User:King Thomas

The Sorcery Springs are a unique place, where an underground river, itself heated by magma deep below, flows through a clathrate, giving the water random powers as it bubbles up through the earth and out in a myriad of geysers, hot springs and fumaroles. In the past people used to visit it to gather potions at random and were not always as careful and thoughtful as they should be.

Some suffered horrendous thermal burns and died or were left horribly injured as a result, others used the magical water they gathered for evil or gathered water from the wrong springs by mistake. Geysers were fouled with sticks and rocks and rubbish jammed into their vents, causing the water to be fouled and acquire different and sometimes nasty magical properties. Wizards in the region found their power and income marginalized, as noone would buy their potions anymore. Something clearly had to be done and the leading wizards met with the royal officials and Queen Amber herself to work out a solution.

Some of the more conservative and environmentalist wizards wanted the area sealed off to the general public totally, but the Queen was against that. Many of the springs had good or neutral rather then evil effects and besides, the Queen was not willing to lose her popularity in the region to satisfy a few crusty old mages.

On the other hand public safety was at stake, as the magical water was not only very hot at source but could easily be slipped into peoples drinks. So she had a group of royal Rangers taken from her forests and sent to guard the springs and to seal them off for a month whilst boardwalks were constructed and the springs themselves were tested for the effects of the waters within them.

That way the most dangerous could be kept out of reach of the public, who were to be allowed in to view all of the springs and take waters from a few of them-for a fee. Rules were written for the safety of the public and the springs alike and the rangers were to enforce them.

Despite the best efforts of the rangers however, accidents, poaching and the occasional act of vandalism still happens, but it is far less then it used to be and the Springs are generally kept safe for future generations. Some of the more important ones are listed below.

The Spring of Melancholy was never one of the more popular geysers to visit and gather water from, for drinking it made the drinker, for a short time, feel sad enough to cry. Should the person allready be upset enough about something, such as a dead friend or relative, it could make him or her upset to the point of alcoholism or even suicide. If drunk in the open air at a full moon it gives the drinker a vision of when and how he or she will die.

The Melting Spring This simmering cauldron of heated water has a strange green hue to it and a scent that seems like vanilla and lemon juice. Attempts to gather the water end in failure as the liquid quickly causes any non-living matter it comes into contact with to melt into a non-descript grey sludge. Earth and to an extent stone are immune to this, but even a fired clay container or stone vessel will hold the liquid for so long. It causes no ill effect to living tissue, and is actually quite pleasant tasting.

Danger, do not approach, do not consume, and several other announcements can be seen around this tiny geyser. The water bubbles quietly out, only rarely does it rush forth, less than once a week. A strong smell of sulfur pervades the area, and the soil is coloured brown and white, and yellow and red - but that is not unusual around here.

The effect of Deep Sleeper's water, as it is called for its deep source, is a strong invigorating of its drinker, and he or she becomes a bit younger, in feeling as in physique. The gases hidden in the water must be allowed to evaporate, or it will cause quite a nausea, and a smaller positive effect, if at all. Also the correct dosage is still not solved yet, for drinking too much will result in a rapid building of cancer tissue, significantly shortening the drinkers life span instead of lenghtening it.

After a few experiments on animals, Deep Sleeper has been found too dangerous, and closed off for public. Secretly, several of the resident alchymists regularly have the water delivered to them and experiment with it, some actually consume it. It is estimated that with safe intake can prolong life by about a tenth; more if you are willing to risk...

Morph-Pool

Certain groups of bored nobels happened across this pool and have found it's effects quite amusing. Those who imbibe from it's waters will be partially polymorphed into a randomly determined creature, usually an animal. The 'partial' part is how much of their anatomy is affected. Some nobles may use this to indulge in unspeakable acts.

Dice roll Effect

01-20 Head only 21-30 Top half (waist up) only 31-50 Bottom half (waist down) only 51-70 Torso only (no limbs or head) 71-80 All Body except head 81-90 All body except face 91-100 Left side only

Final size will be the smaller of the original or intended form. Abilities tied to specific bodyparts will apply. Wings are considered limbs.

Bor's Spring of colors A wandering tailor Bor, who was out of luck was sneaking around the back of the basin collecting illegal liquids from the springs, to deliver to the local alchemist. He then noticed strange liquid seeping out of the bottom of a boulder. With the proper leverage of a branch he found, he moved the boulder allowing the colorful liquid to seep out. When Bor realized the properties of this liquid he opened his own tailor shop. The liquid when out it the open air, changes color depending on the airs temperature.

The Pool of Wishful Thinking

Those who gaze into this pool see themselves wearing the clothes they wish they were with, holding the job they wish that they had, with the loved one of their dreams standing beside them. It is not a pool of prophecy, it just shows what people wish was true. The pool is scalding hot and has a fence around it after one person jumped in and was swiftly burnt to death. Drinking this water once it has cooled down only produces an acute need to defecate.

Swapper's Geyser

The effects on drinking Swapper's Spring water for the first time is to make the male female and the female male. This only works for a few hours though. Subsequent use of the water only makes the person think he or she is changed which has led to one or two hilarious results. The thin chalky soil around this geyser is striped pink and blue.

Poisoner's Bane Geyser

The bright blue waters of this fast flowing, high spouting geyser change colour to black in the presense of poison-but they also cause salt to ignite and explode like raw sodium. The geyser was damaged recently when vandals poured salt into the vent, causing it to explode and block off the geyser's waters.As a result one of the most useful geysers no longer flows.

Drinker's Bane

The water from this geyser, whilst drinkable by itself, makes alcohol four times the strength. Weak beer becomes like wine, wine becomes like vodka, and vodka becomes highly dangerous and possibly deadly.

Thella's footfall

During a long and bitter winter many moons ago, there came a light in the northern sky. There also was a scream, but few now remember. And as the sky split in the darkness, men cowered. On the morn, at the outskirt of the basin, a large pool had formed. The new pool could be seen to be made of the darkest volcanic glass, and none could explain the almost aethereal quality of the cool crystal clear water which now resided in this darkened goblet. none would try, and the liquid defied identification.

It was only when the arrogant young alchemist Crossus fell in the pool while trying to collect a sample that the properties of the water were understood. For ten days and ten nights, Crossus fell into a deep trance, and when he awoke, he talked of gods and angels. Since then, it is known that the water allows communion with the divine plane. It is whispered that on that fateful night, the godess Thella, of truth and justice, came down from the heavens to give man a true vision of the divine. since then, Crossus has entered Thella's order of the just, and lives his life in accordance to her will.

This has become a most important holy sites for the small order of Thella, and is also possibly one of the least favorite geysers to drink from...

Mana Waters

This beautiful pool is fed by a geyser that only erupts on days with rather odd astrological alignments and so most of the time is dry and littered with multi-colored mineral salts. When the geyser erupts the water falls back down to fill the pool.

Until it evaporates, the water will absorb magic from it's surroundings. The magic accumulates into the water and magicians can attempt to use some of the stored manna for their own use. By imbibing the enchanted waters they can combine it's manna with their own. The downside is that the concentration is dilute and to absorb significant manna requires ingestion of significant water.

Over time as the water evaporates, its manna concentration increases, and unfortunately, it's salinity. Towards the end when the water is at it's greatest power, it is also saltier then any seawater and dangerous to drink.

Faithful Servant

This little spring bubbles up in spurts, and spreads the little pleasing smell of sulfur. Drinking it will probably induce vomiting or mild poisoning but not worse, no positive effect though. So why is this spring restricted in access, and has many visitors from the local wizardly organization?

The water is useless, but its flow is exactly in sync with the local mana flows. If a spellcasters concentrates on it while casting, and adapts the pattern and rythm of the spell, he can gain a little bonus (think +1 in most systems). While this is not much, it is reliable, unlike most of the other methods to improve the success rate. So any diffilcut wizardly work (creating magical items, casting powerful rituals, etc) will profit from being done in this place.

A visit from the magic-users can occupy the location for a week, and strong spells can disrupt the magical flows around for even longer, so there is some rivalry as to who can use it and when. Meanwhile, a small hut already is built here, with a heavily used camping place, and the patrols always include the spring on their rounds. Visitors without an official license will be arrested.

Soberspring

It is the waters of this little spring that were used to create Anti-Alcohol. Anyone who is intoxicated and who drinks from this spring becomes sober on the spot. The water is hot and should be cooled first.

Spring of Opea

This pool is well known and guarded at all times. It smells horrible of sulphur and salt, like that of rotten eggs. The water is almost syrupy and none would want to have the liquid touch them for it is boiling. There is a single feature of the mineral water that makes the Queen wish to keep it out of the hands of others.

When cooled and ingested it brings on a euphoric, trance-like state, the imbiber's vision becomes cloudy and everything is peaceful to them. They think that everyone has nothing but good intentions. This euphoric state lasts about 8 hours for a small 12 oz. drink. While this seems good; it is very addictive and has some serious after effects. When the euphoric effects wear out the imbiber suffers from paranoia and a chronic headache that will not go away; these effects last around 24 hours. The only way to remove the paranoia and headache is through more of the drink. This will lead to an even worse case of paranoia and chronic headache. This is the nature of the Waters of Opea and those who have drank its waters want only to get another drink.... just one more.

Spring No. 405

This one is not specially guarded, and nobody minds if someone comes along, and tries to drink from it - the taste is bitter, and nothing positive seems to happen afterwards, and luckily, nothing negative either.

Effect: it grants a small bit of luck to its drinker (a +1 bonus to a single roll in many systems). Since the effect is not major, it wasn't discovered until now, like many other springs.

Note: heavy use could easily destroy it.

Womansbane Geyser

Despite it's name, those women who drink the yellowish, sulpher tinged water when undergoing childbirth find the pains of childbirth are lowered to a dull ache and it does not harm the baby at all. It can also be used to kill fungual infections, even severe ones.

Should a male drink the water, he suddenly aquires a hatred of women, even if they are his sister or his beloved girlfriend. If he allready has a deep enough dislike of women through jelousy or his upbringing,the effects, which last for days, can lead him to be violent or even commit murder. Men are banned even from walking along the boardwalk that leads to this geyser, and it is one of those on the often patrolled list.

Geyser of Farseeing

This geyser is based in very unstable ground even by geyser standards and anyone stupid or inconsiderate enough to step off the boardwalk will most likely end up flat on their face in the muck. The water is warm with a slight greenish tinge. Whoever drinks this will find themselves seeing not what is around them but what is ten miles away instead, so someone who drinks it ten miles away from a city will see what is in the city-meaning that they are effectivly blind. No cure has been found yet and there are many signs warning not to drink the water or step off the boardwalk.

Geyser of Obnoxiousness

This geyser's warm yellowish waters stink from a long way away. The geyser's waters spray out with great force up to thirty feet in the air, and the geyser is fenced off and patroled and only licensed healers may collect the water.

Given to a seriously depressed person it will lift the depression. But it turns the average person into an obnoxious grumpy bore, who if unemployed thinks the world owes him/her a job and gets violent if refused, and if he/she has a job often loses it due to his/her rudeness.

The Essence of Wanderlust

This little whitish stream peacefully bubbles up from the earth. It tastes after calcium (nothing pleasant but bearable), and is not harmful to the drinker's health. More than that, it seems to advance in him the want to travel somewhere, just go someplace and see a part of the world.

The stream is little known. Most who have tried a little sip (a reasonable tactic in this dangerous place), have usually concluded "Nah, this does nothing, let's go try something better." If somebody has a really good drink, they would suddenly find their lives not interesting enough, and start wandering, enjoying the mere fact of being on the road. It is unknown if a large amount can have permanent effects, or if the person just finds it outside better.

The water of this stream has been used at least once to cheat someone out of their inheritance, or to get rid of people that stand in the way.

Execution Geyser

This geyser's waters are highly hot and acidic even by geyser standards and for reasons unknown, someone injured or killed by this geyser cannot be healed by magic or raised as an Undead afterwards. It has therefore been used to execute a few individuals and as a torture to get badly needed informaton from people. In both cases the people are bound over the geyser. It erupts once every two hours and is hot enougth to scald through a person's chest. It is fenced off for safety and is on the frequently patrolled list to deter vandals, the terminaly stupid, and those wishing to commit suicide.

Flying Geyser

It spurts a hundered feet into the air, one of the bigger geysers of the basin.If the water is collected, cooled down and drunk the user floats up to fifty feet in the air. However, there are problems with it. First, unless you have some way of propelling yourself forward you will just hang there until you urinate and then fall down again. Second, repeated use (more then five times in a year) can seriously damage your liver. Third, criminals have misused it to break into buildings, and so gathering water from it and drinking from it is banned and a Ranger guards it.

Fat Uncle

The surroundings of this off geyser looks like after heavy bombardment, and with good reason. While it seems to spurt and splash in a perfectly normal fashion, upon fall is the water twenty times as heavy as usual, easily able to wound people, and demolish any pretensions of fences or structures nearby.

Experiments for anything useful bore little success, as the water looses this heaviness in a matter of minutes. Only some charlatans claim that the resulting liquid can make effective slimming-down potions, itself having lost much weight already. The guards don't seem to mind the harmless little business, as long as it stays quiet.

Mathom's Geyser

The waters of this little geyser burble out a foot high into a deep pool and unlike many of them are warm rather then scalding hot to the touch. So why are there the big "No Swimming" and "No Gathering" signs?

This water, when drunk, makes the drinker feel sleepy and lazy, and unable for a few hours to find the energy to get anything done. People have died when they tried to swim in the water,swallowed some and become too sleepy to swim. Criminals have gathered it for their own purposes.

Silence Spring

This very hot spring that stinks of sulpher makes no sound when it erupts, and anybody who falls into the boiling waters and swallows any, loses the ability to cry out. Once cooled, this water if drunk silences the drinker for several hours and acts as a very effective gag which criminals and paticularly kidnappers have made much use of. It is therefore one of the few springs to be totally fenced off and is on the patroled list as well.

Cupid's Pool

This geyser and the pool of water around it are boiling hot and anyone falling in will be quickly scaulded to death. When collected, cooled and mixed with various other magical ingredents it can make a very good love potion, but drunk on it's own it makes the drinker tremendoudly horny to the point where he or she cannot control the urges in public.

Geyser of Null

This bubbling and boiling geyser is not only intensly hot, but it's water when cooled enough for use destroys magic. A magic user who is tricked into drinking some water from this geyser will be unable to cast even simple spells for days.If a magical weapon comes into contact with the water, the magic will be destroyed and it will become just a normal weapon.

Spells cannot pass through or over it so a circle of it can act as a protective pentagram as long as the person inside remembers that it's effects go both ways.

If forced to drink it for long enough, a magic user will lose his or her gift of magic permentantly.

Morning Glory Pool

This beautiful warm blue pool with sulpher around it is as warm as a warm bath most of the time except when it occasionly turns into a geyser with a tempreture of 180F. Since noone really knows when it will erupt without warning, boiling any swimmers alive, swimming in it is strictly forbidden. Drinking it's waters makes darkness seem like day-and daylight seem like darkness. The effects last until the drinker urinates.

Spoillove Geyser

Unlike the warm waters of the Geyser of Obnoxiousness that make the drinker nasty and unpleasent to everyone he or she meets, this geyser's waters act as a sort of anti-love potion to those allready in love, making the faults of his or her partner seem much bigger then they are and breaking up the relationship. Unscrupulous people have used this to their advantage to break up the loving relationships of others who they are jealous of.

The Source of Imbalance

A small pool of a colorful bottom, it bubbles up from the depths, sometimes slower, sometimes faster. The taste is unpleasant, and may produce varied digestive problems later on.

The magical effect, however, is well-documented: it makes one half of the imbiber's body markedly stronger, and more agile (which half precisely is variable). Unfortunately, the other half of the body is paralyzed or weakened in an opposite way. May cause serious health problems in the sensitive and infirm.

The pool is a favourite destination for a few researchers attempting to make the effect complete, and produce cheaper potions of strength and the like. Would they actually combine their efforts, it would take only a few years...

The Well of Understanding

Well-known, and often visited, the thick liquid of this well produces nothing but strange feelings. But when the water is boiled away, the remains dried and ground into a fine powder, you get a very useful effect.

When the powder is snuffed, the user will feel a strange light-headedness. If he concentrates on a particular person (or creature), he will find it much easier to understand his/her/its communication efforts. Much like a potion of understanding languages, it is typically used for conversing with foreigners, and those speaking in dialects unknown, but the supernatural bond is much stronger. You can understand even animals, and for what it's worth, "talk" to them.

For the duration of the effect, the user may find his own communication skills impaired. Emerging from the state is also very confusing; snuffing it regularly can lead to mental issues, handle with care. An addiction has been observed only once, after a long usage, coupled with uncontrolled psychic abilities and rabid insanity. But you should be safe.

The Well of Localized Healing

There was a tourist who was stupid enough to step off the boardwalks and he stepped onto a crust of sinter, which broke under his feet, plunging him into a boiling pool. Burned, blinded and near death, he managed to pull inself out only to fall into this shallow waist-deep pool. When the water touched him it healed his wounds and cured his blindness as if it had never happened.

When he got out and began to dry off his wounds began to crack open again and his sight to dim, which was cured as soon as he went back to the warm pool. Tests proved that he cannot now stay out of the pool for more then three minites at a time without his wounds opening, and they are too serious just to bandaage up. He has become a prisoner of the pool.