Spirit Crash

Spirit crash is a side-effect that follows the use of Berries of Awakening to enhance one's senses.

Berries of Awakening are commonly used by the Ranata tribes. These blue-green berries grow in the Ranata Isles and were discovered to greatly enhance one's five senses. The Ranata use it both in spirit rituals to enhance the psychedelic effects caused by other compounds in the ritual, and to use it in hunting and gathering to allow them to gain a greater perception of the world around them.

Symptoms

When the effects of Berries of Awakening begin to wear off after about six hours, there is a brief thirty minute period where all of the user's senses are suddenly sharpened to the point of severe discomfort. Any lights or sudden flashes of other colours cause a pounding headache to flare up, causing discomfort. Any noises louder than a whisper also cause discomfort. Faint aromas or flavours become overpowering to the point of inducing nausea. If the user touches anything by surprise, they can feel tingles flow all over their body.

After half an hour, the exact opposite effect kicks in, and the user's senses are suddenly dulled and blunted. Their vision becomes blurry and unfocused. Their hearing becomes muffled, as if they were underwater. They cannot smell or taste anything, and when they touch something, the sensation is delayed and dulled. The sensation is likened to an overbearing feeling of drowsiness, as if mostly asleep. This effect lasts for about five hours, during which the user's senses slowly recover.

Treatment

There isn't anything that can be done to reduce the effects of spirit crash; as the berries appear to have a magical/spiritual nature rather than chemical, there isn't anything that can be ingested to offset the effects. It is recommended that the user be isolated in a quiet, dark area during the first phase of the aftereffects and focus on sleeping as soon as possible to try to bypass the worst of it.

Type

Magical

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Common