Pestilent Manafication

Feared by the people, Pestilent Manafication is a side effect of Mana Stagnation within the land. Entirely preventable, all it takes is a careless or desperate mage to trigger an epidemic.

Transmission & Vectors

Pestilent Manafication is transmitted via use of contaminated magical energy. It can be acquired from the environment by using stagnated magical energy or transmitted from person to person by using magic that invades the body, such as healing, enhancements, and manipulations.

Causes

Pestilent Manafication is caused primarily by environmental factors. Inexperienced or panicked mages draw on the energy around them without looking for the tell tale signs of stagnated magical energy. There is a period before symptoms occur that it can be transmitted to other individuals unwittingly, approximately a week after acquiring the Pestilence, less if excessive energy was drawn.

Symptoms

The first symptoms manifest as hives breaking out along the skin approximately a week after first exposure. Often, the body will purge the poisoned mana on it's own, filtering the contaminant into anything it can purge, which can lead to the second set of early symptomology: vomiting, diarrhea, and excessive urination. 
Failure to purge the contaminant leads to the hives to grow into blisters and boils along the skin and growths in and on the organs. This causes pain and severe coughing fits if the papules develop in the lungs. At this point the body cannot continue to purge the contaminants, bringing relief to the early symptoms. Patients find themselves able to eat and drink again and crave things with heavy mineral content, such as salt, meats, and dairy. The body uses the excess minerals to fill in the pustules created, walling off the poisoned energy from the rest of the body. 
Further failure to purge the contamination leads to the growth of these pustules into full blown tumors. Often, these tumors are full of solid masses. Dissection of such tumors have produced crystalized stones containing heavy amounts of contaminated energies. In rare cases, the crystallization process escapes the tumors and begins to crystalize the flesh as well.
Failure of the body to begin the crystalizing process means uncontrolled growth of the tumors ravaging the body.
Left untreated or progressing to far leads to the victim to die a slow painful death from any number of causes, such as being crushed under the weight of their own tumors, organ failure, starvation, strangulation, dehydration, etc.

Treatment

Treatment is most successful when it has begun early on, keeping the patient comfortable, preventing breaking of the hives, and continual supplements of water and food to help them survive and fuel the purging process.
As the condition progresses, treatment becomes more difficult. Supplying the patient with the right nutrients and isolating them from others is paramount to their recovery. Flushing their system with untainted energies is known to help push the tainted energy into the formed crystals faster and lessen growth of internal pockets. Regularly lancing the pockets to remove the stones accumulated helps keep tumors to a manageable size and gives room for more crystal structures to develop externally.

Prognosis

Approximately ninety five percent of cases are resolved in the early phases with little to no complications. No side effects have been recorded post recovery.
When the disease progresses to the second stage approximately 70 percent of cases that reach this stage reach a full recovery. Mages who experience this stage are more sensitive to the purity of the energy they use, leading to the purging process to occur occasionally on otherwise suitable to use energies. Rarely, the mage's bodies reject the use of magic all together after recovery. Depending upon how far the second stage progressed, the patient may be left with permanent scarring and permanent growths on or in the body. Internal growths left behind may shrink if crystal masses are not present, however residual crystal masses can lead to complications later in life.
Death occurs if left untreated and in approximately thirty percent of cases that reach the second stage.

Affected Groups

Pestilent Manafication primarily affects Mages of all sexes, ages, and races. Secondary infections can be passed to any living creature.

Prevention

Prevention is as simple as being aware of your surroundings and the energy you are trying to use. Pay attention to the state of your body, and exercise caution if you suspect you have been exposed.

Epidemiology

An outbreak can occur if a careless infected mage goes around casting spells that explicitly place their energies into the bodies of others. Thankfully, stagnated pools of aethyr in the world are relatively rare and easy enough to spot.

History

Records of Pestilent Manafication have been found as early as 800 AH, but suspected depictions have been found in murals and stone carvings in various ruins and old settlements.
The first recorded outbreak occured in 812 AH with a high casualty rate, wiping out entire families as the cause and disease was struggled to be understood. Further outbreaks were recorded in 847 AH, 923 AH, and 989 AH. These outbreaks, though tragic, ultimately lead to a deeper understanding of the disease and how to treat it.

Cultural Reception

This disease, though now manageable, is feared through history. Unlucky victims of Pestilent Manafication who progressed to the tumor stage are avoided as if they were still infected, for fear of catching the contagion. Those with persisting tumors face this more often than those with lingering scars. Those who did not persist to the tumor stage can easily pass off the hives and down time as other things, such as bee stings and allergic reactions.

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Extremely Rare