Blood Ink is an alchemical substance, originally developed in the city of
Drakmort by the alchemists of the Arcana. It was originally created for use within the city's criminal underworld, allowing members of the Arcana to exchange coded messages while avoiding detection from the city authorities.
Description
At a cursory glance, blood ink appears to be visually and functionally identical to regular ink; the alchemical properties of the ink only become apparent once "activated" by the addition of one key ingredient: a single drop of blood from a humanoid creature.
Once a drop of blood is mixed in, the ink immediately changes in color, transforming from simple black to a bright, sanguine red hue. Once activated, any writing or drawings made using the ink on any surface immediately vanish, with one key exception: whichever humanoid creature provided the blood for the ink is still capable of seeing the ink, despite it appearing invisible to all other creatures, even when looking directly at the surface it is written on.
Uses
The Arcana first developed blood ink as a way of sending secret messages without the fear if them being intercepted by the city watch or other authorities. By using the ink in tandem with a previously acquired sample of the recipient's blood, members of the Arcana were able to openly exchange seemingly blank letters and rolls of parchment, containing messages and instructions invisible to all except the intended recipient.
While the Aracana has since been disbanded as of 993 ME, the recipe for blood ink was subsequently found and appropriated by members of the Drakmort Thieves' Guild, and has since been employed by the Guild to conduct similar means of covert communications.
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