Many thousand of years ago Artokus Kirran, an alchemist of the city of Merab, combined the nectar of the sun orchid (which blooms only in the burning heart of the
Thuvian desert) with various alchemical substances to
produce a potion which temporarily halted the effects of aging. Collecting the herb was dangerous and the alchemical
process was long and complex but unsurprisingly Artokus soon found wealthy individuals would pay high prices
for the elixir. Soon it was the most desired item in the region and its existence began to have political ramifications which were only resolved by detailed negotiations between Artokus and local politicians.
The priesthood of Pharasma, the dominant religion in the area voiced concerns about unnaturally extending your life and in the end the sale of the elixir to citizens of Thuvia was banned. Artokus himself, however, continued to take the elixir and retired to a stronghold especially built for him, the Citadel of the Alchemist in the Barrier Mountains. Every year Artokus delivers exactly six vials of the potion to the leaders of each city in turn. The vials are auctioned off to wealthy outsiders for a considerable sum which pays for public works in each city,
greatly increasing the well being of their inhabitants.
The effect of the elixir is known to vary wildly between the individuals who consume it but the consensus is that it will add between twenty to fifty years to a human lifespan.