Aether Shock

With a severity that ranges from mildly painful to debilitating to outright lethal, the overchannelling of aetherical energies through the body often leads to Aether shock.

Causes

The Aether is a volatile energy field, and while it is possible for certain individuals to channel it through either innate capability or technology, channeling that energy through the body can be extremely dangerous. Every individual has a different threshold for the amount of aetherical energy they can channel before risking shock, which can be increased somewhat through practice and acclimation. But it remains a constant danger to even the most experienced aetherist or adept. The environmental levels of aetherical energies also contributes to how vulnerable an individual is to shock—the more ambient Aether is concentrated in an area, the more dangerous it is to channel it and the more volatile its affects will be.

Symptoms

The first and mildest symptoms of Aether shock are pins-and-needles sensations in the hands, lightheadedness, and/or elevated heartbeat from the excess of energy in the body. As the condition worsens, symptoms also worsen to include tremors, general fatigue, headache, and/or vertigo and nausea of increasing severity. The afflicted individual’s ability to even channel aetherical energies also weakens as their shock worsens. In severe cases, the individual also risks going into physiological shock.

Treatment

The only known treatment for Aether shock is for the afflicted individual to stop channeling aetherical energies until their body recovers, optimally in an area of low levels of ambient Aether. Bed rest is often prescribed, and severe cases result in the individual being hospitalized.

Prognosis

If caught early enough, an individual in Aether shock can make a full recovery and regain their normal channeling capacities. Depending on how severe the shock was, this recovery period can take anywhere between a few hours to a few days. However, if an individual’s condition reaches a certain severity, the recovery period will take much longer; upwards of several months in some cases. In such cases, the individual may never regain their full capacity to channel aetherical energies; some may never be able to channel them ever again.

Affected Groups

Aether-sensitive individuals are the most vulnerable to Aether shock; the more sensitive the individual the more at-risk they are. This makes Lumbrassis and Anasthaia the most vulnerable on the whole. Interestingly, humans are, on average, more or less resistant due to their relative lack of Aether sensitivity.

Prevention

The most basic prevention of Aether shock is to simply never channel aetherical energies at all. Beyond that, because of the prevalence of this condition’s threat, all students of aetherometry and all apprentice adepts are taught to cease channeling at the first symptoms of shock if at all possible, thus typically preventing the condition from getting any worse.

Type

Magical

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Short-term