Sulfurous ash (SA) is the residue left by sulfur that has been set alight, which is used in the magical practices of Britannian and Serpent Islander magicians as a reagent.
History and Uses[edit]
Elemental sulfur is frequently found in the wake of volcanic activity, and as a result is plentiful on the Isle of the Avatar and its neighbor Terfin, both of which have been sites of eruptions. In earlier days, the Dungeon of Fire was also said to have been a rich source of this mineral.[1]
According to Philpop the Weary's Book of Mystic Wisdom, the element gives forth its magical properties after it has been burnt in a crucible fashioned from a balron's skull, and the resultant residue or "ash" may then be used as a magical reagent. In spite of such fantastical claims, raw volcanic sulfur appears to suffice on both Britannia and the Serpent Isle as a magical component, where its presence lends properties of energy, heat and light to spells which incorporate it.
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ulphurous Ash — Sulphur is the substance found in nature that is most useful in the generation of fire. It is the color of saffron and, when burned, gives off an odour indicative of its great mystic strength. Yet its true power is to be found in the second burning — that is, in the use of the ashen residue of sulphur that has been burned in the crucible fashioned from the skull of a Balron. Sulphurous Ash is not an uncommon substance, having been a staple of the Wizard's profession through the ages. It may be purchased from any reputable purveyor of magical goods and is useful in the casting of Energy Fields and Magic Missiles, as well as in spells requiring a quick burst of light or a sustained glow.
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Common material left by volcanic action, ash is an excellent source of energy in magical mixtures.
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The product of violent volcanic eruptions, sulfurous ash adds high levels of energy to the spells which require it. It is recommended that freshly collected ash be sifted through a fine mesh sieve, ensuring consistency and easy mixing.
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The great quantities of ash generated by a volcanic eruption makes this a common commodity as far as magical reagents go, but one does usually have to travel in order to acquire a large quantity of it. In recent years the most common source of sulfurous ash has been the Isle of the Avatar, location of violent volcanic activity many years ago.
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This is nothing more than the ashen remains of a volcanic eruption. Here in the new land, the adventurous gather such ash in the cavern known as Furnace — those whom the Daemons do not slay that is.
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Sulfurous ash hold the energy of friction from the volcanic eruption that begot it. For magical uses, ash is mixed with other reagents to amplify the energy effects of a spell. So powerful is this reagent that experienced mages can hold a spellbook and know by touch its ashen contents.
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- Sulfur, when burnt in reality, reduces itself to a red liquid, rather than leaving behind an ash. The fumes from burning sulfur, as Joe Garrity from the Origin Museum discovered in an ill-planned experiment whilst producing a real world reagent collection, are quite toxic, and were used as a method of fumigation in archaic Greece.[2][3]
Gallery[edit]
Burning sulfur, resulting in a red residue rather than an ash
References[edit]
