Enrico Dandolo’s Bezoar

Origin
Enrico Dandolo was the 41st doge of Venice, ruling from 1192 until his death in 1205. He was blinded at some point prior to his rule and unlike most of the time, his eyes were crystal clear instead of filled with cataracts. At the start of his rule, he was totally blind and nearly ninety years old; however, he held surprisingly great reserves of mental acuity, physical strength and ambition for someone of his circumstances. He began by revamping the currency valuation system, keeping Venice at the front of the Mediterranean economy.

He also played an important part in the commencement of the Fourth Crusade. Taking notice of chivalrous knights seemingly stranded without finances, he negotiated a deal. Dandolo agreed to contribute soldiers to their expedition if they first helped him capture the Hungarian ruled coastal city of Zadar. The town surrendered quickly but was nevertheless raid, an action that the Pope condemned. Matters became more complex when deposed Byzantine emperor Alexius Angelus arrived and offered to support the Crusaders’ cause if they helped instate him as the rightful ruler. The overthrow of Constantinople led in 1204 led to a weakened Byzantine state that never recovered to its full strength and was eventually conquered by the Ottoman Empire. And Dandolo was personally present, watching and directing soldiers to key areas.

A bezoar is a semi-organic solidified mass usually formed in the gastrointestinal systems of animals such as goats and cows. Even before medieval times, scholars believed bezoars could be applied to neutralize poisonous substances. The rich would grind or sprinkle bezoar shavings into their food or drink as a safety precaution. Scientific tests showed that while not suitable for all poisons, it does work effectively in arsenic solutions.

Effects
The user will experience both physical and mental advantages. Any muscles that have weakened from time or injury will quickly heal and restore themselves to optimal health. This includes the brain itself, specifically in the regions and chemicals that control strategy and tactical approach thinking. The user’s ability to plan major long-term improvements, prepare for counterattacks and fully utilize unexpected and adverse conditions becomes a normal way to think for them. They will be able to interpret others’ emotional reactions to a tee, allowing them to make the right response balancing tactfulness and necessity.

The downside slowly drips through the user and only becomes more noticeable over time. Each successive achievement must be gradually compensated. By taking away fragments of the user’s vision, they will suffer either acute loss of depth perception, visual field, color sensation or detailed acuity, eventually resulting in total blindness. This diminishing ability to perceive light corresponds with rising increases in errors of judgment. The user will eventually be rendered a simpleton, but that effect takes far longer to fully appear than the blindness. They will still be able to achieve sudden moments of genuine inspiration which only slowly decays.