Poet's Herb

'Tis a dangerous trance that the herb leaves a body in.  It can aid the hand and the brain, yes - the clarity it gives is unrivalled by any stimulant save pure creative drive.  But taken in too large a quantity, too quickly, too long, and that trance becomes permanent.

Poet's Herb has been used for centuries as an aid to spellwriting.  When imbibed, it places the user in a trance where poetic concepts and thoughts come more quickly and naturally than is typical.  This accelerates and improves a Poet's writing, allowing more efficient spellwrit composition.
Although widely-used in Mythia, Poet's Herb is by no means universally approved of.  There are some schools of Poets who ban its use, citing the danger of Poet's Trance as well as a desire to make "pure" poetry, ie poetry unaided by psychoactive or magical means.  Additionally, the wider populace sees it as an excess that the academies allow their students to indulge in, and reacts negatively to its public use.  This is partly because of its smell - even when brewed in tea, Poet's herb has a pungent aroma and can stink out a building very quickly.  Taverns near Poetic centres often have separate rooms for the consumption of Poet's herb for this reason.
Despite its dangers and the mild social opposition to its use, Poet's herb remains a common substance used by Poets to improve the speed and quality of their writing.

Manufacturing process

After collecting the seeds of the three plants, the manufacturer places these into a mortar and grinds them.  Then, they dry the mixture, placing it in an oven or furnace at a moderate temperature for a few hours.  After the mixture has dried, the poet's herb is ready for use, although it is typically placed into a teabag or similar container before being sold.

Significance

Poet's herb is one of the most used drugs in Mythian society.  Most every Poet has used the drug at least once to some extent, and many take it regularly to enhance their writings.

Item type

Drug / Narcotic / Medicine

Related Technologies

• Spellwriting

Related Condition

Poet's Trance

Rarity

Uncommon.  Although not sold widely in Mythia, it can be found in most academies of spellwriting and guildhouses around the land.

Raw materials & Components

Poet's herb is made up of the seeds of three different plants - marrow-wort, redberry, and greybark.