Distillation of Diverse Parts

Rules

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets a potion prepared by an apothecary which must be present throughout.

Effects

This ritual targets a potion created by an apothecary. It renders the potion down into its component parts allowing the herbs used to brew the potion to be recovered. This may take a short time to complete.

The ritual will not recover Liao or mana crystals that have been used in a potion, although it will extract a ring of ilium that has been used in the creation of a powerful elixir.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional potions. Each additional potion increases the magnitude by 1. Additional potions must be present throughout, but there is no requirement for them to be of the same type.

Description

This is a relatively simple ritual that separates a potion into its various parts. In addition to the herbs that are recovered, it leaves the ritualists with neat piles of salts, mundane herbs, thimbles of water or alcohol and the like. One odd element is that the ritual always provides the herbs used in a standard recipe; it doesn't seem to matter if the apothecary who brewed the potion used an item such as an Escharotic Cauldron to substitute additional herbs.

This ritual can be used to extract the components used in a poison that has been mixed with another substance, but only if the poison has not already been ingested, and if the ritual is begun before the poison breaks down and becomes useless.

The ritual destroys a dose of liao if there is any in the potion; the reason for this appears to be that it breaks the liao down into its component pieces along with everything else in the elixir. Likewise, it cannot return crystals of mana because they are "used up" in the creation of the potions that involve them. It can get ilium out of a potion, however, and that rare ability makes it occasionally a very lucrative ritual indeed.

Common Elements

This purification ritual often involves fire, but might just as easily involve lenses or mirrors used to reflect light onto the targetted potions. In some cases, the ritualists engage in procedures familiar to the herbalist, but in reverse. Repeatedly diluting and then decanting the potion, or using a process of magically-enhanced distillation may also be an element. The rune Cavul is often invoked, unsurprisingly.