Dragon's Blood

Dragon's Blood was the name of an alchemical drug manufactured by the Arcana, a criminal organization from the underbelly of Drakmort. The experimental drug was said to be able to imbue ordinary creatures with the ability to innately use magic for a limited time, albeit with the threat of unpredictable and highly volatile side effects.
The drug is first reported as appearing in Drakmort as early as 972 ME; it is believed that all traces of the drug were destroyed by the Drakmort Thieves' Guild, working in partnership with the halfling alchemist Marvin Brightflask, following the death of the Arcana's leader Oboe and the organization's subsequent disbandment.

Description

Dragon's Blood was said to take the form of a dark red, viscous liquid, which is said to have glowed faintly in dim light. The exact recipe used by the Arcana to create the drug has been lost, as all documentation regarding its manufacture was destroyed by Marvin Brightflask following the seizure of the Arcana's former laboratories by the Thieves' Guild.
At the time of its manufacture, Dragon's Blood was sold for an incredibly steep price in the city's underworld, with Arcana dealers allegedly charging hundreds of gold pieces for a single ounce of the liquid; mercifully, this steep cost appears to have limited the drug's widespread distribution, with clientele being mainly limited to those both wealthy and foolhardy enough to pay for the product in the first place.

Effects

Dragon's Blood could be administered in one of two ways; either ingested orally or injected with the use of a needle, with the latter being considered the "safer" option. Once the drug has entered the user's body, the user was said to have experienced feelings of euphoria, as well as the ability to cast a limited number of spells and cantrips similar to that of a sorcerer. The euphoria and magical abilities were short-lived, typically only lasting anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour before wearing off. As a result, the drug was considered to be highly addictive.
While Dragon's Blood was shown to induce magical abilities in non-magical individuals, the effects of the drug on a creature already capable of casting spells are currently unknown. This is perhaps a blessing; given the volatile properties of the substance, it is similarly unknown if a user already imbued with magic would have been able to control these side effects, or merely amplify them.

Side Effects

Unlike the magic used by natural-born sorcerers, spells cast by those under the influence of Dragon's Blood were said to be highly volatile, difficult to control, and prone to a variety of magical mishaps. These unpredictable and hazardous effects quickly gave rise to the drug developing the nickname "Wild Magic" in reference to the seemingly uncontrollable and unpredictable nature of those influenced by the substance.
In addition, it is believed that Dragon's Blood may have permanently altered the bodies of those who ingested the drug on a repeated basis, potentially even affecting their offspring: the time of the drug's distribution correlates to a spike in reports of children being born with magical powers, bearing the same volatile qualities as those who had taken the drug. While relation between these two events has never been proven, the similarities between the descriptions of those who had taken the drug and the children born with these abilities is too apparent to be considered mere coincidence.

Legacy

While all known samples of the drug, along with its means of creation, are believed to have been destroyed, there are still those who seek to reverse-engineer Dragon's Blood in the belief that it can be used in a more altruistic fashion; indeed, the ability to grant magical abilities to non-magical individuals would certainly be a major breakthrough, and would make access to magic much easier to the average person overall. However, until an undamaged sample is recovered, this is unlikely to happen.