Permutation

Flickering candlelight, raised voices, and merriment of dancing fills the house with a set of ruby, emerald eyes watching.

"Your uncle looks CREEPY!" the boy squeals escaping the pushing children. "yeah...…..I guess....it's just how he is now," the soft voice freezing the children for a moment. They continue their play else where, but one plucks an instrument on the floor.

An Epidemic

Permutation is the slow transformation of an individual's body into the material magically attached to them. A deadly, painful process is common among older Gnomes.
Though the use of magic, individuals can replace part of their body with other elements and maintain varying levels of functionality. Such a practice is common among Gnomes, it has caused Permutation epidemic. Although is effect has been recorded in the past, the cases were rare and believed to be caused by a curse. With races being able to live longer and this practice apart of Gnome culture, it has been proven to not be the case.

Symptoms

Physical

• Flesh to Material
• Loss of Function
• Fatigue

Flesh to Material is the main symptom. Change of flesh to a non-flesh material such as gemstone, metal, leather, and plant matter.
Loss of Function is an early sign of Permutation and will progress as more of the body is turned. Those with head-affection lose control all body functions for a period of time.
Fatigue, a symptom for an illness including Permutation. The transformation only makes the fatigue greater as the flesh take on the attributes of the material. Movement will become limited and tiring for the individual with the weight of the material.

Mental

• Change in Attitude
• Insanity
• Loss of Awareness
Change in Attitude comes in stages; feelings of hopelessness, restless, dread, rapid mood-changes, and attempting to kill oneself. This is a very common, however, an individual many not progress through all stages. These stages are very general and is different for each individual.
Insanity can be the use of no-sense words, strange sounds, loud outbursts, and sometimes violent reactions to non-violent situations. Brief instants of insanity can happen to an affect-individual if their condition has not reached the head. If the condition has clearly reached the head, this period will be prolonged till their short-lived recovery. Loss of Awareness comes only to those with head conditions.

Treatment

The only effective, miracle-short treatment to stopping the Permutation is to remove the affect parts of the body. A risky treatment with moderate success rate in it's complete removal. This treatment has it's own cost and those spending more have a higher chance of survival. Restraints, pain-numbing medicine/magic, and removal tools specific to the material is the least requirements for such a treatment. The people, who have completed the operation, lose connection to magic for a period of time, and require support for trauma whether re-living it or experienced through the operation.

Medicine and Magic

Traditional medicines have proven ineffective against this condition and healing magic has limited use. Healing magic is the only magic does not worsen the condition on the affected body. It can numb the pain of the affected body, or the individual could have a new body made by a powerful mage. The cost for a new body is several diamonds, gold for payment and finding a mage willing to cast.

Sequela

Depending on the location, the Permutation can take years and for others days. When the spread reaches the heart, the individual will die and they describe it as painful. Traditional medicines will no longer work on heart-inflicted, and healing magic can only numb the pain.
If the spread reaches the mind before heart, they lose their sense of self and awareness for many weeks before a rapid recovery. This recovery occurs after the entire head is transformed into the material their arm was. Once completed, the individual has a short lifetime till the spread continues towards the heart. They lose their senses of the flesh and gain a set of magical senses. The reports of these senses are limited as mind-inflicted are rare and die in a short period of time.

Prevention

Permutation can be avoided by never using magic to attach a non-flesh based to the individual. Mechanical prosthetics with magic runes, or stones, are not affected by Permutation. Bone and flesh prosthetics are not affected even if attached by magic means. Plant-based prosthetics are still under study.

Cultural Reception

Although this condition is life-threatening, seems most of Gnome culture will continue to replace body parts with other materials. Due to the awareness of this condition, younger gnomes have taken to using mechanical, or non-reactive prosthetics. Elder gnomes are frequently the victims due to using any material available during war. Eventually, this type of prosthetic became a tradition and well-developed emergency procedure. A gnome can live a long happy life before Permutation sets in. However, a short-lived species is more adversely than long-lived.

Type

Physiological

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Common

Prognosis

Worsen till complete transformation, cause death of host.

Scroll Recording

Mage interviews Mind-Inflicted

Names: Mage ███████, Head-Inflicted █████ of ██████, Scribe Farren

- What do you sense?

— Mage

I sense......*laughs* I see you. You're a yellow-golden spiraling, twisting - (continues to describe Mage as abstract elements)

— Mind-Inflicted

Enough! What else do you sense? Can you see Scribe Farren?

— Mage

I sense many things and others not, Mage. I do not know where this Scribe is, however, a strand of gold string followed you in. *points at Scribe Farren before screaming - *

— Mind-Inflicted

Mind-Inflicted dies during interview; see Incident Report ███