Spearroot Poisoning

The elf on the table shook violently, forcing everyone to break their hold on her arms and legs. She then rolled off the table onto the floor, and the doors to the infirmary swung open of their own accord as she began to crawl towards them. It took another four helpers to grab ahold of her rapidly-jerking arms and legs, and put her back on the table so that the doctor could make his diagnosis.
"Spearroot poisoning." the wizened elf said, giving his charge a sympathetic glance. "If she's shaking this hard already, I doubt she will survive the night. The worst is yet to come."

— Fifteen Red Summers

The root extract of the Spearroot plant is one of the most potent medicines ever devised by the Zhorisan elves. It's a powerful cure-all, able to neutralize most poisons and heal even supposedly-mortal wounds. But the strength of the root comes at a terrible cost; many who use it to dodge terrible effects will have to suffer the consequences of its use as the Spearroot ravages the body.

Not Just Shakes

The most well-known symptom of Spearroot poisoning is an uncontrollable full-body tremor as the root infests and attacks the central nervous system. But that is merely what is commonly seen by an outside observer. Those who have suffered this affliction and survive paint a starker picture.
For them, the first signs of affliction are a sudden seizing and aching in the joints, especially in the mouth and face. This prevents the afflicted person from speaking or eating, and as the poison takes root, it begins to spread, heading to the arms, legs and hands. After a certain point, the afflicted person can no longer move, as though they were glued to the ground.
That's when the shaking starts as the root begins to violently attack the nerves, causing the afflicted person's body to spasm painfully. It is not uncommon to hear of people who have dislocated their knees or shoulders, the shaking is so intense. But worse are the hallucinations, which happen as the poison hits the brain. Their eyes, open or closed, are bombarded with bright lights and colours, they feel sensations of spinning, and their ability to form coherent thoughts deteriorates, sometimes permanently.
In sadly-common cases of this disease, the brain eventually shuts down, killing the person. Others will fall into a deep, coma-like sleep, often never recovering.

A drawing of the Spearroot plant, the distilling apparatus and the extracted medicine from a student's notebook, complete with poison warnings.

Type

Fungal

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Rare

Spearroot Poisoning Prevention

As one can expect, the people of Zhoris don't use Spearroot if they have other, more calm medications. Spearroot is often chosen as a last resort when all other medicines fail. The sole exception are the poisons of many venomous creatures that have infested the northern reaches of the Great Forest; many do not have antidotes, and therefore Spearroot must be used. Recent advances in elvish medicine mean that the root can be administered in much more carefully-controlled doses, making it harder to accidentally overdose on the medicine.