Essence of Moonlight

Ingredients:
25g - Lily of the Coast (Crushed & Boiled)
25g - Pearlbutton Dew Tincture
10g - Allium (Muddled)
6g - Pure Spirit
4g - Coconut Pulp (dried after wringing out in cheese cloth)
4g - Dried Chamomile Petals
1g - Dried Fleur-de-lis Petals
1g - Dried Angel's Trumpet Petals
1g - Anise Powder
Essence of Moonlight (EoM), or Alacrity Wine as it is known in common circles, should be a staple of any self respecting brewer's repetoire. This recipe tests brewer's capabilities at sourcing or creating ingredients. Alchemist brewers consider brewing EoM as a rite of passage into the wider world of alchemy. The process is relatively safe, but a watchful eye is needed every step of the way. The brewing process is listed below and can also be found in Appendix C [Ingestibles].
--A Treatise on Alchemy - Raymon Anklor

Essence of Moonlight, like many alchemical recipes, is one of the oldest magic-related items within the Sonneranian geist. Referrences to the brew have been found as early Year 5.
Essence of Moonlight is a brew that alchemists have long used in order to generate wealth and serve their countries or organizations. The potion powerfully eases and relaxes the muscles, melting tension away and purging the body of lactic acid. This is what lent it the more common name of Alacrity Wine.
Many students of alchemy create Essence of Moonlight at the end of their first year of study, it is seen as a gateway to more advanced and complex alchemical recipes. At the Malomuscian School of Brewership and Alchemy students receive their Apprentice Brewer Badge after successfully creating the brew, which can take over a day to make. This is because the mixture of ingredients must be boiled and decanted a total of 10 times, then distilled for 20 runs, before finally being boiled again for a final time.
Unlike other brews with full body effects, Essence of Moonlight is not made with volatile ingredients or processes which makes it safe even for beginners to create. Much like Efflux the brew seemingly has no downsides, apart from being a diarhetic.
A seldomly cited secret among Alchemists is that a slight deviation to Essence of Moonlight's brewing process can result in the creation of the powerful drug, Lunardust, simply referred to by alchemists-in-the-know as Powdered Essence of Moonlight. All one must do is allow the water to completely boil out of the mixture before decanting. This is what allowed the lazy alchemist Hyde Slurg to discover Lunardust in the early years of post-Dematalyst Sonnerand.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Taking Essence of Moonlight is a lot like taking a strong shot of high-proof alcohol. It has no flavor, but some have called the sensation of its ingestion as a "bright burn." This burning sensation is actually the brew seeping into the tissues of the mouth and throat to quickly enter the bloodstream. Once within the bloodstream, the Essence is pumped into the body's major muscle groups where it proceeds to induce a powerful relaxant effect due to the effects of the condensed botanical ingredients. This effect is so intensively powerful that it is capable of overwhelming and nullifying muscle paralysis or certain venoms and poisons. These same ingredients then 'restart' the muscle groups and shock them awake, causing a mild twitch (in some cases muscle spasms have been reported following ingestion).
Following the active effect the brew passes through the blood brain barrier; many patients report a mild to strong headache after ingesting Essence of Moonlight as the ingredients take over 48 hours to leave the body.

Manufacturing process

The mixture of ingredients must be boiled for 2 hours and then decanted. This is done a total of 10 times, water may be sparingly added to keep the mixture from overboiling and drying out. The brew is then distilled for 20 runs, before finally being boiled again for a final time for 2 minutes.

History

Essence of Moonlight, as a relatively basic alchemical concoction, is thought to date back to Pre-Dematalyst Sonnerand. Unlike advanced alchemy, making Essence of Moonlight requires absolutely zero magical input, even though the brew registers as faintly magical to scrutiny. In this sense, the brew is a medicine rather than a potion. Scholars tend to agree that Pre-Dematalyst civilizations, assuming that they did exist, used Alacrity Wine as a common antispastic. Essence of Moonlight is commonly used in hospitals and other similar clinics.
The mundane nature of brewing Essence of Moonlight has allowed it to exist in anti-magic societies such as Geneca. Despite this tolerance, the creation of the brew is a closely monitored process in many areas of the world. The World Alchemical Association has chapters in numerous cities across the globe where officially licensed brewers create Essence of Moonlight along with other topical treatments.
Much of this monitorization is due in part to the comparatively easy method of creating Lunardust, a powerful narcotic.

Item type

Drug / Narcotic / Medicine

Creation Date

Pre-Dematalyst

Rarity

Uncommon

Weight

2.7 fl. oz.

Dimensions

4" tall; 1.2" diameter vials

Base Price

40 gp

Raw materials & Components

25g - Lily of the Coast (Crushed & Boiled)
25g - Pearlbutton Dew Tincture
10g - Allium (Muddled)
6g - Pure Spirit
4g - Coconut Pulp (dried after wringing out in cheese cloth)
4g - Dried Chamomile Petals
1g - Dried Fleur-de-lis Petals
1g - Dried Angel's Trumpet Petals
1g - Anise Powder

Tools

A cauldron, stills, mortar & pestle, muddler, cheese cloth, and optionally a dehydrator.