Moongrass
is a semi-rare, purple tinted, dark grass which grows mostly in northern
Santharia. The upper part of each blade
contains a very small amount of poison, so the plant is fairly notorious, and
has been being called "Assassin Weed", despite not being a weed at all. It may
also produce a small variety of flavours as a spice, although not common among
the upper, nor lower classes. The reason that it was growing in places so
isolated from more Moongrass was disputed for years, until it was discovered it
was being spread by animals. - Note: This plant should not be confused with
Moonmoss, the faintly phosphorescent and highly absorbent spongy moss which has
a variety of benign uses.
Appearance. Moongrass
is fairly rare, but grows in large patches. One would be lucky to see a field of
Moongrass of any size, especially illuminated by moonlight, as it catches the
eye with its purple tint upon the black night. Moongrass does not live very long
at all, to an average age of approximately one month. It seems the longer this
grass grows to be, the shorter its lifespan is. Moongrass that is three
nailsbreadths seems to live
two months, while Moongrass that is one
fore lives to approximately
two weeks. Sometimes you may actually see Moongrass growing. As it grows, it
turns from black, with a slightly purple tint, but when it dies, it changes to
white with a yellow tint. The dead Moongrass quickly decomposes and turns the
dirt to a dark grey colour, thus making the earth
much better for more Moongrass to thrive.

Territory.
This grass grows only in the region of today's
Santharian kingdom, mostly in the north. The grass is concentrated south and
west of Nyermersys, and along the eastern
coast. It has been spotted at certain places along the western coast as well,
and especially Voldar. It thrives on flat
plains and coastal regions, and may also be found around hills and bases of
mountains. It grows throughout the year, seemingly unaffected by the weather. It
seems that the darker an area is, the better the grass is, and the more potent
the poison.

Usages.
Moongrass is completely safe to touch, but the tips make a deadly poison when
ingested in large amounts, so as one might guess, poison is what it is exactly
what it is used for. Curiously, it seems to have less of an effect on certain
tribes of elves and
Brownies. As for cooking, the base of
Moongrass may be prepared as a spice, and if prepared right, it may have a sweet
taste, much like that of a fruit. The base of Moongrass is fairly expensive for
most, but not very common as a delicacy among the upper-classes.

Reproduction.
After Moongrass dies, there is a good chance that more will sprout from the
earth where the grass once
stood. Although, there is also a chance that entire fields may disappear a few
days after death. It's not a well known fact that Moongrass spreads to distant
areas because of various animals walking through the fields in the past,
spreading the tiny droplets of poison from the grass to another potential field.
Once the small patch grows, it soon dies, and may produce even more, eventually
spreading to quite a distance, assuming it doesn't fail to sprout more grass.

Myth/Lore.
An old legend has been told for longer than anyone can remember,
about a beautiful, yet bitter female
Erpheronian noble just south of
Nyermersys. The most common version tells that a charming knight came from
faraway lands to court the lady, and did so for many months, but she would never
so much as look at him. After a year, the knight was still just as infatuated
with her as ever, if not more. She began to notice him more and more, until one
night, she realized she actually cared for him, and ordered her servant to
deliver to him a note, telling him to meet her in the courtyard when the
sun could no longer be seen. Not long after,
she received a five page reply accepting her offer, and describing how beautiful
she was.
That night, she sat and waited for her love, but he didn't arrive, for unknown
reasons. Sometimes, however, the tale would describe how he had been slain by a
jealous servant, or he had fled, and returned to another noble who had hired him
to deliver to her the biggest insult she had ever received. In every version
told, the maiden cries under the light of the full moon, and from her tears
sprouts the first Moongrass, and she wanders from her home, never seen again.
The patch of strange grass soon covers the entire courtyard, beautiful like the
maiden, yet poisonous like her personality.
There is also tale, a much more believable tale one might add, of an
Erpheronian alchemist from
Voldar, known only as Korash, who is said to
have produced the first poison from the plant. He heard a rumor that a
traveller, overcome with hunger, died after ingesting a large handful of the
grass. After further investigation at the edge of the
Bolder Forest, it was a simple matter
of squeezing the tips into a small vial, and testing it on a small animal,
mostly believed to have been an unfortunate
kuatu.

26th Turning Star
1668 a.S. |
Information provided by
Tobac Indalen
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