Scorpio

A lethal Azoturian poison

The venom of the Giant King Scorpion is dangerous for travelers who encounter this creature in the wild. When administered from the scorpion's stinger, this toxin can cause temporary global paralysis: to be sure, a lethal condition for a lone adventurer to cope with. The chemists of Azoturia have developed refinement process that renders the venom even more potent. Extremely concentrated formulas of the substance can cause nearly instantaneous cardiac and respiratory failure. The paralysis effect in this Scorpio extract is so deadly that it essentially causes the vital functions of the body to shut down resulting in death.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Scorpio must be administered to the blood stream through subcutaneous injection. If the poison is ingested enterally the toxin's proteins are simply broken down and rendered harmless by normal digestive processes. The effect of successful injection is nearly instantaneous.

Significance

Poison as an instrument of war is frowned upon among the Zone cultures. The application of Scorpio is therefore limited to clandestine, criminal operations, which makes it a morally repugnant tool.

Item type

Drug / Narcotic / Medicine

Rarity

Scorpio is an extremely rare poison. Very few chemists know how to make it and none keep inventory. It must be specially ordered and paid for ahead of time before sourcing and compounding can begin. These processes require 3-6 months. Trapping the scorpions for harvesting alone requires at least two months, probably more.

Weight

A single vial of Scorpio weighs about 3 ounces.

Dimensions

The vial is 3 inches long and a half an inch think.

Base Price

One killing dose of Scorpio costs 10,000 silver shards.

Raw materials & Components

The formula for Azoturian Scorpio is a closely guarded secret. The ingredients for a single killing dose of the poison are rumoured to require the full venom sacs of over fifteen mature giant king scorpions, around eight quarts of unrefined venom. The chemical processes used to distill the potency of the raw venom reduce the liquid to a single three ounce vial of dark amber liquid.