Mandrakes

Mandrakes are a rare vegetable found growing across Vilstrung. A dangerous narcotic, the mandrake root is outlawed in many places and steeped in superstition.

Anatomy

Mandrakes are root vegetables with a knobbly, bulging root system that resembles a shrivelled human curled in the fetal position. Their scrunched faces hold thick, blue-tinged leaves that sprout from the tops of their heads. Their stems are particularly firm and rigid, makign it fairly easy to pluck a mandrake from the soil with enough careful force.   Mandrake roots hold a sedative sap in them that makes them mostly inedible. Animals typically avoid them entirely, but this doesn't stop them from being harvested for their unqiue properties.

Folklore

Mandrakes are also sometimes called Mimic Root; they flourish in particularly cold climates with inhospitable soil but are most prominent growing nearby groves that are populated with Mylings or mimics.   Villish folklore says that a Mandrake is a mark of the unburied. When somebody dies without a funeral, the snow and frost eventually buries them instead, where they slowly shrivel up into roots before sprouting leaves from their head.

Uses

Mandrakes are used for a variety of uses; Alchemists generally prefer to use them as a simple sedative. They're a fairly rare ingredient, and are often dangerous due to being found in groves overran by Mylings. They make for a decent price on the market as a result, both to Alchemists and in the black market.   Mandrake sap is very potent and hardly even needs to be distilled or concentrated to take effect. Its poison is harmless, but can lead to unconsciousness that lasts for hours.

As a Narcotic

"You sucking the drake again?"

Mandrake is a very popular drug in the North; while not necessarily outlawed, it's certainly taboo and frowned upon for being used by lazy hedonists. Meat isn't affected by things ingesting it, though, which leads to it being a popular poison when used in hunts, though some Villish people find the use of it cowardly.   Mandrake root isn't just a sedative; it's a hallucinogenic drug that causes intense, vivid dreams to the imbiber. These dreams vary from person to person but generally always end with a feeling of euphoria upon waking. It is very easy to get addicted to Mandrake root as a result.