Sundried Iehlä-weed

When the brown-green, kelp-like iehlä-weeds found in the freshwater lakes of Elteläi were left under the sun for a lengthened period of time, they dried into dark, fragile strips of strongly scented material. With a smell often described as "rotting smoke", it was nonetheless one of the most effective insect repellents found and made by the old Allorï.

Preparation

Iehlä-weed was a common plant found in all the waters of Elteläi, except for its largest lake, Nelhelä. The leaves could grow rather long, but gathering them still required a dive into the depths of a lake. This could be dangerous if the water in question was infested with nelhei, though they tended to avoid the kelp-like flora and its immediate area.

After gathering, the long, dark leaves were were left on top of a dry, smooth rock where sun would dry them over the next days. The drying process could not be interrupted, and the leaves would easily rot away if hit by rain after drying.

Uses

Once fully dried, the iehlä-weeds were gathered and spread along the bounds of the sëraï, a campsite of multiple tents built in a circle around a central point. Placed close enough from each other, they would form a border between the sëraï and the wilds, keeping insects out and away for a period of time without disrupting daily living with the impressive odor.

As mentioned, rain quickly disposed of dried leaves in any circumstance, and any significant moisture was enough to quicken the demise of the prepared leaves. Even in a completely dry environment, however, the leaves lost their effectiveness well within a week of being left out, and would have to be replaced.

Aside from being an efficient tool against insects such as mosquitos, iehlä was also effective against the nelhei, who were known to hunt people of the region for food. They, however, held less fear of individual, dried leaves broken apart from the plant itself, and so using them as a defensive tool against nelhei was inadvisable as a general rule.