When I looked at this thread, the first thing that came to mind for me was corrupted aether, actually.Â
Corrupted aether can manifest in a couple of different ways, in several forms. Extended exposure to it can actually warp one's aetherial balance.
The lorebook also states that crystals of any aspect are so concentrated, that ingesting one can alter the aetherial balance of one's body. This can result in injury or death, but the prospect of it throwing one's aether out of whack to the point they could no longer spellcast instead doesn't seem like much of a stretch to me.
Finally, having inadequate aether reserves in general doesn't necessarily prevent one from being able to cast at all, but using magic in such a state puts severe strain on the body. This particular idea is supported by the thaumaturge job quests. Along the lines of what Nebbs suggested, an "aether parasite" of some sort could put the character in a state where spellcasting would be an extremely bad idea due to how potentially fatal it would be.
You also may or may not be interested in reading up on where each type of magic caster draws their aether from, so you can efficiently understand how to cut it off.
I recommend checking out Sounsyy's posts on corrupted aether and aether sickness.
Corrupted aether can manifest in a couple of different ways, in several forms. Extended exposure to it can actually warp one's aetherial balance.
The lorebook also states that crystals of any aspect are so concentrated, that ingesting one can alter the aetherial balance of one's body. This can result in injury or death, but the prospect of it throwing one's aether out of whack to the point they could no longer spellcast instead doesn't seem like much of a stretch to me.
Finally, having inadequate aether reserves in general doesn't necessarily prevent one from being able to cast at all, but using magic in such a state puts severe strain on the body. This particular idea is supported by the thaumaturge job quests. Along the lines of what Nebbs suggested, an "aether parasite" of some sort could put the character in a state where spellcasting would be an extremely bad idea due to how potentially fatal it would be.
You also may or may not be interested in reading up on where each type of magic caster draws their aether from, so you can efficiently understand how to cut it off.
I recommend checking out Sounsyy's posts on corrupted aether and aether sickness.
