Mana Sickness

"Conflicting magic being stored within one's body is not a pleasant thing to have. Either caused by something partly altering someone's natural reserve of magic to another form, or simply absorbing the wrong kind of magic from the air. The latter generally only results in minor cases you rarely hear about, the former on the other hand..."

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Causes

Conflicting Magic energy being stored in someone's body, generally absorbed from the air or worn item, or from a hostile spell. Minor cases are usually just from a small amount that was passively absorbed from the air, an item, or a spell cast nearby. More severe cases are caused by a persisting minor conflict, rapidly absorbing a lot at once from nearby, or having it forced into someone by a spell.

Symptoms

Minor cases begin with little more than a little bit of uneasy discomfort, lasting until the conflicting magic is gone. If it isn't gone after a few hours have passed, it'll begin to worsen. The subject will begin to feel achy, and may specifically end up with a headache. Wait too long and the conflicting magic may become a permanent reserve that still conflicts. Though this isn't considered an actual symptom, just an effect of magic lingering too long.

Minor burning sensations under the skin and occasional small twitches are common early symptoms. These eventually intensify into moments of intense pain and violent spasms. Blackouts can also occur, being more likely when trying to use magic. Usage of magic can also become difficult or unpredictable.

Treatment

Simply using or expelling the conflicting magic is enough to rid oneself of conflicting magic. Unless it has become a more permanent reserve, which greatly complicates things. There are ways of nullifying a specific reserve of mana in one's body, however they are difficult to achieve, and risk affecting the wrong one. It's easier to strip someone completely of magic than to strip a single reserve from them. Though this results in weakening their magical capability, possibly putting them into a comatose state for a short while. Assuming they live at all.

Another method, though rarely attempted, is using magic to shift mana reserves either to match the natural one, or match the conflicting one. Though this requires a large amount of energy, and knowing how to manipulate the magic involved to achieve what they want. If they wish it not to go poorly. This also generally can't be done by the afflicted.

Prognosis

Cases caused by just a bit of wrongly absorbed magic are unlikely to kill someone. Being quick and easy enough to cure oneself, most don't really feel any symptoms from it. Cases involving conflicting mana reserves however are ultimately much worse. Give it enough time and it will very likely prove fatal for the afflicted, directly or indirectly.

Prevention

Specialized enchantments on anything capable of storing magic can be used to help mitigate what is absorbed or retained naturally. To a lesser extent also protecting from spells being cast in range. This can be something small enough to wear, though the amount it can store at any one time is limited. But if not drained of this energy the vessel risks being overfilled, potentially exploding. Which can cause the condition just from the energy being released rapidly in close proximity.

Alternately, just avoiding areas or things with lots of magic in them is advisable, especially if there's enough to end up being passively absorbed in large amounts.

Epidemiology

Mana sickness is generally not contagious, at least not to a genuinely dangerous extent outside rare and niche situations. Most cases could maybe spread to another when the conflicting magic is expelled into the air, but odds are it would be too diluted to be an issue at that point. Unless the one with the conflicting magic originally had unhealthy, potentally lethal, levels of it. Though at that point there would be more pressing concerns than simple Mana Sickness.

Type

Supernatural

Origin

Magical

Rarity

Uncommon

Affected Groups
If it can store mana in it's body at all, it can develop mana sickness from storing the wrong kind.

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