Cure for Aleksium Poisoning
Death by aleksium poisoning is one of the slowest and most agonizing ways for a mage to die. It happens when aleksium flakes enter the bloodstream through an open wound. Although aleksium poisoning can affect non-mages as well, making them incredibly sick, death is only assured if the afflicted has magical abilities…until recently.
Discovered in the Katzan Cape, death by aleksium poisoning can be avoided by removing the afflicted’s magical abilities through the use of blood magic, or vyšnak. To understand how this is possible, one must understand the process of becoming a mage in the first place.
Mojy, the Ačkan word meaning “magic” and “life,” flows through everything in Kima, from raindrops to mountains, from butterflies to behemoths. Magical phenomena is performed by absorbing the mojy from one’s surroundings. Once all of the mojy is gone, that thing will be effectively “dead.” A non-living thing will become dull, or possibly even crumble. Living things will actually die. Mages are born with more mojy than the average person, giving them more of a connection to the natural things around them. They can work to cultivate this connection, and as they absorb mojy to perform magic, they build the amount of mojy they have within them. The more mojy someone has, the worse the interaction with the metal aleksium. Vyšnak, blood magic, is the act of absorbing mojy from living creatures. It is considered abhorrent by many mages and non-mages alike.
Aleksium poisoning can be cured by using vyšnak to absorb the afflicted’s mojy. The caster must be careful not to absorb all of the affected’s mojy, as that would kill them. There is also no way to remove the aleksium, it must be allowed to filter out on its own. Removing the afflicted’s mojy only makes the aleksium less likely to kill them. The recovery period varies from person to person, based on how much aleksium made it into their system, how powerful they were when it happened, and how careful they are in reabsorbing their mojy. Many are never able to make it back to their full power, and feel the effects of the aleksium for years afterward.
Because vyšnak is so taboo, and the fact that it can cause Blight in both the caster and the afflicted, this practice is rare and generally looked down-upon. It is dangerous, and recovery is far from guaranteed.
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