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The Doppish are a race of imp-like magical creatures. Their ancestors evolved venom glands in the liver, which over time further evolved into glands for mana, or magical energy.

They produce magical energy in these glands inside the liver, and it's stored throughout the body, with high concentrations in the liver, blood, and their tails.

How plausible is magic coming from the liver of this race? Should I choose a different organ to use?

Notes:

  • The Doppish are mammal-like. They kind of look like a four way cross between a bat, a fox, a dragon, and a cartoon demon. They're humanoid, covered in fur, and have tails with spikes or spades on the end. They also have wings, usually membranous ones.
  • I originally just picked the first organ that I thought of that made sense, but now I'm also somewhat influenced by the concept of the four humors, specifically blood, which was said to be produced in the liver and cause people to be excited and social, which I feel fits the Doppish pretty well, they're a highly social sapient species.
  • I'm trying to be semi-realistic about things.
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    $\begingroup$ The main problem I see is that the liver is essentially a just a filter, so if you're aspiring to something that makes sense physiologically, it'd be odd for magic to flow from an organ that's not designed to 'produce' anything. That said, glands (like venom glands) are organs in their own right, so they don't need to be attached to any OTHER organ in order for your idea to work. $\endgroup$
    – Morris The Cat
    Dec 18, 2019 at 15:25
  • $\begingroup$ "I'm also somewhat influenced by the concept of the four humors" just to be clear - there aren't four humours. Not in our world, at least - maybe in yours. $\endgroup$
    – VLAZ
    Dec 18, 2019 at 15:26
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    $\begingroup$ Also, as @MorrisTheCat says, the liver doesn't "produce" anything...however, if it extracts mana, this is interesting - it suggests that food/drink the organism consumes contains mana and it's considered "waste" by the body. $\endgroup$
    – VLAZ
    Dec 18, 2019 at 15:27
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    $\begingroup$ I'm aware that the four humors aren't a real thing, but the concept seemed interesting and somewhat fitting so I wanted to try using it for inspiration. $\endgroup$
    – Sami No
    Dec 18, 2019 at 15:37
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    $\begingroup$ The liver would be an odd place to put a venom gland... how do you get the venom out of the body and into someone else? If it is a deterrent or defence (eg. people who bite you will regret it) then it would perhaps be better termed a poison gland. $\endgroup$
    – Starfish Prime
    Dec 18, 2019 at 15:44

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Actually, after thinking about this, it actually MIGHT make a lot of sense to use the liver.

The principle here would be that magical energy infuses everything in the world, but it's not usable in this form. The function of the liver in your body is to help break down stuff you eat into forms your body can actually use. In this case, the Doppish have evolved so that their livers can actually distill the mana out of what they eat and turn it into a usable form.

Forget about the venom glands though, you don't need it here. You're just using the liver to do exactly what it's designed to do.

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    $\begingroup$ Perhaps the venom was originally secreted from the tail - the ancestral Doppish had stings. The magic metabolised in the liver infused the blood (making them unpleasant to eat, also excitable etc), and some was sequestered in the sting to use as a defence. The sting could be called a gland, but like a sweat gland it simply extracts material from the blood that was purified elsewhere. Stinging with raw magic is effective but inefficient, so they gradually lost that ability as they learned to make use of the "side-effects". Hence the high concentration in the tail. $\endgroup$
    – Pastychomper thanks Monica
    Dec 18, 2019 at 16:19
  • $\begingroup$ @Pastychomper the point is that there's no reason there ever need to have been venom glands at all. They're an unnecessary complication. $\endgroup$
    – Morris The Cat
    Dec 18, 2019 at 16:20
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Let's not say produced, let's say accumulates.

Everything is a little bit magical, things are eaten, the nutrients and the magic make their way through the digestive system and into the blood supply. The liver filters the blood and accumulates the magic, just as some creatures do with the toxins from their food to make themselves poisonous in turn.

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The liver is the chemical plant of an organism. If you want the venom to be dispatched outside, the liver makes no sense, as it can contribute to distribute it in the body.

For an outside delivery salivary glands, tear glans or kidneys are better suited.

That aside, magic can follow any path you like, since it's per definition not bound to science.

So, if you want it to be liver, let it be.

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I'd suggest Bone Marrow.

As it was stated, this is magic, so you can do whatever you like. But the liver is the body's source for removing impurities - it's not exactly the best place to develop poisonous organs. Most poisonous animals have their poison sacks somewhere else, even if they're immune to the poison.

Bone Marrow is the best place to put the source for a blood-based mana, as they're also the source for blood itself. They also could potentially be the source for the poison, so long the poison is for defense against predators, and not for hunting prey. (And the imps are immune to their own poison.)

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