Healing Potions
"Once, they could make a man whole again. Now, they only buy him a little more time."
Once the crown jewel of alchemical mastery, the healing potions of The Lost Ages could restore shattered bodies and rekindle fading life. In the centuries since The Fall that ripped it apart, and The Great Schism that came after to pick the corpse of the old world clean, the art has... withered. Today’s potions, brewed from humble roots, herbs, and scraps of magick harvested from Ichor and organs, offer only the faintest echo of their forebears’ power. They hasten healing, yes, but no longer instantly, and rarely enough to save those on death’s threshold. What remains is a craft caught between reverence and desperation, sold in shadowed markets or hoarded in village lockboxes, each vial a gamble between survival and a bitter, costly delay of the inevitable.Mechanics & Inner Workings
The potion floods the body with stimulants, clotting agents, and regenerative magicks. A rush of heat spreads from the chest outward; wounds seal faster, pain dulls. The effect wanes within hours, and repeated use rapidly erodes potency. Side effects include fever, sweating, temporary hallucinations, or, in poorly mixed brews, internal bleeding.
Manufacturing process
- Preparation - Wash herbs in moonwater, chop fine.
- Base Brewing - Simmer herbs and bone ash in riverwater with marrow stock.
- Infusion - Add magickal ichor at low heat to prevent essence loss.
- Binding - Stir in binder to stabilize against decay.
- Bottling - Cool and seal in wax.
History
In the Lost Ages, the healing potion was a miracle in glass. Regrown limbs, purged plagues, resurrected dead, the stuff of awe and dread. The Schism shattered the infrastructure, knowledge, and ingredient supply that made such miracles possible. What remains is survival stripped of splendor. Modern brews use boiled roots like yarrow and heartleaf, powdered bone ash from regenerative beasts, and magickal ichor siphoned from creatures like river starfish or sky geckos. They no longer restore what is gone, only patch what still clings to life.
Significance
Even in their diminished form, healing potions remain a lifeline. Caravan guards, mercenaries, and thieves alike will trade blood for a single vial. Villages often pool resources to keep one under lock and key, its uncorking a moment of collective dread and hope. Yet for the chronically ill or crippled, the potion offers a cruel reality, the body builds a tolerance quickly, making sustained relief ruinously expensive, until even the illusion of its aid fades.
Creation Date
First recorded some 200 years before the Schism to current knowledge.
Destruction Date
Ancient masterwork recipes are effectively lost; surviving copies sealed in forbidden archives or kept by reclusive alchemists.
Rarity
Uncommon, widely imitated, poorly replicated; true high-quality brews are rare.
Weight
0.3 lbs (136 g) per vial.
Dimensions
Palm-sized vial, approx. 10 cm tall × 3 cm wide.
Base Price
8-12 Capra (about a week’s wages for a skilled laborer).
Raw materials & Components
- Yarrow & Heartleaf - anti-inflammatory and clotting.
- Powdered Bone Ash - from regenerative beasts.
- Magickal Ichor - from healing-aspected creatures.
- Binder - goat’s milk or spider-silk gelatin for stability.
Tools
- Copper or iron-bellied brewing pot.
- Bone stirring rod.
- Fine-straining ash cloth.
- Wax-lined clay or glass vials.
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