Midnight Dragon’s Ichor Candle (Patreon)

Wondrous item, very rare

This candle magically invigorates those who smell it. It comes in a special cup, which features a draconic handle breathing fire. You can use an action to light the candle while holding the cup. Doing so doesn't require any means of lighting a fire: instead, the candle glows from within, as if harboring a hidden flame, before it sputters alight. The candle has 1 hour of burn time, and can't be extinguished once lit. As the wax runs down the candle and onto the rim of the cup, it bubbles and hisses like boiling water.

A creature holding the cup can spend the 1 hour of the candle's burn time meditating, which can be done over the course of a short rest. The candle smells warm and sweet, and it can be smelled by any creature within 30 feet of you. At the end of the hour, the candle is gone, leaving only a bubbling drink in the cup. Drinking it as part of the meditation (no action required) grants you the following temporary benefits:

• You can immediately use any Hit Dice you have to regain hit points. If you just finished a short rest, you can do so using up to your maximum number of Hit Dice, even if you've already spent them.
• You regain up to half of your expended spell slots for each slot level, up to 4th.
• Your speed increases by 10 feet.

You and any creature that smelled the candle for its entire burn time loses one level of exhaustion. If you consume the drink the candle leaves behind, you lose two levels of exhaustion in this way instead.

These benefits last for 12 hours. At the end of that time, you and any other affected creature immediately suffers one level of exhaustion, plus any other levels lost as a result of the candle. You also lose any remaining spell slots you have, up to 4th level. You suffer none of these effects if you're taking a long rest at the end of the duration, provided you finish the long rest. If the drink is left in the cup without being consumed, it reforms into the candle after 5 days have passed.

Give me vigor by your light, and by your ichor give me might.