Tears of the Deep

Tears of the Deep is a rare, silvery tea brewed from the petals of a fragile subterranean blossom known as Vailroot, which can only be found in The Hollow Beneath—the forbidden ruins that lie under Pluvia’s mountain roots.

The tea is whispered about in Pluvia’s older songs and remembered in fragments of stories passed down quietly. It is said to ease pain that can’t be touched—deep grief, lingering guilt, or the confusion of a fragmented mind. Those who drink it describe warmth blooming in the chest, often followed by vivid dreams or recovered memories. It is especially revered among those who have suffered great loss.

But the ingredients cannot be bought. The Vailroot flower and Hollowshade only blooms in the presence of the twin guardians of the Hollow.

Because while the tea offers healing... its harvesting comes at a cost.

Repeated exposure to the Hollow while human can result in a mysterious affliction—unofficially known as the Hollowing, a condition where a person’s sense of self begins to blur. Memory slips. Emotions fade or intensify unpredictably. Some begin to see the guardians in their dreams, or hear voices echoing even in the rainless days.

As a result, Tears of the Deep is rarely made, and when it is, it’s prepared in great secrecy by only a few herbalists who dare venture close enough to the veil. Most citizens have only heard of it in stories.

And yet, it remains legendary. A cup left on a grieving person’s windowsill. A vial carried into battle by those who expect not to return.
A final comfort, brewed from the place no human should go.