Alum

Alum was a white mineral substance that was widely used in the Realms.
==Availability==
* Alum was a processed substance derived from certain porous rocks that were heated and dissolved in urine, producing the purified material.
* Alum was harvested from Mount Hotenow.
* Alum could be bought from Aurora's Emporium for 5 cp per .
* Dark Alum was less common variety of alum that was purple in color, with a known deposit at Vellosk.
* Experienced miners learned to distinguish the taste of alum in the rock, allowing them to determine its presence.
==Usage==
* Alum was used in a variety of trades, including by barbers, dyers, paper and ink makers, and perfumers.
* Alum-based pigments took effect very slowly, and were used by dyers to produce more complicated patterns.
* Alum was widely used as an ingredient by alchemists. For instance, it could be distilled alongside nitre and oil of vitriol to create the substance aqua fortis.
* Many leatherworkers soaked hides or pelts in a solution of alum to turn them into leather, a process known as tawing. It was even used in turning the hides of some aberrations into leather.
* Some people in the Realms used alum for the purpose of cooking.
* Alum was used in the process of smelting ore.
* Alum was used in medicine, with doctors prescribing it as mouthwash, a cure for dysentery, and a way to stop bleeding.
* Dark alum was not used for alchemical or culinary purposes like standard alum, but was used for tanning supple leathers that were popular among nobility.
===Magic===
* A lump of alum was needed as a material component for casting the spell antipathy.
==Appendix==
===Appearances===
===External Links===
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===References===
Category:Substances
Category:Spell components