Nitre

Nitre, also known as saltpeter, was a common form of salt in the Realms.

Description
This substance could be burned, but on Toril it would not combust.

Nitre Deposits in the Realms

 * Mount Hotenow.

Usages

 * Many within the Realms used nitre for curing meats.
 * Nitre was sometimes used in the distillation of caustic liquids. For instance, it could be distilled with alum and oil of vitriol to create the substance aqua fortis. It could also be distilled with aqua fortis and sal ammoniac to create aqua regia.
 * This substance could be mixed with charcoal and sulfur to create a substance known as gunpowder.
 * The alchemist Surero claimed to use a combination of 75% sulfur, 10% saltpeter and 15% charcoal mixed together in sacks to create the alchemical substance smokepowder. Though in actuality, this recipe required precise proportions of a secret, magical ingredient to result in working smokepowder.

Spell Components

 * Belten's burning blood required a pinch of saltpeter to cast.
 * Corpselight required a pinch of saltpeter to cast.
 * Flamespin required a bit of saltpeter to cast.
 * Flamsterd's flamestrike required a pinch of saltpeter to cast.
 * Melf's minute meteors required a bead molded out of nitre, sulfur, and pine tar.
 * Shroud of flame required a pinch of saltpeter to cast.
 * Summon fire dragons, a Zakharan spell, required a strip of paper to be soaked in saltpeter, along with coal oil and sulfur.
 * Storm's swordfire required a lump of saltpeter the size of its caster's mouth to be cast.
 * Syluné's streaking meteor required either a pinch of sulfur or saltpeter to cast.
 * Teleport fireball required a pinch of saltpeter to cast.
 * Unbinding required a pinch of saltpeter to cast.

Trivia

 * A red dragon's dung contained significant quantities of potassium nitrate and sulfur.
 * Some black dragons nested upon piles of nitre.
 * Some brass and bronze dragons were known to place patches of this substance at strategic locations in their lairs, usually near the entrance(s).

Background
In 2019, Ed Greenwood noted on Twitter that saltpeter (nitre) functions the same in the Realms as it does on Earth.

Appearances

 * Video Games
 * Neverwinter