The Waters of Life and Death are a unique artifact that was gifted from Ril to Reina the Orphan. The water comes from the creek that runs through his palace and has the ability to revive the dead. Some even claim that it can grant immortality to the living who drink it. However, for a tainted soul, the waters are poison and will kill the drinker with no hope of revival. It's legendary for its magical properties, and many swindlers have tried to pass off fakes as the real thing. The real waters remain lost, and some adventurers spend their entire lives trying to find it.
Properties
The most well known ability of the flask is to revive the dead. Unlike the ritual performed by the Death Monks, all that's needed is an intact body and the water. The crystal clear water often seems unusual for an artifact associated with death, and rumors about it report that it's either odorless, smells like carrion, or smells like roses. It's believed to be able to extend the lifespan of those who are still alive, possibly even to the point of immortality. Reina and Dario both lived for an exceptionally long time for their respective races and had consumed the water. It works on people and animals, though it's unclear what would happen if poured on a plant.
The flask likewise has varying descriptions. Some report it as being extremely plain and worn while others describe it as being made from glass and gold wire with the water sparkling within the vessel. One thing that's consistent is that the flask is never empty even after being used. In recent years, the flask has commonly been described as a Shepherd's Flask which is a long, curved, and fur-lined flask with a rough leather strap and metal beading for decoration. This matches depictions and artifacts of flasks found in the villages near the edge of the Vrania Forest at the time when Dario would have been alive. Historians posit that since there are almost no descriptions of the flask itself from witness accounts of the event, then the flask must not have looked unusual to them.
The biggest warning for the waters comes from its ability to kill any who are deemed unworthy. No one knows exactly what that entails, and many folk retellings of the Water's use caution that those who seek it out and drink it for their own gain will die. Likewise, those who have committed evil deeds in life can't be revived with the waters (so it's best to eat your vegetables, go to bed without throwing a tantrum, and don't cheat on your spouse).
Origin
Reina was born in the Vrania Forest with white hair and gold eyes. Believing that she was cursed by the god of death, her village abandoned her as an infant at the edge of the woods. She cried for days, but even the wild animals left her alone. Finally, when she was nearly dead, the god of death took pity on her and let her drink from his hip flask. Instantly, her health was restored, and he raised her at the edge of the forest. There, she tended to the wild animals and befriended them. They, in turn, protected her. One day, her favorite raven died, and she begged Ril to bring him back.
He gave her his hip flask and told her to pour it down the bird's throat. She did so, and the bird returned to life. But the flask and its power came with a warning. It could only revive those who had a good soul like herself and the raven. Anyone who was evil and unworthy would die the moment the water touched their lips. Reina kept the flask close to her and didn't use it again until she came across a human hunter in the forest. She tried to scare him off, but he fell to his knees begging for mercy. His little brother was dying, and he believed that only elven magic could heal him.
Reina took pity on the hunter and asked him to lead her to his brother. By the time they reached the town, many were gathered outside his home weeping for the brother who had died mere hours before their arrival. The elf insisted on seeing the body, and after hearing of all the good deeds the young man had done for his neighbors, she poured the water from her flask into his mouth. Instantly, he drew breath, and his eyes opened.
Word spread about the miraculous deed and the flask of water that Reina carried. But she refused to use it again understanding too well the dangers it posed. She later married the man whose life she saved, and they had a daughter together. But before she could pass it on to her heir, a stranger broke into their home and stole the flask.
History
For the next seventy years, the Waters of Life and Death were assumed lost for good. Until reports in Lisavi appeared about a man bragging that he could revive the dead with just a drop of water. He proved it by reviving a dead horse that had recently fallen in its traces and then winning a race around town on the horse. There were a hundred bystanders who witnessed it. The next night, he took his newly won horse and left town.
Five years later, another report appeared of an old man who claimed to have a priceless artifact that he was betting a hundred thousand crowns on. He claimed that any who could drink of its waters and live could claim the flask as their own and be that much richer. Many men doubted it and thought his offer was too good to be true. Those were the wise men. The others who thought this would be an easy way to get rich drank the water and perished in their chairs. At first, people decried it as poison and that he laced it with something. But the best herbalists and alchemists could detect no poison. The old man only smiled. At last, a teenage boy came up to his table. He promised to pay the man a hundred thousand crowns if the man drank his own water. At first, the old man hesitated and claimed that he wasn't thirsty. He didn't need the money. But the crowd around them grew until at last, he was forced to drink. He died in his chair, and the boy claimed the flask as his own.
Believing it to be poison of some unknown kind, he never thought to drink from it himself. But he was reckless and arrogant and bragged about having the strongest poison known to man. He claimed it could kill kings and be completely undetectable. He was recruited into the KBA where his poison was put to good use killing their targets. That was until a talented catfolk thief, Hei An, stole the flask straight from under the KBA's nose and vanished. Rumor has it that it's buried beneath an ebony tree, but no one found it. Another rumor is that he discovered the water's true nature and returned it to a temple of Ril.
But the final tale of the Waters of Life and Death come from the Death Monks who tell of Elder Polanos, a wise man who lived in the Tsargis Mountains. People brought their sick and dying to him, and he was able to bring people back to full health with just a mysterious tincture. Others, he turned away and prayed for their souls offering a quick release from their suffering. After his death, the hut he lived in was never found again, and with it, the flask he used to heal.
Since then, many people have searched for the Waters of Life and Death without success. It's commonly believed to be just a legend and that powerful healers made it up to downplay their talents. But for the desperate, the waters offer hope that anyone of good heart can be blessed and healed while the wicked suffer their just punishment.
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