Crash Course in Emergency Healing Reagents

(The Three Provinces: 84 Lirisa 354)

Basic process of Alchemy is identical for all healing reagents.

You need one part water, one part catalyst, and one part herb.

Water: Water is available at the base price of 12 copper kronars at the Alchemist in Crossings. I’ve been able to bargain down to 7. Quite cheap for even novices. The only free water I’ve found is holy water, but getting it can be a task in and of itself. Also, holy water weighs a bit more than normal water. In addition, using holy water for reagents makes them less effective.

Catalysts: The known catalysts are Glaysker flower, Seolarn weed, Oil, Tukai stones, and Dracon crystals. All catalysts must be crushed before use in making a reagent, with the possible exception of oil. Glaysker flower and Seolarn weed are the only forgeable catalysts.

The use of oil is unknown to me at this time, and I suspect it has no use at this time, as the field of Alchemy is still growing, unless there is a use for it in making poison. That process is unknown to me.

Glaysker flower is the poorest catalyst, being able to make one, possibly two of the healing reagents. I’ve not personally experimented with it for quite a while, but I have recently heard that this has not changed.

Seolarn weed is by far the best forgeable catalyst, but it will not be effective in making some reagents.

Tukai stones are a very good catalyst. The only appliable reagent I’ve been unable to make with tukai stones is Jadice potion.

Dracon crystals are the most powerful catalyst. It will make every healing reagent, and I’ve found some evidence that the use of dracon crystals makes your reagents stronger than using other catalysts.

Note on Dracon crystals and Tukai stones: These reagents are best used by breaking from the source (crystals or stones) and not crushing all at once into powder. To accomplish this one needs only put the crystals or stones in a mortar and use a pestle successfully on it ONCE and ONCE only. This softens the crystals/stones so that they are then breakable. Then once you have one part crystal/stone you can then crush it individually into powder.

Granted this takes more work, but you get more individual doses from doing it this way than if you crush the whole thing into powder, then break the powder.

Each purchase of Dracon crystals or Tukai stones yields more than 30 individual doses, so don’t use the whole batch at once. When figured at the price per doses, it comes to about 2-5 coppers each. Quite inexpensive, and well worth the lack of problems the foraged catalysts have.

Herbs: Almost all of the herbs used in making reagents can be foraged. The only exception is ithor moss and sufil sap. Muljin sap, plovik leaf, and hulnik grass can be foraged, but are currently unusable, or not effective when foraged. So you must purchase Ithor potion, Sufil sap, Muljin sap, Plovik leaf, and Hulnik grass.

Once you have the one part each of water, catalyst, and herb in a jar, or even an empty treasure box, all that needs to be done is mixing of the ingredients.

With a jar you’ll need a mixing stick and then just mix your water in the jar.

With a treasure box (trunk, coffer, strongbox, etc.), all that is needed is to put the ingredients in the box, close the box, and shake it. Simple.

Okay. A brief word on reagents and applicable reagents. No longer are herbs effective on the dead or others by being force-fed. Some will say they are, but my studies have shown this just isn’t true. I shall go down the list of reagents explaining what needs to be done to make them applicable to the dead in each case.

Ithor potion, Muljin sap, Blocil potion, Georin salve, Eghmok Potion, and Sufil sap can all be applied to others as is.

Yelith root and Nemoih root need only be crushed in a mortar to yield a Pulp, which is applicable.

Jadice flower, Plovik leaf, Hulnik grass, Junliar stem, and Riolur leaf must be changed using alchemy into Jadice potion, Plovik tea, Hulnik potion, Junliar solution, and Riolur tea respectively to be applicable to the dead.

It has been my experience that the changes of these last 5 reagents from their natural state lessens the effectiveness of the healing process, but since they aren’t applicable otherwise, there is not much one can do.

I would suggest for personal healing that these reagents be kept in their natural state, and if you’re a person that works with the dead alot, then you might want to invest the time to make these into applicable forms.

A brief word on the scar herbs: The only scar herbs you need are Cebi root and Hisan salve. Cebi root will heal all external scars and Hisan salve will heal all internal scars. This may change at some time, but take advantage of it while it lasts. Cebi root can be crushed into Cebi pulp for application. And of course Hisan salve is applicable.

At this time none of the scar reagents are forgeable. They must be purchased at either the Tiger clan Midwife, near Crossings, or the Herb shop in Lang. I haven’t found a scar herb shop in Shard area.

Hope this is helpful to all.

Sir Candidus Custos