Primal Madness

"He stood in the midst of the dirt road, dressed in not but rags and fire. The unnatural red flames wreathed his hands and he launched another salvo of flame against me. I raised my shield again and felt the heat as his magic engulfed me, saw the house behind me join the rest in flame. I could see the mad glee alternate with confusion in his eyes. There was no bringing him back. The madness had taken him and I had no choice but to close with my blade. It's a shame when they fall. A good mage is a blessing to us all."
-From the journal of Spell Knight Captain Melian Corrus of the Silver Towers, on hunting Third Magus Telran the Red

Transmission & Vectors

Magic is a dangerous and mysterious force. It is generally accepted that it springs from many sources and touches it's users in different ways. The worst of these is when a user is beset by or opens themselves to the forces of primal magic. Some scholars say the madness is the whispers of some old god in the poor soul's head, others that the magic itself pulls its power from the users own psyche. No matter the cause, all who use primal magic are susceptible to primal madness, and there will always be fools looking too far into things they shouldn't who will contract the condition. Additionally, when multiple magic users with the affliction gather it seems to heighten the effects until they are whipped into a murderous, catastrophic frenzy.
It is of note that Dwarves seem to be particularly resilient if not immune to primal madness, as their societies openly accept and use primal magic and have not recorded a single case of the disorder.

Causes

The cause of primal madness is hotly debated among Magi. It is unquestionable that the affliction only affects those who draw their magical energy from the primal energy of the world. There have been many primal magic users who go their entire lives unaffected by the condition, but those who delve to far, too fast, or too earnestly into their power are seemingly increasingly corrupted by some mental influence until they are, generally speaking, not the same person they were before.

Symptoms

It is incredibly difficult to determine whether a magic user derives their magical ability from primal energies, and virtually impossible for a non-Magi. Because of this, the general public in Faneshorn perceives most magic users with caution and distrust, aside from Meladric clerics. From the observations of the Silver Towers, the warning signs include detachment from social scenarios, erratic, sometimes violent mood swings, and spontaneous magical outbursts seemingly outside the user's control. These early signs eventually beget paranoia, uncontrollable violent tantrums, and a general unacceptable use of power. Those who fully succumb to the affliction are the subject of horror stories; roving wizards sending armies of golems to attack villages, wild pyromancers torching towns, and spontaneous explosions of power that destroy the magic user and all around them leaving a haunted zone of undeath.

Treatment

There is as yet no treatment for the condition of primal madness aside from a complete ban on magic use. Most, unfortunately, give in to their madness fully and must be imprisoned or executed by the Spell Knights of the Silver Towers. Some are able to control their affliction through force of will or willing abstinence from using their magic, though many Magi find this an impossible way of life. And then there are those who somehow make it work, those few and far between who accept the madness and are able to maintain control, moving through life with only the smallest hints of corruption.

Cover image by m-hugo on DeviantArt

Type

Magical