Mana Physiology
| Mana Physiology | |
|---|---|
| Basic Information | |
| Type | Academic Discipline |
| Related | Mana, Manology, Mage, Central Mana Authority |
Overview
Mana Physiology is the field of Applied Manology devoted to the study of the effects of mana upon living organisms. It encompasses biological mana circuits, the response of organisms to mana exposure, the bodily aspects of mana operation, and the effects that arise when a circuit formula is applied to a living body. The design and inscription of circuit formulas themselves fall within Mana Engineering.
Biological Mana Circuits and Mana Sensitivity
A mana circuit inherent to a living organism is termed a biological mana circuit. It is non-physical in structure and possesses no anatomical counterpart. Whether a given individual possesses one is determined at random, at the level of the individual, without regard to species or lineage. The possession of a biological mana circuit is identical in meaning to mana sensitivity. The structure and origin of the innate circuit remain unexplained.
Mana Exposure and Biological Response
Mana exposure refers to an event or state in which an organism is exposed to mana. Mana toxicity refers to a harmful biological state arising from such exposure. The two are not mutually exclusive: exposure may result in toxicity.
A high concentration of mana does not, by itself, produce any harmful effect upon a living organism. Harmful biological responses arise upon exposure to mana in a critical state, and such responses manifest more strongly and more rapidly in individuals who possess a mana circuit. The specific mechanism of action remains unexplained.
At the blast origin of the Mana Cataclysm, mana radiation caused deaths on a vast scale. Mana radiation and mana critical contamination are estimated to have extended to a radius of approximately sixty-five to one hundred kilometres from the blast origin.
Mana Operation and the Body
Mana sensitivity varies in degree; approximately 77% of observed individuals possess some degree of it. The process by which an individual comes to use an innate circuit is termed awakening. It is a form of acquisition in which instinct emerges and develops, and in most cases it occurs spontaneously.
Conversion through a biological circuit is less efficient in raw output than conversion through an engineered circuit, but it offers precision and immediacy, and its parameters can be adjusted in real time during operation. Mana runaway, a hazard of operation, is addressed in the article on Mana.
Mana Inscription and Magic Inscription
Two distinct forms of inscription are recognised. Mana inscription inscribes a circuit that enables a medium to conduct and retain mana; magic inscription inscribes a circuit that encodes a specific magical effect. The two employ different circuit formulas and are not interchangeable. Magic inscription is commonly performed even by those who possess an innate circuit. Mana inscription was developed and advanced chiefly for industrial use.
Artificial Biological Inscription
Artificial biological inscription is the technique of inscribing a mana circuit upon a living organism, enabling an individual that lacks an innate circuit to use or retain mana. The principle of the circuit formula is the same as when it is inscribed upon a non-living medium; the physiological action that results from its application to a living organism is the object of study in this field.
Because the technique is an adaptation of one developed for industrial use, it remains unstable in its present form, and an error in inscription may have fatal consequences. Adding a mana inscription to an individual who already possesses an innate circuit is especially dangerous.
The inscription of a mana circuit upon a living organism is strictly prohibited by the Central Mana Authority. However, the great majority of such procedures are known to be carried out in prohibited form, and cases have not been sufficiently collected. The manner and cause of the adverse effects reported from inscribed circuits are not accurately understood.
Current Research
It is known that an innate biological mana circuit can adjust the parameters of conversion in real time, and this characteristic may lead to variation in the results of operation. Whether a circuit artificially inscribed upon a living body shares this characteristic has not been established. The prevailing view among scholars is that innate circuits differ from artificially formed circuits; this remains a hypothesis rather than an established fact.
Classification of Magical Capacity
Those who possess or exercise magical capacity are classified as Intrinsic or Extrinsic according to the origin of that capacity. The classification is independent of the present location of any circuit and of the strength of the capacity, and it forms a system separate from the classification of Mages.
Intrinsic individuals are born with an innate biological mana circuit and manipulate their own mana directly. Whether, and in what manner, the circuit has awakened does not affect the classification.
Extrinsic individuals do not possess an innate biological mana circuit, and manifest magic through artificial biological inscription or through the inscribed circuit formulas of external media such as Mana Stones and Magic Stones.
The use of an external medium does not affect the classification: an Intrinsic individual who uses a Magic Stone remains Intrinsic, as does one who receives an additional mana inscription.