Perfume

Perfume was mixture of oil extracts designed to give off a pleasing scent. Unlike incense, perfume was worn or sprayed about, rather than burned.
==Description==
In the Realms, "scent" came to mean general pleasant-smelling substances, while "perfume" came to mean stronger, longer-lasting substances that could be worn, applied to items, or misted across an area.
Perfume was stored in vials and bottles that were sometimes covered with sealing wax. Scents were made from a wide variety of natural and processed materials, such as vegetable oils, plant sap and resin, herbs, spices, animal fluids and organs, and minerals.
==Applications==
Some perfumes had magical qualities, and sprinkling perfume was required for casting the air variation of protection from the elements. Perfume was even used to repulse vampires.
Beeswax could be purified of its honey smell and be given new scents. Inks could also be perfumed, imbuing a written message with the scent, and was most often used for love letters.
==Availability==
The value of perfumed varied depending on its quality and rarity, but usually sold for 1 to 6 gp for . In Waterdeep, a vial of perfume had a market value of approximately 1 gp, though the price varied from 1 cp to 30 gp. In other places, perfume could be sold for even more expensive prices, some up to 75 gp per vial.
Perfume was produced in various settlements on Toril, as far back as the empire of Netheril. Marsember was a center of perfume production, and Westgate was particularly renowned for its high-quality perfumes.
Narbondellyn in Menzoberranzan was renowned for its perfumers, who exclusively supplied the rich and powerful of the city.
Alabaster and rock crystal was sometimes used for making delicate ornamental containers such as perfume bottles. In Kara-Tur, jade perfume bottles were produced and sold for 1 ch'ien.
Thay also imported or produced perfume. Such perfume was stored in crystal bottles that were designed to spritz the content onto the wearer.
===Notable Perfume Sellers===
* A specialist perfume shop, the House of Pride, existed within Waterdeep in the 14 century DR.
* Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue sold a variety of Westgate-made perfumes, and claimed they were the world's finest. They were named Jasmine Night, Flowers, Mountain Breeze, Mystra's Spell, Red Rose, Ocean Mist, Night Spice, Lliira's Joy, Breath of Spring, and finally, Sune's Fire.
* A Kiss Across the Table in Mosstone sold a wide variety of goods like perfumes, philters of love, and high-heel lace-up bright-red boots.
* Jerome Diloontier, a skilled perfumer that worked in Waterdeep.
* Nottle, a shifty and opportunistic rogue and peddler from the ruins of Myth Drannor carved various and often random items, including perfume.
* Peraegh Omliskur, a seller of fragrances, facepaints, nailbrights, and fanciful silks from Cormyr who traded in the most cutting edge stock popular among young nobility, to the older generation of Cormyrean ladies' disdain.
* Quintessa, a merchant of exotic perfumes.
* The Flame of Love Lutery in Jester's Green sold various perfumed and scented items for romantic purposes.
==Notable Perfumes==
===Mundane Perfumes===
* Avarine, an expensive perfume from Netheril.
* Bluestars, an expensive concoction that smelled of fresh before-storm winds.
* Darkdew, a powerful aphrodisiac perfume.
* Felsul flower oil, a perfume formed from petals of the felsul tree, that made the wearer more charismatic.
* Frankincense, a sweet-smelling mundane perfume used by Bedine women.
* Harlyr, a cheap rose-smelling perfume that stank of charred goldflow when applied to goblinoid skin.
* Jasmine dust, an expensive perfume from Kara-Tur.
* Jassal, an extremely expensive cherry-like perfume that had peculiar reactions with flesh.
* Sunrise, an expensive perfume that left a minty, citrusy smell.
* Tanlarl, a reasonably expensive perfume that could create an irresistible allure for females.
* Other common scents included cinnamon, patchouli, sandalwood, myrrh, rose, lily of the valley, violet, peach, apple, vanilla, and pine.
===Magical Perfumes===
* Perfume of bewitching, a wondrous perfume that made the wearer fascinating.
* Silver spark, a luminescent, musky perfume-poison that could greatly sicken or kill someone who breathed in the rich scent.
* Starella's aphrodisiac, a magical perfume that could charm those of the opposite sex if they were a similar race.
==History==
In the late 14 century DR, a fad emerged among the wealthy and nobility of Sembia known as "tomb-scents." These were rare perfumes, for whom the knowledge of how to create was lost to time and thus were obtained from plundering the tombs of fallen realms, such as Netheril.
==Notable Users of Perfumes==
===Individuals===
* Anorrweyn Evensong of Myth Drannor wore a delicate scent of gardenias.
* Elena, one of the victims of the Weeping War, wore jasmine perfume, as the scent emanated from the ghostly form after death.
* Ulia Mannicci, the First Lady of Sumbria, wife of Price Cappa Mannicci, circa 1217 DR.
* The Grand Caliph of Zakhara possessed special perfumes. One such example produced in 1372 DR was kept in a cut ruby bottle, sealed in wax and stamped with his device, and valued at 4,000 gp in 1479 DR.
===Intelligent Creatures & Races===
* Some cloud giants collected rare perfumes, stored within crystal vials with silver lids, in order to display their extravagance.
* Some male dwarves of the Realms were known to perfume their beards, as did the females.
* Among the many luxuries they strove for, noble djinn often sought to have the richest of perfumes.
* In the land of Zakhara, great ghuls were fond of all forms of perfume and would use them to mask their unpleasant odor.
===Religions===
* Cultists of living idols of elemental air were known to sacrifice exotic perfumes to them.
==Appendix==
===Appearances===
===References===
Category:Substances
Category:Perfumes
Category:Hygiene
Category:Grooming tools
Category:Items
Category:Items from Faerûn
Category:Items from Zakhara
Category:Items from Kara-Tur
Category:Items from Toril
Category:0-24 gold pieces
Category:25-49 gold pieces
Category:50-74 gold pieces
Category:75-99 gold pieces
Category:Items from Chult
Category:Items from Marsember
Category:Items from Westgate
Category:Items from Thay
Category:Items from Tethyr
Category:Items from Mosstone
Category:Items from Cormyr
Category:Items from the Firedrake Shores
Category:Items from Myth Drannor
Category:Items from Cormanthor
Category:Items from Blade Kingdoms
Category:Items from the Vilhon Reach
Category:Items from Sumbria
Category:Items from the Eastern Heartlands