Warpwood is undoubtedly the most expensive hard wood in the world. This is a direct result of its makeup. Hidden inside the bark of warpwood trees are millions of long, thin fibers that are almost perfectly straight .This path allows for incredibly accurate channeling of magic, where a wood that formed many knots would be a bit unpredictable in its final result. While easy to actually cut and harvest the wood, farming is impeded by the unique properties of the warpwood.
When a certain magical disease infects warpwood trees, they will begin to sprout fungi of various sorts. The largest of these, the Warpwood Cap, is a very wide oval, with a stem no more than an inch tall. These mushrooms can be harvested and used as a magic battery by wizards, massively increasing their power. The extract is hugely expensive, but brings magical abilities to otherwise unattainable heights for short periods of time. The true threat comes from the Warpwood Spores.
Warpwood spores sprout all along rotting warpwood, especially when in large clusters. Unlike the much rarer caps, these spores are highly dangerous. As the wood dries out from the parasitic spores, it can spontaneously burst into flame. The choking black smoke released by burning spores causes intense hallucinations and nervous system collapse. Most deaths from this effect are due to a strange response to the spores: people will enter into the billowing clouds and "dance" (seize) until they asphyxiate. They wont struggle if a friend attempts to remove them from the smoke, but will make no effort to escaping on their own.
But now, for what you've all been waiting for: Bittervine. Rather than rewrite this for publication, for now I will simply copy the notes taken in my journal during my, lets call it, research into Bittervine's properties.
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"Bittervine" is perhaps the most popular drug in the world. When this bitter tasting green stem is chewed, it releases its chemicals. The plant is noted for its yellow, bell-like flowers which do not contain the psychoactive compound, and are harmless to eat.
A few short minutes after the drug is ingested orally, users report feelings evocative of nostalgia: A warm, diffusing glow emanates from light sources, producing brilliant halos. Warmth behind the eyes, in the chest and in the stomach cause body and mind-wide relaxation. It is describe various as being semi concious, as if about to fall asleep. Second most common is a feeling that amplifies the nostalgia-filterd memories of childhood, bringing the user to a state of wonder and amazement with things around them, a feeling of doing things and understanding things for the first time, bringing high mental stimulation and enjoyment.
Bittervine is highly illegal in most places. This is not due to its effects on the mind directly, but on the side affects. Those who use bittervine report a complete dissatisfaction with the real world, finding it bleak, cold and repetative after using the drug. The first couple days after are the worst, with an increase in suicides or mental break down associated. People who reach this state only 'function' enough in society in order to afford ever increasing doses of bittervine. They do not see this as a waste, because they feel that nothing can replicate the feelings given to them by the vine.
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Thoughts from the Alchemy Lab: Magical Vaccine
The healers at the Defender Saint's temple have offered up a simple explanation for the functioning of magical vaccinations. To vaccinate with magic, a significant quantity of the pathogen must be introduced in a controlled manner, temporally restrained to act several hundred or thousand times more slowly than normal. This allows an immune system to slowly chip away at the contaminate until they learn exactly what is needed for defeating the outside organism. While both magical and mundane effects can vaccinate from natural pathogens, only magical vaccines can protect from magical disease (see: Mummy Rot).
Cancer Bonus: No known magic exists to create fatal cancers. While some powerful necrotic mages can force the growth of tumors, these are always "extra-personal", or not made of the internal structure of the victim. Upon removal or death of the tumor, affected tissue rapidly returns to its normal state with no loss of functionality (even from brain tumors). Magical healing can negate cancer, so long as its attempted before exponential spread occurs.
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