The Elixir of Life is a potion that is created through alchemy. It will either make its drinker immortal, or instantly kill them.
Rusty Lake: Roots[]
In 1859, William and Aldous Vanderboom create the Elixir by using the reagents of a glass jar and a Black Egg. Upon drinking it, William dies and becomes a Corrupted Soul, while Aldous transforms into Mr. Crow.
Later in 1870 after reading his uncle's journal and discovering his laboratory, James Vanderboom is seeking to recreate the Elixir of Life. He is successful, and initially tests it on his dog to observe the side effects. The dog drinks a few drops of the Elixir and appears to be fine, in reality becoming immortal. However, when James decides to drink it himself, he instantly collapses and dies.
Cube Escape: The Cave[]
In 1972, a turd from the Dog is taken and put under a microscope, and trace amounts of the Elixir are extracted from it. This is combined with a bottle of water to recreate the Elixir. Interestingly, Aldous can be seen in the game not as Mr. Crow, suggesting that the transformative effects of the elixir aren't permanent. He then drinks the elixir again to regain his crow form. Later, the extract of the elixir is given to Mr. Owl's human form to turn him back into his owl-headed self.
Rusty Lake Paradise[]
Sometime prior to 1796, Caroline Eilander begins writing down a recipe of elements needed to create the Elixir. These elements are a flower, hair, copper, heart, stone, cloth, wood, fire, antlers, and an owl mask, which are all stored in Caroline's memories. When she is sacrificed and becomes a Corrupted Soul, the elements become ten black cubes. Her son Jakob collects the cubes and is then sacrificed by his family. With the elements combined, Caroline's Soul is absorbed into Jakob as he ascends as Mr. Owl.
Samsara Room[]
In the Shrimp Room, a giant shrimp is found alongside one of the walls. Its head can be pulled off, revealing William's corpse inside. The Elixir is seen coming out of his mouth and is collected into a bottle. After placing the Elixir onto the middle plate on the window portal and walking inside, William sees another window on the white cube. His reincarnation, Laura, stares back at him and puts her hand on the window.
Trivia[]
- The Elixir is based on the mythical potion of the same name.
- Creating the Elixir in the Steam version of Rusty Lake: Roots will earn the player an achievement.
- In certain parts of Rusty Lake: Roots, the word elixir is spelled 'elixer', which is the spelling of the word in Dutch. This may be an intentional misspelling, as the Vanderboom family is implied to have Dutch roots, though more likely is that it is a typo; Rusty Lake is based in the Netherlands.
Gallery[]
See also: Elixir of Life and Death/Gallery