Some individuals, due to prolonged exposure to background mana, suffer astral mutations. These mutated individuals may still be citizens of the Empire — they simply haven’t been as fortunate. They might be the child of a mana-facility worker, a laborer or docker working near the astral shore, a city street cleaner, a junior engineer stationed near a mana conduit who neglects safety protocols, or a worker in the extreme zones of a mana-facility.

Astral mutants are entirely exempt from conscription, though they may volunteer for service in the Empire. Many choose to do so in order to access medical benefits — seeking treatment to cure their mutations, remove disfiguring mutated body parts, or even to spare their children from an inevitable fate if it is already too late.

Shamefully, astral mutants are often met with deep suspicion and disdain. Many believe, erroneously, that mutations are contagious — airborne or skin contact transmitted — and that those afflicted are doomed to be overtaken by madness, among other unfounded superstitions. These baseless beliefs further isolate astral mutants, making their path to acceptance within Imperial society all the more challenging.