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Black Lotus
"[The powder] was made from black lotus, whose blossoms wave in the lost jungles of Khitai, where only the yellowskulled
priests of Yun dwell. Those blossoms strike dead any who smell of them."
- Robert E. Howard: "The Tower of the Elephant"
When the Black Lotus powder is burned in an incense bowl, it produces a dark green smoke. Black Lotus
is a lethal poison, although it is said that certain dark sorcerers, such as Thoth-Amon, willingly breathe its
fumes to boost the strength of their magic. The thief Taurus of Nemedia used black lotus powder to kill
the lions in the gardens of the Tower of the Elephant.
The Black Lotus Swamp is a forlorn, snake-infested marsh that lies on the south bank of the Styx several
days travel upriver from Khemi in Stygia. Some claim, however, that the black lotus only blooms in
Khitai, where only the priests of Yun can harvest it.
Black Lotus can be used to poison targets in powdered and liquid form. Either way, the lethal dose is .05
grams, and incredibly deadly and effective killer. Burning the black lotus is not always deadly, and can in
fact be used as a super-powerful ingredient in magic casting. When burned and inhaled, the user must
first roll to survive the poison. The Potency of burned black lotus is Fair 3. If a caster inhales black lotus
and does not die, all magic-related rolls are at +1, and the black lotus itself counts as one very powerful
ingredient. Those who use black lotus in this way can become addicted.
Purple Lotus
The Purple Lotus Swamp lies in south-central Stygia and is the source of a plant whose juices produce
temporary paralysis. The swamp is said to be haunted by ghosts. Under the effects of the purple lotus,
the mind can sense everything but has no control at all over the body. Sorcerers use it in small doses to
free their mind from the bonds of their bodies, but many unsavorily people use it for much darker
purposes. The potion looks and smells like clear water and is undetectable. In normal doses, it has the
power to paralyze those who drink, ingest or breathe its fumes. When ingested, it rolls Potency vs.
Endurance. Those who fail are paralyzed for 1-3 hours.
In concentrated powder form (double dose), Purple Lotus dust is the bane of spellcasters. One pinch of
this dust can be flung up to 10 feet from the user and will scatter to fill a 5-foot-radius sphere. All
spellcasters within the area must roll Endurance vs. Potency, or find their minds dulled and their wits
slowed. Magic users affected in this way receive a -2 penalty to all magic rolls for 5-10 minutes.
Yellow Lotus
"'... their lives are filled with exotic ecstasies, beyond the ken of ordinary men.'
'Damned degenerates!' growled Conan.
'It is all in the point of view,' smiled Thalis lazily."
- Robert E. Howard: "The Slithering Shadow"
Yellow Lotus is a narcotic used for trances and visions. It blooms only in certain remote areas of Khitai.
The lotus itself is sometimes seen in these visions, and it could be that the flower itself exerts a malign
influence through them. The inhabitants of Xuthal, an ancient city in the Southern Desert of Kush, were
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