Unkindness

A little bit of everything...

Unkindness is both a side effect and the name of an occult narcotic that causes this side effect. Unkindness is a liquid, mind altering substance injested orally. The more one takes, the more likely they are to experience the condition, which can be fatal.
Unkindness, in small doses, works as a stimulant. it results in a burst of energy, increased metabolism, and the drive to accomplish whatever tasks one wishes to complete. The best part is the lack of a "come down" or "crash." At small doses, roughly 2ml, there are virtually no negatives to taking the drug. There are no side effects, nor is there a development of dependency.
Doubling this dose, however, reveals the dangers of the substance. By doubling the dosage to 4ml, the drug begins to function as a depressant. It slows the body, leaving one feeling "numb." This is compounded with psychedelic properties, as the user will experience hallucinations that vary in form, always beginning with a visual hallucination involving a group of Ravens, hence the name of the substance and condition.

Fun Fact: A Study of Corvids

One of the most interesting aspects of the condition appears in those who survive it. Even if Bliss and Psychic Surgery is administered, those who survive the condition find themselves abnormally fond of crows, ravens, and other Corvids. This fondness borders on obsession, and it's not uncommon for these individuals to keep these birds as pets.
Even if laws forbid domestication of Corvids, they will take the risk without a second thought. This fondness is mutual. Survivors will report seeing corvids more often, and in significantly higher numbers. They spend a few months to years at a distance, slowly moving closer out of curiosity. Eventually the Survivor will receive gifts from these animals, usually in the form of shiny objects and sometimes items of true value. One survivor found a stack of one hundred dollar bills on their doorstep, a crow pushing it toward them with its beak.
Corvids will often make calls to one another when seeing a survivor. These calls are used to identify kinship between the corvids in their social groups. The corvids will also take great pains in protecting and preserving the survivors, attacking those who attack the survivor and even nestleing up to them in times of sadness.

Down The Rabbit Hole

The substance is a shimmering black fluid, most of its chemical makeup being water. The other chemicals are unknown, but resemble the same chemical make-up found in blood. Any increase in dosage past 5ml will raise the risk of developing unkindness exponentially. The hallucinations become not only more frequent, but more severe. At 7ml, the condition is considered a guaranteed outcome, and at 10ml it is guaranteed to be fatal.
The condition is a comatose state, as if the mind leaves the body behind and retreats somewhere else. Those who survive are left in a catatonic state. They exhibit abnormality of movement and behavior arising from a disturbed mental state, similar to that found in those with schizophrenia. It may involve repetitive or purposeless overactivity, or catalepsy, resistance to passive movement, and negativism.
What occurs during this "trip" varies from person to person, but its always life changing, traumatic, and leaves the user scarred. The most unsettleing fact is many of these hallucinations, while varied, are not unique. They are shared by multiple people, each describing the same sequence of events, the same sights, and the same sensations without having contact with one another.

Emergence

The Alexandrian University first encountered the condition and its cause in 1983, when finding a group of students at Trinity college in Dublin comatose and arranged in a circle in a secluded classroom. The number of cases skyrocketed across the world in the years to come as college campuses began recording the same phenomena.
Most of the students died in the weeks that followed, others woke up raving about what they saw. The students were given Bliss and Psychic Surgery, which cured the condition, and stands as the only means of treating it.
It's unclear what the cause of death truely is. Many would state it is cardiac arrest, but this isn't entirely true. According to autopsies, the heart simply stops. Brain activity and all bodily functions cease to function in a single moment of time.

The Watchers of Ravens and Crows

When The Commonwealth of Alternative Religion emerged, the source of Unkindness became clear. One of the infamous 12 cults discovered the substance, and the means to produce it. They called themselves The Watchers of Ravens and Crows
What began as a Victorian occultist society grew and evolved to include only those who survived unkindness with no negative side effects. A tiny percentage (.02%) of those who develop Unkindness emerge, unscathed. They boast numerous gifts and abilities given to them by the substance, which they claim to be a gift from their god.
They produce it and sell it for cheap across the world, hoping those who take it will inevitably take more than needed in an effort to explore its potential. They keep an eye on those they sell too, and feel deep regret for those scarred by their experiences. They often assist the survivors in any way they can, and always warn of the risks when the substance is distributed. Many believe they are the corvids who assist the survivors. The theory states they transform themselves and speak to other corvids, encouraging them to do the same.

Experiences

What follows is a list of various experiences that are common among those who experience this condition.

• The first hallucination is always an unkindness of ravens.

• User finds themselves in desert of gold sand under a copper sky.

• User meets a humanoid vulture in a wedding dress, named deception.

• User encounters a massive crow, using it travel the strange land.

• User encounters a beast made entirely of black feathers.

• User swims in a raging sea of black water.