Panacaea
Panacaea is among the most valuable and sought-after substances in the multiverse. Scholars believe it capable of serving as a cure for any disease, an antidote for any poison, or a nullifying counteragent to any condition--magical or otherwise. It is, put simply, medical apotheosis.
Mining
Contrary to a common belief that panacaea is a perfected alchemical formula, it is in reality an elemental ore. Unfortunately, it is only known to exist deep beneath the ice floes of Baator's fifth layer, Stygia, and the supply is thought to be permanently finite.
What supply there is, though, has been stretched to unthinkable lengths in the Nine Hells. It is rarely administered in its purest form, instead being cut with salt, ash, and all manner of ground rock before being used in trace amounts even then. Its primary function is to prolong the torment of Baator's damned souls--a function which it serves reliably and has done--as far as anyone is aware--for all time.
Physical Characteristics
Panacaea in its elemental form is similar to glass that has been throughly stained white. It can be--and is often--ground into a powder which takes on an unmistakable shimmer that reflects even weak light over great distance.
It is said to be odorless, tasteless, and lightweight nearly to the point of being insubstantial.
Fragility
Panacaea does not retain its curative powers for long after it leaves Stygia. Once raised above the distantly sub-zero temperatures of its mines, the substance seems to develop a kind of half-life. Its characteristic shimmer fades proportionally to its efficacy.
Inert panacaea is almost indistinguishable from ash, although it occasionally maintains some of its whiter hue.
The substance is almost never found outside the Nine Hells. On the occasions it does cross to other planes, a devil's deal is typically involved, and these are generally only made with specific uses in mind (such that the panacaea is used shortly after being acquired).
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