#troll forest

[trollmaker]

[suvetar-amethyst-dream]

Autumn vibez. Magic of Swedish forests. ~ follow me on Instagram

[peikonlainen]

Sketchwork of my troll grandma with their grandkid. I felt nostalgic for them and had to draw them without thinking about it deeply while watching Infinity train with @niksunaksu89 two weeks ago.

Click for better quality, tumblr doesn't care apparently ~

[herbalcompendium]

Sea Stalks

Colloquial Names: Sailor’s Noose, Southsage Root, Gentle Warning, Widow’s Wail Physical Description: This plant, when held in my clutches, feels like the memory of a thing. The herbs of Kul Tiras are as ancient and storied as the isle itself, dredged in something far more than the waters which they frequently lie. Such is true with the sea stalk. It is an interesting looking little bloom, a pale, pea green to turquoise along its feathery, small leaves and fleshy, translucent stems. The leaves cluster underneath like the nest of a bird, giving way to long, soft, slender stems and cradling emerging blooms. The true mark of beauty of this herb, however, is its gentle flowers. They present almost poppy-like, a scaffolding of pastel petals - most commonly pink, albeit I’ve heard of other colors emerging on rare occasion. The sea stalk grows, as its name would suggest, near banks where water flows freely, or the shores of the great ocean itself.  Described Usage: For each plant in the isle, a certain reverence, a certain animus and mythos walks along with it. For the sea stalk, it is an omen that some consider a blessing, and some a curse. As the story goes, the stalk of a sea stalk is the particulate infused with the most power, alchemically - but also in another way. The stalk of the plant can live by itself, removed from the sand gently. It is customary for a sailor to take the bloom of a single stalk, leaving the stalk itself with a loved one. As the sea stalk requires some measure of fresh water to live, either stored within or gathered from the ground, exposure to salt water will kill the bloom. Thusly, if the bloom-carrying sailor finds himself in the clutches of saltwater- overboard, or a ship sinking, the stalk in the hands of the sailor’s loved one will wither inward, dying as the bloom does, the sailor does, withering as the heart of the loved one does. Hence the colloquial name it finds - Widow’s Wail. I have actually seen this happen, and the sound is like no other - the sound of a heart breaking. Many think this tradition ill-advised, but I carry several stalks close to me, now, several blooms in my hair. For I’d rather know than be left to wonder, and return the favor to those whom care for me so dearly. Alchemically, the stalk of the herb has an interesting properties. A certain prudence of Kul Tiras is to never gather a plant to the point of ending its life - a tenet I adhere to. The stalks only need a gentle milling in warm, fresh water to coax out their potent properties. A certain sort of preparation blessed by ocean water or Tidesage transfigures one into a misted pale cloud, and allows safe passage over water - aptly called a sea mist potion. To ask the ocean for its blessing, find a seed of the sea stalk and plant it in pale sand, then submerge the capped vial in the ocean and ask earnestly. Should the ocean listen, the draught will turn to a bright green, resembling seaglass. A small measure is said to be carried by fortunate sailors in their time of need.

[herbalcompendium]

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. 

[fisherken]

Hestehave Forest by leo nielsen Via Flickr: Troll-like trees Here are coastal cliffs with crooked beech trees stretching their troll-like limbs towards Kalø Vig...The name Troldeskoven, which literally means the Troll Forest, was given its name because of the shapes of the trees...The trees in Troldeskoven is a remarkable sight, which is cause by the origin of the beech but also due to the condition in which they have grown. ..Each of trees typically has more stems, some will even have 20-23 stems. When they have been cut down, new shoot will grow from both the stub and root, which will eventually become new stems. Therefore, these beeches can be cut down more times, as they will grow yet again.

[endlesshunger]

Big Troll, Bernheim Forest, Kentucky, 2020

[herbalcompendium]

Wildvine

Colloquial names: Strong-grow, Ironvine, Atal’fon (devoted lone one, roughly, in Zandali)

Physical Description: Wildvine is a small, creeping vine that only grows in Troll ruins, along the rivers of Stranglethorn, and on the petals of Felwood’s Purple Lotus. The only safe place to retrieve the herb is by untwining it from the petals of the lotus, but this is not advised unless it drops with a petal naturally, as the two seem to have a symbiotic relationship. It is a slender stalked, yellowy woodvine with heart-shaped leaves and conical clusters of small purple flowers. The plant seems to volunteer its flowers to passing insects, protecting the lotus. The vine has remarkable regenerative properties- a new complete plant can grow from a small segment of cut herb, and the flowers and length of the vine flourish rapidly. I have seen a new floral cluster replace a completely consumed one in less than a day. The other location in which this vine has been observed is amongst the Vilebranch trolls of Jintha’alor, in the Hinterlands. They seem to use it as living armor. Bound with the hides of beasts, this strong vine is both a natural camouflage and a resilient cover from attacks. Some adventurous leatherworkers use it in such a manner to create what is known as “wild leather”. It is a good option for the traveler that requires cover from enemies, or passes places of repair infrequently. Great clusters of Wildvine cover the temple city of Jintha’alor, but venturing near this forest troll territory is ill-advised.

Described Usage: A cluster of Wildvine’s flowers can be crushed with a petal of Purple Lotus and water to make Wildvine Potion. This brightly pink hued liquid restores vitality and magical energy to the user at a rather accelerated rate. The translucent, heart-shaped leaves of the woodvine can be used to bandage the skin, bonding with wounds to stop blood loss or patch areas of lost skin. It is highly useful in treating scrapes and burns. The flowers themselves are restorative. Crushed and applied to wounds, they provide increased wound healing. Eaten raw, they are a powerful antifungal and antiparasitic, used by troll and man alike to treat bodily infestation.