Etherium Infusion (NFP)

As the scholars of the world learn more of the possible uses of etherium, so their curiosity grows. Many good things, and equally many bad have come from curiosity, and Infusion is one of them. So far, no one knows which category it will fall into, and if whether or not it poses any benefits to its subjects. One thing is for certain though, the process very gruesome and many have died while being subjected to it.

Transmission & Vectors

As the various scholars and researchers studying etherium and it's mechanics broadened their knowledge, many became curious how the material interacts with biological organisms, in particular since there are many observed species that rely on etherlight and etherium in different ways in order to sustain themselves. Some argued that the potential benefits to humanity where to great to allow ethics and morals to stand in the way of scientific progress, and as such they began experiment on various animals and ultimately humans. So far, many diferent ideas have been tried, to varying degrees of success:

Operation

Various forms of implants where tried, using cut and uncut etherium gemstones that were operated into the subjects. Both large and small gems where used in various places in the body, often close to crucial organs, but it was quickly found that most subjects rejected the alien gems quicker than the scientists could infuse them with etherlight. Using already infused gemstones was also attempted, but due to the nature of infused etherium and its high internal energy the areas where it was to be implanted was horribly burnt, often with the subjects dying.

Powder

Grounding etherium into a fine powder in order to mix it with food and liquids was also tried, which proved to be more effective than the implants. In these cases the subjects did not die outright, often surviving up to five days. The most success was had by first slowly acclimatizing the subjects to the etherium powder through mixing it with their food, increasing the dose until symptoms started appearing. Different subjects lasted different lengths, and the researchers are still unsure why. Some got to the point where they were able to consume quite large quantities mixed with their food, even reaching the stage where they were forced to breath the dust which was mixed with their air. All these subjects died eventually, and interestingly enough some seemed perfectly fine physically despite showing various mental symptoms. In the course of an hour or two, they would change drastically, succumbing to coughing fits and upheavals of the stomach. One case in particular was studied greatly, the person in question appeared to be fine after five days of having been exposed to the material, but they suddenly started showing symptoms of neurosis and panic, after which various appendages started to fall of, giving way to grotesquely formed crystals that grew out of their bodies.

Other methods of ingestion

Many other methods where tried, such as injection by syringe, inhalation of etherium fumes and physical contact with the powder for prolonged periods of time through the use of bandages, but these methods produced second to none in comparison to the ones listed above. Injection by syringe may deserve a special mention, as the effects it produced where similar to those of the gradual consumption of etherium in it's powder form, though much more volatile. The onset of the symptoms was more rapid, and the subjects often only lasted around one day, two at the most.

Duvlin

The one person who is known to have survived these experiments is a young human named Duvlin. The method used on him differed slightly from the others, and it is the only method that has so far proven any sort of effects besides the physical and mental symptoms that where present in the previous subjects. The mages and scientist that worked on Duvlin thought to try and guide the energy from certain crucial points on his body, letting the etherlight enter through these points weaving with it small amounts of etherium. They accomplished this by creating an intricate diagram of runes and arcane circuits on Duvlin's body, using the palms of his hands as focal points. These arcane circuits where meant to guide etherlight, and where inked in. On top of the inked in circuits, paths of etherium dust where laid out and two large gems where placed on each of his palms. As they started feeding etherlight through the gemstones, the arcane circuitry fed the light out across the diagram on his body, simultaneously drawing in and solidifying onto it the powder that had been applied on top. This worked, in many more ways than the researchers ever thought at first. Duvlin gained the ability to draw in etherlight, fueling up his body while at the same time creating a dependency on etherium within him.

Symptoms

Physical

The physical symptoms of those who have been infused by etherium have varied slightly among subject to subject, but some common ones persist across all. It is common for the subjects to experience shivers and convulsions, particularly those like Duvlin who are chemically dependent on the substance. Other common symptoms include nausea and dizziness, vomiting and coughing fits and in some cases spontaneous growth of crystal structures from various internal organs. This is often fateful. Other rarer symptoms include disfigurement and discoloring of body parts, change of hair and eye color and other genetic changes.

Psychological

Psychological symptoms include amnesia, hysteria and various forms of psychosis. Subjects have been reported to become delusional and woefully erratic, often to the point of becoming aggressive. Hallucinations and strong nightmares have been known to affect some subjects, even to the point of those hallucinations manifesting themselves lightly in the physical realm. This has been ascribed to the inherent properties of etherium, but no one knows for sure.

Type

Chemical Compound