Redwood Sap Ink
Background
As part of Devinar - The Bladequeen's curse, which remains on the Bloodthicket in the Forest of Du'un, the trees and canopy have retained their orange, red and purple foilage for as long as they have been known to exist. Imbued with divine magic, these plants not only offer shelter from the local arcane storm but are also prized base materials base for many constructions and tools. One of the most impressive uses of the local redwood plant icomes from it's sap, which very much bears resemblance to thick, sticky blood. The sap is treated by local bloodmagical craftspeople with other local material including ruby dust, wrath roses, and a drop of blood from the intended sender. The result is a magical ink for communicating secrets and preserving much information in small spaces over long periods of time. Writing with Redwood Sap Ink
To use it, the writer has to add a drop of blood to the vial. Any quill can be used, and to start a message a personalized sigil is drawn in the space where the writing is intended to happen. It takes about thirty seconds to activate the magic and the sigil will pulse and become slightly translucent when ready. In the same spot where the sigil was placed one can then writer letter after letter, each on top of the last. With each letter the sigil will pulse again and the letter disappears. Once the final letter is placed, the sigil placed at the beginning is repeated in the same spot, sealing in the message. The sigil takes another thirty seconds to seal the message then pulses and turns dark grey sign. A generic Redwood Sap message is activated by a drop of any blood placed upon the sigil, though this can be personalized both in the process of ink production as well as in the process of writing, if the writer is familier with magic. Types of Redwood Sap Ink
There are two different types of Redwood Sap Ink. Visual receptory or mental receptory ink, with the second one being rarer and more expensive. The difference between the two lies in the method of recieving the message once activated. Visual ink will project the letter into the space above the sigil one by one, making it easy to be read by bystanders while. Mental ink allows for the sigils to be seen in the mind of the activator, leaving no visual clue to anyone that a message has been recieved. (Except for the recipient possibly spacing out for a while while understanding a long message). No sight is required for the second one, though if the recipient doesn't know the language in which the message is written, it is still gibberish. For easier understanding and shorter writing, many messages are written in the symbols of thieves cant, though any language works. A third type of ink, auditory ink, where the message can be heared is in the process of being researched. Benefits and Drawbacks Compared to Regular Ink
Redwood Sap Ink comes with the following benefits:
1. A message of any length can be communicated in a 1x1cm space on nearly any material, making it convinient to carry large amounts of information.
2. The message is invisible until activation except for a small marking related to the writer. This makes it ideal to communicate secrets and confidential information. Since a generic message can only be activated once, it is basically self-destructing evidence, and easy to notice if it has been tampered with. The drawbacks are the following:
1. A message can only be read once. As soon as the seal is broken and the message has been delivered, the sigil is only decorative and can not be activated again, unless it is specifically enchanted by a master bloodmagician along the writing process.
2. Mistakes can not be easily fixed. Once a letter or sigil has been wrongfully written, there only are two ways of fixing it; Starting fresh, or ignoring/explaining the mistake. Usage of Redwood Sap Ink
While it's most common usage is for communication between members of thievesguildes, and thus is not looked at very favourably, it has also found it's way into various governmental organizations including spy-networks and aristocratic dealmaking. With the Bloodthicket mostly separated from other Trian societies, it has remained rare and the way to use it is not common knowledge either.
As part of Devinar - The Bladequeen's curse, which remains on the Bloodthicket in the Forest of Du'un, the trees and canopy have retained their orange, red and purple foilage for as long as they have been known to exist. Imbued with divine magic, these plants not only offer shelter from the local arcane storm but are also prized base materials base for many constructions and tools. One of the most impressive uses of the local redwood plant icomes from it's sap, which very much bears resemblance to thick, sticky blood. The sap is treated by local bloodmagical craftspeople with other local material including ruby dust, wrath roses, and a drop of blood from the intended sender. The result is a magical ink for communicating secrets and preserving much information in small spaces over long periods of time. Writing with Redwood Sap Ink
To use it, the writer has to add a drop of blood to the vial. Any quill can be used, and to start a message a personalized sigil is drawn in the space where the writing is intended to happen. It takes about thirty seconds to activate the magic and the sigil will pulse and become slightly translucent when ready. In the same spot where the sigil was placed one can then writer letter after letter, each on top of the last. With each letter the sigil will pulse again and the letter disappears. Once the final letter is placed, the sigil placed at the beginning is repeated in the same spot, sealing in the message. The sigil takes another thirty seconds to seal the message then pulses and turns dark grey sign. A generic Redwood Sap message is activated by a drop of any blood placed upon the sigil, though this can be personalized both in the process of ink production as well as in the process of writing, if the writer is familier with magic. Types of Redwood Sap Ink
There are two different types of Redwood Sap Ink. Visual receptory or mental receptory ink, with the second one being rarer and more expensive. The difference between the two lies in the method of recieving the message once activated. Visual ink will project the letter into the space above the sigil one by one, making it easy to be read by bystanders while. Mental ink allows for the sigils to be seen in the mind of the activator, leaving no visual clue to anyone that a message has been recieved. (Except for the recipient possibly spacing out for a while while understanding a long message). No sight is required for the second one, though if the recipient doesn't know the language in which the message is written, it is still gibberish. For easier understanding and shorter writing, many messages are written in the symbols of thieves cant, though any language works. A third type of ink, auditory ink, where the message can be heared is in the process of being researched. Benefits and Drawbacks Compared to Regular Ink
Redwood Sap Ink comes with the following benefits:
1. A message of any length can be communicated in a 1x1cm space on nearly any material, making it convinient to carry large amounts of information.
2. The message is invisible until activation except for a small marking related to the writer. This makes it ideal to communicate secrets and confidential information. Since a generic message can only be activated once, it is basically self-destructing evidence, and easy to notice if it has been tampered with. The drawbacks are the following:
1. A message can only be read once. As soon as the seal is broken and the message has been delivered, the sigil is only decorative and can not be activated again, unless it is specifically enchanted by a master bloodmagician along the writing process.
2. Mistakes can not be easily fixed. Once a letter or sigil has been wrongfully written, there only are two ways of fixing it; Starting fresh, or ignoring/explaining the mistake. Usage of Redwood Sap Ink
While it's most common usage is for communication between members of thievesguildes, and thus is not looked at very favourably, it has also found it's way into various governmental organizations including spy-networks and aristocratic dealmaking. With the Bloodthicket mostly separated from other Trian societies, it has remained rare and the way to use it is not common knowledge either.
Item type
Communication
Manufacturer
Rarity
Uncommon (Rare outside of the Forest of Du'un)
Weight
100g
Dimensions
5cm x 10cm
Base Price
500g for one vial of generic visual Redwood Sap Ink creates 5 standard parchments full of notes.
Raw materials & Components
Material components such as redwood sap (nearly 75%), ruby dust, wrath rose and a few "makers choice" liquids build the base for the ink which is then imbued with blood magic.
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