Syrlen’s Breath

Description

A ball of tightly-pressed, alchemically treated kelp about the size of a gobstopper. When placed in the mouth and gently chewed, the kelp releases a briny, effervescent compound that fills the lungs with oxygenated bubbles. The effect is disorienting at first — a tingling burn in the chest, followed by the strange sensation of not needing to breathe.

Syrlen’s Breath is named for Syrlen of Nyelath’s Grace, a reclusive sea-elf alchemist who devised the process of binding air to kelp through salt-rituals and coral distillation.

Mechanics (Campaign Variant)

• Use: Chew and hold in the mouth to activate.
• Effect: Grants the ability to breathe underwater for 2 hours.
• Stress Factor: Duration is deliberately uncertain. Each pearl lasts between 1.5–2 hours (DM rolls secretly). The user may start to feel “tightness in the lungs” near the end, but has no exact countdown.
• Drawback: The kelp tastes foul and numbs the tongue. After the effect wears off, the user coughs up thick brine for several minutes, gaining disadvantage on Charisma checks involving speech for 10 minutes. The user can take another one to delay t his effect.

Syrlen’s Breath Quality Table

Storage & Spoilage

• Moisture Required: Syrlen’s Breath pearls must be kept damp, usually in a vial of seawater or wrapped in fresh kelp fronds. If allowed to dry out for more than a day, they risk becoming Spoiled (no effect, or causes retching).
• Inspection: A character proficient in Nature or with Alchemist’s Supplies can examine a pearl to gauge its quality. With a DC 14 check, they can tell if it’s Poor, Standard, or Exceptional. Perfect-quality pearls cannot be identified until used.

DM Guidance

• Default roll: Standard pearls are always uncertain (between 1.5–2 hours).
• Adjust for drama: Swap in Poor or Exceptional quality depending on how much tension you want in the scene.
• Player hints: Let PCs with high Investigation or Nature checks spot subtle cues — cracked kelp, brighter sheen, faint bubbling — so they feel rewarded for paying attention.

Rarity & Value

• Rarity: Uncommon alchemical item
• Market Price: 50 gp per pearl
• Crafting Cost (Sea Elf artisans): 5–10 gp, requiring access to kelp beds and coral distillation equipment.
• Comparison: A potion of water breathing lasts 24 hours (250 gp). Syrlen’s Breath is far less efficient, but cheap enough to keep in a belt pouch for emergencies.

Trade & Power

• Trade Good: Among sea elf society, Syrlen’s Breath is a calculated trade item. It is priced cheaply enough that surface dwellers will use it often, but not so efficient that it replaces the need for potions of water breathing.
• Dependency: By restricting access to true water-breathing potions, sea elf leaders deliberately keep outsiders dependent on Syrlen’s Breath. Merchants, emissaries, and even adventurers must remain within the goodwill of their hosts, never straying too far from their next kelp pearl.
• Symbolism: For surface dwellers, carrying Syrlen’s Breath marks them as being “under the grace of the sea elves.” Among the elves, it is a quiet symbol of dominance: a reminder that even air-breathers must choke down their kelp to survive in elven waters.