Self-Twisting

The current consensus among Faun scholars is that this condition emerges when an infant attunes too early to the Element of Body. In that case, their mind will be overwhelmed by the elemental currents and influence them in erratic ways.

A wide range of physiological symptoms can be observed as the elemental Body currents are slowed, hastened or turned in unpredictable ways. Most common are changes in blood pressure or metabolic processing speed. Some infants also develop deformations, sensory defects, or discolorations in random body parts.

The first step is to protect the patient from the elemental currents in the environment. Usually, an experienced Body wielder will slow them down or steer them away. A second wielder can then focus on stabilizing the affected person and undoing the accidental changes.   Once the patient is stable, they need to be re-introduced to the elemental currents in a slow, careful manner.

Availability of Treatment

The main challenge lies in identifying the condition before it is too late. Due to its rarity and the random symptoms, it can easily be mistaken for a mundane disease. The chances for a correct diagnosis are best in the homelands of the Fauns, followed by those of the Vampires and those of the Werewolves.   However, not all Body wielders are powerful enough to affect bodies other than their own. Therefore, it may not be possible to find someone capable of stabilizing the patient, especially in communities living outside their ancestral lands.

Environmental Factors

The progression depends heavily on the environment. In the polar regions, where the Body currents are strongest, the symptoms are far more aggressive and the patient often succumbs to them in merely days. Most recorded cases have only been identified posthumously, and the number of unrecorded cases is probably far higher than that.   In contrast, patients living closer to the equator typically show milder symptoms. Those may not be immediately life-threatening, but can still cause a lot of suffering. To make matters worse, the likelihood of getting a correct diagnosis and suitable treatment is significantly lower outside the homelands of the affected species. Therefore, it is possible that the infant in question dies a slow death without anyone ever understanding why.

If the infant survives, but the changes are not undone soon enough, their physiology will recalibrate and consider this altered state the default. Consequently, fixing it at a later time will be considerably more difficult.

The condition can occur in any offspring of shapeshifting sapients, especially those born in a region where the Body currents are unusually strong. Outside the polar regions, it has primarily been observed in hybrids whose other parent has no innate attunement to the Element of Body.

Since there is no widespread knowledge of this condition, few people have formed an opinion of it. Those in the know generally see it as a tragic misfortune.