Elisian Toadstool

Deep within the sodden and shadowed reaches of the Kargathian Wetlands, where light dies beneath the twisted canopy and even the trees seem to mourn, grows a rare and dangerous fungus known as the Elisian Toadstool. Named after Elisium, the two-faced Goddess of Death, this toadstool is as much a symbol of mortality as it is a coveted prize for daring alchemists.   The toadstool itself is a haunting beauty. Its cap is a pallid, luminous ivory streaked with veins of deep violet, resembling the marbled skin of a corpse left too long in still water. At night, it gives off a faint phosphorescent glow, enough to mark it out from the surrounding detritus, an eerie beacon in the mists. The stem is tall and narrow, almost translucent, and exudes a slick, pale secretion that smells faintly of grave soil and crushed lilies.   Deadly Harvest   Touching or harvesting the Elisian Toadstool without proper ritual or preparation is lethally foolish. When its cap is broken or damaged by crude hands or metal blades, the fungus releases a noxious spore cloud, silent, colorless, and fast-acting. The spores, when inhaled unprotected, induce a deathlike paralysis followed by suffocation. Victims remain fully conscious as their lungs cease to obey them. Alchemists call this process “The Veil’s Grasp”, and it is said Elisium herself watches closely over those who fall to it.   Only with precise tools made from swamp-forged obsidian or bone, and after a chanted invocation known as the Whisper of Two Faces, can the toadstool be safely harvested. The ritual calms the spirit of the fungus, believed by the Veiled Reapers to house a fragment of Elisium’s own will, and prevents it from lashing out in self-defense.   The Fragrance of Mercy   When harvested correctly, the Elisian Toadstool releases a completely different scent, something impossibly delicate. It smells of petrichor after a funeral rain, warm lavender, and a fleeting memory of someone long gone. To those familiar with loss, it is unmistakable and deeply personal. The scent alone can reduce grown warriors to tears.   Fresh Elisian Toadstool flesh is edible, though rarely consumed directly. It tastes of sweet, chilled earth and bitter regret, an acquired palate, to say the least. More often, it is dried and powdered, becoming a sacred reagent in alchemical brews.   Alchemical Use   When prepared properly, Elisian Toadstool becomes an ingredient of staggering potency. In minor concoctions, it can be used to induce vivid dreams, simulate death for hours without harm, or calm a soul on the edge of madness. In more advanced formulas, it is essential in creating soulbinding potions, elixirs of true sleep, or the fabled Black Mercy Draught, a potion used to communicate briefly with the spirits of the dead.   Because of its link to Elisium, some alchemists believe the toadstool only grows near places where the veil between worlds is thin, sites of ancient death, mass burials, or the unquiet remains of the forgotten. The Veiled Reapers are said to cultivate secret bog-gardens of the fungus, though none outside their order have seen such places and lived to tell of it.