The Dragon's Blood

Overview:

Commonly known as the Blood, it is a substance that is extracted from the bodies of slain dragons. Used for ritual purposes, the Dragon’s Blood upon consumption allows one to use their own blood, and produce various effects of magic. This gives the body extraordinary properties, at the expense of many inhuman traits. Within Bloomenpeak, Blood has a daily application within many aspects of daily life.
Many transportation methods make use of Blood as a source of energy for their vehicles, as well as everyday appliances, such as stoves, mechanical tools, foundries, and weapons. The Blood holds healing properties, however their application has since been forbidden, due to the frightening side effects that eventually result in monstrous transformation. Since a major quarter of the Pits were destroyed by rampaging horrors, born of unwary Hemomancers’ experimentations with the Blood, its consumption has been illegalized and restricted to government uses only.
In return for their aid in sealing off said quarter, the Doctrine of Ice was rewarded with a sanctum within the city, which it uses as a prison to rectify and isolate any who might make use of the Blood for illegal purposes. Regardless of restrictions, consumption of Dragon’s Blood by the military, as well as the political elite is commonplace. There are many benefits and faults to its regular ingestion.
A grim truth remains: the Dragon’s Blood is running out, and hemomancers make use of secret human slave farms in damned attempts to replicate it, desperately trying to keep the city running as long as possible without the influence of other factions.

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Manifestation

The Dragon's Blood manifests as a vermillion, pungeant red liquid that can be transmuted into many forms. Each form has different properties, and aspects, some of which are forbidden from use in the city, whilst others are an active part of Bloomenpeak's society, from lightning, to automaton fuel, to weapons.
The Blood, however, corrupts whoever drinks it. By consuming Dragon’s Blood in a ritualistic manner, an individual gains occult capacities and the permission to execute rituals using the "Dragon’s Power". However, in retaliation, the body becomes subject to the whims of the Blood, turning the hemomancer bit by bit into an inhuman monstrosity.
The Blood has a will of its own, and often seeks to dominate, consume and rule, as per its origin's nature. Those who imbibe the Blood in draconic rituals slowly become blood fiends if they do not consume the blood of mortals. Its will is undeniable, and leads to those who deny its thirst to go mad with hunger. Adversly, delusions of power suffuse the consumer to the point of megalomania.
Hemomancers, blood mages, make use of their own blood to experiment on living test subjects, discover forbidden medical applications or further the hemocraft-industry of Bloomenpeak through the creation of new automatons and mechanisms that will favour the lives of the rich and the wealthy.
The Blood will always seek to rule. Always.

Localization

"In Bloomenpeak, they produce more blood than alcohol, for the former is far more intoxicating."

- Totally not from Bloodborne

The Dragon's Blood is omnipresent within the City of Bloomenpeak, barring certain areas that shun it, such as the Doctrine of Ice's safe houses, it is virtually impossible to go more than two steps without encountering a hemotech device that runs on the Dragon's Blood, or the blood of workers who have imbibed it.
Dragon's Blood is sourced from slain dragons, whose bodies crystalize after death. Cracking the shell of these dragons gives hemomancers access to the sweet crimson nectar beneath, which they then put to use in various hemotech applications. It is said the Twin Monarchs can spy through the Dragon's Blood, and thus know all that occurs within their City.

Variants & Effects.

Pungent Cocktail by FromSoftware

"Nectar":

Liquid Dragon’s Blood (colloquially called Nectar) is kept in airtight, mechanical vials that can only be opened using specific mechanisms. Items such as lanterns have seal openers that prevent the Blood from being ingested by civilians. These components are often removed by skilled criminals to extract Nectar.

"Clots:"

Solid Dragon’s Blood (colloquially called Clots) are available at a low cost, as their toxicity rates are less potent than Nectar. Clots are used similarly to how one would use coal or charcoal, but provides much heat and energy for a longer period of time. Clots can also be ingested by civilians, however it equates to eating kidney stones, which is rather unpleasent in general.

"Amber"

The Blood can also be distilled and separated from its platelets, which provides a golden brownish liquid (colloquially called Amber). This is a powerful anaesthetic and used solely by high end clinics that escape the eyes of the law. The transfusion of Dragon's Blood, notably Amber, rather than through ingestion produces a sickly emerald green necrosis called Bilerot around the needle wound.

"Fangsblack"

After distillation, the Blood produces Amber, and Fangsblack, a dread substance that is Lernean venom. Consumption or transfusion of Fangsblack is notoriously dangerous, as it permanently blanks the mind. Its application used to be inflicted on high profile criminals, however the results were deemed too unethical even for sacrilegious hemomancers. It has since been illegalized.

Type

Metaphysical, Supernatural

Credit goes to: Wojciech Kilar.