Zhirzakto - Spooktober Article

A Zhirzakto, in the Elvrimkou of the Drow Elvirim, a "poison maker," is a Shadow of The Night of Apopshe that has undergone a painful and often fatal desensitization process and specialized training that allows one to gather the deadly materials and perform the complex steps required to make the utterly deadly poison, Zhirzpla, used by the Shadows for assassinations. Fewer than one in four of those that that undergo the desensitization and training survive the process. Those whose fate is to live are considered invaluable members of The Night of Apopshe, and so even though they are considered to be Shadows as much as any other, they are not risked on the typical missions of assassination and intelligence gathering that other Shadows perform. Instead, they are sent to gather the materials, Southern Mottled Venom Toad Poison, wax from Wax Rose bushes, and desert asp venom, needed to make the deadly Zhirzpla poison, and then manufacture it. The gathering missions and manufacturing of Zhirzpla are as risky as most assassinations. It is not uncommon for Zhirzakto to die as they perform their duties.

Wax Rose Bush by Peter Nelson (Zero Sum Games)

A Wax Rose bush

Southern Mottled Venom Toad by Peter Nelson (Zero Sum Games)

A Southern Mottled Venom Toad