Psychological Ailments and the Enfeebled Mind

[Trakaton Kalkoran]

Attempting to Access Server 'Medical;Servers'...

Accessing...

Accessing...

Conducting Security Check...

Security Clearance Granted...

Access Granted...

Displaying File...

---

Sith Ss'horunas - Psychological Ailments and the Enfeebled Mind

---

Spoiler: OOC Information:

This document’s aim is to act as both a source of information and inspiration for people who wish to delve into the darker side of the mind. While many acknowledge the physical wounds which their character’s endure, less often are the mind’s wounds explored. Outlined below are various forms of mental ailments which could affect all characters in the powerbase. And as a result, with the release of this document, we urge GMs to take the mental toll of characters further into account, pushing people to explore these new possibilities. This can be as simple as stating less-jaded characters may be shocked by certain events. Or going further and whispering characters which the GM can see are under a severe amount of stress, prompting people to consider their character snapping under the given circumstance.
The aim is ultimately to promote more interesting RP on both an individual and event-wide scale. Where characters must deal with their own mental ailments, and those around them must react to whatever environments these ailments create.

---

A small holorecording would play once the file was downloaded. A deep, resonating voice would speak. Slow and archaic..

"The sentient mind... Fragile... Like a Sleen's egg. No matter how one bolsters... It can crack under enough stress... And break under more.
Our Great Empire has called upon me... Sith Ss'horunas... To share what I discovered after delving into anathema... Into damnation... The destruction of the psyche wherefore gasping... Reeling... Madness... Prevails.
This is shared in the hope that brave souls shall take it upon themselves to finds means of staying off hysteria... Learning, so that one day they can conquer. Yet, I admonish anyone who covets true understanding... For there is no salvation in the creeping darkness.
For when the senses are shaken...
...And the soul is driven to madness...
...Who can stand?"

The words would seem to echo before the recording cuts. Finally the files are downloaded, detailing the Sith's findings.

---

Shocks:

---

The body’s immediate reaction to an upsetting or surprising event.

Likely experienced by all unfamiliar with the terrors of the galaxy. Though even the most jaded can find themselves betrayed by their own mortal shell...

---

Spoiler: Example Causes:

---

• Being ambushed.
  
• Being betrayed.
  
• Coming to an upsetting realisation.
  

Spoiler: Recorded Forms of Expression:

---

• Being badly startled, at times expressing it vocally.
  Gasping... Yelling... Screaming obscenities.
  
• Shaking and trembling.
  Adrenaline pumping from a frightened heart...
  
• Relieving oneself involuntarily.
  An unfortunate yet uncontrollable lapse.
  
• Reeling backwards, taking a few steps back from whatever causes the shock.
  When the mind retreats... So does the body...
  
  
• Being frozen to the ground, becoming unresponsive.
  Trembling, afraid, unresponsive... And vulnerable.
  
• Fainting.
  The heart freezes... The mind sags... And the body... Slumps.
  

---

Snaps:

---

What occurs when the mind succumbs to fear or is put under severe stress.

Experienced by most if not all when faced with something which inspires enough stress... Or fear. Even the most jaded may resist, but under the right conditions... They too shall break and give in to mania.

---

Spoiler: Example Causes:

---

• Witnessing a lethal display of power.
  
• Loss of a close friend/relation.
  
• Coming to a damning realisation (imminent death).
  

Spoiler: Recorded Forms of Expression:

---

• Becoming Craven.
  Turning and fleeing... In the foolish hope that you can escape whatever hunts you.
  
• Becoming Paranoid.
  When faced with damnation, there are enemies on all sides, in every dark corner. In mania the next blade in the back, may be your allies'...
  
• Becoming Selfish.
  You were born to do great things. If others must die so you can live... So be it.
  
• Becoming Masochistic.
  You are too powerful to be bested... Gods do NOT bleed.
  
• Becoming Abusive.
  None of this is your fault. Your allies’ damned you...  And they shall know it.
  
• Becoming Hopeless.
  The darkness advances... Despair looms...There is nothing more which can be done, to try is to fight fate itself.
  
• Becoming Delirious.
  When confronted, the mind retreats to where it is safe... There are no threats, for you are not here.
  

---

Traumas:

---

The remnants of severe mental wounds. When a mind is broken, sometimes not all the pieces come back together.

Experienced by anyone who witnesses or experiences something terrifying or stressful enough to shatter the mind...

---

Spoiler: Example Causes:

---

• Seeing a loved one or close friend die.
  
• Undergoing or witnessing extreme physical trauma.
  
• Continued exposure to terrifying and mind-wrecking incidents.
  

Spoiler: Recorded Forms of Expression

---

• Becoming Withdrawn.
  Secluding oneself... Shutting away... One's mind locked in a conflict, processing the horrors and the lost.
  
• Becoming Paranoid.
  Damnation... The darkest depths of the mind are not a place one wishes to return. And those who have experienced perdition take whatever steps necessary to remain far from it's haunting grasp...
  
• Becoming Obsessive/Compulsive.
  A broken mind copes in curious ways... Obsession busies and distracts from one's haunting memories, to the point of mania. A cure for the disease which took the life of a loved one, a desire to make perfect art which will ease your burdens once gazed upon. Kleptomania, self-flagellation, these manifestations vary.
  
• Becoming Hysterical.
  The mind can be scarred, and when those scars open... Mania ensues... Brief spats of madness... Acting possessed. All is common for those gripped by hysteria.
  
• Becoming Haunted.
  In the case of losing a pivotal figure in one’s life, sometimes the mind can never let them go... Hearing their voice in the back of their head... Catching glimpses of their visage in passing crowds... Or having the ghosts manifest in their dreams. Those haunted are never alone...
  
• Having Night Terrors.
  Some terrors burn themselves into the psyche. Every night the subject relives the same dream, feel the same horror... Always waking to breathless panting and cold, terrible, sweats.
  
• Becoming Sociopathic.
  A broken mind needs no other. Before you saw friends, before you saw family, so foolish to see them as anything but pawns. You were blind and now you see everyone for what they are, your toys... And the galaxy? Your playground.