Nitre

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

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 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 or blackpowder. This combination of substances could also be combined with other, rather secretive, substances to create a similar substance known as 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.

Notable Users

 * 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).

Appearances

 * Video Games
 * Neverwinter