Flora and Fauna

Cicatrix

Type: Fungus
This undulating black growth resembles a slime mold, and while it isn’t truly a fungus, the Cicatrix possesses many indicative properties of one. Like normal fungi, it breaks down dead tissue through the process of decomposition, but rather than feeding off organic matter, it festers within reality itself like a scar. And in the same way that fungi can link together to form mycelial networks, individual pieces of the Cicatrix can always sense each other, even when separated by spatiochronal boundaries. For the Cicatrix is not a species, but a singular continuous organism, which resonates with the psychic frequencies of sentient beings, allowing it to take root within their minds like an egregore.

Ironleaf Trees

Type: Plant
These leafy giants resemble squat oak trees from afar, but upon closer inspection, their metallic leaves and banded trunks are immediate indicators of their true identity. Ironleaf trees were primarily found in the old-growth forests of Uferlos, but have since taken root within the Fanes. It is common knowledge that an ironleaf tree’s remarkably durable lumber can be processed into Ironwood. However, it is less well known that they can sometimes be afflicted with an eerie blight that causes their bark to grow pale and leak black sap. Every now and then, skilled apothecaries take this sap and use it to concoct an oily poison called Hebenon, which prevents its victims from being restored to life.

Loomis Flowers

Type: Plant
These dainty, sweet-smelling blooms are recognizable for their drooping Y-shaped petals, which can magically change color to camouflage themselves, shifting their appearance to match the sky directly above them. Though they have no nutritional or medicinal value to speak of, there is one property of the loomis flower that makes it one of the most coveted plants in the entire Multiverse: if exposed to the light of a full moon, a loomis flower’s petals will glow bright yellow. This glow is the only known way to attract an elusive species of ethereal moth. If handled correctly, the threadlike fibers produced by this species can be processed into a nearly indestructible material called wyrmsilk.

Threshounds

Type: Beast
These fearsome canines are the self-proclaimed guard dogs of the Nine Realms, vigilantly keeping restless souls from slipping back into the Material Plane after death. Similar to psychopomps, threshounds see themselves as caretakers of the afterlife, and thus hate anything that violates the sanctity of life, especially undeath. Their forms are like that of great black wolves, with slender frames that tower above most mortals and ghostly green eyes that seem to pierce the very soul. Occasionally, mortal mages attempt to use dark rituals that bend threshounds to their will, underestimating the keen minds that were blessed upon them by the Allfather himself, who some believe to be their creator.

Ychen

Type: Animal
These gargantuan oxen, once native to the chilly plains of western Zambesa (where they were just as prevalent as common cattle), now stand as some of the Material Plane’s last living megafauna. Eighty-six ych juveniles were coaxed aboard cramped ships during the onset of the Syzygy, along with a small herd of dire rams; however, only a few would survive the Grim Voyage due to the sheer volume of food and water required to sustain even one. Though all ychen are equally rare and valuable in the Isles, ych males are prized for their mighty strength and thunderous bellows, while the females are highly sought after for their protein-rich dairy and thick fleece-like fur.