The hapless 'Sunrod,' or Lightstick, or Alchemical Lantern, an item that I
only make when I have a specific order for them, since arcane science has long
since rendered them obsolete, thanks to the ubiquitous 'Illusory Flame' spell.
To create a Sunrod, a gallon of water that has been evaporated by the action
of sunlight in a silver pan, condensed in a clear glass container and allowed
to reconstitute is mixed with daisies (White-petaled daisies with golden cores
only. The 'Black Eyed Sevens' with yellow flowers and brown cores are not efficacious!),
and the tail ends of fireflies, preserved in the clear birthing fluids of a
creature with night-glowing eyes (such as a cat).
These ingredients produce the liquid necessary to create a Sunrod with a warm
golden glow. Instead of the firefly organs, using certain dark-dwelling fungus
can produce Sunrods with an eerie greenish glow. From the land of Nex come Sunrods
with a ruddy crimson glow, but the ingredient used has never been determined
(some say powdered rubies are an ingredient, others say dragons blood, among
other obvious nonsense). From unknown purveyors, but freely available in the
markets of Katapesh, Sunrods in both blue and violet have been seen, and rumors
abound that they are crafted by subterranean Derro, from strange glowing crystals
and fungi, or deep-sea Sahuagin, from phosphorescent fish and corals unknown
to land-dwellers. Any alchemist managing to replicate a color other than various
shades of yellow and green would no doubt make a name for himself, at least
among the fairly small community of alchemists who would have any idea how rare
and special such a discovery would be...
Ultimately, thanks to the existence of the Continual Flame spell, few really
care about the existence of Sunrods, save as disposable light sources to be
dropped into wells to check their depth, although I was once commisioned to
craft a hundred of them for a noble party in which they were placed into goblets
of wine, to provide the sole light source for the evening's decadence.
Probably the most interesting Sunrod-related development of the last century
has been the creation of the 'Sunrod Golem,' a tiny homonculous like creature
made of flexible leather-tough tubes of animal intestine, filled with glowing
Sunrod solution. The tiny servitor is hardly stronger than a housecat, and about
as loyal as a well-trained dog, glowing like a walking torch for it's master's
convenience, and, in a pinch, being able to squirt it's fluids out in a stream
that affects a single target within a few paces similar to the naturalist spell
known as 'Faerie's Fire,' marking that target with a pale light that makes them
easy to pick out (and target with other effects). Any slashing or piercing damage
to such a creature (which is surprisingly resilient, for it's size) also tends
to 'paint' it's attacker with these fluids. Any attempt to make significant
use of them in a combat situation is likely only to result in the destruction
of a valuable bit of craftsmanship, but the creatures can be repaired, by being
'fed' Sunrods and stitched back together with craft skills (or magical mending
cantrips).