Magical Contamination

Magical contamination, or ether contamination, is the presence of high levels of ether on surfaces or within solids, liquids, or gases (including the human body), where its presence is unintended or undesirable. Magical contamination is seen as a hazard due to the detrimental effects unnaturally high levels of ether has on the natural environment and the human body.

Sources of Contamination
Unnaturally high levels of ether can occur through either manmade or natural processes. The most common source is a manmade process through failed rituals. While low-class rituals can produce minor increases in ether levels, most magical contamination occurs when a high-class ritual fails. The backlash of high-class rituals can produce up to 500,000x the average amount of ether in an area.

Natural sources of magical contamination include upwellings of the Echo and some artifacts. Although incredibly rare, upwelling events are dangerous affairs. Such events bring very severe devastation, and upwelling events will cause high levels of contamination that last far longer than manmade contamination. An upwelling event unleashes large amounts of ether that can rapidly kill living things in the initial event as well as serious long-term effects.

Artifacts are another potential source of ether contamination. Some artifacts are known to release ether into the environment, but the level of contamination stemming from an artifact tends to be low and relatively harmless.

Low-level contamination
Low-level contamination results from slight to moderate increases of ether in the environment. This is measured as ether levels up to 10x historical levels of ether in the area.

Low-level contamination has far weaker effects than high-level contamination. Magicians and users of magitech can experience disruptions in magic, though specialized clothing can shield a person from this and other effects. Living creatures can experience mutations in their DNA, but these mutations are rarely deadly and tend to disappear on their own.

High-level contamination
An area experiencing high-level contamination is an active source of danger. Measured as over 10x historical levels, high-level contamination often results from high-class ritual failure as well as Echo upwelling events. The ether can condense into a thick miasma that settles along the ground, forming a hazard to living creatures in the area.

High-level contamination can cause spontaneous magical events in the affected area, and creatures known as corrupted beasts can emerge from the miasma.