Chrysallys - POV from a Recovering User
Chrisallys is a wonder of the world of Iglomund. Some call it a magical spell, and others tell of a trip dragged through hell, while a fair few say it is a trick from the fey. No matter what it has been called in the past, each experience is guaranteed to be different from the last.
Chrysallys is a rare delicacy because it is harvested from the silky cacoon of a magical butterfly native to the feywild. As demand has increased, these butterflies have grown closer and closer to extinction, making chrysallys even more expensive and sought after. Many underground smuggling circles have sprung up in the alleys, sewers, and outskirts of the cities to distribute the resource away from the watchful eye of town guards. Cities have begun criminalizing it, calling it a "perfomance enhancing drug" that could become dangerous if not contained. Some think they are just hoarding it for themselves.
So what if you do manage to get your hands on some for yourself? The effects of chrysallys are unpredictable, but there is a pattern of sorts. Shortly after ingestion one usually finds themselves getting noxious, with an unsatiable urge to sleep. The body quickly shuts down, but the mind refuses to. This often thrusts users into wild dream journeys, with out of body experiences and visions of far off places or powerful beings quite commonly occuring. Many reports say their soul was floating through the Astral Sea, but whether this is true or not has yet to be confirmed.
Whatever the user experiences during this time, it will usually end in roughly an hour, thrusting them back into the material plane with a renewed sense of vigor. For most, feelings of bliss wash over them for the rest of the day, and things just seem to go their way. Others get anxious, and avoid trying anything new for fear of making foolish mistakes. (Mechanically this results in a -2 to all skill checks and saving throws for an hour after waking up, then a +1 for 7 hours after that. However, users also get 2 luck points that last for up to 3 days.) Those who use it too often find that it loses it's potency, so it is usually reserved for special celebrations and late night parties.
If you're going to try it yourself, be aware. Some don't wake up, and stories are told that their souls are still floating endlessly through the Astral Sea. If you do find yourself there, they say to not let the tether to your physical body get cut, else you may find yourself lost forever.
-Written by Vernesh Eramorn, one of the lucky ones.
Chrysallys is a rare delicacy because it is harvested from the silky cacoon of a magical butterfly native to the feywild. As demand has increased, these butterflies have grown closer and closer to extinction, making chrysallys even more expensive and sought after. Many underground smuggling circles have sprung up in the alleys, sewers, and outskirts of the cities to distribute the resource away from the watchful eye of town guards. Cities have begun criminalizing it, calling it a "perfomance enhancing drug" that could become dangerous if not contained. Some think they are just hoarding it for themselves.
So what if you do manage to get your hands on some for yourself? The effects of chrysallys are unpredictable, but there is a pattern of sorts. Shortly after ingestion one usually finds themselves getting noxious, with an unsatiable urge to sleep. The body quickly shuts down, but the mind refuses to. This often thrusts users into wild dream journeys, with out of body experiences and visions of far off places or powerful beings quite commonly occuring. Many reports say their soul was floating through the Astral Sea, but whether this is true or not has yet to be confirmed.
Whatever the user experiences during this time, it will usually end in roughly an hour, thrusting them back into the material plane with a renewed sense of vigor. For most, feelings of bliss wash over them for the rest of the day, and things just seem to go their way. Others get anxious, and avoid trying anything new for fear of making foolish mistakes. (Mechanically this results in a -2 to all skill checks and saving throws for an hour after waking up, then a +1 for 7 hours after that. However, users also get 2 luck points that last for up to 3 days.) Those who use it too often find that it loses it's potency, so it is usually reserved for special celebrations and late night parties.
If you're going to try it yourself, be aware. Some don't wake up, and stories are told that their souls are still floating endlessly through the Astral Sea. If you do find yourself there, they say to not let the tether to your physical body get cut, else you may find yourself lost forever.
-Written by Vernesh Eramorn, one of the lucky ones.
Type
Biomaterial
