Riverbud
Colloquial Names: Stream’s Blessing, Woodsfiddle, Wandertrue, Ma’da Watha, (Zuldazar colloquial. Swamp, bayou, water, or woods-mother. I believe the most literal translation is woods-mother, albeit this is variant by region.) Physical Description: Riverbud, as one would expect, grows anywhere nearby the banks of fresh or brackish water, if not within the shallows of the waters themselves. It is an interesting plant, clearly water-loving, resembling a cluster of fiddlehead ferns in composition. Its new buds are a beautiful chartreuse, dappling to a dark pine with flecks of bronze, resembling a copper patina, as they age. The most interesting trait, however, is the one that gives its common name. Within each mature fiddlehead are living, rounded aqueous structures holding water and nutrients. These buds are a teal to turquoise in coloration, almost completely transparent and lined with a thin, clear membrane. Each pod is held securely by the curled fiddlehead, cradled to life next to each of its sisters. This is somewhat of a keystone species for both Zuldazar and Kul Tiras. That is to say, a species crucial to the thriving or biodiversity of a region. Most river-faring and land animals eat Riverbud as one of their main sources of food, the buds providing both intense hydration and nutrients to the ingesting animal. To those wandering in the wood parched by thirst, this plant is known as “Stream’s Blessing” or “Wandertrue”, and has allowed many a wanderer to get home safely when they otherwise would have succumbed to the wilderness. To that end, Riverbud is in danger of becoming scarce, due to being over-eaten by the animals of the isles. If you intend to harvest it, you should also plant a few of its buds in the surrounding ground. For what is taken from the world must be given back in equal measure.
When harvesting Riverbud, one should do so cautiously, and only harvest the largest fiddleheads with buds at full maturation. Simply slice at the base of the fiddlehead and pinch the juicy stem closed gently, until it seals itself. The buds are interconnected to the fiddle, and the water will run from most of them if not harvested in this way. A few extra buds can be found within the root system of each fiddle, the roots curling in a somewhat beautiful symmetry, mirroring the plant above. This technique, of pinching and sealing, can be used to gently thereafter remove each pod from its home, if done carefully enough.
Described Usage: Riverbud’s water in and of itself, as aforementioned, is a powerful substance of rejuvenation. The liquid, when heated and left to reduce for a few minutes, produces a light sapphire tincture known as a coastal mana potion, a strongly rejuvenating draught for spellcasters to restore magical energies. The buds combined with the stalks of sea stalk in an 8:10 or 10:15 ratio will produce a bright yellow-green liquid known as a steelskin potion, hardening the skin and repelling water, useful for travel and battle alike when imbibed or rubbed on the skin. Combined with teaspoons of Siren’s Pollen, the plant’s second, in equal ratio and preparation above provides a deeply magenta-hued elixir known as a potion of bursting blood. This liquid, when imbibed, warms the blood considerably, causing capillaries to sometimes painlessly burst and pour like liquid metal upon anyone who harms the imbiber. This is doubly true for any blood shed whilst under the effects of this potion.
