Ralayan's Comfort

Addictive substance, injury, very rare Some illnesses of the mind are so severe that they threaten the existence of the sufferer. When an archmage, for instance, falls victim to insanity the arcane powers they have developed over a lifetime of intense study can threaten to overwhelm and destroy their body. It is an alarming state to be in, and a terrifying one to witness someone else going through. In those cases, sometimes this potent drug can be the only succor.
It has another, far less savoury use as well. Scoundrels sometimes make use of it as a very deadly poison, one that eats away at their victim's mind as well as their flesh.
Even among those who traffic in ralayan's comfort, few know the means by which it is made. Indeed, it is a very carefully guarded secret. Ralayan's comfort is made with the excretions of ustilagors, the larval form of intellect devourers, and as such the only suppliers of the drug are pawns, often unwitting pawns, of mind flayers. Why they have decided to produce and distribute this strange medicine among us is unknown, but then of the illithids little can be said but that their motives are opaque and their methods bizarre.
While under the effect of the drug, the user 'hears' in their mind a strange, otherworldly music. This is so strong that it threatens to overwhelm their own thoughts. The music is haunting and disturbing, obeying no laws of rhythm, mode, harmony. Even the notes themselves are uncanny, made of weird tones and instruments that seem to dwell in realms our own musics cannot capture.
The effects of this music on the user are be quite unpredictable. Some find themselves transformed by it: deep-seated madness has been known to simply drift away, as though carried off by the eldritch, wordless songs brought by the drug. Such users describe their experience under the drug's effects as revolutionary. Liberated from past commitments and ideals, these people often strike out on brand-new careers and life paths, and their friends and loved ones frequently describe them as having changed on a fundamental level.
Others are unnerved by the music, horrified to their core by the impossibility of incorporating it into the world they are familiar with. These people tend to drift away from society, unable to stop obsessing over the implications of these sounds, seeking illumination in far-off lands. Perhaps they are called by the music, drawn towards a place they can only dream of. These people are usually never heard from again.
Still others develop cravings for the music, needing it with such an intensity that their lives seem pale and feeble in comparison with the chromatic richness and incomprehensible complexities of what they hear when on the drug. They long for the maddening lushness and clarity that the music brings with it, and increasingly find the world outside their thoughts to be false, an impersonation, a meaningless tissue obscuring a grander reality.
Ralayan's comfort must be injected directly into the spinal column.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Initial Effects. After receiving an injection of ralayan's comfort, the user feels an unnatural calmness and transquility fall over them. It becomes impossible for the user to feel strong emotion of any kind. This lasts for a number of minutes equal to 3d8 multipled by (10 minus the user's CON modifier).
Secondary Effects. At the same time, the user must make a DC 12 Intelligence saving throw. On a failure, roll 3d6. If the total equals or exceeds the user's Intelligence score, that score is reduced to 0. The user is stunned until it regains at least one point of Intelligence. As the secondary effects wear off, the user will regain their Intelligence at a rate of one point per hour.

Side Effects. For a number of minutes equal to 3d10 multiplied by (10 minus the user's CON score) or until the user's Intelligence score returns to normal, whichever is longer, the user's mind is filled with strange music.
Overdose Effects. If more than one dose of ralayan's comfort is taken within a 12 hour period, the duration of the initial and side effects doubles and the DC to avoid the secondary effects increases to 15.

Significance

Simone was given this while in her Uncle's care

Item type

Drug / Narcotic / Medicine

Manufacturer

The Order of the Unchained

Owning Organization

The Order of the Unchained

Related Condition

Seer

Rarity

Very Rare