very personal relationships all species have with their mana.

Deliberate Poisoning

Mana poisoning can be deliberately inflicted via introduction of corrupted mana to the victim's magical aura and mana stores. The mana, once gathered from the environment can be corrupted via specific spells and substances, and it may be consumed by the victim or injected directly.

Unintentional Poisoning

Magical refuse from animals and magical waste products from arcane processes may taint the natural mana of a nearby area. If a magic user in that area draws on the natural mana for spells or rituals, the tainted mana may replace some of the user's "healthy" mana, risking the individual to grow ill.

Creature Specific Poisoning

The species known officially as L.E.M.S.I. and colloquially referred to as a "Hellbug" carries a high risk of inflicting mana poisoning. These insects feed off mana from many creatures, and while feeding they may transfer mana from previous victims. If this occurs, the mingling of mana from different sources may produce a reaction which leads to mana sickness.

Symptoms

"The initial symptoms of mana poisoning heavily resemble those of food poisoning or a stomach flu. Depending on the severity of the affliction, some victims may recover within 24 hours. However, if the patient is affected more severely, the symptoms may change and worsen.

Lesser Symptoms

• Fever
• Nausea
• Muscle and joint pain
• Fatigue

Advanced Symptoms

Sometimes mana poisioning becomes so much that the body begins reacting harshly to the mana inside it, causing more harsh symptoms to appear.

Vomiting

Gastrointestinal Distress

Dehydration

Mana leakage*

Sustained Fever

Weakness and other neurological distress symptoms (light-headedness, lack of muscle coordination, etc)

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* Mana leakage is a secondary condition in which a person's mana begins to leak out of their very being and aura, as they are unable to hold it in. It appears as a slight coloured glow around the affected individual and seems to move similar to the insides of a lava lamp. This is a telltale sign of a mana affecting condition, as it is not only related to mana poisioning. If you or a loved one is suffering from mana leakage, please contact your magi-physician.

Treatment

Treatment of mana poisoning can be difficult and complex. Each individual being is exposed to different mana depending on their environment, so mana transfusions must be selected carefully in order to avoid aggravating the condition.
However, recent advancements in the magical sciences have allowed the creation of a synthetic replacement for mana, which can be used to purify the tainted mana within a patient's system before being replaced by the patient's own mana. This treatment may be compared to the use of activated charcoal in cases of non-magical poisoning.
Synthetic Mana is incredibly difficult to procure, and as a result is currently difficult to get a hold of and use. 1-2% of the population is currently able to afford treatment of Mana Poisoning this way. Medical companies are working to make the synthetic more obtainable, though it's unsure when it will be possible for the public to use it.

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For those who can't have Synthetic Mana, the main way of treatment is either mana transfusion, or expelling the tainted mana.

Mana Transfusion

Mana transfusion is similar in concept to blood transfusion. A healthy individual, ideally from the same area, will transfer some of their own mana into the patient. Depending on the patient's current health and the severity of their symptoms, the patient may require up to three donors.

Expelling Mana

If transfusions are not feasible or unaffordable for the patient, expelling the tainted mana from their system may be possible if the symptoms are not too severe. By using simple and safe spells within the patient's comfort level, the tainted mana can be drained and expelled. Caution is advised when attempting this process, as expelling tainted mana may be uncomfortable or dangerous depending on the spells which are used.

Prognosis

Mana Poisoning is not lethal. It can cause weakness and lack of magic ability, but does not cause any trauma to vital regions. The worst outcomes are if it is caught late, and even then it simply just calls for a change of lifestyle where magic is used less, or with items to aid in magic use.
Many people are fine once diagnosed correctly, and treatments can be done to stabilize the condition. 90% of Mana Poison sufferers return to their normal way of life after treatments.

Sequela

One of the possible conditions one can obtain after treatment is Magic Deficiency wherein the affected individual has a harder time storing and using their mana. They often have to rely on Magic Enhancing Items if they have had the harsher symptoms of Mana poisioning.

Type

Magical

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Uncommon