Mute

What is the most prolific drug in your world? How did it come to be and what does it do? Mute, also known by its scientific name Sulfate or its chemical formula SO4, is a gaseous substance at room temperature and only condenses into a liquid at or below -41°F. Upon inhalation, the drug begins to take effect within ten seconds and reaches full effect after around ten minutes, give or take depending on biological factors of the imbiber. The drug's most notable effect is the magic-nullifying properties of the drug. This is due to several different well-known magic insulators, or materials that do not conduct magic. Mute is distilled in pure iron containers, as iron does not conduct magic in any way, so it is a perfect insulator for somebody wishing to create Mute. The effects of Mute tend to last an hour, it is not uncommon for it to last as long as 1 hour. If a humanoid creature ingests more than 1 unit of Mute in the span of 1 minute, it can make them sick and can cause permanent loss of the ability to conduct Magic. This means a) the affected creature cannot cast spells, and b) the affected creature cannot be targeted by spells or other magical effects. Certain effects caused by magic can still affect them, such as the fire created by a Fireball spell. Mute is produced primarily by the White Mountain University of Magic so that the kingdom has access to relatively cheap and simple preventative measures in the case of dangerous magic users.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Mute must be distilled in order to work properly. Magic is created, or rather brought into our world from the Weave, when atoms collide, causing friction which produces the substance called magic. Certain materials do not conduct Magic, meaning that Magic is not produced from the Weave when the atoms of such materials collide with each other, nor is it able to pass through such materials. There are certain compounds that include iron which can produce and conduct magic, however, the conduction of magic is inversely proportional to the amount of iron in the compound. In order to make Mute, one must have a distiller made of pure iron in certain places, as iron is required in order to keep any external Magic from permeating into the machine and ruining the mixture. Alternatively, one can use a standard distiller of any kind, if operating in the radius of an Antimagic effect, such as by use of the spell Antimagic Field. The distiller separates the magic from the mixture and produces a Magic-dead gas known as Mute. If the mixture was initially prepared properly, Magic will not be produced when the distillation is done, as the sulfur in Sulfate is surrounded by oxygen atoms, which do not produce Magic when they collide. Upon inhaling Mute, which is essentially just Magic-dead Sulfate, the reaction it produces in the body causes the affected creature to be incapable of producing or manipulating Magic, rendering them incapable of casting spells.

Manufacturing process

The sulfate compound must be cooled to below -41°F, causing it to condense into a liquid. Upon reaching liquid state, the compound is distilled, nullifying the natural Magic that permeates it. This process must be done either in a distiller made of a nonmagical material such as iron or in the effect of an Antimagic Field, or Magic will simply not be separated from the compound. The magic-dead mixture must then be stored in a magic-dead container made of another magic insulator, usually iron, and immediately sealed so that no Magic contaminates the mixture.

Item type

Consumable, Food / Drink

Rarity

Sulfate is a simple chemical product to produce, however the process of nullifying the magic permeating Sulfate when it is first produced is expensive and somewhat complicated for those who do not have access to high-level magics. Thus it is given a rarity of Rare. It is made, typically, using the 8th-level spell Antimagic Field, which would normally make it Very Rare, however a singe vial of Mute is still classified as Rare since this is not the only way to produce it.

Weight

4lbs per gallon; 1 unit is approximately 1.1769oz including the weight of the iron flask it is sold in.

Dimensions

Mute is typically sold in 30milliliter iron flasks

Base Price

1500gp

Raw materials & Components

Sulfate, a gaseous substance whose molecules are made of a sulfur atom surrounded by four oxygen atoms.

Tools

A distiller made of pure iron, or the ability to produce an Antimagic Field, for example through the spell of the same name.