WickedThought

When a ven noble declares Revenge, another weapon becomes available to him. A weapon declared illegal under all other circumstances. A shameful weapon. A deadly weapon. The patient kiss. Poison.

Ven biology is such that most venoms and toxins do not affect them. A few are potent enough to make him stumble or perhaps even knock him on his backside. But the ven explicitly list five poisons powerful enough to kill. Ven scholars have done their research in this field, isolating the symptoms and sources, discovering exactly what these famous poisons are. I’ll save you the work and list them here for your convenience.

Also, you should know, the ven have no antidotes for these poisons. None.

ARSENIC: THE EMERALD WASTE
The ven use arsenic as a powder, green in color. The ven originally used it as a dye, but quickly discovered its toxicity, and turned the powder to less cosmetic means. Since then, the ven have developed arsenic into a thin, white powder. Tasteless and odorless, it absorbs into liquid quickly, leaving no residue. Despite its new appearance, arsenic’s ven name remains.

Once poisoned, the victim’s skin turns pale. Headaches. Vomiting and retching. A complete failure of the digestive system follows. Horrible stomach pains. Sparkling red eyes. Death comes within hours.

Arsenic must be ingested, but it can be fed to animals, and even after cooking, any ven who eats the poisoned animal will suffer the effects.

CYANIDE: THE CRIMSON GASP
Made from fruit seeds, cyanide appears as a grey or brown powder that smells like almonds. The ven originally used it as a flavoring powder as lower dosages caused giddiness and a severe lack of judgment. Further experimentation lead to its current usage.

Cyanide poisoning shuts down the body’s ability to process oxygen, causing the victim to helplessly gasp for breath as his brain slowly dies of asphyxiation. After death, the blood takes on a tell-tale cherry red color.

Cyanide may be ingested or inhaled.

HEMLOCK: FOX’S REVENGE
The hemlock plant is beautiful to look upon. Pure white, spotted with blue, red and purple. “Fox’s Revenge,” indeed. Different stories attribute the origin of hemlock’s name. We may never know the truth, but they all make lovely stories.

Almost the entire plant is poisonous, but which part depends on which part of the year. The roots are poisonous during winter and fall, but the leaves find their venom in the spring. Once poisoned, the victim’s body begins to slow down, exhibiting symptoms of Solace. The limbs grow heavy, the body cannot move. Pain as the muscles shut down. Eventually, the victim’s lungs cease and she dies the kind of slow, agonizing, beautiful death that only a Fox can provide.

Hemlock must be ingested.

OLEANDER: IKHALU’S MILK
The ven know the entire oleander plant is toxic, but they rely solely on the sap—the white, milky sap—when seeking revenge. Ikhalu’s milk must be ingested, but once it is, the effects are immediate and fatal.

Ikhalu’s milk forces the heart to beat at a staggering and irregular pace, causing the entire body to shut down. Irregular and violent blood flow. Almost immediate death.

Ikhalu’s milk cannot be hidden well. It is sticky and thick. It does not mix well with other liquids. It must be ingested. But while the other poisons listed here provide a painful death within minutes or hours, oleander is the only poison of the five that causes almost immediate death to its subject.

(Note: this is not true of humans, but for whatever reason, oleander is immediately fatal to the ven.)

STRYCHNINE: THE SPECTRE DANCE
Of all the poisons listed here, strychnine is, by far, the most dramatic. Introduced into the system, the victim immediately begins suffering seizures of a most violent sort. His limbs flail, his head and neck thrash. His screams. Introduced into the body through ingestion, the victim appears as if he is suffering from a mad, vicious dance with invisible beasts.

The spectre dance.

There is nothing subtle about strychnine. Its effects are immediate and obvious. The spectre dance is used by those who wish to make a point. It is the poison hammer. “Let it be known.”

(Later, more information on the non-lethal toxins floating around Shanri.)

I’m adding a new Region type. “Swamp.”
Swamps give you access to both sorcery and poisons.

Making a poison is a Season action. The ven know many kinds of poisons. I count about 5. You’ll need to make one of those specific kinds of poisons.

Making yourself immune to a particular kind of poison… the ven immune system is pretty remarkable. You’ll have to spend a Season action making yourself immune to one of the five different poisons. Immunity lasts for one Season.

If you become poisoned, you gain the aspect “Poisoned.” You also die. The amount of time it takes for you to die depends on the poison type.

This also opens the “Poison Master” vassal. 😉

One of the most common forms of murder in ven opera and pillow books is poison. The temptation to create an elaborate system for venoms is tempting…

Actually, it isn’t. Not even in the slightest.

Poison kills you. That’s what it does. No risk. No rolling dice. If you ingest it, if it’s injected into your system, you are going to die. Nobody makes a “saving throw” against arsenic. Or cyanide. A drop of mercury. Or a particularly nasty spider venom. Nobody.

In ven literature, this is particularly true. Poison spells death. In all the reference materials I have, there is not a single mention of any hero or heroine who survives poison. Not one. It may take them a week to die, but they die.

Poison has an intention. That intention is to kill you. So, here’s the game system.

If you get poisoned, you die.

The pillow books talk about them. Other historical references cite them.

Used only in duels–except in the cases of extreme treachery–pistols existed in ancient Shanri. We know this. But I am reluctant to include them in the game.

To be completely faithful to the source material, I should have them in the book. We know the ven used them only in matters of Revenge… except for the aforementioned criminal manner. Using such a weapon outside the context of Revenge was a crime punishable by death. And only death. And to a ven, such a punishment–depriving the defendant of Solace–was terrifying enough to keep pistols out of most ven hands.

Pistols would be deadly. A successful hit gains the user an automatic four wagers, ensuring a crippling Injury. 

The only way to gain the materials neccessary for firearms would require a special region: the Swamp. No Food, no Spices. Just Black Powder.

Ven references do not mention rifles or muskets at all. Not a single citation.

And the pistol is regarded as something different than a Sword. A true weapon used for a single purpose. A single deadly purpose. The purpose of murder. Such a weapon the ven regard with awe and terror. With a sword, there is Art. The parry, the lunge, the riposte. With a pistol, there is only the squeeze of a trigger and blood and murder.

“My intent is to murder you.” Four free wagers.

I’m reluctant. But if I am completely faithful to the source material, the pistol must be present. With all the weight it carries.