Viscera (vɪsərə)

A legal category, viscera refers to animal-derived ingredients used in spell-craft and encompasses all organic components, not just internal organs. One of the defining characteristics of viscera is that that their potency increases in step with the danger of acquiring them.
Widely considred a perk of the job, viscera are often sold by members of the Guild of Ratcatchers and Associated Trades to supplement their income. Although largely uninterested in common artefacts, such as rat tails or gremlin teeth, trade in rare viscera such as urchin fat, aptgangr teeth, and fish-iron, is regulated by the regional Wizards' Guild, and it is often illegal to sell to anyone but the guild but a thriving black market exists for all sorts of spellcraft ingredients. Addditionally, wizards may commission Ratcatchers or mercenaries to retrieve specialist items from especially dangerous creatures.
Immaterial ingredients such as breath, footsteps, voices, secrets, and the like are categorised as Dream-matter, not viscera. While there are enough regional variations that there can be no universal dictionary of uses, there are several broad, common associations:

Teeth

Primarily used in curses and defensive spells. Different teeth serve different purposes. Any spell that needs to 'stick' can use canine or inscisor teeth, while spells that require reduction of simplifying a situation uses molars. Hollow fangs (such as those that inject venom) can be used to insert a spell into a difficult or protected situation or extract something from similar.

Eggshells

Eggshells are often used for protection (especially ground eggshell from a black hen), prosperity, to improve the success of spells that require an incubation period, and form the mineral component in a number of traditional fertility potions.

Organs

Organs are used in a wide range of potent spells. Hearts are especially sought after, representing various properties depending on the culture, but often life, potency, and the essence of the owner. The liver and spleen are potent counter-curses, due to their digestive and detoxifying roles (notably, the liver is the sole organ representing love in Elladan culture). Genitalia and reproductive organs are linked to fertility, and an unborn foetus is a potent ingredient in family-based curses.

Bones

Bones are a cheaper substitute for a heart in spells demanding some essential quality of a creature. Rat bones, for example, add a gnawing, diminishing quality to a spell. Skulls can be used to house other spirits or familiars, or as an equivalence to the brain in long-lasting spells (eg: home protection).

Hair

Hair is often used in charms, especially those intended to be worn. The non-destructive nature of harvesting hair makes it well suited to protective spells, with soft hair especially suited for babies. It can be woven or felted and used as a decorative focus or connective element in a larger working.

Type

Organic

Related Professions

• Necromancer