Shadow Drei
by hughpierre
Shadow Drei is the poisonous water of untelling potency bubbling from the Deathpool lake surrounded by shadows. When warg tribes in the Northern Range, they quickly learned to give distance between themselves and the Deathpool. For at random intervals, the lake would spew noxious gases from its black waters, which doubly makes it an unappetizing water source.
Manufacturing process
Getting the Deathpool's water is not a terribly complicated process. The dangers lie in timing it just after from when the lake belched its first cloud of gas till its next. There are usually a few days in between when it is relatively safe to do so.
All that is required is for a brave soul to:
- Venture to the more central parts of the lake.
- Skim the surface with a collection jar.
- Then head back to shore.
Significance
Regardless, a dangerous rite of passage developed among bold boys to attempt to drink of the pool. It eventually became a matter of manly pride to have risked swallowing death (to have known death intimately) at the start of ones warrior pursuits.
In addition; some pregnant girls, the girls' parents or a girl's husband; for either political or prideful reasons, ask (or are asked) to partake in consuming the poison water. Which could wreak havoc on the fetuses in the fourth month of their development, depending on its strength, up to and including death. In particular, Sang women are more known for the practice as, due to their high birth rate, can tolerate the inherent losses better than any other people.
Other physical effects include:
It is widely believed that the babies who survive the ordeal, do so by absorbing the body and strength of their sibling(s) into themselves. Sometimes it is a clean birth as a single baby slipping out of his or her mother. Or you will get mangled remains that are a struggle to expel. Much more often, it is a combination of these, leading to the perception that the survivor of the poison killed and ate their brothers and sisters to survive it's toxic reach.
Whether or not this is true, there is is an obviously hypocritical/ contrary idea of believing that their ancient deity so blessed the people with three but actively seeking the accursed "One".
Drawbacks
- Missing or malformed limbs
- Heart defects
- Split jaw
- Cyclopia
Benefits
- Reinforced body
- Middle eye
Comments