A Study on Northern Flora & Fauna

I first encountered the Ember blossom on the side of a snowy mountain path near the southern tip of the vast mountain range. It was a marvel to see such an oasis of warmth in the icy chill, and even more of a shock to see life blooming in its warming aura. It was like the very center of this luminescent flower was a pulsating ember that breathed life into the desolate landscape. I must say it took my guide quite some convincing to get me moving again.

The Ember blossoms were named for their vivid orange and red flowers that glow faintly in the dark. Each sprouting bloom is actually a piece of a larger network, thriving in an intermingling root system that fascinates me even to this day. The stems of these plant look like thick, gnarled vines ripping up from the earth and are dotted with sharp thorns and pointed leaves. These stems when broken reveal a dense, fibrous center sought after by the monks of Unseen Temple.

The Ember blossom is vital to life in the frozen peaks of the north. This gnarled bramble like plant grows over vast areas and their warming effect not only offers a small respite but create the only arable land in the Throat. The melting snow from the flowers allows for the native Boreal rice to thrive in its glow and feeds many of the permanent northern inhabitants. The stalk of the plant is even made into a stiff, fibrous cloth by the monks of the Unseen Valley.

I was first introduced to Boreal rice by a small tribe of Northmen who kindly offered me a meal¹ when we found ourselves sheltering in the same cave. It is coarse and varied like the wild rice that grows among ponds but was such a strange thing to find in such a northern climate. It grows wildly among Ember blossoms and within the few cultivated fields maintained by the Northmen and Goliath. Nearly every native traveler in the region seemed to carry around a pouch of the grain both for superstition and because it keeps quite well in the cold.

Boreal rice like all rice grows in tall grass-like chutes from which the grain stems from. A skilled herbalist will recognize the rice from others by the soft blue veins that perforate the green stems and leaves. Its hardiness has made it a staple crop of the people of the Throat of the World. It alone has allowed the monks of the Unseen Temple to remain so isolated in the years since the fall. The valley they call home is Haven's largest Boreal rice farm and its grow fields feed not just the monks but many of the surrounding Goliath tribes.

Frost sprouts are an icy blue flower marveled for their beauty and intricately patterned petals. Each of these blooms has a completely unique pattern and can only be found during the months of frost on the tallest mountain of the Throat. It is upon these mountainsides that the rarest plant in the north takes root in hidden caves and cracks in the slate. Some believe that only a dozen or so of these flowers bloom every year and many would do anything to obtain the valuable plant. I myself have never seen a fresh specimen and would gladly pay a man a small fortune for the chance to examine such a flower.

The sole practical use of this flower comes from the powdering of its dried petals. This fine, misty blue dust is a marvel of magic with effects quite similar to a powerfully cast concealment charm such as the famed Invisis Corpus or the every useful Narobi's Nondetection. On must simply dust their clothing with the fine powder, activate it with a bit of magic and it will be as if you were never in the room at all. The powder retains its effects for approximately one to four hours before exhausting itself and turning into soot.²

Snapgrass is only grass in the crudest sense and it is, in fact, more similar to the rubbery plants of a desert climate. Its stiff outer skin protects the delicate interior and is nearly a fingers width thick in places. The grass blends perfectly with the white snow around it, being just as stark a white as the frozen wastes. You can find Snapgrass growing wherever snowmelt flows, hibernating during the frozen months and growing anew with the spring thaw and the rushing waters.

The grass is a prized resource by the Goliath people who use it to brew healing draughts and rejuvenating poultices. This makes up a core of their peoples healing arts and in fact boast of a 101 ways to use the plant for healing. It has remarkable healing properties, rapidly accelerating the body's natural healing processes³.

In Seawatch the physician's distill a concentrated rendering of the healing sap which proves to be a potent anesthetic. Its effects are strong but fleeting most often used to relax a patient before setting their bones or severing a limb.

This devilish plant has been responsible for the deaths of at least a half dozen of my traveling companions and has even nearly killed me on more than one occasion. The Ice vine, also known as the Infernal vine is notorious for its deadly nature. This nearly translucent plant grows deep beneath the frozen soil, forcing up tendril-like vines that seek out sources of heat. The plant survives by devouring the heat of creatures and notably the heat produced by an Ember blossom. The Ice vine hides amongst the lush life that blooms around Ember blossoms, waiting for prey to consume. Many who die to Ice Vines spend their last moments in the icy chill of its embrace, strangled in the freezing cold. The Northmen and Goliath use the vine to make a strong rope that grows stiff and hard with the cold but flexible with the application of heat.

The Brittlebark tree is the only tree native to the rocky terrain of the high mountains in the Throat of the World. The tree is often mistaken for a dead one at first glance and in fact, does resemble petrified wood. Knowledgeable Herbalists will know a living specimen by the wispy strands of gossamer fiber that collect water for the tree from the air. I spent days studying the properties of the wood and found it to be incredibly nonabsorbent, blatantly repelling water from its surface.

During the winter the trees namesake bark becomes brittle and crumples, when harvested it can be boiled and mashed into a pulp to create paper. These sheets of paper are remarkably water-resistant and require special inks to write on but a scholar need never fear their notes becoming tarnished by an errant storm or some other form of liquid misfortune. I have vowed to make all my future journals out of this remarkable substance, to think of how many studies I could have saved if I had discovered this five years earlier.

The Cobash root is an uncommon root vegetable that grows beneath a leafy, rose-colored sprout. The rough, pink bulb only grows in the low valleys in the foothills of the Throat where the ice and snow recede to allow for a meager spattering life to claw its way from the desolation. Many wealthy families in the south seek the Cobash root as a local delicacy and the trade of it is a closely guarded trade of the largest Goliath tribes. I personally find the root to be far too sweet and dense for my taste but am told that when properly prepared they can be euphoric⁴.

A popular festival treat in Seawatch is Cobash Candy, a hard candy concocted from a mixture of rendered Cobash root and sugarweed. Served warm with Blackwood syrup, this delicious treat is a favorite among children and costs a mere pittance. The most popular purveyor of these confectionary treats, Jogi Jogi's, makes a killing during the city's biennial festival of lights. A daylong extravaganza of scientific marvels, displays of magic, and the movement of vast hordes of wealth from one hand to another.

The Unseen Valley is home to many wonders of the north and is the most vibrate den of life in the north. Among its many peculiar plants, the Monastic ginseng is among the valley's most sacred and valuable commodities. The ginseng is identifiable by its spear-shaped leaves and the vibrant red berries that top its thin stem. The real value of the plant comes from the large, slow-growing root hidden beneath the surface. The berries of the plant are surprisingly bitter and are more likely to induce vomiting than pleasure.

The root of Monastic ginseng can be dried and then brewed into a spiced tea renowned for its ability to open one's mind and enhance their perception. The monk's of the Unseen Temple brew a potent version of this tea to induce trance-like states during deep meditation. Their most ancient masters are rumored to have used the tea to gaze through the fabric between worlds, gazing on realms beyond our mortal reach. Though only in small quantities, the monks do indeed sell their treasured root to pilgrims who make the climb to the six peaks of the valley.

Also known as Witchwood, this dense, dark-colored tree sprouts from the base of the Throat if the world bordering the Abyss. A truly beautiful wood, its most common use is as expensive decoration by the rich and affluent. Any wizard worth their degree will tell you Blackwood's true value comes from its magical dampening effect and is necessary for any wizardly training hall. The wood itself has no remarkable qualities on its own but the tree absorbs magic around it as it grows, so while nobles process it for the wood with its intricate grain, those of the Academy of Wizardly Art keep live specimens within their training halls. A student's errant spell will no longer unintentionally haunt the hall for the day but find their effects diminishing within minutes. Seawatch, unsurprisingly, is the largest consumer of Blackwood and regularly attempting logging expeditions into the Blackwood forests much to the ire of Bastions priests who believe the wood to be sacred.

The Blackwood forest itself is said to be haunted by the silent remnants of slain unfallen drifting through the trees. Many wizardly folks spend a night in the cursed forest as a right of passage and I myself participated in this honored tradition. Though I saw no specters I did find an innate sense of control in the forest as if magic was crisp in the air like spring air. It is an exhilarating feeling having magic so close to the surface of our mundane world. But I caution spell casting in the forest, the draining effect of the tree will see your spells barely last the minute if they don't twist your spell beyond recognition before that.

Creeping Rot is a devious fungus that disguises itself as the perfectly edible Traveler's Cap but this mushroom is far from edible. The growth takes root in the insides of its victims, creeping and growing throughout its host. Within a week without treatment, a host will find themselves delirious with vivid hallucinations, fever, the blood cough, clouding of the eyes and intense abdominal pain. It is not a pleasant process and through my observations, a subject is quite literally devoured from the inside out. The lucky ones die before the fungus bursts from their abdomen as if it were soil, the entire time it replaces the function of organs and blood vessels. Keeping its victim as a living meal to consume as it desires while they only grow weaker until finally finishing its meal and turning into a hard, hollow cacoon where once a man was suffering an indescribable hell.

The only treatment for Creeping Rot is sadly a battle of constitution, the cure for the fungus is a poison concocted from the venom of a Rock Hopper and is just as damaging to the person as it is to the fungus. Their only hope is that they outlive the fungal growth, taking daily doses until color comes back to the eyes and the fever has broken. Many have not survived this treatment but it a death either way, but the poison is far quicker.

These large rhinoceros-like creatures stand over 10 feet tall on all fours thousands of pounds of muscle and sinew protected beneath a dense fur coat. The broad horn that adorns the beasts head is as strong as steel and capable of gouging its way through solid stone like butter. Its powerfully built legs are capable of moving staggering weights far exceeding any similar beast of burden, this has led the Goliath people to domesticate small herds of them. They make for simple animals to keep and will devour anything that they can manage to chomp down food, trash and treasure alike. Dharok is even known to go weeks between meals and even then only survive on rocks and trash. Most Dharok thrives only in their domesticated herds because they make too easy a target for roaming undead, especially when they descend from the deep snows of the peaks during their yearly migration. This migration pattern of descending down from the northern mountain pastures to the warmer southern valleys has certainly contributed to the nomadic nature and in fact, the Stonekeeper Tribe protects their mating grounds reverently for their generational stone carving ceremony.

Most Dharoks are used simply as beasts of burden but the Goliath have been known to breed them for war, filling their horns into deadly spade-like weapons. The thick hide of the Dharok is nearly impossible to pierce by mundane arrows and its hulking form equally hard to halt on the battlefield. These specimens seem few and far between as the Dharok must be bred specifically for the task because most of their species are surprisingly docile.

It is almost impossible to inspect a live Rock Hopper due to its elusive nature. Upon studying a fresh corpse, I can surmise that the creature is a large insectoid something akin to a grasshopper or locusts but with thick, rough plates disguising it like a snow-capped boulder. The carapace is tough but otherwise no different than the rock of the Throat, it would not surprise me if the creatures somehow manage to fuse rock with flesh. Powerful hind legs fold backward at their kneejoint allowing for powerful leaps that can send the several hundred-pound creatures 30 feet in a single bound. The creature uses this to lay in wait for its prey falling upon their victim with envenomed mandibles that descend from the cranial carapace just beneath its four black, round eyes.

The Rock Hoppers live in small hives of 20 or more that create warrens of hollowed rock and stacked stones. They are surprisingly industrious for a simple creature and are more than capable of building what we would consider a home of sorts. Many fateful adventurers have entered caves they believed to be safe, only to fall into a nest of Rock Hoppers and never be heard from again. This ambush predator is as feared as it is numerous and is the Goliath's primary struggle in the peaks.

The Northern Roc is similar to its cousin the Sand Roc but is a much more vicious predator. The avian carnivore's wingspan blots out the sky and its long shadow brings with it a slow and miserable death. Its feathers are the color of stormclouds and its talons each as long as a saber with a beak that could bend steel this bird is a terror in the northern realm. This bird of prey will spend days running its target ragged before finally coming in for the kill, this works especially well on their favorite meal: the Dharok. The cry of the Northern Roc can be heard for miles and is often the only warning to a Roc on the prowl. The Rocs roost in aeries scattered throughout the mountain range in some of the most inaccessible places in the region, because of this some mountains have become breeding grounds for the aerial threat.

The origins of the Northern Roc remain a mystery to this day, how did such a bird manage to travel so far north from the Parched Expanse. Some believe the birds were transported here for live study long ago from the Shardtooth Range, others believe they were blown across haven by a chaotic storm, or perhaps it is simply Haven breeding a predator to expel man from the places he should not be.

The Sabercat is the only large cat native to the far north and is a cunning but solitary hunter. They are a rare sight in these troubled times and as their prey begins to dwindle many have turned into prey themselves for fiercer predators. Goliath warbands have long feared these cats because their people have lost many hunting groups to its hunting tactics. A Sabercat will stalk its prey and slowly pick off the weakest of a group until no one remains, the cat has even been known to leave a meal behind to continue its hunt and return later for its kill. The oldest Goliath tribes prize the Sabercats long fangs to craft into primitive weapons for their hunting parties and warriors. Superstition has them believing that carrying the remains of such a great hunter will bring similar luck to its wielder.

A tribe of Boreals is storied to protect the greatest mountain of the north with a pack of Sabercats. Some stories even say these men could take the form of these mighty beasts, defending their territory with the ferocity of the giant cat. Few stories leave from so far into the mountain range but no local would ever make the mistake of entering their territory unbidden.

An incredibly rare sight in these dark days, many believe the Woolly elephant to be extinct. Driven out of existence by over-hunting and an inability to escape even small packs of the undead. It is similar in size to the Quarry elephant but with much longer tusks and covered, like most northern creatures, in a thick layer of fur. The Stonekeeper Tribe keeps a few of these ancient giants to transport their great stone mosaic during their nomadic travels through the north. Finding a wild Woolly elephant has become nearly impossible after the Gavanak Goliath tribe butchered the poor creatures for being the totem animal of their rivals the Keprecia. This will likely be the last great stone carving that will see the beast continuing its path through the elaborate mosaic. The Goliath's tell stories of how the Woolly elephant migrated to the mountains, fleeing a great evil from the east and took refuge in the mountain range. Though remarkably similar to their southern cousins much like the Northern Roc and the Sand Roc, there is no certain answer how these strange creatures came to be only that they adapted to the harsh environment.

A docile creature, the Rock Mole burrows through solid Rock with its shovel-like claws, that are seemingly as durable as Blackstone. The small Rock Mole survives off of the insect life that thrives in the caves of the Throat. Many denizens of the Throat have found ways of domesticating these rather cute rodents. Which serve their new masters by hunting for the many root vegetables that make up the core of northern cuisine and trade. Personally, I consider the creature a pest. It has far too common a habit of ending up places it shouldn't, getting into things it shouldn't. The blasted creature will burrow its way through food barrels and wagon bottoms or whatever stands between it and its precious food. You'd think the gluttonous creatures never eat with how determined they pursue their meals. It is remarkable just how tenacious these dog-sized moles can be when they set their mind to a task.

The Gashhand is without any hyperbole the most bloodthirsty creature in Haven, it has no mind but for the slaughter, it brings and will kill not just for food but for the mere sake of death. They, in recent years, have begun to infest The Black Roads of the north and spill out into the surrounding mountainside. These predators stalk their prey in the tunnels, striking when they least expect it from their subterranean dens. Their chief method of death coming from their scythe-like forelegs sharp enough to slice through stone and sheer a man in half. The creature was built like a walking suit of armor, born to outlast its enemy and continue the fight long after their first target had fallen.

Their origin is steeped in the legends of the Uderkith's pantheon of Gaul and his child, the Immortal Man of Sand. This name son of Gaul was born to rule the hellish sands of Vatiir, blessed with everlasting life but cursed to the sands to which he was tasked to master. The desert's apex predator became his holy beast, and they follow in their master's shadow always terrorizing the region around him. In an arena within The Black Roads a great nest of the vicious monsters has taken root, the heart of a vast swarm that has scoured the southern-eastern tunnels of life.

Also known as Death Mounts, these dark-colored horses are a strong breed. This breed of horse is revered for its loyalty and hardy fortitude, most horses serving only a single rider for their entire life. Some particularly well-bred specimen are even rumored to form telepathic bonds with their rider. The beasts adamant insistence on selecting a rider makes the trade of them valuable but scarce, most Stygian Mare living wildly in the foothold of the Throat. In the southern lowlands, they are prized warhorses whose bloodlines are treasured histories often depicted on their saddles but fewer and fewer of these noble beasts survive the unfallen plague.

When Elias Dods was still an Angel of Lady Death, he is said to have ridden upon a Stygian Mare of midnight and starlight. Its stories say it galloped on the wind and would never know death. If you believe the tavern stories, the Stygian escaped it's own one stormy night and to this day still roams the skies around the Throat of the World.

The Valley Crane is technically native to the Jagged Expanse but can commonly be seen in the Unseen Valley during the warmer months of the year. They are a breathtakingly majestic, white bird with long legs and an even longer wingspan. The bird is believed to be a good omen and its first appearance marks the beginning of spring for the monks of the valley. Their tailfeathers sell for small fortunes in the creation of enchanted quills and among eccentric nobles. Its primary food source is comprised of the small wildlife that thrives in the valley including the small colony of fish cared for by the monks. It is taboo within their sacred valley to harm such sacred birds which subsequently only makes them more valuable. The Garden of the Green within Unseen Temple is guarded by an enormous Valley Crane that has lived for over eight centuries, ever vigilant over its miniature ecosystem. To think such a creature could be as ancient as the very foundations of civilization in Haven, I could understand how monks are humbled by its presence.

The Mountain crab is a gargantuan creature shrouded in myth and legend. A creature that moved mountains and split the earth, a behemoth of a creature, a lost god from a forgotten age. And, in fact, I believed it legend myself until I had the fateful opportunity to gaze upon its gigantic splendor. A moving mountain of such scale it makes a mere man tremble at their pure inadequacy. It was indescribable to see a creature that dwarfs man so, to watch it rip itself from the ground and lumber valley to valley, to feel the very mountain I stood upon shift and split as if it was walking through nothing but sand. Seeing how a single mighty claw was capable of crushing entire cliffsides, never was I happier to know how infrequently the monstrous thing moved. A hidden blessing that the solitary specimen spent less and less time active and would someday be a corpse mistaken for just another mountain. I believe the name Mountain crab comes from the peculiar similarity it shares the Blacksea crab if it was allowed to grow to lumber with mountains on its back.

The Goliath revere the Mountain Crab as a spirit of the earth and leave it offerings of food well received by the ancient being. Fe outsiders are ever shown the Mountain crab's current sacred resting place and take great offense to disturb the great spirit's slumber. It should be noted my research tells me the king of crabs never strays far from the deepest reaches of the Throat of the World surviving on something deep in the inexplorable regions of the mountain range.