Caustic butterfly

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Guild notice—Guidelines on the handling of caustic butterfly

Written by Madame Solène de Nivers for the rune guild.

Following a series of "pranks", the Lady Director of the rune guild has ordered the re-issue of the guidelines concerning caustic butterfly. All guild members are required to read, remember and follow them, whether you are involved in their harvest from the Garna Forest, their storage in the guild building, their use in experiments, and even if you have no official interaction with them at all.

What

Species: Carnivorous butterfly, wings covered in a caustic substances used to melt prey.
Colours: Dark bluish purple.
Substance: Gain caustic chemical by swallowing the deposits of thermal springs.
Hunting: It flutters above a prey and the powdery substance falls on them. It can also trap a surface & wait for a prey to touch it.

Ecology

Population: Lives in groups of 100s individuals called flutters.
Habitat: Shadowed areas near thermal springs.
Roosting: Rests attached under the leaves of feisty lettuce.
Food: Usually spiders & small rodents, during mating season comes in big flutter to hunt medium-size mammals like deers & humans.

Uses

Alchemy: Crushed wings or gathered caustic powder used in alchemy to give materials special magical properties.
Rituals: Use a whole butterfly in rituals for symbolism.
Jewellery: Whole butterfly or its wings used as decorations as a symbol of hidden powers or danger—especially popular with children or adults perceived as "delicate".

Caustic butterfly

Caustic Butterfly by thawats on DepositPhotos

Risks

Corrosive through touch & inhalation

Flammable

Explosive

Safety

Avoid all skin contact and inhalation.
Handle with gloves, safety googles, and lab coat.
Keep a ward around the powder to avoid small particles getting in the air and people's lungs or on their skin.
Always clean work surfaces properly.

Storage

Keep in glass bottles—the corrosive chemical will melt through other materials.
Properly label your storage bottles and all glassware used to contain the corrosive chemical during experiments.
Keep the corrosive chemical away from sunlight—long exposure will make it catch fire and explode.

Conclusion: Any rune master found casually handling such a dangerous substance will be summarily dismissed. The guild has far better things to do than to summon healers every week to regrow lungs, and it will not suffer the humiliation of having its esteemed guests fall prey to those so-called pranks.

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