Wraith Essence

Wraith Essence
Poison Rank 7
Value: 1,000 gp
Delivery: Contact
Effect: The target suffers ongoing 1 Energy Drain every 10 segments [SE, ST 4d10 vs CON].
Creation: The essence of a wraith must be extracted from a willing or helpless wraith and the use of the ritual Extract Magical Essence. Upon completion of the ritual one drop of Wraith essence is extracted.
Components: Essence of Wraith
"Don't go in there. I know you want to make things right, but look at the walls. See that gunk up there? We are definitely not alone."
——High Maester Pelon, counseling grief

Description

Wraith Essence appears as a thick, blue and black film of indeterminable slime. If struck by this otherworldly substance, a victim will find themselves slowly weakening as their life essence is destroyed by the residual presence of undeath. One must be extremely careful when handling Wraith Essence, for if living flesh comes in contact with the stuff, the entirety of the strange material will attach itself to the victim, as if hungering to consume them. It is for this reason that Wraith Essence is contained in blessed flasks just in case the remaining spirit of the wraith it was taken from should wish to escape.

Lore

The collecting of Wraith Essence is dangerous beyond measure. Finding a locale where such creatures reside usually means subjecting oneself to all manner of unbearable, supernatural horror. In a place where such torment exists, other forms of undead predators are likely to lurk in the shadows. Even trained killers, alchemists and adventurers will not choose to collect this poison, as Wraiths themselves are extraordinarily hard to destroy, and Clerics and Paladins are almost always unwilling to accompany such a mission. Successful gathering of Wraith Essence means the collector is in possession of a rare and valuable resource that can be sold at an extremely high price, although many feel that price is not worth the lives that must be sacrificed to acquire it.