THE
SQURIM
MOSS
("STONE
MOSS") |
Squrim Moss is a moss growing in Northern Sarvonia, particularly in the east, growing around the Vindel Mountains and the open plains and heaths around that area. They are in some areas also called “Stone Moss” for their growing on stones and even pieces of clay or bits of gravel - though they shouldn't be confused with the similar sounding rock moss (rockwool, weavemoss). They tend to take on a dark grey colouration, often with hints of green near their tips. The Squrim Moss tends to grow small patches, but may grow close together on the same rock.
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Image description. Stone Moss as it is growing in the heaths of North Sarvonia. Picture by Bard Judith. |
Appearance. The
Squrim Moss is rather un-extraordinary in appearance. The leaves and stems of
the plant are contained within small offshoots of the roots, which usually grow
no more than two nailsbreadths
in length, though one
nailsbreadth is far more common. From these sprouts grow a bunch of smaller
hair-like protrusions. The plant uses these hair-like
pieces to feed. Most of the plants nutrition comes from the
air around them, and the hairs gather up
bits of nutrients in the air
before the entire off-shoot retracts, curling up and
seeming to “digest” this food, before uncurling to begin collecting again.
The Squrim Moss has a very shallow yet extremely effective root system. Because
it grows off rocks and stones, it must have a very strong anchor to keep it
connected to its substrate. The root branches into many different root chords
and different widths that fit perfectly into small cracks in the rock. The Moss'
roots aren’t just used for anchoring. A lot of the minerals the pant receives
come from the rock it feeds on, though usually not enough to destroy the rock it
is connected to too quickly. If such happens, it will usually connect to
the next closest available rock.
The root system produces a sort of weak acid that can slowly break up the bits
of rock, and the plant will absorb these minerals. This acid is also used to
make cuts into the rock if there aren’t enough places
to hold on to. The Moss is very well adapted to its environment, and known for
being a hardy plant.
The Squrim produces flowers annually in the late spring when the cold is melting
away. The flowers grow rather fast, uncurling from the brushy sprouts of the
plant, and raising its head high above them. The stem of the flower is
completely hairless, and is small with four grayish pink petals extending from a
powdery yellow center from where the pollen of the plant drifts into the air. A
single plant, depending on size, can produce tens of these little flowers.
The seeds of the Suqrim Moss form out of the flowers,
and hang heavy on the stem in a nutshell to bend it slightly. In early autumn,
they fall and break into hundreds of tiny seeds. The
nutshell itself is a grayish-red color, sometimes a grayish brown, and the seeds
appear small and dull-tan. The nutshells are rarely more than a
nailsbreadth in diameter.
Territory.
The Squrim Moss grows in the
chilly parts of
Northern Sarvonia,
growing occasionally in Cyhalloi, as well, typically on Guldor, though it can be
found on other islands as well. It is more prominent in northeast
Sarvonia, though, especially around the
Vindel Mountains and the Stone Fields of Peat. Squrim Mosses
also make their homes on the rocks on plains and hilly areas. Because of their
means for obtaining food, they really aren’t particular about their location: as
long as it’s cool, rocky, and has a good supply of
air coming through, they are quite content.
Usages.
The Squrim shoots are not a tasty treat, having a rather gritty, bland taste to
it. They are, however, extremely healthy, and it is
believed that they help making one stronger and tougher.
The Squrim plant has an excellent assortment of minerals that it extracts from
the stones. Because of its not-so-succulent taste, however, it remains a rather
small part of the
Northern Sarvonian diet.
Roots are also eaten. Although the roots produce acid, it is not strong enough
to cause much damage. The roots are rather pungent, and though not eaten on its
own, they are commonly used in the production of
alcohol to add a bit more taste to the drink.
Many animals living in the Stone Fields of Peat, such as the
cragok
goat and the
stone
mouse, eat this plant as part of their limited
diet, and in this way, the Squirm Moss is extremely
important to the delicate ecosystem of these hills.
Myth/Lore.
The following story is told by the Kuglim
Mergok Klindestor, translated by the
Aellenrhim Lindia Surquel:
A long, long time ago,
when the world was newer and the sky clearer, and the people lived in
greater harmony, there was a lovely young maiden named
Rika whose beauty was incomparable. Her soft hair fell in elegant tresses
down her back, and her figure was lithe and slender as the rustling birch.
This woman so fair, however, knew of her own beauty, and she wore elegant
dresses, whittling away her money of jewelry and clothes. She flirted with
every young male that passed her by, and she spent hours admiring herself
in the mirror or a piece of glass – even a pool of water. She believed
herself more beautiful than even the gods. |
It is believed that the
gods symbolized this tale through the creation of the Squrim Moss. Every year
when the season grows warm and spring ("Wueirt"
literally translates to "Spring"
in the Kuglim tongue)
kisses the moss, a beautiful flower ("Rika",
derived from the Kuglim word for
"flower", Rik) blossoms up
from the moss, and the true beauty of the moss is reveiled.
Reproduction.
In the late spring, the moss created its flower and pollen, which rises up from
the gray and green brush on a slender gray stalk to float above the moss in soft
shades of pink and yellow. The wind carries
its pollen to other flowers, fertilizing others. Insects also help to bring
pollen from one place to another. Even if the plant is not fertilized by the
pollen of another, though, the flower is always able to pollinate itself.
By mid-summer, all the flowers are pollinated by one means or another, and their
soft petals fall away to leave only the center, which swells and swells into a
nut. This nut, usually of a gray-brown or gray-red color, carries hundreds upon
hundreds of tiny seeds, not all of which will grow. In early autumn, the nut
falls and usually bursts into seeds, which the
wind carries away. If the winter is kind, the seeds will begin growing in
the spring. Most of the sproutlings will die before their first year.
The plant will begin producing flowers of its own by its third year, though it
may take some a bit longer. The lifespan of the moss can be as long as 11 years,
though 8 and 9 are more common.
Researchers.
Alvador Gendin (230?-?) was the first researcher to describe the Squrim Moss in
detail during his courageous journey into the Stone Fields of Peat. His true
intention in journeying to this dangerous location was
to, it is said, research the bird life in this region. Though notes on the
Squrim Moss are only contained in a relatively small part of his journals,
however, his description of them was still thorough enough to give scholars and
researchers on the outside a unique glimpse into plant life of the treacherous
Stone Fields of Peat, as
well as the delicate ecosystem there.
Information provided by
Rayne Avalotus
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