Beardmoss
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Beardmoss is a pale, silvery, pendant lichen of the high ridges and misted crags of Trendelika's northern uplands and neighbouring ranges. Long mistaken for an ornamental cushioning fibre, it has recently been recognised for a far more consequential virtue: its uncanny ability to muffle, mask, and momentarily stupefy nearby enchantments. First samples entered scholarly circulation only after the traveller Geertruud Smallbottom absent‑mindedly bundled several sprigs into a parcel for her correspondent Margo Weedlebeam.
“It arrived wrapped in goblin‑lute cloth - pure Geertruud. The moss lay in wispy silver veils, faintly crackling when pinched. Harmless, I thought, until a warded scroll I was restoring simply vanished to my Diviner’s Glance whilst resting beside it. Further trials with a tracking amulet and a sulking cursed spoon yielded the same suppression. It neither dispels nor damages; it hushes. I have since lined my handbag with the stuff, and written to Geertruud (enclosing a stern biscuit) to send more before Bridgeport’s less savoury dealers learn the name.”
-- Research notes of Margo Weedlebeam
Discovery & Early Misconceptions
Local highland folk long harvested Beardmoss for mundane comforts - boot‑liners, cushion stuffing, doll hair - and credited it with folk virtues such as easing nosebleeds or guarding against “sky headaches.” Its magical insulating property went unnoticed precisely because its presence creates an absence of magical signs; detection charms simply yielded nothing where it lay. Only a chance juxtaposition with an actively warded artefact under scholarly scrutiny revealed its true potential.Physical Characteristics
Beardmoss forms drooping skeins of filamentous, softly tufted strands, each thread supple at first harvest but prone to stiffen and curl if dried. The exterior feels woolly; the inner structure produces a faint, brittle crickle when compressed. Fresh sprigs cling in thin, shivering curtains to bark or wind‑scoured rock faces; disturbed clumps appear to recede fractionally, a defensive contraction thought to be a hygroscopic reaction rather than sentience.Colouration & Appearance
In diffuse light it reads as mist‑silver with a hint of winter green; under moonlight faint opaline glints travel along the strands like slow sparks. Desiccated Beardmoss dulls to an ashy grey and loses its translucence until rehydrated. When saturated it deepens slightly, adopting a pewter sheen.
Beardmoss by Tillerz using MJ
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Geographic Distribution
Discovered by
Odour
The scent is delicate yet persistent: distant summer thunder tempered by old parchment and a soot‑dusted chimney brick. In enclosed cupboards it imparts a ‘library after rain’ atmosphere. Heating it destroys both aroma and efficacy.Taste (Not Recommended)
Adventurous (or incautious) tasters report a faint juniper bitterness overlaid by stale soap and a fleeting metallic tang at the back of the tongue. Chewing serves no medicinal nor arcane function and may induce a mildly numb palate in sensitive individuals.Habitat & Distribution
Native to cold, wind‑exposed elevations: the Clatterpine Hills, Greyfang Crags, the cloud belts around Jaro’s Teeth in Trendelika, and analogous ridge systems. It favours gnarled conifers and lightning‑scarred oaks perpetually kissed by drifting mist. Beardmoss shuns direct, prolonged sun and recedes in regions of heavy soot or alchemical effluent. Harvesters note peak pliancy during predawn hours when humidity is highest and the strands hang fully relaxed.Symbiotic Nourishment
Beardmoss survives not by parasitism but by a subtle exchange with its host trees. Each filament ends in a cluster of minute, cup-shaped pads that nestle into the outer bark without piercing living tissue. These pads wick up mist-borne minerals and trace resins oozing from micro-fissures, while concurrently diffusing a thin film of absorbed dew back across the bark, reducing desiccation on wind-scoured limbs. Recent aetheric assays indicate the lichen also sequesters errant magic sparkles that would otherwise irritate the tree’s cambium, thus moderating the host’s stress-resin production and fostering healthier growth rings. In return, the tree’s steady transpiration creates the cool, humid boundary layer Beardmoss requires to keep its delicate filaments supple. Remove the lichen in great swathes and the bark beneath quickly shows sun-scald and fissuring - clear evidence of the mutually sustaining pact between moss and wood.Usage
Common Mundane Uses
Before its arcane value emerged, Beardmoss was steeped, dried, then teased into springy batting for winter garments, boot insoles, and travel pillows. Children plaited it into talismans; shepherds stuffed caps with it, claiming relief from mountain headaches. These folk practices inadvertently exploited its insulating qualities (thermal and now suspected arcane) without conscious understanding.Arcane Property: Magical Insulation
Beardmoss does not dispel, drain, nor corrupt enchantments. Rather, it establishes a low‑grade dampening field at the point of contact, suppressing the expression and detectability of magical signatures. Detection spells return null results; tracking charms lose purchase; mild curses grow quiescent, resuming full vigour shortly after removal. Prolonged envelopment of unstable or luminescent artefacts may attenuate visible or auditory manifestations permanently - case study: a glow gem whose radiance failed to recover after three days’ wrapping.Refinement & Preparation
Remarkably, Beardmoss requires no alchemical refinement. Efficacy is maximised by gentle steaming (not boiling) to remove grit, followed by pressing between damp linen to retain pliancy. Over‑drying collapses the filament channels and suspends insulating function until cautious rehydration in cool, shaded humidity over two to three days. Powdering destroys arcane properties entirely.Handling & Application Techniques
For concealment, wrap the target object in a loose, overlapping spiral, ensuring full surface contact while avoiding compaction. Layering increases duration of suppression but yields diminishing returns beyond three wraps. Tailors way sew thin veils into satchel linings, reliquary pouches, and diplomatic document rolls. Integration into armour gambesons is experimental; prolonged dermal contact can induce finger‑tingle or transient numbness in spellcasters.Possible Hazards & Side Effects
Dermal Numbness: Magically attuned individuals may experience temporary numbness or reduced tactile sensitivity after extended handling of fresh specimens. Arcane Stasis: Volatile artefacts left swaddled may emerge sluggish or exhibit decreased responsiveness (reversible in most cases over days). Some radiant items fail to recover. Smuggler’s Misuse: Concealment of cursed or illicit objects complicates legal inspection and forensic divination. Ecological Disruption: Over‑harvesting entire curtains destabilises cliff microhabitats and exposes host bark; regulated quotas are advised.Storage & Shelf Life
Optimal storage employs wide‑necked glass or glazed ceramic vessels with a moistened felt pad and a pinch of salt crystallum to deter mould. Containers are kept in cool shade; direct sun desiccates and browns the strands, requiring slow restorative humidity. Properly maintained, a harvest retains peak insulating potency for four to six months. Dried, curled Beardmoss can be revitalised, though each desiccation cycle marginally reduces efficacy.Trade & Economic Implications
Since confirmation of its arcane profile, market prices in Bridgeport and Queenshaven have tripled. The Guild of Cartographers discreetly acquires stocks to shield prototype navigational instruments from scrying rivals. Unscrupulous factors court highland gatherers with trinkets and money for bulk loads of Beardmoss. Counterfeits (dyed lamb’s wool, painted kelp fibre) have appeared; a simple steam test (authentic Beardmoss relaxes and emits its parchment‑thunder aroma) exposes forgeries.Ethical & Legal Considerations
Magistrates debate classification as a ‘Controlled Arcane Adjunct’ given its facilitation of undetectable transport of enchanted goods. The College of Sound Mages petition for research exemptions, citing its utility in studying pure acoustic resonance free of background artefact leakage. Conservationists urge rotational harvesting and re‑seeding of anchor threads.Experimental Prospects
Early trials explore composite laminates - pressing Beardmoss between parchment leaves - to create ‘quiet folios’ that suppress enchantment bleed in grimoire stacks. Engineers of Gnome Workshop are investigating its inclusion in insulation collars for unstable aether condensers. Alchemists theorise a tincture extraction (so far unsuccessful) to yield a liquid concealant; all attempts have resulted in inert grey sludge.Cultural Notes
Poets have already seized upon Beardmoss as metaphor: ‘the beard that hides the song beneath the wind.’ Emerging fashion trends incorporate slender tufts as trim on arcane courier cloaks - a practical flourish masquerading as ornament.Prospects & Recommendations
Further systematic study is warranted before Beardmoss becomes ubiquitous in illicit channels. Recommended focus areas: saturation thresholds, long‑term impact on dormant curses, and sustainable cultivation on artificial bark frames. A collaborative charter between gatherers, arcane colleges, and civic authorities could pre‑empt black‑market monopolies.
Beardmoss Pad
Rarity & Trade
Rarity: Rare (Very Rare outside its native highlands). Base Price (per usable Pad): 15-20 shillings in source regions; 2-3 gc in major cities. (Double or more on the black market if authorities restrict anti‑scrying materials.)Foraging / Harvesting
Where: High, wind‑scoured conifer or pine analogues; misty cliff groves. Season: Best potency late spring to early autumn (other times impose -10). Test: Outdoor Survival (or Trade (Herbalist)) Test. Base Difficulty: Average (+20) if in a prime known patch; Challenging (+0) if searching in likely habitat; Hard (-20) in off season or depleted zones. Time: Each Test represents 1 hour of careful climbing & gathering. Success Levels (SL):- 0-1 SL: 1 Pad
- 2-3 SL: 1d3 Pads
- 4-5 SL: 1d3+1 Pads
- 6+ SL: 1d3+2 Pads
Potency & Preparation
Each Pad is a palm‑sized mass sufficient to wrap a dagger, potion vial, or similar. Larger objects require more:- Dagger, vial, ring: 1 Pad
- Tomes, helmets, wands: 2 Pads
- Sword, staff head, strongbox (hand‑sized): 3 Pads
- Large chest / two‑handed weapon: 5+ Pads (GM adjudicates)
Properly Stored (breathable damp pouch): Potent for 1 month; thereafter each week make a Challenging (+0) Trade (Herbalist) Test or the batch degrades one step.
Dried / Brittle: Loses special properties until rehydrated for 3 days (counts as “Restored” but gives -1 SL to concealment rolls, see below).
Mechanical Effects (Using Beardmoss)
Arcane Insulation (Wrapping): Wrapping an item in sufficient Pads and binding with twine causes: Mask Aura: Attempts to detect the item specifically with Magick Sense, Second Sight, * Witchsight*, or equivalent spells suffer -30. Broad scans (e.g. “Are there any magical items here?”) have a 50% chance (roll 1-50) to entirely overlook that wrapped item per scan. Scrying Disruption: Direct scry / locate spells targeting the wrapped item automatically fail unless the caster wins a Magick opposed by the wrapper’s Cool. If the wrapper is absent, oppose with a flat -20 penalty to the caster (representing passive insulation). Curse Slumber: Minor continuous curses (GM judgement) are suppressed while wrapped; timed effects are paused (their remaining duration resumes when unwrapped). Stifled Recharging: Items that regain charges daily do not recharge while wrapped (unwrapping resumes normal schedule next dawn). Applying a Wrap: 1 Minute per Pad. Removing: Half Action.Concealing a Carried Item
When concealed under clothing / in a satchel, add +1 SL to Stealth (Urban) or Sleight of Hand Tests to avoid magical inspection if the opposing method is magical detection or witchsight. (No benefit against mundane search.) If moss is Dried/Restored, bonus becomes +0 SL (flat -10 penalty to the detector still applies from Mask Aura if magical).Side Effects / Hazards
Arcane Numbness: A spellcaster keeping wrapped items on their person for over 1 continuous hour must pass a Cool Test or suffer -10 to Channeling and Language (Magick) Tests for the next hour (stacking once). Removing all Beardmoss ends the penalty after 10 minutes. Arcane Saturation: After suppressing an effect of CN 5+ or a spell of CN 10+ for 24 hours, roll 1d10: on 9-10 the Pad “overloads” and becomes inert fluff (loses properties). On a 10 it releases a faint static pop audible within 6 yards. Fire Risk: Dried Beardmoss is extremely flammable; any open flame contact forces an Agility Test to drop it or take 1d5 Damage ignoring Armour (but not TB) as it flashes.Crafting / Modification
Lining a Container: Trade (Herbalist) or Trade (Tanner) Test (Average +20), 30 minutes, consumes 3 Pads to line a small chest or scroll case: all contents count as individually wrapped for detection masking, but scrying attempts gain only -20 instead of -30. Rehydrating: Place in a sealed damp clay pot for 3 days; a failed Trade (Herbalist) Test (Challenging +0) causes mould: the batch is ruined (50% still flammable).Optional Miscast Interaction
If a caster rolls a Minor Miscast while physically touching Beardmoss, they may choose to sacrifice 1 Pad to negate the Miscast (Pad turns to grey dust). Cannot avert Catastrophic or Major Miscasts.
Beardmoss Pad (Cypher-like oddity / material)
Level: 4 (typical), up to 6 for exceptional fresh silver tuft.Form: A soft, silver lichen wad.
Usual Cost / Trade Value: 1–2 shins locally; 5–8 shins in arcane markets; +50% if laws restrict masking materials.
I always enjoy the depth of your entries Tillerz and in particular your 'For GMs section as well, that is actually wonderful and I may need to use that inspiration for my own setting, it might really take me in new directions to consider that aspect, providing those sorts of little hooks. Wonderfully written, a pleasure to read and most certainly tucking this into my collection :)