Void Madness is by far the most feared affliction for those who choose risk themselves in practicing magic. More than physical danger, more than the risk of pain or burnout or the fear of failing to excel in our chosen field, we fear the temptation to toss ourselves over the edge of our limits. We fear that we will be unable to stop ourselves, for lack of self-control or by the necessity of circumstances. We fear that once we tumble off of that ledge, we may never return.
— "Power: A Treatise on the Existence and Interaction of the Four Systems" by Oriana Tansea
 

The Condition

It is said that power corrupts. If there is evidence of the reality of this folk belief, it lies in the existence of Void Madness. As a disease of the mind, it destroys a person's psyche from the inside out... and once a certain threshold has been passed, it is nigh impossible to recover. This is the price paid by those who reach too far, too quickly, and too recklessly.

Symptoms

Emotional and mental instability, bursts of rage or other uncontrolled emotions or paranoia. Destructiveness to the self and/or others. Violence beyond one's natural tendency toward violence. In its most advanced form, it can trigger delusions, hallucinations, and the inability to tell fantasy from reality.

Causes

Void Madness is a result of a person attempting to channel Void Energy beyond their capacity - in other words, abuse of Magic. While the cause of the affliction is well-known, and entirely avoidable, it is often unavoided as knowledge of consequences is not always sufficient to ward off a Void Dancer from pushing their limits. Indeed, those most worried about falling prey to the Madness are those most likely to do so.

While that is simple enough, it is also more complex than it seems. Void energy is a naturally destabilizing force and those who use it are prone to chaotic action regardless - this is true, for example, of nearly all Demons as they are the primary Void Dancers of the world. However, when use is controlled, this may add a bit of spice to a personality, but it is not actually dangerous for either the user or those around them. Difficulty arises when a person is not disciplined in their use, or does not understand the nature of the energy.

Because Void is drawn from outside the body and is essentially limitless, there is technically nothing permitting anyone from drawing as much metaphorical water from that bottomless well as they like. However, every person has a specific natural limit to how much they can handle without beginning to destabilize. This limit can be expanded through practice, or through the use of Magic Systems (see Magic) that provide a structure to the chaos, but there is always a limit nonetheless. Once a person crosses over that line, they begin to lose themselves in the Void.

From there, things will escalate quickly without corrective action.

Prognosis

In early stages, this is not a permanent affliction - it may take some hours, days or even weeks/months to recover, but at the other end of that recovery is life as the void-dancer once knew it - essentially unchanged.

However, if the limit is pushed too far, or if the limits are habitually ignored, the effects begin to permanently settle into the user's mind, creating an more profound instability - one that will never recede.

History

The first known case of Void Madness occurred in 704. At the time, Mortal magic-users had just begun to establish themselves. It was the thick of the Caelestise-Sura War, and demand was high for the few mortal mages capable of holding their own against the Immortals - or at least protecting others from becoming accidental casualties. This created a dangerous situation, particularly when paired with the relative ignorance of the energy and its effects that was inevitable for a people so new to its use.

The first victim was Saldan Larr, a prominent Cambion mage who had been protecting his small village from the fallout of the war around them. He was a quiet man, and already a bit eccentric, which is likely why no one noticed his increasing instability until it was too late. Eventually, he became paranoid, and then hostile, before burning down several houses in the vicinity and disappearing into the forest. Larr was never seen again.

Impact

Saldan's tragedy, along with the cases that followed, brought it to mortal attention that magic could be as dangerous as it was useful. This led to an increased emphasis on self-control and understanding/respecting one's own limits. This not only led to the stabilization of magic among mortals, this increased emphasis on discipline eventually led to the discovery of how to access Od as well.

Changes in Immortal society were not nearly so obvious. However, after the war, an outbreak of Void Madness among Demons who were panicked by the rise of the Golden Cage led to changes in the formal training given to those Demons with the resources to undergo it.