Ichor

"Seeded by gods and forged by bees; stolen by men and whored by merchants."

— Thripian saying

A mysterious and magical gold substance, ichor is produced exclusively in Thripia and is the city's most valuable commodity. Also known as the gold, the nectar, man's envy or iridior to the Aradin peoples, it is made from the nectar of the sungold tree's flowers by bees who create the liquid in their hives along with wax. It is known to be rich in nutrients, giving vitality and strength. Most importantly, however, it allows men to see into the future and glimpse their own destinies. Within the Labyrinth, ichor is likened to a key. It is often linked to the sun god

Appearance

Metallic gold in color, with strong vibrancy and sheen, ichor has a peculiar texture. It is thick, yet neither sticky nor rough to the touch. It flows slowly and with great mass, more closely resembling molten metal, in this manner, than any liquid. High quality ichor can be distinguished by its smoothness, color and shine; low quality ichor by its coagulation and brown appearance.

Properties

Famous throughout the world, ichor is known for its miraculous effects upon being imbibed. It is able to bestow visions, tinged with gold, which depict the future. It is for this reason it is highly sought after. Not all visions are relevant or revealing, however. Continued imbibing is said to turn the hair blonde and the eyes, eventually, to gold. Although, it is worth noting that extreme usage has very negative repercussions and may afflict an individual with everything from the gold hunger to ichor blindness]. The olive-colored skin of the @[Thripian people is said to come from centuries of ichor consumption. Furthermore, the bees who produce the substance do not have yellow stripes, as seen in other parts of the world, but are instead gold and black, glinting in the sun as they fly.
Though very few have access to ichor on a consistent basis, as a result of its rarity, its taste is easily identifiable. Ichor is said to feel warm down the throat and in the stomach, with lingering sweetness upon the tongue. Additionally, it is remarked to have a somewhat metallic tang. Depending on whether or not it contains the nectar of others flowers, it may have a unique floral taste or scent. Ichor is consumed in many forms. It can be smoked or burnt from incense and in these forms has a sweet smell. When baked or cooked into food, it gives the meal an additional sugary taste.

Usage

With the exception of poor communities, almost every household has at least a bowl of ichor in reserve. For the average Thripian, ichor is a rare commodity and may be the culmination of a month or more's spare coin to purchase. Therefore it is to be used only in specific circumstances; six or seven times a year for the fortunate. Farmers are known to imbibe the ichor in order to discern the coming weather so that they might prepare their crops accordingly for rain, drought or a locust plague. Given that they are not always able to afford this, they often share any information gleaned with their community in order to pool their knowledge. Around half of Thripians, who typically have jobs as merchants, craftsmen, sailors or servants and thus have more wealth to spend, use ichor in times of doubt, difficulty or uncertainty in their trades. This may be to determine the solution to an issue, motivate them to a particular goal or help them understand the various complexities of a given situation. For them, ichor may be used ten or so times a year.
For the upper class of Thripia, ichor is far more accessible and thus used with far less of a concern for scarcity on a monthly or even a weekly basis. Though, it is still often consumed for practical purposes in much the same manner as the middle class may. Many wealthy individuals will spend long periods of time imbibing ichor and basking in visions of the future either as a form of self-indulgence or in anticipation of good things to come. This, however, has its risks. Many have been known to become completely dependent on Ichor, living their lives through visions of the future, entirely abandoning the present. Many lose all sense of reality. This addiction, combined with the disillusion it so readily fosters, can lead many careless individuals to lose their fortunes and spiral out of control in their search for ichor. This is what is known as the gold hunger.
Ichor also serves as an important resource outside of simple everyday consumption. It acts as the backing for Thripia's currency the sungold and the Great Gold Bank stores large amounts as an assurance of economic stability. Furthermore, guilds make use of ichor as commodity in foreign trade. Most transactions between merchants involve ichor in some capacity. Additionally, it is of crucial importance to Oracles and the magi of the Cult of Sargos who use ichor as a means to interpret the will of their deity. The latter, in particular, may purchase large amounts of ichor in bulk and are thought to own the most in the city second only to major guilds. Both make use of the Oracular Arts to learn how to control their ichor visions, the cult also employs Oracles, and direct them in such a way that they see what they want to see with some degree of reliability. As such, it provides for them business opportunities as many Thripians will take their ichor to a Oracle and pay them for the use of their skills in acquiring a particular piece of knowledge rather than risk wasting it themselves where there is no guarantee of success.
Ichor is again used completely differently by the traditional Aradin tribes in the Ranad Mountains. They view iridior not as a tool to be harnessed, controlled and manipulated, but as a guiding force which, when used properly, will instinctively guide the user to their destinies. Their Oracles are referred to as Seers.

Production

Ichor begins as nectar in the flower of the sungold tree. From there, it attracts bees who collect it and return it to the hive. In the wild, these hives are typically found in the hollows of trees or hanging from branches. Artificial hives, however, are made of woven reed baskets with openings for the bees the fly in and out of. Beekeepers use incense made from rivergrass fibers to warn the bees of their approach and to drive them away,after which they remove combs containing excess ichor. The ichor, however, is not immediately ready for consumption. First, it must be heated and filtered to remove any wax, dirt or other particles left over in the mixture. Artisan ichor may have other ingredients such as herbs or spices added to the mixture in this process to give it more flavor.
The purest, most potent and therefore most valuable ichor is made almost exclusively from the sungold flower and thus beekeepers will typically place their apiaries as close to the trees as possible, almost always along the banks of the Meleatte River. Some can be seen in the private gardens of the wealthy. Artisan ichor often uses other flowers alongside that of the sungold. Ichor is harvested once a year, generally in the weeks before the Gold-Coming.

Distribution

As ichor is produced by farmers, they are the first to sell it. Most often, they are obliged to offer their goods to a particular guild with whom they are contractually aligned at the promise of better prices and investment in their business. Though, others are entirely independent and sell to any guild they choose based on whichever makes the best offer. As according to the laws of the Wise Council, however, it is illegal to sell ichor without going through the guilds and thus the only way for farmers to sell directly to traders is through the Black Market. Guilds stockpile ichor, storing it in the Great Gold Bank or in their own vaults before selling it to traders in exchange for other goods. It is also sold to Thripians. Ichor is traded the most in the Tower Market.

Item type

Magical

Manufacturer

The Guilds of Coin

Owning Organization

The Guilds of Coin

Rarity

Found only in Thripia

Base Price

~10 Sun per bowl or ~100 Moon