Scourgeweed

Botanist Findings:

Found in and around Arctic waters and along the coasts, Scourgeweed gets its name from the deleterious effect it has on most organic material. This has become an increasing problem for sailors and sailing through an unseen patch of Scourgeweed can decimate a wooden ship. As it is most prevalent in the fall and winter and only in deep waters most sailors steer clear of common Scourgeweed waters.   As Scourgeweed is native to the area around Bugbear Reach but in particularly cold winters can be found up and down both coasts of Espen. The Gnomish Council commissioned a study on Scourgeweed to identify if it could somehow be used as a defense against the Elves Kudzu Plant but no such use was found. What was discovered is that Scourgeweed follows the migrating patterns of the Rainbow Gill Bass this information has given the Gnomes and Tabaxi, an advantage in avoiding it as their is primarily fish, thus this has led to the creation of detailed maps regarding bass migration  

Horticultural Findings:

  Appearing black when in the water, but upon close inspection Scourgeweed is found to be a reddish-brown hue. In water the substance it secrets acts as a strong adhesive that serves a dual function. 1. It allows Scourgeweed to afix to nearly any target. 2. The adhesive eats away at its host (any organic material) decomposing it and weakening its integrity as it feeds.   When individuals have been cast overboard in pools of Scoureweed, it devoured them whole within 3 days. Sailors have taken to the saying "With the Kudzu, death is likely, with Scourgeweed, suffering is assured." Therefore harvesting it is best done cautiously on the hull of old ships.  

Herbalism:

  Though Scourgeweed has no medicinal uses, it has often been used for sabotage. When harvested it must be preserved and kept in a cool wet area. As it dries out over 3 days it leaves behind an odorless, colorless film that has decomposing properties. When applied to any organic material, it begins to decompose within days and loses structural integrity within a week.