Icemule Flora

(The Following was from a Discord Post by GM Auchand 05-2024)

Icemule and its surroundings are home to a number of plants and herbs not found elsewhere on Elanthia. Most plants that thrive in the north have unique adaptations that protect them from the ever-present cold of the region. Having adapted to the cold, they tend not to respond well to cultivation in warmer climes. Scholars from Turamzzyr and the Elven Nations have struggled to keep specimens living in their respective temperate zones. Even the famed druids of the sylvankind have reported difficulty cultivating Icemule's most unusual specimens.

As an herbalist, I marvel at the particularity of nature's blessings, but as a trader, I wonder why we have not better profited off of this unique resource!

Tappal Leaftoe, 3 Lumnea 5101

blinded lily

The blinded lily is more correctly a type of lotus, but with its star-shaped, curling petals, the confusion can be forgiven. Blinded lilies thrive out of sunlight and have adapted to cold, dark caverns with subterranean bodies of water by becoming parasitic plants. When disturbed, their roots exude a sweet, paralytic sap that can stun or kill small fish or tadpoles. The blinded lily then thrives on the carcass as it decays. Entire pools full of blinded lilies are rare, as overgrowths of the plant can quickly denude a thriving underground lake of all life. The seeds of a blinded lily contain potent hallucinogens and are a key component of many draughts to aid the sickly mind.

crallisberry

Possessed of a striking white color, crallisberries can be difficult to distinguish from the surrounding snowfall, but their flavor is highly obvious when they are baked into pastries or pies. The crallisberry is tarter than a cherry. Wise halfling chefs know to leaven its distinctive taste with a healthy sprinkling of sugar or a dollop of honey, but many Icemule cooks eschew the berry entirely in favor of its more palatable cousins. It's their loss!

iceblossom

The iceblossom is most often observed in one of two varieties. First and most frequent is the common iceblossom, a lovely plant with translucent flowers that look like frost, with spiky green leaves and a pleasingly fragrant smell. Rarer and more prized are blue iceblossoms, which can be identified when not blooming by their spiked leaves, which brighten to gold at the tips. When blossoming, blue iceblossoms are as vivid as the sky on a clear day. Both varieties make good wine and excellent brandy, though only the latter's flowers impart the distinctive pale turquoise color of the best iceblossom brandies.

iseya lichen

One of the few lichens to thrive in the north's harsh winters, iseya lichen forms rings of teal and silver growth on the boles of trees and shrubs. Unlike some lichens and mosses, which feed on the bark of trees, iseya exudes a sticky sap that catches falling leaves and other detritus. Some halflings say that plants showing signs of iseya are blessed by Imaera herself, as the lichen seems to impart some of its nutrients into its host, leading to a more robust plant with greater yields. If only we could convince it to grow on the family's wintergreen shrubs.

Olbin spruce

Found commonly in the eponymous Olbin Pass, the Olbin spruce is shorter and hardier than other types of spruce. Its wood is dense, almost rivaling ironwood, and pleasingly pale, though due to the tree's smaller size, those looking for more efficient lumber might look to a taller cousin. In a pinch, out in the wilds, dead Olbins make exceptional firewood. The heartwood is naturally dry, as most moisture is stored in the plant's deep roots.

Ossian pine

Ossian pines are towering giants that can grow to over two hundred feet in height. It's said that the earliest Paradis used to shelter at night under the needles, which form a thick protective blanket around the tree's bole and grow low enough to the ground to benefit smaller folk. The needles are coated with a tacky sap that forms them into heavy curtains of greenery that trap heat and light. Ossian tar, made from the sap of this tree, is used to protect wooden furnishings from the elements, and it's found in a number of soaps, for those who use that sort of thing.

mulefoot

Actually a fungus that thrives in the mildness of summer, mulefoot forms at the bases of coniferous trees and looks like a large, fleshy hoof sprouting from the ground. Early explorers joked -or maybe believed- that they were the dead mounts of frostlings buried in the woods. Mulefoot gorges in the summer on rainfall or ice melt, growing fat on its hoarded water. When winter comes, the water within freezes into ice and expands, tearing the mulefoot apart and spreading its spores around so that they can develop when the snow melts. And I thought I sacrificed for my children!

Ma's Note: To those unfamiliar with frostlings, tales of the Cold Folk have been told around the supper table since the founding of Icemule. Frostlings are said to be small, mischievous creatures that favor temperatures that would chill even the hardiest halfling. They're known for stealing odd bits of clothing: my mother always joked that they were the malevolent force behind every missing sock. Frostlings are said to have planted the frozen garden near the town. That would make sense, for who else but little ice goblins would benefit from a garden that hasn't once thawed out in living memory?

resting poppy

The resting poppy is a miniature purplish pink flower with a long, slender stalk. Throughout the spring and fall, it thrives in sheltered glades or along riverbanks. When winter intensifies, the poppy survives the mounding snow by being taller than the snowbanks, but the lack of liquid water often causes the stalks to lose their turgidity, giving the impression that the plant is 'resting' on a bed of snow.

wintersbite

A sharp-thorned little herb that thrives year-round, wintersbite is a type of spearmint with an intensely effervescent flavor. It's said that halflings who have over-imbibed can set their wits to rights with a nip of wintersbite. I urge caution. When properly prepared and cooked, wintersbite makes a flavorful and safe culinary oil. The raw plant, however, is a potent laxative. Take it from me - sobriety's not worth the cost.