Potions (Betrayal in Antara)

Potions are items which affect characters' Skill or Health stats in Betrayal in Antara.

Overview
Most potions are single-use, taken before or during battle and lasting until the battle's end. Only one is cumulative, taken as many times as necessary to raise Health.

Certain other beverages and draughts may or may not be grouped with Potions in Shops which purchase items from this category.

Abrida's Conduit

 * Aren Cordelaine only. +21 Spellcasting and +11 Spell Accuracy for the duration of one day or battle. Sold in: Grandeur.
 * Description: Something pulsated behind the smoky glass, creating an ever-shifting shadowplay across the canister's surface. Drinking its contents just gave most people indigestion, but for a spellcaster it cleared the mind and brought the forces of power into sharper focus.
 * When taken: Aren unscrewed the brass cap and took a long pull from the canister. Immediately the cobwebs in his mind dissolved and his thoughts focused on the magical forces around him.
 * Taken by a non-mage: [Character] eyed the canister warily. "I tried this stuff once a long time ago, and couldn't hold food down for days. I'll pass, thanks."

Essence of the Wind

 * Aids Lockpick and Gambling.
 * Description: [Character] fingered the stopper and almost lost his/her grip on the bottle, which lurched violently. As he/she watched, the bottle began vibrating faster and faster, until it blurred in [character]'s vision. Startled, [character] released the stopper and the bottle immediately stilled. [Character] wasn't sure what was inside, but whatever it was, it was fast!
 * When taken: [Character] snatched the stopper from the bottle in one swift movement. Instantly, pale vapors swirled around him/her, disappearing down his/her throat when he/she inhaled. The world seemed to slow to half speed, the edge of his/her vision blurring when he/she moved.

Halder's Brew

 * +5 Strength. Sold in: Ligano, found on bookstore table in Melay.
 * Description: Bubbles rose from the bottom of the vial as [character] shook it, floating to the top of the thick green liquid. Maybe the bubbles were the secret to its strength -- augmenting power -- but if so, [character] didn't understand how.
 * When taken: Downing the brew felt like swallowing a rock -- a rock which sat stubbornly in [character]'s belly. Stomach rumbling, [character] felt his/her muscles spasm and then flexed his/her arms and legs experimentally. The unnatural power he/she felt in them was exhilarating.
 * Quests: 1x Halder's Brew is used in Chapter 6 when visiting Ganath; 5x Halder's Brew can be received during the Liar's Festival in Choth; a non-participant in the Festival has a silver flask of Halder's Brew as a reward for a service to the Imperial Family.
 * Trivia: The story behind Halder's Brew can be found in Halder's Tale. "HALDER" is the solution to a lever chest in Knightridge.

Kor's Blood

 * +10 Melee for duration of one day or battle.
 * Description: The viscous red liquid moved as if alive, crashing against the bottle where [character]'s fingers held it. Despite the battle prowess it bestowed, it wasn't really the lifeblood of the Father god. At least, [character] hoped not.
 * When taken: [Character]'s arms burned for a moment. When the sensation faded, they felt much longer. His/her weapon was no longer merely held in his/her hand -- it was a natural extension of his/her body. Each motion flowed seamlessly into the next in an exquisite dance of martial forms.

Malkere's Serum

 * +3 Strength. Subtracts 2 Health/Stamina for each turn in battle after imbibing.
 * Description: Legend spoke of the courage, valor, and phenomenal prowess of Barran Malkere, hero of the Grrrlf War and perhaps the greatest fighter humankind had ever known. This serum created a berserker state reminiscent of Malkere's battle rage, but it was unpredictable and sorely taxed the body.
 * When taken: [Character] shuddered violently as the serum raced through his/her bloodstream. A battle lust boiled within him/her -- a burning force shutting all else from his/her mind. Muscles bulging, [character] looked around eagerly for a target for his/her rage.
 * Trivia: A non-participant in the Liar's Festival in Choth has a silver flask of Malkere's Serum as a reward for a service to the Imperial Family.

Razorcup Nectar

 * William Escobar and Kaelyn Usher only. +16 Archery for duration of one day or battle.
 * Description: It was said that needlebills, which drank the nectar from the rare razorcup flower, never flew off course. The piercing thorns and finger-slicing leaves of the plant made the extraction of that nectar a hazardous procedure for humans.
 * When taken: [Character]'s breath caught. Though it seemed distant and unimportant, he/she could still hear and smell everything around him/her. Mind centered amidst that sudden void, [character] was certain he/she could shoot a mouse at a hundred paces.
 * Cannot be taken by a non-archer: [Character]] considered the nectar, but decided against it. With a bow, he was more of a threat to himself and his allies than to any opponents, and he doubted anything could change that.

Senwater

 * Cumulative +4 Health/Stamina per use.
 * Description: [Character] held the bottle gingerly, for it contained one of the Triune's greatest gifts to humanity. Only the Sisters of Senaedrin knew the location of Denna 's fabled spring, but its healing water had saved thousands of lives.
 * When taken: [Character] unstoppered the bottle and drank greedily. His/her skin tingled as the pure, clear water took effect, purging toxins and infection and closing open wounds.
 * Trivia: When used in spell construction, Senwater holds a positive magical charge.

Shadowmilk

 * +8 Stealth for duration of one day or until the party enters its next battle.
 * Description: The best thieves took pride in their natural abilities, but lesser talents often relied on Shadowmilk to augment their capacity for stalking and sneaking. Illegal within the walls of most cities, the Imperial Army made sure their scouts had a flask with them on forays into enemy territory.
 * When taken: [Character] didn't feel any different after the Shadowmilk slid down his/her throat, but s/he noticed that his/her body's motion had changed, When s/he moved, it was with an economy, grace, and preternatural silence s/he normally lacked.

Steadfast Tonic

 * +15 Defense for duration of one day or battle.
 * Description: Magically distilled from the glands of ginger toads, garrisons stocked "frog juice" to make their defenders more efficient when outnumbered. Supplies dropped sharply after the Chunese savanna, the toads' main habitat, was vaporized in the disaster that created the Waste.
 * When taken: [Character] downed the tonic in one long swallow. Immediately, he/she became aware of the position of everyone around him/her, tracking every movement with heightened reflexes. [Character] felt like a jaeger, muscles tensed and ready to leap.

Swampwalking Potion

 * Obtained from: Khaleth near Choth. +7 received.
 * Description: [Character] held the bottle at arm's length. Even with the cork in place its stagnant odor filled his nostrils. Apparently, to walk on swampwater he'd have to drink something which smelled like swampwater.
 * Cannot be drunk: [Character] turned the bottle in his hands, grimacing at the thought of swallowing the sludge inside. "On second thought," he mumbled, "I don't see a pressing need for this right now." [Character] put the bottle back in his pack. "In fact, as far as I'm concerned, those mercenaries waiting near Darvi are welcome to it!"
 * Use: give at least +1 to Mercenaries guarding the house in the swamp north of Torlith to enter the house and end Chapter 6. Does not enable swampwalking anywhere else.

Tonguecoat

 * 9+ Haggling.
 * Description: The closely-held secret of a Burlene trader until an aide got drunk with a competitor's agent, the charismatic enhancement of this mysterious brew explained the trader's meteoric rise to wealth. The impotence caused by repeated use explained why that trader's name had been lost to history.
 * When taken: [Character] quaffed the liquid with some trepidation -- surely occasional use was safe. But as it slid across his/her tongue and coated his/her throat, a vision of him/herself dying alone many years hence made him/her wonder if he/she'd later regret his/her more adventurous days.

Yelloweye

 * See in the dark for _ hours.
 * Description: Purportedly the result of brutal experiments on Grrrlf prisoners during the Grrrlf War, this potion temporarily restructured the human eye to give it better vision in the dark. The yellow irises were an unintended side-effect.
 * When taken: The world blurred as the potion did its work. When [character]'s vision cleared, shadows and darkness were much brighter -- and, [character] thought with some surprise, not tinted yellow.

Ale

 * Stackable up to 12 per individual inventory slot. Aids healing when drunk before sleeping in an Inn.
 * Description: [Character] struggled with the stopper, jammed tightly into the mouth of the jug. With a sudden jerk it came free, sloshing a dark malty ale onto his/her hand.
 * When used: [Character] took a few long pulls, letting the warm ale course down his/her throat in steady streams. After staring accusingly at the bottom of the empty jug he/she set it down with a thud, feeling heartier -- and a trifle woozier.
 * Can be combined with Fidali Leaves to make Fidali Paste.

Herbal Powder

 * Stackable up to 8 per individual inventory slot. Aids healing when used once before sleep.
 * Description: [Character] opened the bag and peered inside, recoiling at the horrid stench. Applied to a wound, the crushed herbs and ground roots would accelerate the natural healing process. [Character] just prayed he/she never injured his/her nose.
 * When used: [Character] carefully mixed some of the powder with enough water to form a sticky paste. Wrinkling his/her nose, he/she pressed the goo against his/her wounds and wrapped it with a bandage. The pungent dressing would have to be changed daily, but it was better than bleeding to death.

Wine

 * Stackable up to 12 per individual inventory slot. Aids healing when drunk before sleeping in an Inn.
 * Description: [Character] squinted at the label. Although most Antaran wine came from southern Ticor and Pianda, the quality varied widely from vineyard to vineyard and year to year.
 * When used: [Character]'s first swallow was tentative, but his/her initial caution was soon washed away by the heady flavor of the wine. Before he/she knew it the skin was empty, and he/she felt a bit heartier -- and a trifle woozier.
 * "Bakril frost wine," mentioned by the tavernkeeper at The Bannerman, is one type of wine represented by this item.

Trivia

 * Properly harvested and prepared, the larvae of Maposa Beetles, coveted by Mage Finch, are a key ingredient in many magical potions and draughts.
 * Drinks sometimes sell along with Potions and sometimes don't. Herbal Powder sometimes does not sell with either of them and may belong in a different category.