Reagents and Herbs¶
"Sagewater is found near mithis deposits in pure high mountains streams. It is infused with mithis energy." — Magical Herbs, Components & Reagents (S224)
The alchemist's materials are parts of the living world in which magic has settled: herbs and fungi, the organs of magical creatures, minerals and dusts. The Sancturi-era catalogue of herbs, components and reagents describes about fifty of them and assigns each to one of the eighteen Fae domains, the realms of elemental magic whose names the recipes use to call for an ingredient (S224, S226; see Fae Domains). How reagents are used, and the families they fall into, are described under Alchemy. Prices and grades are rules material.
Sagewater¶
Sagewater is the solvent of nearly every recipe: the recipe books call for "Filtered Sagewater" in almost every potion, mixture and coat (S220, S221). "Sagewater is found near mithis deposits in pure high mountains streams. It is infused with mithis energy" (S224). The reagent lists know it in two grades, filtered and purified, the second a hundred times as costly (S226). Mageblood Extract, "blood from a creature capable of natural mithis spellcasting, then filtered and purified to only the mithis attuned properties", "can be substituted for Filtered Sagewater in most recipes" (S224).
The catalogue by domain¶
The catalogue gives each entry a description, a domain, a rarity and a habitat (S224). Several of the plants are dangerous in their own right and are described as creatures under Dangerous Flora.
Light, Sun and Moon¶
| Reagent | What it is | Where it is found | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violet Crocus Petals | "small bioluminescent purple flowering perennials that dot a darkened forest floor" | cold and alpine woodlands | very uncommon |
| Glowroot | roots of subterranean white ferns, "used commonly as a paste to make low-light lanterns" | underground, moist | uncommon |
| Demonsbane Fruit and Root | "small glowing neon green eggplant like fruit. Highly toxic to outsiders but harmless to everyone else. Used in exorcism rituals" | hot, dry, full sun | scarce; the root very scarce |
| Sunflower Petals | petals of a Fae-plant "found only in areas with constant intense sunlight" | hot or temperate, high sun | very common |
| Lasher Root | roots of the carnivorous, walking lasher plant | partial sunlight | scarce |
| Suncrystal Dust | underground quartz that "mirrors sunlight from the surface, producing intense light during daytime and no light at night" | underground caverns | uncommon |
| Giraluna Seeds | long silver seeds of a plant that blooms only in moonlight; "a hallucinogen and are commonly used in religious rituals and incense" | cold, partial shade | very uncommon |
| Mooncrest Fronds | a fern whose leaves mirror the full moon "making them appear to glow" | forest or jungle | scarce |
| Ancient Heartwood | "the heartwood of ancient conscious trees", fae-trees and very old sequoia, oak, spruce, pine and aspen "(normally > 2000 years)" | ancient forests and jungles | rare |
Night, Shadow and Specters¶
| Reagent | What it is | Where it is found | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agnes's Veil Blossom | globe blossoms of a creeping vine that "radiate darkness", used as a lair or for ambush | forest or jungle | rare |
| Nightshade Stalks | "highly toxic and cause nervous system paralysis and death", a sedative in very low doses | cold or temperate, highly shaded | very scarce |
| Jester's Crown Berries | berries that "cause a sense of euphoria (laughter)", used as an anaesthetic | swamp or marshland | uncommon |
| Duskblossom Sap | sap of the luring, dream-killing Duskblossom Tree | wet, partial shade | rare |
| Shadefruit | fruit of the Gravediggers Tree, which lays a geas on whoever eats it to go and plant its seeds | wet, shaded | rare |
| Grave Moss | "a greenish-grey moss that grows over the graves of transitioning spirits" | graves | uncommon |
| Spectral Dust | "a residue that can be carefully collected where incorporeal undead were destroyed" | where incorporeal undead died | scarce |
| Ghostweed | "this invisible and ethereal plant grows only in the presence of ghosts", materialising for a few seconds in a flash of light | haunted places | scarce |
Flame, Storms, Wind and Ice¶
| Reagent | What it is | Where it is found | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oil | purified animal fat such as whale or fish oil, "a base for non-solubles, or to provide steady flammability" | animal fats | very common |
| Ashflower Oil | the oil of the "burning bush", whose fumes ignite in hot sun and scatter its seeds in the ash | hot grasslands, savannah and wastes | very uncommon |
| Fireweed Buds | blossoms of a red grass that "when fully mature explode" | very dry places | rare |
| Boltweed | a brown weed that "only grows on the site of lightning strikes" | where lightning strikes | very uncommon |
| Electric Eel Electrocytes | the eel's electric organ | temperate or hot seas | scarce |
| Whistling Aspen Leaves | leaves that catch the wind "and makes a low whistling noise" | high alpine | scarce |
| Quotpod Lining | the expansive lining of a vine's bursting pods, used "in volatile concoctions that require a gas cloud or mist" | cold or temperate forests and swamps | uncommon |
| Frostcap | a fungus with "a blue radiance" that causes frostbite to the touch | arctic, snowy | uncommon |
| Winter's Rose Petals and Thorns | "dark electric blue roses" whose "petals only sprout during blizzards" | arctic tundra and wastes | rare; the thorns very scarce |
Rock, Forge, Acrid and Pool¶
| Reagent | What it is | Where it is found | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quartz Dust | "pure quartz crystal dust" | in rock | common |
| Diamond Dust | diamond ground fine | kimberlite deposits | scarce |
| Radagorm's Cap | cave mushrooms "very sensitive to movement" that grow only in untouched places | undisturbed dry caves | scarce |
| Ironstock Moss | a moss of iron-rich rock that smiths use to draw iron from ore | iron-rich rock in the light | uncommon |
| Briarblade Thorns | the metal thorns of an impassable woody vine, home of Briarblade Wolverines and Lashers | temperate and hot open land | uncommon |
| Wolvesbane Flowers | contain "liquified silver, which is toxic to lycanthropes" | mountains and rocky wastes | uncommon |
| Salt | "a white mineral found in ancient seabeds" | dried seabeds | common |
| Sulfur | a yellowish mineral of volcanic places | volcanic areas | uncommon |
| Doomlight Algae | "a deep purple algae that grows in volcanic springs", glowing and "extremely toxic" | volcanic springs | scarce |
| Water Lily Pods | "small pods filled with infused water" under lily pads | fresh water | common |
| Daggerkelp Spine | the sharp spine of a shallow-water kelp | calm salt shallows | uncommon |
| Chokevine Tuber | the energy-storing tuber of a vine of "explosive growth" that strangles its prey | warm, wet, rocky | rare |
Vigor, Blood, Rot and Ruin¶
| Reagent | What it is | Where it is found | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caffeine Extract | from coffee, cocoa and tea, "a stimulant" | hot lands | very common |
| Silvertooth Leaves | "the most common and widely used Medicinal herb", widely cultivated | temperate forests | common |
| Chakra's Bane | a spice from the inner bark of the underground Starlight Willow; "widely used to suppress magical abilities and is often used to 'treat' spellcasters and other magic-users" | wet underground | scarce |
| Garlic | "used in cooking, as a food preservative and as an antiseptic" | sunny lands | very common |
| Vervain Buds | used "to relieve anxiety and ward off undead attracted to blood (vampires)" | warm open country | common |
| Mandrake Root | a humanoid root, "blood-red" at its centre, that lets out "a paralytic screech" when exposed | hot or temperate swamps | scarce |
| Toadstool Caps | red toadstools | damp, full shade | very common |
| Corpseroot Pods | seed pods of a vine that grows through corpses, also called Foulrot; "used medicinally to induce vomiting" | anywhere | very uncommon |
| Witchblood Flowers and Juice | a deep purple Fae-flower whose thorns carry "a strong degenerative poison (called the witch's curse)"; its root juice is an anaesthetic and a cleaner | forests and swamps | very uncommon |
Components of the great powers¶
Some reagents belong to whatever domain their source held (S224). Adamantium, "a mineral mined from the marrow of Titan bones and associated to the domain of the Titan", is described under Adamantium. Titanscale is "a lichen that grows on titan bones. Feeds entirely on Fae energy irrespective of climate". An Archon's Heart "possesses tremendous Fae power of the domain associated to the Archon", but "will lose its power quickly after death" without special preservation (see Fae). A Faerie Token "is what binds them to the material plane. The person in possession of the token holds the power of life and death over the faerie. Faeries must return to their token to regenerate and gather power, but keep its location a closely guarded secret".
Demonsbane¶
Demonsbane is the reagent with the widest use against demons. Its fruit is "highly toxic to outsiders but harmless to everyone else" and "used in exorcism rituals" (S224). In the Demonlands of the Fourth Age the Order of Valyr uses it three ways (S338, S335):
- Incense. "The white smoke turns bright red in the presence of a demon and burns and causes them pain. Valyr Clerics cover sensitive areas, such as town gates, armories, barracks and roads in the smoke. It is always used in investigations to immediately determine if a demon is involved. Even if a demon has passed recently through the area, it will leave a red trail in the smoke."
- Weapons. "Apparently they can be forged into metal and do extra harm against demons. Most Valyr weaponry is forged by the dwarves of Duer'Dorren which know the secret of this forging."
- Draught. "Valyr alchemists prepare a draught which can help protect the drinker against demonic possession and corruption. It is also forced down the throat of possessed people to aid in exorcisms."
Demonsbane arrows are no sure defence: loosed at a rock-skinned demon, "it seemed like they couldn't pierce his rocky skin" (S335).
Abyssal reagents¶
The witch's reagents come from the Hollows and the Abyss: "important body organs from most abyssal or hollowed creatures as well as abyssal or hollowed magical herbs and plants are common sources of this reagent", and the pure kind "can be harvested directly from powerful manifested extraplanar creatures" (S209). The Aegic witch's charm recipes call for them by kind and grade, a "Brimstone Talisman" for abyssal fire and charms against hollowing, spirits, undead and demons (S214); the craft is described under Witchcraft.
Rift plants¶
The plants that have adapted to the Rift, from the Floatleaf Vine and the Stardust Blossom to the Corpse Lily and the Sorrowvine (S045), are described under Rift Flora.
Nightpine¶
Nightpine is a wood the Boreal Elves use for their bows, "a composite bow made of bone, sinew and nightpine wood" (S005); it is mentioned under Boreal Elves and no source here says anything of its magic.
Gap
No source says who gathers reagents, how they are traded, or which peoples favour which, and none explains the marks "In" and "Ex" that the catalogue sets before every reagent's domain.
Legacy rules for reagents and their prices are kept under Mechanics: Reagents.