Antitoxin
Description
A small flask filled with a thick, syrupy pink liquid that shimmers faintly when caught in the light. Its consistency clings to the glass as it swirls, releasing a bittersweet scent of herbs layered over a metallic tang. When consumed, the syrup coats the tongue with an acrid bite, leaving behind a lingering coolness that steadies the breath and sharpens the blood against poisons.
Lore
The earliest versions of Antitoxin were crude concoctions carried by scouts and sellswords—anything bitter enough to “burn the venom out.” Over time, guild alchemists refined the process, distilling countless variations into the shimmering syrup now recognized as the modern standard. Today’s formula is considered a standard of the craft, blending herbal bitterness with tinctured stability in a way that reliably fortifies the body.
The peppermint note, once an improvised addition to mask the taste, has taken on a sharper role in politics and intrigue. Inspectors and watchmen are trained to recognize its scent on the breath, and at a diplomat’s table it can reveal more than mere survival. A sudden reek of mint may betray that a guest expected poison and drank Antitoxin to counter it, exposing both the attempt at assassination and the possibility of foreknowledge among the complicit. In some courts, entire parties conclude a meal by sharing Antitoxin, freshening their breath while shielding themselves from danger. Thus the draught serves as both safeguard and dangerous tell in the games of statecraft.