A Dash of Knell Rose

A Dash of Knell Rose

By Creighton Cullen

## A Preface to the Feast

The Highborn Gardens, for all the splendor and bounty which they contain, hold within the same deceit and stratagems found in the Bulwark’s ale hovels. A lips’ touch to a chalice may fare no different from the touch to decaying oaken silverware: contact with poison and augments, and the roll of the eyes as one falls backward from the chair. Without a trace or passing breath may come death’s sweet accompaniment.

Of course, all know of the ills of Shadebarrow Moss and the betraying beauty of the common Knell Rose, Mournstar Hanging Blossom. Both are detectable by the taste, and one even by the smell to the enlightened reader. This book is not about commonalities, but rather the intricacies of table play: rarer poisons and augments employed as well as stratagems used to avoid or counteract their ingestion during feasts between two or more parties.

Capably, none will recognize my name, but many astute readers will know of the collapse of the Creighling family and tragedies with the family Ayre. I do promise pursuit of myself for punishments due would result in futility and the same sort of retaliation of the scope that the families listed enjoyed. And while it does sink my heart to divulge some secrets, I do promise I have many more, and hopefully these will whet the appetite for future development of the games that happen during a feast.

## Common Poisons Brought to the Table

For the purposes of a feast, the best poisons are those which the vigilant host would not detect. Whether through interesting properties of taste or difficulty to be detected, these are the most concerning and expensive gifts you’ll find added to wine or meals.

Dainty Hemlock

Dainty Hemlock is three-quarters Hemlock combined with a number of other components which, when combine, mask the poison in a tasteful spice. It acts as a paralytic that keeps the mind awake. It takes out the muscles and then shuts down the respiratory system, so death comes from waking asphyxiation.

Pillow

Pillow contains a large composition of highdrake root powdered by pestle and made gaseous by an alembic before being imbibed into a drink. While undetectable in its gaseous, imbibed state, the components will settle toward the bottom of the drink after an hour’s time, depending on the density of the liquid-- its classic weakness. The target will rarely be killed by this poison (unless aged or having a weak immune system, lovely targets) as it effectively makes the target bedridden for weeks.

Bellamyrrh

Bellamyrrh is one of the few colorless and odorless poisons which requires no other combination of ingredients but the eponymous bellamyrrh. One of its most famous uses was as a potent hallucinogenic. A single leaf may cause nausea and hallucination which lead to a rapid pulse that trickles down to nothing. Interestingly, it is best applied asa polish to surfaces rather than foods or drink. Creative uses would be silverware or the plates themselves rather than a glass.

Woundwort

Woundwort is easily the most detectable of poisons, reflecting a dark texture and spore-like texture. In small amounts, it can be oddly flavorful in a sauce, and even a few spores and solution concentrate may be enough for the effects to begin. Woundwart counteracts the effects of any medicine, utilizing the medicinal potions to grow fungi. The fungi leech energy from the individual. The amount of energy sapped is dependent on how much enters the bloodstream and continues to leach until target is dead or cured magically.

White-as-snow

One of the most dangerous poisons known, it is a powder-based substance which can dissolve into any liquid and is undetectable by any sensory means. It is difficult to obtain for those of lesser origins, but very widely used on the playing table.

The substance takes a moment to take effect, but the consequences are obvious when it does. There is no obvious pain, but the life almost seems to leave the body. True to name, the boy becomes significantly paler, and after a few minutes-- more, if one has a hardier constitution-- the target will die.

Spellrend

Immediately gives the user a splitting headache that impedes concentration. For up to five minutes, the intensity is enough such that the target can move little and cannot cast spells.

Enchanter’s Phial

The drink is an augment best mixed with red wines, as the taste and color are both well masked in this state. It is designed to enfeeble the mind, making attempts at persuasion and influence easier to perform.

## Stratagems

Some antidotes for specific poisons exist, but there are numerous qualities which make them, sadly for you, unreliable for the game. These antidotes are only effective when consumed after its respective poison is consumed, so they cannot be ingested ahead of time. By the time an expert-on-hand can diagnose the poison, the antidote may not have enough time to counteract the effects. Finally, experts-- like myself, modestly-- far outpace the development of antidotes, like any flu. Augments, such as the Enchanter's Phial, are rarer seen. They are often imported, as the herbs and conditions for growing the necessary components for them is difficult in Granthel.

There are two more universal antidotes which can be consumed before a feast and which maintain their effectiveness for some time. Careful: these universal antidotes conflict with each other when consumed subsequently. Sometimes, depending on one’s constitution, the combination is lethal. Marrenmend counteracts poisons, slowing the effects significantly to allow one time to apply an antidote of find a healer, while Coughtonhall Sap counteracts potions based on afflicting augments.

Thus, part of the game is to determine which type of potion one will use. Does your host want to kill you, or would they sooner warp your mind to their advantage? That is up to your insights and payroll to determine. This book has done enough of your job for you, and, with that, I must desist before I divulge more secrets of the trade.

## OOC Notes

The book was controversial upon its release, spawning several investigations into its origins. Both the stigma surrounding the book and its contents made it surprisingly popular in high society, but not so much in "lower" districts like Commonport or the Bulwarks.