Abyssal Poisoning

Although the slaughters once perpetrated by the Abyssal Beasts had a significant impact upon the population, the more insidious killer was the Abyssal energy itself, which, when too much is absorbed by a human (or other living being) results in the condition known as Abyssal Poisoning. Considered to be a direct psychic attack by the Abyss itself, the most famous symptoms of the condition are the violent delusions and hallucinations suffered by the victims, which can often result actions that cause harm to either the victim or those around them.
Perhaps the worst part of the condition is that it hasn’t yet gone away, even with the sealing of the Abyss, as the seal is not perfect, and a small amount of energy still leaks through. It is much rarer than it used to be, but unless the Abyss vanishes entirely from this world, in the same manner that it appeared, the condition will likely never disappear.

Causes

This condition is caused when a human absorbs too much Abyssal energy. This can be caused in various ways, such as: piercing the skin with an Abyss-Touched implement or material such as Weird Obsidian; touching or ingesting Black Ice, or recently melted Black Ice; inhaling air choked with Dark Sand (the cause of the ‘Red Wind’ phenomenon on Phos or simply spending too long in an environment suffused with Abyssal energy. Fortunately, since the sealing of the Abyss, there haven’t been any places so suffused with Abyssal energy that this last needs to be worried about.
The Abyssal energy itself is poisonous to the human mind, although it also has effects on the physical body. This is part of the evidence that the Abyss itself is some kind of psychic phenomenon, since it primarily affects the mind.

Symptoms

Abyssal Poisoning initially manifests as confusion, often accompanied by nausea and loss of balance. For this reason early stages can be mistaken for more innocuous conditions, such as drunkenness. This is swiftly followed by a period of unconsciousness. 
During this period of unconsciousness it is reported that the victim experiences terrible nightmares, often involving some kind of terrible injury, drowning, an evil presence (sometimes manifest, sometimes not), and a sense of impending dread.
In a mild case, these might be all the symptoms experienced. The sleeper will awaken, and behave as they normally would following a traumatic experience. Some of the initial symptoms might persist, but not for a significant length of time. However, in a more serious case of poisoning, the sleeper will awaken, but the dreams will not cease. The victim will begin to act upon their dreams as though they were really happening, often responding with violence towards themselves and others. This persists either until either the Poison works its way out of the victim’s system, at which point the outcome begins to resemble the milder cases of Poisoning, or until the death of the victim. In particularly severe cases of Poisoning, the victim will simply never awaken.
Some physical symptoms may also manifest: black veins at the corner of the eyes and visible elsewhere on the body, such as around the site of contamination or the large veins at the neck and wrist; slight fever; speaking gibberish; loss of control over bodily functions; vomiting.

Treatment

There are few treatments which seem to actually work, although there are countless folk remedies. The most effective method seems to be tying the victim down in a safe place and waiting for it to be over. On some occasions powerful psychics have been able to break the nightmare for both themselves and others, and many psychics and sensitives report being aware that their situation is not real while still undergoing it. This doesn’t actually remove the root cause of the problem, but it does make things more bearable for the victim while waiting for it to work out of their system.
Alesians have treated the issue with exceedingly careful application of Brightflame, but this cannot be recommended, nor is it widely available. Those who themselves carry the Brightflame are not immune to Abyssal Poisoning, but they do seem to recover more reliably from even severe cases, with the caveat that they often develop a severe fever in exchange, which can be dangerous if not properly treated.

Prognosis

In mild to moderate cases, the victim may not experience any more severe long-term repercussions than those caused by having a particularly unpleasant nightmare. In moderate cases the prognosis depends largely upon what happened during their period of psychosis, but in the absence of complications the prognosis is likely to be the same. 
In severe cases, it is almost inevitable that the victim dies. In cases where a psychic has been able to break the victim out of their dream, the prognosis is better. It is believed that the victim of severe Abyssal Poisoning dies when they succumb in the dream.

Affected Groups

All humans have the potential to be affected by Abyssal Poisoning, however, the degree of tolerance each person has varies, and is thought to be related to psychic strength. The stronger your mind is against psychic attack, the weaker the effects of Poisoning. This places certain groups at a distinct advantage, and others at a distinct disadvantage. Nobility and other well educated individuals are notably less affected, as are individuals who have successfully come through significant hardship in their lives. Older people also suffer less, although this trend is reversed after symptoms of dementia begin to appear. Children are by far the group worst effected, since their developing minds and identities leave them much weaker to psychic attacks and manipulation.
There are several other factors which effect the susceptibility of an individual to Abyssal Poisoning. For example, Alesian tolerance levels are significantly higher than that of an ordinary human. This is because Alesians are Abyss-Touched to varying degrees, which means that, depending on the level of exposure, they find themselves at an equilibrium with whatever is poisoning them. This has its limits, however, as in a sufficiently Abyssally charged surrounding, an Alesian may not be able to reach a harmless equilibrium, and thus experience symptoms of Poisoning. This also means that, in theory, Alesians could cause Abyssal poisoning in ordinary humans. However, in practice this has only rarely occurred, as a) most Alesians only generate a small amount of Abyssal energy and b) they do not emit this into their surroundings, but instead metabolise it harmlessly. It could theoretically happen as a result of prolonged intimate contact, or ingesting a large amount of Alesian blood, but simple physical contact will do no harm.
Another example is a lesser known effect of Magdalen Anuten , which allows an ordinary human to metabolise Abyssal energy in a similar fashion to Alesians. The circle writing which controls this effect has been a major design element of the most basic Anuten since its invention, and is likely the original purpose of the tradition.

Hosts & Carriers

Abyssal Beasts are known to cause poisoning in any creature which they injure directly, but since none have been seen since the sealing of the Abyss this is no longer considered a relevant concern.

Prevention

Protective gear while handling Abyssally tainted materials and objects is the primary method of prevention for the condition. Avoiding such objects entirely, as well as the Abyss itself, are also recommended.

History

It is unknown what the first case of Abyssal Poisoning was, however, given that Melos was a populated island at the time of the opening of the Abyss, it is assumed that a particularly severe form of the condition swiftly killed off the whole population of the island, as well as the other life present at the time. The first known cases were among survivors of those who survived the initial attacks of the Abyssal Beasts. Perhaps they were swiped by a Beast but escaped, perhaps they curiously touched the Black Ice when it first appeared. Either way, the world’s population swiftly learned to avoid anything Abyssally Tainted. By the time that the Abyss was closed, the best methods of dealing with the condition was well known and widely practised.

Cultural Reception

It is always very distressing when a loved one is unwell, especially when that loved one begins to respond to the things around them - including you - as a threat. Given the propensity of victims for accidental self harm and violence, the condition is notorious for the distress and terror brought upon both the victim and those around them. However, since it cannot be passed from person to person, in the regions of the world where it is still common it is treated almost as an unpleasant routine. Things considered tainted by the Abyss are given a wide berth, whether there is actually a reason to be afraid or not, and there are many superstitions intended to keep the Abyss’s evil energies out of one’s home and life. 
The nightmares themselves have had an interesting cultural impact. There was, at one time, a fad for artists deliberately inducing the condition in themselves and then attempting to draw inspiration from the terrors induced. This did, admittedly, produce several profoundly affecting - and disturbing - works of art, however, controlling the degree of affliction is a delicate business, muddied by varying tolerance from one person to the next. Many artists were severely harmed by the experience, and a few were so severely poisoned that they died. It is unknown if they would have thought that their sacrifice in the name of art was worthwhile.

Type

Supernatural

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Uncommon

Affected Species

• Humanity