Cinderbloom
A plant not of Azeroth that can thrive in arid, damp, and even molten environments.
Colloquial names: Firelord’s Bouquet, Burn Poppy, Burning Miracle, Embers of the Rolling Fog
Physical Description: Cinderbloom is a planet not native to Azeroth, and rather was brought this world by the Cataclysm. It is said when the destroyer fractured the planet, he also managed to rip open several gateways to the elemental planes of Azeroth. One such plane, the Firelands, opened in Mt. Hyjal, causing massive devastation to its ecosystem. With it, however, came Cinderbloom. Unlike Firebloom, the native fiery planet of Azeroth, Cinderbloom does not contain an oil as the result of its burning qualities, and instead is in itself on fire. Cinderbloom stems are long, skinny, and glow an with orange or red flare at the plants bloom. Its leaves appear to flicker and ember like an open flame. The “blooms” are a brilliant orange gout of flame, everburning. Cinderbloom burns to the touch, and must be handled with proper care upon harvest. As the plant is rather voracious to even the strongest leather, I suggest a thick application of frost oil to the hands, or a simple set of metal tongs. Despite being of a different elemental plane, it is adaptable to many environments. There have been reports of Cinderbloom patches growing in areas as far away as Uldum, and even across the world in the Twilight Highlands. These appearances are most assuredly caused by adventurers carrying Cinderbloom seeds, which burn through bag and pocket like living embers. Cinderbloom has also been seen growing in Deepholm, next to molten pits of the destroyer’s blood. Of these places, however, the most curious case of Cinderbloom growth has been on the islands of Tol Barad. Tol Barad, the prison colony of the Alliance, has since fallen into disrepair, but remains a very hotly contested area of the world. It is a dreary, dark, and wet island, which only makes the plant’s presence there more curious. The legend of Cinderbloom on Tol Barad also goes much further than it’s appearance, and has even taken on a more spiritual and fantastical tone. A popular story among Baradin Wardens is that Cinderbloom grows massive in the deep fog, standing like a pillar of fire. The wardens believe it is capable of scattering its embers and combusting, immolating unaware patrols. While this may seem unbelievable, after a dense fog on the islands, it wasn’t uncommon to see stalks of Cinderbloom slashed in two across the isles, leaves burning piles of brush on the ground. Ironically, this is what started most of the fires I observed.
Described Usage: Cinderbloom is as versatile alchemically as it is environmentally. Its plumage does not fade for several days after plucked from the earth, and must be transported in a fire-safe container. My personal preference is to encase its container in shadowfrost, but a beeswax-lined container in a jar of frost oil works just as well. Cinderbloom works best in a process called “quenching”, where the leaves and blooms are dissolved in a vial of lukewarm water. Ocean water seems to work better than pure water with salt dissolved within it. The lukewarm base mixture is called Cinder tincture, and combined with other tinctures to create a myriad of potions. The tincture remains warm to the touch, and glows with flecks of orange phosphorescence. Combined with a tincture of Azshara’s Veil, it creates a red, ever-boiling concoction called Volcanic Potion. When ingested, it greatly increases intellect for a period of time, but this wisdom comes with a high fever until the effect wears off. The ocean water’s temperature and time of collection influence Cinderbloom’s reaction and dilution. Strangely, colder ocean water collected at night makes not just a basic Cinderbloom dilution, but a potion of its own kind. It’s an interesting reaction to observe under the moonlight- when a fistful of the plant is placed into the vial, it fizzles out, dissolving into small glowing particles. It swirls within like a cascade of living ember, suspended in the ocean water, which remains permanently dark as the sea from which it came. This reaction creates a potion called a Ghost Elixir, causing the imbiber to shimmer, the tips of their limbs becoming translucent. It provides an interesting advantage in battle, letting blows pass nearly through someone as they would a spirit. The fiery plant can also be used as a catalyst for the focusing stones alchemists use known as Philosopher's Stones. It can be used to create Lifebound, Quicksilver, Vibrant, and Volatile Alchemist Stones, each providing a different foci. The plant can also be used to create Ember Topazes when transmuted with Hessonite, emblazoning living flame within the gemstone.
