Hello, Brynjar; it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I have given your entry a quick scan, and I am very impressed! Well-researched, well-written, extremely detailed, and thoughtfully and artfully constructed, your entry could have come from a veteran developer.

A few small things to consider:

1) Consider deleting the second comma: "Hearing is the ardol’s primary sense, and they rely heavily on it when they are out of the water, and vulnerable to land predators."

2) Consider splitting this sentence in two, the second specifying the danger to pup: "The blue-tongue is not a top predator of the north ice, and often falls prey to other predators, such as: the snow wolf, pinnip, white bear, carcal wild cat, dark stryke shark, the reintroduced Eanian warg, and pups are especially vulnerable to the snynx fur snakes." [You might also mention poachers here].

3) In your lore, you mention it was elves who over-hunted these darling little creatures, but consider that this is quite out of character for elves, who are accustomed to living harmoniously with nature. Perhaps it might have been some human tribe instead?

4) Generally, we capitalize the name of the creature in the entry (Blue-Tongue instead of blue-tongue). I assume the convention still holds, but I do not know for sure. Perhaps Artimidor can clarify.


A really spectacular entry, with so many rich details. I look forward to seeing more from you. If you have any questions or need any assistance, don't hesitate to ask. While most of my knowledge is likely antiquated, obviated, or forgotten, perhaps it might still be of some use.

And as it hasn't yet been my pleasure to say so, Welcome to Santharia.

Changes made--with pleasure. 

@Shabakuk: Thank you. I have taken all your suggestions. I'm glad you liked the story. I was going for something a bit darker, I suppose.

@Talia: It is ever so difficult to deny you, Talia!--the entry states that the flower grows on most any Santharian mountain. Let me know how I can change the entry to ensure it reaches all the regions where you wish for it to grow!

@Sparkle: I agree. I fashioned this little flower on a plant I recall seeing during the summer when plants still grew, and I think perhaps they were indeed a little waxy, so I have changed the entry.


Please let me know if there are any additional comments/suggestion.

Winter is melting, and so am I--from the jagged northern mountains toward the shallow river valley. The transformation comes slowly, the sun dispersing her light in fragments. And every chilly wind blows me back, and every night freezes me into ice, but there is enough of spring to occasionally shutter me into a warmer self.

How the time passes!--forgive me that I've been away so long. Winter has kept me to my chilly, internet-less house (or to the apartment of my friends, blessed with plumping and heaters!). But I am back, at least long enough to make some changes.


@Shabakuk: Thank you! Yes, Lewis Carroll's an old friend; I'm glad you picked up on two of my references! I was in a bit of whimsical mood when I wrote this originally (I must have been reading something fanciful! Now I'm dark and brooding from murder mysteries.  ) I have taken all your suggestions. Thank you!


@Sparkle: Thank you for your comments!--And it's a pleasure (I don't believe we've met before). I hope to get to know you through our tandem participation here. I agree with your comments to use more Santharian colour terms, and have incorporated these in some situations; at others, I have left them out. As you mention, sometimes it's difficulty to connect the colour term to the more terran term, color, or idea. Some of your comments (exclamation points, "oranger and oranger") I've decided not to take for stylistic reasons. Being heavily associated with Hobbits, I wanted this entry to have a bit more light-heartedness associated with it. I agree that sometimes we must curb our styles to ensure a level of consistency and understanding, but I think certain styles also make some entries more enjoyable and entertaining to read (like Shaba's!).

I've kept "somatic"; I don't have the same associations, I think, as you do. Somatic can be scientific, but it also developed a little whimsy from its root, "soma", which is associated in fantasy literature and video games as a kind of delicious drink/drink of the gods. (I think it's also used or referenced in the Vedas or some other story or stories of Indian origin?--don't quote me on that.) As for "not to over-water", I feared that Athviaro/Lief would appear wielding his fearsome axe of grammatical retribution and... chide me for splitting the infinitive, but if it sounds awkward, I have no qualms against changing it. For me, ease of understanding trumps grammatical correctness every time.

And mid-summer, according to dictionary, has a dash or else is a single word (midsummer). Because I use "early" previously, I wanted to imply some separation between "mid" and "summer".


If there are any other comments or suggestions, let me know. I would love to finish off this and many of the other entries. (... that's the murder mysteries talking.)

I thought corolla was the term for a single petal, but it seems I have my botanical nomenclature incorrect. I derive my image, at least for the general style of the petal, from the Calla lily, though the Harlot's hood doesn't have a point and is a bit thicker.

If you know the term for this sort of petal, let me know. Though as you can see... just one!

I made the correction and some changes with regards to the dyes. I want to keep the foot odour thing fairly general, since this, I would assume, is a relatively common treatment. Thank you, Mina!

How do we know? Probably wind, like all other such spores, but the spores are too tiny to see, so it's impossible to know what happens if they don't immediately find a rotting food source.

Change integrated. Thank you, Irid!

Glad you like it! Changes have been made. Let me know if there's anything else. 

a) Category: Flower


b) Overview: Harlot’s Hood grows in woods and copses in northern Santharia, in Vardynn and Nermeran provinces. Within the shadows of the trees, in the eerie twilight beneath the canopies, the Harlot’s Hood blooms in a brilliant crimson corolla, its thick, deep-green leaves stemming from its singular, sturdy stalk. Almost entrancing in its startling and seductive beauty, the Harlot’s Hood is often noted for its mysterious and dangerous allure.


c) Description: The Harlot’s Hood grows from a single, thick stem, around from which it’s thick leaves unfurl. The leaves can grow rather large, and a single plant will likely have no more than four or five of them at any one time. Colored a dark, deep green, they may extend to over a fore in length and nearly a palmspan wide, ending in a delicate point.

At its pinnacle, the plant blossoms into an elegant corolla—one silken petal colored a deep, dangerous, sensuous crimson, like the color of a lover’s lips. The flower is somewhat large, over a handspan in length, and smooth, soft, and seductive.

The plant itself grows no higher than a ped, though usually two fores is more common—just past a maiden’s knee. Growing from a bulb as a white as a maiden’s breast, the roots are stringy and do not venture very deep into the earth.


d) Territory: The Harlot’s Hood is somewhat particular concerning its territory, refusing to grow south of the Vandrina River or north of the Tandalas, or east of the Allsiscaey and Troll Mountains. It grows in well-shaded areas, usually deep in woods and copse, far from the patchy periphery. It can be found in Thaelon, Bolder, and Calmarios, though it will grow in smaller woods as well.

The Harlot’s Hood is not a terribly common plant, though it will often grow in the same place for many, many years. Many herbalists with customers requesting elixirs, potions, and tinctures made from the Harlot’s Hood usually know of at least one or two places from which they can harvest it.


e) Usages: The Harlot’s Hood flower, steam, and leaves are somewhat poisonous, capable of causing digestive issues, though not usually death. The bulb, however, is used frequently in mixtures that restore sexual energy. Because the plant is relatively difficult to come by, and the bulbs are rather rare, herbalists will generally only shave thin slices from a bulb , then tincture them in alcohol and mix them with other, sweeter-smelling herbs to create an elixir commonly called Etherine (sometimes also called Etherus’s Kiss, … it has a number of more unsavory names, as well).

Etherine is a staple of any Voldarian or Nyermersian brothel and whorehouse, frequently used by the working girls to restore or increase vigor after satisfying one of their customers. A few drops in water, tea, or a beverage of a more alchoholic inclination can help revive the consumer.


f) Reproduction: The Harlot’s Hood begins as a bulb, about the size of a hobbit’s fist. It starts by sprouting white, hair-like roots, and then a stem emerges. Leaves unfurl and the stem grows ever longer. When the temperature is right—the kind of warmth that comes around early summer—the plant begins to bloom its red flower. The flower can last months, lingering in the darkness of the wood and growing slow.

When autumn is settling a chill in the air, the Harlot’s Hood flower begins to fade. The flower itself falls away, and as the singular, silken petal crumbles into dust, it reveals a white bulb which, next year, will sprout hair-like roots and sprout a stem.

When winter comes, the plant fades, drowning in the freeze. Its leaves darken and fall, it’s stem wilts and both die away; the bulb, however, preserves itself, and can in fact produce a flower next year; a bulb can last for four or five years before becoming unfertile and wasting away beneath the earth.


g) Myth/Lore: It should come as no surprise that the Harlot’s Hood is generally associated with Etherus, God of Excess and Lust. The sensuous appearance of the flower coupled with its use as a sexual revitalizing elixir ties it distinctly to Etherus. The story of its origin, too, is tied to Etherus:

There was once a beautiful, lascivious prostitute, with seductively dark hair and eyes and lips of deep crimson. She one day journeyed out to a forest stream to bathe, wearing her red cloak. She undressed herself and bathed in the river. All at once, she saw a man moving through the forest: his eyes were a deep green, his hair dark and curly, and he had horns like that of a great buck. It was Arvins, God of the Hunt, and the woman found herself overcome with desire.

She left her clothes, grabbing only her red cloak to cover her, and journeyed after him. Arvins, who had no desire to lay with a mortal woman such as she, fled from her, and she found herself deep in the wood, nearly in throes with lust. Etherus, in sympathy, turned her into the Harlot’s Hood Flower, where she now blooms seductively.

There are also many tales involving the Harlot’s Hood. One well-known among prostitutes is the story of the Mistress.

It is said that a nobleman took a young woman as his mistress, a woman who fulfilled all his desires. However, when the nobleman’s wife discovered her husband and his mistress in bed together one night, she flew into a jealous rage. She murdered her husband, and the mistress flew to the nearby wood, the wife behind her. The mistress almost escaped, but tripped, and the noblewoman was soon upon her. With her knife, she murdered the mistress, and left her on the forest floor.

In the morning, the noblewoman returned to the forest to dispose of the mistress, but found her body there no longer; in it’s place were three Harlot’s Hood flowers, growing beautifully and seductively in the forest shade.

Changes integrated. Sorry it's not more Santharized. I will say that I referenced no other plant when writing it--it has no terran model. But without a myth to ties it to a god, it makes it harder to seem really well-integrated in the world. If you have a myth or story, or any other suggestions for Santharizing it a bit, please let me know! 

a) Categorisation: Flower


b) Overview: Sprouting unassumingly and quietly, Maiden’s Step (also called Maeggie’s Step) is a very small plant that blossoms in a cluster of tiny lavender flowers. It can be found in higher elevations on mountains throughout Sarvonia. From the Gathorn Mountains in the north to the Mithral Mountains in the south, Maiden’s Step has a wide territory. While it thrives on sunshine, it requires very little water and can take root in some of the sandiest, rockiest terrain.


c) Description: Maiden’s Step is a rather small plant, growing to an area barely larger than a maiden’s palm, though sometimes these plants may grow together. It does not grow very tall, but rather hugs the ground, unable or perhaps unwilling to contend with gravity, or else finding it safer to cling to the earth. It’s leaves grow no bigger than a baby’s fingernail, and are coloured a pale, dusty green. The leaves sometimes curl slightly, and are thick and waxy.

The flowers, which are almost always blooming, are about the size of the leaves, and are clustered. Each diminutive bloom contains five rounded lavender petals, which hold to the plant for weeks or even as long as a month (though occasionally, as flowers replace other flowers, it is hard to tell when one has gone and another, arrived). The plant may constantly bloom and produce seeds, which form at the base of the flower in seed pockets that eventually break. The seeds themselves, the size of grains of sand, are taken by the wind and flown across the mountain.

The stem of the plant is hidden behind the leaves and flowers, and is little more than a snaking chain connecting the leaves and flowers to the gray-coloured roots, which serve, not only to pull up what little moisture there is to be found in the earth, but to hold the plant securely in place.


d) Territory: Maiden’s Step grows exclusively on mountainsides, where the air is thin and the ground is more sand than dirt. It can be found on most any mountain in Sarvonia, from the Gathorn Mountains to the Oro Mountains, from the Nirmenith Mountains to the Tandalas, and all across the High and Lower Fores. Maiden’s Step can be found at the elevation where trees and most shrubs have stopped growing, venturing as high as almost any other plant can grow.


e) Usages: Maiden’s Step has little use to humans. Because the Maiden’s Step tends to grow in small, dispersed clumps rather than in large patches, it used to be common among some people to take someone to the hill, blindfold them, spin them about, and have them walk until they stepped upon a clump of Maiden’s Step. Based on the size, shape, and appearance of the clump, an elder or fortune-teller would tell the one who tread upon it what his or her fortune was. The practice is rarely followed today, usually only in more remote mountain villages in and around the Lower Fores and villages on the west side of the Mithral Mountains.

Maiden’s Step flowers are occasionally used by herbalists as a sweetener. Perhaps because of the drier conditions or the size of the bloom, the nectar of the Maiden’s Step flower is very concentrated. Herbalists may take a clump of flowers, boil out the nectar, and add it to potions and tinctures—particularly those for children or ones with a particularly repugnant aroma or taste. In some cases, the sweet taste and smell of the Maiden’s Step nectar can be used to mask some noxious poisons.


f) Reproduction: Maiden’s Step is slow-growing, but hardy and tough. It takes many months for a seed to get to flower. The first phase of growth involves the development of strong roots and a small leaf. Over the course of many weeks, the plant will spread, vining out and putting down roots, then leaves, before it begins to flower. It will then flower almost continuously.

Seasons matter little in the growth of the Maiden’s Step. Seeds can take root in late autumn, be stilled by winter freeze, and then start back up again when the snow melts. The Maiden’s Step can survive the winter, so long as it’s not too long, but can easily be killed if the snow melts too quickly or too slowly; too quickly and the plant will be shocked by the sudden heat, and too slow and rot or fungus will kill the plant before it can fully awaken out of its winter hibernation.

As the plant flowers, and the flowers fall away, small seed packets form, usually hidden behind existing blooms. When the packet matures, it splits, and the grain-like seeds spill out. Most will be whisked away by the winds that snake up and along the mountains, and flown to new lands to take root and grow.


g) Myth/Lore: The Maiden’s Step gets its name from the story with which it is often associated. The name of the maiden often changes from village to village; however, around the Mithral Mountains, it is almost unanimously purported to be Maeggie (or some slight derivative therein). Because the name is often debated, the story will be told here without naming the maiden:

It is said that once there was a lovely young maiden, fair and sweet and kind. She lived in a village by a great mountain, and lived peacefully with her loving parents. Alas, one day her parents died of a disease that took them both quite suddenly, and the maiden prayed to Grothar to turn her into rain so that she could wash away the tears.

The maiden became a maid to a cruel man and his jealous wife who lived at the base of the mountain. She was made to sweep the floor and launder the clothes, to cook the meals and make the beds, to wash the dishes and empty the chamber pots. And she was ever so lonely, and prayed to Grothar to turn her into a wind so she could blow away.

The man lusted for the young maiden, as she was sweet and fair. Many a night he made her share his bed, and she was miserable, for she did not love him. She prayed to Grothar to make her a cloud, so that she could float into the sky and forget everything.

It was not long before the jealous wife discovered that the maiden had shared her husband’s bed, and she was furious. In her rage, the wife threw burning coals into the maiden’s eyes, and thereafter, the maiden was blind and knew only darkness. She prayed to Grothar to make her sunlight that she might be able to know light once more.

Soon after, in the early morning, the maiden heard a voice calling her. She rose from her bed and followed the voice, leaving the house and treading up the great mountain.

When the cruel man and jealous wife awoke, they did not see the maiden anywhere, but saw the front door was open. From the front of the door and up the mountain were small purple flowers growing in clusters about the size of the maiden’s steps. They followed them up and up, scaling the great mountain. However, as they reached the top, the flower footsteps left off. When they looked up, they saw her peaceful face in the sky.

When the man and his wife returned home, they found their house had been blown to bits by a strange and sudden gale.

Talia wanted something for her fish to eat. I named the fish (Blue Flutterfish) because I wasn't given a name.

---

a) Categorization: Fruit


b) Overview: The Riverberry (also called the Blue Bavsberry, Water Wineberry, and Flutterfish Fruit), despite its name, does not grow exclusively in rivers. Apart from slow- or moderately-running rivers, the plant also grows in small streams, ponds, and lakes throughout Santharia, (where some motion is created by fish, frogs, or other water-dwelling creatyre) though it prefers warmer, more humid locations.

While it can be used as a dye, its generally only used for dying small stretches; it is more common for making sweet juices and sauces in small quantities. And of course, it is one of the primary foods comprising the diet of the Blue Flutterfish; in fact, the berry is often attributed as the source of the fish’s serenely blue colouration.


c) Description: The Riverberry is a fairly adaptable plant, and it’s difficult to know whether to consider a water plant or not; while it will grow out from the soils in the bottom of lakes and streams, it is also content to grow by the river- or lake-side, vining out from the damp yet submerged soil and dipping itself into the water.

The leaves are long and tendril-like, growing up to a fore long, but always remaining on the surface of the water, neither sinking below nor lifting above. It’s easy buoyancy comes from small air pockets along the underside of each leaf. As might be expected, the leaves are a bit thicker than most, and are a deep green—with, perhaps, the slightest hint of blue.

The stems of the Riverberry plant is strong and sturdy as a dwarf, capable of holding leaves and fruits against the moving waters of the river or stream in which it grows. As though to contrast the slender leaves, waving nonchalantly in the currents, the stem is stalwart and strong, coloured a deep greenish-brown, though it is sometimes half-hidden in the water. The roots of the Riverberry often run deep. Greenish-white, they dig deep into the earth and hold tight, anchoring the plant and keeping it from slipping away.

When conditions are right, the Riverberry will bud and flower in little clusters of light blue flowers. These endearing little blooms, sometimes called Riverbuds or Riverblooms, are usually about half the size of a maiden’s little finger, and they sit contently upon the water, inviting river insects and butterflies to land upon them to rest and drink. Their little pointed petals are soft and thin—and when the bloom fades, the petals drift away into the river.

Soon after the bloom has gone, a collection of green berries begins to form beneath where the flower floated, submerged in the water. Taking nutrients from the water and sunlight from the leaves, the fruit ripens and the berries get larger, growing in clusters of 10 or more. The base from which they grow is buoyant, keeping the berries from sinking. Beneath the surface, the berries resemble wineberries, though they taste a bit seedier than their land-based cousins.

The Riverberry plant rarely grows very large. It grows to the height needed to reach the surface (or the water) and if it branches, only does so twice or thrice. While one plant may create many flowers, not all the flowers will turn to fruit, and one plant can usually only sustain 3 or 4 clusters at most.


d) Territory: The Riverberry plant grows here and there throughout Sarvonia, as far as _________ and as far south as Bardavos. It does not generally grow with any great gusto, but chooses its place of growth carefully. It is as though the seed had thoughtfully considered its stretch of water and soil before putting down roots, making sure to choose a place with plenty of sun (though not too much) in a stream or river with a gentle current (but not too much) in a place where the air has ample moisture (though not too much rain) in soil that is firm enough to anchor it (but not so firm as to prevent good rooting).

While the Riverberry grows in many rivers throughout Sarvonia and especially in Santharia (such as the Thaevil), it will tend toward areas where the river is shallower and gentler. It likes little streams, particularly those near a copse in places where the weather is warm and humid. While it doesn’t mind slightly saltier waters, it refuses to grow in seawater. It should also be noted that the fruit from Riverberry plants growing in saltier waters are themselves a bit salty, and not very appetizing.

The Riverberry plant is not an overly difficult plant for a gardener to tend, provided he or she knows what he or she is doing, and makes a lovely addition to any fish pond. This plant is ubiquitous in and around fishponds in the gardens of thanes and dukes across Santharia. Recent trade with Nybelmar suggests it may be found in gardens there, too, though such rumours  (while likely true) remain unsubstantiated.


e) Usages: The Riverberry has a number of usages, though most revolve around its small berries. Despite growing in water, the Riverberry is not watered down, either in taste or colour. In fact, it seems to be more potent, as though growing in water had helped to suck the wateriness out of the berry (almost like the way a bath prunes the fingers, removing them of water).

While the berry is sweet (and a bit sour), it is also filled with small seeds. Given age, these seeds will soften and can be ground up in the juices of the berry and served in various dishes without anyone getting them stuck between his or her teeth.  Although frequently found in sauces (Riverberry sauce pairs wonderfully with taenish and pork), juices (often mixed with other juices or strong liquor), and as a garnish for stuffing (for any wild fowl), it is quite popular as a sweet liqueurs, generally served as a kind of desert wine. Because of the moderate rarity of Riverberries, the consumption of such foodstuff is often rare, or else reserved for those who have the wealth to pay.

Those who enjoy consuming the berry occasionally must compete against those preferring to use the Riverberry as a dye. It soaks and sets quickly into fabrics and has a bright blue colour. Again, it’s rarity generally reserves it for detail work, though it is said that in the 1300’s a thane from Voldar once had a tunic and cape dyed completely by Riverberries. Its use was specified, not only because of the brilliant colour, but because of the sweet aroma of dye, which perfumed the cloth exquisitely. It is said the thane wished to woo a noble lady—and indeed, succeeded.

Apart from the better-known uses for the Riverberry, the plant itself has some use to herbalists. The leaves are particularly useful in the treatment of rashes—particularly rashes that burn or otherwise feel hot (it should be noted that this does not included rashes actually caused by burns, but rather rashes that feel as though they are burning). When the leaves or torn, the tear excretes a thick, gooey substance that can be applied directly to the skin to help cool it. The substance is gentle and safe, but should not be used on large gashes in the skin or around (ahem) sensitive areas. For those kinds of burning, higher-level herbalists will be able to treat the leaves for safe use or recommend some other remedy.

The Riverberry is often used as a decorative plant in many gardens, particularly in those paying some tribute to the goddess Baveras, and it is often grown in ponds and lakes that house the Blue Flutterfish. Consumption of the deep blue berries is attributed as the reason for the colour of the Flutterfish’s brilliant cerulean scales.


f) Reproduction: The Riverberry’s seed sews itself into the fertile, moist bottom of a shallow stream or lake, or else in the rich bank. It requires a great deal of water, and so usually grows most quickly in the spring, when the snow of winter melts and once-dry riverbeds flow again. Rarely will the river-level rise more quickly than the Riverberry plant; it can grow with great haste to meet the river.

In late spring or early summer, many Riverberry plants will begin to bloom. Not all blooms result in fruit, and so it may be that the Riverberry may bloom for weeks—even months, and only produce a dozen or so clusters in that time (though never more than four at one time). As long as it is warm and humid, as long as the weather is sunny and fair, the Riverberry will bloom and grow: in many parts of southern Santharia, the Riverberry blooms and produced fruit from late spring until early autumn. Under the careful hand of an expert gardener, the Riverberry will bloom and produce fruit all year long.

When a fruit-producing blossom has faded, and her petals have fallen away, her base will sprout a collection of tiny, bright green berries. Over the course of several weeks (sometimes as long as a month and a half in some places), the berries will plump and darken, ripening to a deep blue.

What fish—or deer, or other woodland creature—could resist? These creatures often gobble up the berries when they have ripened. When overripe, the berries drift away themselves, pulled from the stem by the current of their watery home. Whether by fish traveling upstream or currents moving downstream or deer venturing to another stream entirely, the seeds wander. Once dropped by their host in a suitable location, the seeds wait until suitable conditions propitiate their growth.

Many wild RIverberry plants will die when their streams dry up. In warmer places, where such things are more likely, the Riverberry grows with greater haste. In colder places, where the streams may stay wetter longer, the growing period may be slower, and it may eventually be the chill of winter that kills the plant. However, in a garden, where a green thumb may nurture the plant, the Riverberry may grow and thrive for many years before it wearily expires at last.


g) Myth/Lore: The Blue Flutterflish, because of its colour and environment, is deeply connected with Baveras, and is found frequently in her shrines and temples. Because the Riverberry is not only a favorite food of the Flutterfish but also the source of it’s striking cerulean hue, it has, too, come to be associated with Baveras, growing in her temple’s garden ponds and streams to feed her tranquil Blue Flutterfish.

However, in some villages in the southeast of Santharia, there is a tale associated with the plant that more deeply tied it to Baveras. It is as follows:

It is said there was once a young man, well-loved by all, who fell in love with a young maiden who had dedicateed herself to the worship of Baveras. The young man pleaded to be accepted by the young maiden, but though she loved him dearly, she refused him.

The young man was distrait and heartbroken, and wept bitterly, Baveras (in some tales, Grothar), taking pity on the man, turned him into a stream so that his sorrows would no longer harm him, and he might find peace in bringing peace to others.

Whe the villagers discovered what had happened to the young man, they were outraged, for he was well loved by all of them. They turned against the poor maiden, accusing her of using foul magics to seduce and then injure the heart of the poor young man. They refused to believe her protestations to the contrary, and bound her, and tied a stone to her ankles, and threw her into the stream.

But Baveras had pity for the poor girl, and as the maiden sank into the water, the Goddess of the Sea transformed her into a Riveryberry plant. In this way, the young maiden and the young man were together at last.

The Riverberry can also be found in a myth amoung the Eyelians.  That story is as follows:

It is said that long ago, when the sky were still new and the earth had not yet known the blood of war, Grandmother Eagle dined heartily on the fish in a stream. She would soar above with her eagle-wings, and watch the currents with her eagle-eyes, then catch fish with her eagle-talons and devour them. And she was well-fed.

Then, all at once, she could not catch fish. She would be soaring with her eagle-wings, and would see the fish with her eagle-eyes, and grab at them with her eagle-talons, but catch nothing by which to feed herself.

So Grandmother Eagle settled herself down near the bank and called to the Grandfather Fish: “Why is it I cannot catch you?”

The Grandfather Fish looked up at Grandmother Eagle and said, “Have you not thus far dined well?”

“Yes,” she said. “Until now, I have been blessed by many fish.”

“Great blessing requires great sacrifice,” said Grandfather Fish.

Grandmother Eagle then understood. And she pulled out six feathers from her wings and tossed them in the river. Then tore one of her talons, and tossed it into the river. Then she removed one of her blue eyes and tossed it into the river. “These are my sacrifices to you for the blessings you give.”

The feathers became long green leaves. The talon became stem and roots. The eye became a blue flower, and all of them became the RIverberry plant.

“Your sacrifice has been accepted,” said Grandfather fish, and he disappeared into the water. From that day on, Grandmother Eagle was blessed with fish.

Change made. Thank you, Ath! And I write them when I am at home with no internet (sometimes no power). But they really don't take very long to write, as long as you're making it short and sweet. 

Hi Talia! It has been a bit chilly lately (particularly this morning, probably because it was the morning after a snow). Entries are usually relatively easy to do in the evenings (if I have time), since I don't require an internet connection to write them. I work with the stored Santharian knowledge I have to fill them out.  

[BTW: I just posted a new blog about pet culture; the content is a bit sad, but there are lots of cute pictures of mini mew  ]

purple-blue is a color. It is purple mixed with blue. Or blue mixed with purple.

The frogstool probably wouldn't do as food for your blue fish, as your fish are very, very blue and the frogstool is a bit away from the water. However, I might be able to conjure something up to feed your fish. Do they have a name? They are quite lovely!

I'm not sure how available I'll be, at least the beginning of this week. We're doing a lot of (fun) stuff for Halloween. I'll post pictures on my blog so you can see.    We also have a seminar coming up soon I have to prepare for. Crazy busy! I hope things are going well with you.