The spinal fluid of the Nafinju, the odd, "bird-fawn" creature of Southern Idalos, when allowed to dry in an air-tight chamber, becomes a potent, powdered reagent accelerator; speeding the completion of many kinds of chemical processes. Slow-acting poisons or medicines can be greatly expedited, as can many chemical stages of processing in a laboratory setting. This is a very highly sought element, and the nature of the sev'ryn to frown upon the harvesting of parts of living creatures make this a pricey item, commanding up to 40gn per ounce.
This is the only product gleaned from 'Scarf Rot' fungus that can be considered a drug. Being a sleep agent, it is often considered a medicine. But careful processing can produce a dosage that provides a pleasurably dreamy, relaxed state instead. This is probably the most common stage of Scarf Rot that harvesters are willing to wait for. The later stages of this fungus are worth a lot more, but also take many arcs to develop. Most chemists consider this stage to be the best harvest value.
This fungus was first found in northern Idalos, and was sold at higher prices elsewhere as a result. But lately it has been found to be more widespread than first believed, so the costs have largely equalized at 7gn per dose(though disreputable vendors will still try to exploit the ignorant). It is not truly addictive, though extensive use will make a person technically dependent, as it becomes harder for them to sleep without it. A description of Scarf Rot can be found in "Herbal Remedies".
When the Oscillus Snow Mouse sits in frozen hibernation, a change to its metabolism becomes chemical in nature. This chemical can be gleaned from most any mouse that can be dug from the ice. Fortunately for the rodents, their prolific breeding prevents this from being anything likely to cause their extinction, because this chemical is useful in just about every walk of life on Idalos. What it does is bestow an eidetic memory to anyone under its influence.
This is not a permanent quality for those who use it, but data committed to memory while using it is. Any kind of information, from mathematical formulas to geographic features wanting to be placed on topographical charts, can be flawlessly memorized. Now, this is no guarantee that the information is accurate, only that it will be remembered precisely as learned.
The value of such reliable recall makes this quite a valuable drug, going for 40-50gn per dose, which lasts 3 or 4 breaks, depending on how focused the individual user is to begin with. A high meditation skill can nearly double the duration. And finding this drug in a market far from Oscillus can double the cost. The only withdrawal takes the form of being unable to accurately remember anything otherthan what was learned while under its influence for up to three trials. Extended use adds to this difficulty, which can, however, be reduced also by a high meditation skill.
Off the shores of frigid Oscillus lives a large species of crab. The pinchers of this crab have rows of spiny bumps that turn white with age. The more white, the more valuable these rounded spikes become. The white colored part can be ground into a powder and dissolved in the oil found in the hide of the Titan Penguin to form a drug that makes the skin grow patches of rigid callus that can actually deflect an average knife stroke. This locations of these defensive patches can be determined by smearing this penguin oil on the desired spots.
This drug was so named because it was said that in a fight, this drug could be used "in a pinch" as a replacement for armor. The aggressive, territorial nature of the crab also "soaks in" to make the user more bold and daring, also a potential advantage to fall back on "in a pinch". The equivalent of withdrawal takes the form of the user's sudden realization of the dare he has taken when the boost to his bravery wears off. Or the injuries he sustained by taking on impossible odds only to discover that they were, truly, impossible.
Fortunately, most of the time the advice of a friend, to tone back the adventurousness, will be well taken and prevent tragedies. But often, friends like to indulge together, so there is no one to keep both feet on the ground. Once trouble has been challenged, it ironically takes more of the drug to bluff through the circumstances, though the temporary skin armor often helps as well. A dose of this is usually no more than 10 or 15gn in areas in or near Oscillus. It can command up to 35 or more in distant markets.
