Magic Depletion
Essentially the oppposite of starshine, magical depletion was unheard of as a condition. While sources of additional magic have always been around, causing an overdose of magic and thus starshine, a dragon can't naturally deplete their magic to the point of sickness.
It's normal for the level of magic within a dragon to vary, especially in magic-using dragons. However, they always have a 'base' level of magic, the natural amount of magic their body needs to function, and which a dragon can't tap into. Magic depletion occurs when this magic is broached anyway, through unnatural means.
Transmission & Vectors
Can only by caused by draining the magic of a dragon beyond their natural base level. Although generally considered impossible, as no natural means exist to manage this, it is possible to achieve through the use of technology. Recent inventions like Magic Draining can tap even the base level of magic a dragon needs to live if it's used unsafely or incorrectly, thus causing magic depletion.
Symptoms
Lowered levels of magic can cause various bodily issues, including lethargy, pain (deep-seated and unspecific in placement), lack of appetite, muscle aches, and shortness of breath. Over longer periods of time (requiring repeat instances of magic draining to stay below base levels) it can cause (severe) weight loss and loss of muscle, as the body attempts to eat itself to refuel, even though it can't produce magic itself. Eventually, this leads to organ failure, and thus death.
In extreme cases, where too much magic is drained in too short a time, it can cause immediate organ failure and death.
Treatment
As long as no magic is being drained, magic depletion will solve itself. The body naturally absorbs magic from its environment, and no non-magic environments exist. In some cases, treatment of the symptoms might be necessary to ensure the afflicted stays alive long enough for their magic to recover.
Sequela
Typically, magic depletion causes no lasting harm, although in longer-term cases recovery might take a long time. Some suggest that magic depletion may make magic use more unpredictable in the future, but no research has been done into this, and the condition is too recent for there to be many cases to consider.
Comments