The Last Resort

Overview

These foul preparations originate with the Druj orcs. The recipes were originally captured from the Druj during the liberation of Reikos, when the herbal text of the Buruk Tepel of the Stone Toad clan fell into Imperial hands. Originally hidden behind a complex cipher, the book was eventually decoded by Imperial scholars and the recipes within revealed.

In Autumn 382YE, the recipes that comprise the Last Resort were distributed to Imperial apothecaries by order of the Senate. along with several other new potion recipes. Known as The Buruk's Blade among the Druj, the poisons are apparently used by master apothecaries in the Mallum to dispatch their opponents.

For obvious reasons, Imperial apothecaries have not undertaken much experimentation with these preparations. Much of what is known about them and their symptoms comes directly from the captured Stone Toad herbal.

As of the 385YE Winter Solstice, the poisons Watery Grave, Python's Hug are illegal within the Empire; the Imperial Magistrates generally view possession of either as intent to commit murder. See the section on poisons for more details on how these horrible substances, and their antidote, are used.

Prior to the Autumn Equinox 388YE, there was a fourth potion available to apothecaries who had mastered these malignant arts. Hooded Misery replicated the effects of the Reikos flux, even to the degree of being somewhat contagious. At some point between the Summer Solstice and the start of the Equinox, the potion simply stopped working - those prepared before that time became inert. The herbs could still be recovered with Distillation of Diverse Parts, but when drunk it had no effect beyond making the imbiber feel unwell for a short time. There is some speculation that this change may be a consequence of recent events relating to the astronomantic constellations.

Watery Grave

Known to the Druj as Ashwater, this is a lethal ingested poison. According the to herbal, the victim will initially begin to feel nauseous. They may vomit, and they may become dizzy. After around fifteen minutes, they begin to feel thirsty, a feeling which worsens no matter how much they drink. This is accompanied by stabbing stomach pains, and they will almost certainly vomit at this stage and may soil themselves. Bowel movements are voluminous – to put it mildly – and very watery. Their organs are already beginning to die.

Their breathing is also affected, becoming laboured and difficult. Their blood is viscous and foul smelling – which can have minor positive effects but they are more than counteracted by the agonising pain in the gut and the thirst. It becomes almost impossible for them to concentrate, leaving them weakened and barely able to defend themselves.

After half an hour, enough of their organs have died that they cannot sustain life. They suffer a fatal seizure, and die.

• Form: Liquid.
• Description: This clear, odourless, tasteless liquid appears indistinguishable from water.
• Roleplaying Effects: You feel nauseous and unwell. Over the next fifteen minutes you feel dehydrated and suffer stabbing stomach pains and vomiting. Your bowel movements are voluminous and watery. Your breathing becomes laboured.
• Mechanical Effects: You are immediately affected by WEAKNESS that cannot be removed until the poison is cured. After ten minutes your blood is viscous and foul smelling and your bleed time is increased by three minutes. At the end of thirty minutes your organs collapse leading to a fatal collapse.
• Incorrect Antidote: If the incorrect antidote is applied, the target suffers a fatal, agonising seizure and dies.
• Recipe: Four drams of bladeroot, and two drams each of true vervain, cerulean mazzarine, and marrowort.

Python's Hug

Known to the Druj as Gutwreck, this is another fatal poison. According to the herbal, shortly after imbibing the poison, the victim begins to feel warm and unwell, as if slightly feverish. After five minutes or so, the thin membranes in their nose will rupture, causing a voluminous nosebleed – this is often enough by itself to induce panic. Their head will begin to ache, and the ache will grow as the poison does its work. They will feel a pain in their guts as if they are being twisted.

After another ten minutes the poison is well about its work. They are unable to move, enervated and feverish. They cannot stand, much less fight or wield their magic. Their insides feel as if they are being turned slowly around a stick, constricting and twisting, and tightening.

After a further fifteen minutes, it is too late. The entrails rupture bloodily, ripping themselves apart and leaving the victim writhing in agony followed by merciful death.

• Form: Liquid.
• Description: This clear, odourless, tasteless liquid appears indistinguishable from water.
• Roleplaying Effects: You feel warm and unwell. After five minutes, you suffer a nosebleed, headache, and abdominal pain. After fifteen minutes you are enervated and feverish and barely able to move, feeling as if your guts are twisting inside you.
• Mechanical Effects: After fifteen minutes you are unable to move unaided, attack, defend, or use any skill or magical item unless it explicitly says that it can be used while dying. You may be fed a potion by another character. After thirty minutes, your organs rupture bloodily leading to a painful death.
• Incorrect Antidote: If the incorrect antidote is applied, the target's stomach and intestines rupture fatally, killing them.
• Recipe: Four drams of Imperial roseweald, and two drams each of marrowort, bladeroot, and true vervain.

Restless Slumber

Known to the Druj as Deathsleep, this salve is the antidote to both Watery Grave and Python's Hug. The herbal mentions that it can be mistaken for another poison "with amusing and fatal repercussions". Assuming it is applied correctly, it causes the victim to experience a powerful chill, creeping enervation, and then unconsciousness that lasts at least five minutes. During that time the patient cannot be wakened at all, in a stupor that is sometimes mistaken for death.

After a few minutes though, they recover – assuming that the antidote was not applied to the wrong poison. If it was, they will never recover from their stupor and death is assured.

Regardless, after the antidote does its work, the target is left both envenomed and weakened, although these conditions can be removed in the usual fashion

• Form: Salve.
• Description: This thin, tan salve is unpleasantly greasy to the touch. It smells of spoiled offal.
• Roleplaying Effects: You experience a powerful chill and over the next few minutes lose consciousness. Over the next five minutes the symptoms of either Watery Grave or Python's Hug poisons quickly recede.
• Mechanical Effects: Removes the effect of either or both Watery Grave and Python's Hug. You are left subject to both venom and weakness, regardless. If you were not poisoned, you are weakened and envenomed by this unpleasant preparation.
• Recipe: Five drams each of Imperial roseweald, bladeroot, and true vervain.

Potion	Roleplaying Effect	Mechanical Effect	Bladeroot	Cerulean Mazzarine	Imperial Roseweald	Marrowort	True Vervain	Mana Crystal	Liao	Ilium	Total
Watery Grave	You feel nauseous and unwell. Over the next fifteen minutes you feel dehydrated and suffer stabbing stomach pains and vomiting. Your bowel movements are voluminous and watery. Your breathing becomes laboured.	You are immediately affected by WEAKNESS that cannot be removed until the poison is cured. After ten minutes your blood is viscous and foul smelling and your bleed time is increased by three minutes. At the end of thirty minutes your organs collapse leading to a fatal collapse. If the incorrect antidote is applied, the target goes into a fatal, agonizing seizure and dies.	4	2	0	2	2	0	0	0	10
Python's Hug	You feel warm and unwell. After five minutes, you suffer a nosebleed, headache, and abdominal pain. After fifteen minutes you are enervated and feverish and barely able to move, feeling as if your guts are twisting inside you.	After fifteen minutes you are unable to move unaided, attack, defend, or use any skill or magical item unless it explicitly says that it can be used while dying. You may be fed a potion by another character. After thirty minutes, your organs rupture bloodily leading to a painful death. If the incorrect antidote is applied, the target's stomach and intestines rupture fatally, killing them.	2	0	4	2	2	0	0	0	10
Restless Slumber	You experience a powerful chill and over the next few minutes lose consciousness. Over the next five minutes the symptoms of either watery grave or python's hug poisons quickly recede.	Removes the effect of either or both Watery Grave and Python's Hug. You are left subject to both venom and weakness, regardless. If you were not poisoned, you are weakened and venomed by this unpleasant preparation.	5	0	5	0	5	0	0	0	15