Full Item Description
The extremely potent acid is sold in small batches of thin glass cylinders contained within a rigid leather pouch, in which a miniature rack for six of the fragile cylinders can be found. The pouch walls are reinforced with steel walls to protect the flasks against crushing, which would prove extremely hurtful to the wearer. The bottom of the pouch is protected by dried Erek swamp fungi, a soft spongy material used to cushion against bumps.
The acid in itself looks much like water, but with a strong acrid smell. The use of the acid is not limited to locks, but got its name from the tale all thieves are told upon receiving the acid the first time. The tale is about the master thief Ali of the Seventh Shadow and how he used it to break into the home of a wealthy merchant. Of course there is a moral to the story, as evidenced when his rival throws a caltrop at Ali’s unprotected acid pouch, which cripples Ali for the rest of his days. Thus the thieves are warned to use the protective pouches at all times.
History
The Korinthan is an organization of beggars, muggers, smugglers, thieves, whores and belly dancers based in the city of Bin-Erek. Ruled by the shadowy and seldom mentioned figure known as the Vizier of the Night, they control the illegal activities of major parts of the Imperial city. This organization employs the services of a select few alchemists found within the city, and the most regularly bought product is what has become known as Korinthan Lock Acid. This costly acid is available to veteran guild members and is an essential supplement to any master thief’s toolkit.
Selling it:
Lock Acid is a valued commodity and somewhat rare among the thieves of any city. It is only sold within the city of Bin-Erek and the alchemists are restricted from teaching others the recipe. The distribution of this potent acid is done by the Night Vizier only. The acid itself demands a relatively high cost in comparison with other known acids and the sale of such an acid would keep a thief well fed with luxurious food for a couple of weeks at least.
Usage and hooks:
The lock acid could be used as a bona fide offer to a PC thief of sufficient skill, or it could be found on the body of a captured or killed thief.
- Nice to use against those PCs who get into more trouble than is good for their health. A killer could for instance break into the most guarded PC stronghold, through iron bars and complex locks, shattering whatever safety and comfort the PC felt there.
- After burglary or battling an alchemist, the PCs discover a rare recipe for an extremely potent acid. Every Korinthan would have known the warning sign on the alchemist’s fence, but the PCs had no clue this was a protected building. Later they will learn that the Hunter-Killers of the Night Vizier stalk the streets, searching for some poor ignorant and doomed souls. Nice introduction to a cat and mouse / flight scenario.
New Submissions
Some GMs, and the computer game industry too, seems to think gemstones, gold and magic weapons are the only way in which to reward the players. Most experienced GMs know this isn’t true, so I created this thread here to let us remind each other of the different alternative rewards a player can receive, and to have a place where ordinary item descriptions can be posted.