Alicorn Dust

Alicorn dust - a substance made from the powdered remains of a Unicorn's horn - is a special potion ingredient only rarely used in Altairus's hospitals and Ley Spas. Despite its efficacy as a salve, its use in medicine is a controversial topic.

Use

As noted in the article on Unicorns, alicorn contain a substantial amount of Undifferentiated Anima, even when discarded. They can turn ordinary water into Spectral Water and act as both magical conduits and wards against Wendigoes.

Producing alicorn dust involves grinding a discarded alicorn into a thin powder through an intensive series of grinding processes. This allows it to be added to potions, as it only takes a small pinch to get the full benefits of the horn infused in the potion. The grinding process increases the surface area, allowing the alicorn's properties to infuse rapidly into the water.

While alicorn dust can be used for many things, it is most often used to counter Wendigo-induced ailments, such as Wendigo Possession, Anima Depletion, and Null Magic Poisoning.

Controversy

The controversy in alicorn dust lies in its harvesting. In Altairus, Unicorns shed their horns yearly. Since they are a rather elusive species, finding discarded alicorn can be tricky. This has led to some unscrupulous practices; scalpers who see a profit in alicorn often resort to practices such as cutting off the horns or tricking a Unicorn into running its horn through a tree, forcing it to let go of the alicorn to escape.

To combat this, many nations of Altairus put regulations in place to protect Unicorns from this kind of abuse. Natural areas designated as sanctuaries and stringent fines for anyone caught selling alicorn or alicorn dust on the black market have been implemented, but the cleverest traders skirt around these, too. Worse, there is no reliable way to determine if alicorn was sourced humanely or not. As a result, most places of healing in Altairus do not use alicorn dust, despite its usefulness.