[✗] [Lore Competition Piece] Ata'lenti and Siru'ahern

[Wyvernbane 252]

A soiled, tattered notebook is found. The pages are scattered, floating in the stagnated water in which it sat. It’s age is beyond measure, and the pages barely able to be read. Inside, one would find these documents.

 

 

Beware the vines!

I’d been wandering for days through this hell hole- the swamp. Everything is hostile there, I tell you. The plants are sharp and tear at your skin, and the gnats fill the gashes to get at your blood. I was sick and tired of the damned place and was rightly convinced Iblees himself worked up its evil as personal torment for myself. The sun was falling so I righted my tent on the only piece of dry ground I could find- the roots of one of the many drowning trees. I didn’t bother lighting a fire- I was already sweating from the humidity. Wasn’t long before I joined the dream world, as they say. Plop! I felt my forehead light on fire with pain, an angered howl leaving my lips. I got out of the tent fast as I could, blade drawn, half expecting some angry reptile waiting for me. Turns out I couldn’t have been more wrong. A vine, one of the many covering the trees, had grown as I slept. The entire tent was covered with them, steaming with noxious gases. I watched my hard-won tent collapse under them, nothing more than a sizzling pile of mush. These vines I decided to call Ata’lenti, tainted growth in the common. Even as I watched, the vine retracted to the trees and stopped dripping acid. I was shocked, and pretty damn mad. This hellish foliage stole my tent, and I still had months left of places to visit. I raved for a good hour I’d say, oblivious to the fact the vine was growing towards me again. I felt a tendril wrap around my ankle, burning my trousers. I cut it, and the vine retreated again. As a bit of a test, I threw a piece of dried meat near the tree. Even as I watched, the vine grew down and absorbed the ration through that acid. I left mighty fast, and wrote this the minute I was clear of that damned swamp. A few defining features of Ata’lenti is it’s attraction to the swamp trees. In all my travels, it’s the ONLY place I’ve ever seen it. Stuff has a pleasant aroma with small bunches of blue berries and small, round leaves, by appearance alone completely harmless. Don’t touch it! Stuff is dripped with acids, which burn through skin and clothing in seconds. The plant is carnivorous, mainly feasting off the many bugs and animals within the swamp. It grows quickly, as if a Druid itself was controlling it. It’ll surround the meat it plans to eat, absorbing it with the acids. For some odd reason, the trees don’t seem to be affected. Perhaps it saves the acids solely for prey. Beware camping in this swamp! The vine will not hesitate to feast on you while you slee-

 

The page is soaked and stained past this point, the ink gone and the rest of the entry destroyed.

 

~~~

 

I'm not really sure how I end up in these situations. One minute I'm walking on the path minding my own business when bam! There comes along a group of brigands. Just my luck. Take everything I got, except this book. I guess it won't sell for much on the auction. I wandered for days after that, maybe even weeks. No food to be found in this damned forest! I was getting so hungry I could’ve sworn my very own fist looked like a fresh steak. I felt myself getting weaker and weaker till I just couldn't stand no more. If you'd asked me then, I would've said I was going to meet my Creator. However, seemed he had a bit more set out for me. I fell face first, getting a mouth-full of something thick and soft- a heavy woody flavor overpowering my senses. It flooded my mouth with warmth, that same warmth rejuvenating my dying body. In seconds I felt as if I could punch a bloody orc and he fall dead. The feeling quickly faded as my stunning good looks and cunning took back over, but the fullness in my stomach remained. The mushroom I now dubbed Siru’ahern, or Mushroom Blessing in the common. I filled my pack with chunks of the thing, saying my prayers to the Creator in thanks. No longer would I starve in my journey. Now to just sell some junk to some peasants to get a bit of coin.. Anyway. I returned with a full purse, documenting what I saw in here. Siru’ahern is large, anywhere between twenty to thirty feet tall. The cap is predominantly red, with white spots. When eaten, the substance replenishes your energy and fills your stomach, as if you’d had a recent and hearty meal in the Emperor's castle. Fear not the mushroom, for its touch is warm, welcoming and hearty!

 

 

(Note: Wasn't 100% sure as to post it on the plant index or as a normal submissions, and as since the lore itself doesn't fit the application for plant index I decided to post it as a normal submission per lore competition documents.. anywho! Enjoy!)

 

[GodEmperorFlam 3447]

Under review, expect a verdict on 3/20.

[GodEmperorFlam 3447]

This lore is unfortunately being denied. I will be contacting you with specifics, as this should be easily remedied in the plant index and whatnot.

[GodEmperorFlam 3447]

This Lore has been denied. Topic moved to Denied Lore forum.