Skin Protecting sap
Mortal tier recipe. No cultivation requirements.
Vaguely a recipe, this started off from adding random objects to a sap. The sticky sap already provided some protective measure, but testing with different materials created a far more durable result that could be removed slightly easier at a later date.
Due to a lack of proper recording we know nothing apart from it appearing in various ancient texts, but clearly it overcame serious problems that those early tribes previously just endured. Some like to argue that this originates far beyond the wound cleaning fluid, but several sources show that to be false. On the other hand, this is the earliest written account of an alchemical product we have, serving as that other side’s main source of evidence.
INGREDIENTS AND RECIPE
* Any tough leaf fibres, 25 grams – non magical plant
* sandwood bark powder, 25 grams – non magical plant
* Itchcotton sap, 100 ml – non magical fluid
Sandwood trees are a fairly extreme life form, evolved from other desert plant life to survive the endless harshness of the sandy hills. With an unbearably coarse bark it’s common to compare this tree to a source of sandpaper, only further exploited by the actual grains of sand that often wedge themselves into the tree. Be careful to not scrape your body against this tree, it will leave you bleeding easily.
Itchcotton sap is the sap from an itchcotton tree. Yes, very astounding.
When touched it often compresses and relaxes like cotton, as how it found its name. However, this excessively sticky sap comes with a downside of leaving the skin in a painfully itchy state, and as such should never be touched directly.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
The sandwood bark must be dried for this recipe. The drying process is similar to most roots, in that they are washed before shredding and left underneath the hot sun. Cultivators can directly extract the water to speed this up. After drying you grind up the root until it becomes a fine powder. Rubbing some between your fingers will show it’s extremely abrasive, this is the desired quality.
With everything prepared, begin by mixing your sandwood powder into the sap directly. This step aims to remove the ‘itchy’ quality of the sap, which is caused by innumerable, tiny spikes throughout the sap. These small spikes also stab into skin, causing irritancy. Use a utensil to properly mix the powder with the sap, leaving no section untouched. The abrasive powder will wear down the sap’s tips to a point of relief.
This mixing can take several minutes, and far longer in scaled up recipes.
After you are completely sure that everything is mixed well. Dice the leaf fibres into small sections, as necessary. No fibre should be longer than 2 centimetres, and should be rinsed first to remove any remnant plant material. The fibres are added to the mixture which is stirred once more to finish the product. When the fibres are spread throughout, it can be applied to any body part.
However, the sap will simply stick to everything in its current state. To remove this issue, rinse the sap in cold water, causing it to puff up slightly. The leaf fibres and sand will help it maintain consistency, and keep it in place.
USAGE
In more primitive times these made an excellent replacement for shoes or gloves, allowing a normal man to walk several times the distance of their unprotected counterpart. However, this recipe holds little use in a modernised society, especially with the appearance of easy-to-acquire shoes and boots.
Simply coat your feet in the product and wade about in a cooled stream for a minute or so before setting off. Well water is normally cold enough to work as well. The greater question is whether or not this is actually useful to you.
I can certainly say that if you lack gloves or Qi, then you will need this for recipes down the line. Unless you actually wanted to end up poisoned to some degree.