Frae Flora

Introduction

The region of Lum is rich in botanical life — from the salt-crusted kelp of the Maharluini coast to the bone-fed roots of Frae's churchyards. This catalogue includes fifty plants, fungi, mosses, and growing things of note, organized by primary method of use. Entries include regional provenance, physical description, lore and cultural context, and mechanical effects for tabletop use.

Plants marked as Rare or Very Rare require successful Herbalism (Nature) checks to correctly identify and prepare — DCs noted in individual entries. Common plants can be identified by any character with proficiency in Medicine, Nature, or Herbalism tools. Uncommon plants require a DC 12 check.

Methods at a glance
Smoked	Rolled, packed in a pipe, or twisted; inhaled slowly.
Ingested	Eaten raw, chewed, swallowed as paste, or eaten as food.
Brewed	Steeped as tea or long-simmered as a tincture or decoction.
Topical	Applied to skin as poultice, salve, paste, or raw plant material.
Burned	Lit as incense, added to fire, or burned as a smudge bundle.
Inhaled	Steam or vapor inhaled from heated water or hot stone.

SMOKED

Ashgray Leaf   HERB   ◆ Common
Region: Frae, city margins     |  Method: Smoked
Appearance: A flat, ashen-gray leaf with pale veins. Dries to near-white; crumbles easily.
Lore: Sold in rough twists at every dockside stall in Frae. Called 'the laborer's luxury' — cheap, widely available, mildly numbing.
Effect: Reduces pain from minor wounds. Dulls anxiety. Heavy use over weeks causes persistent gray residue in the lungs and morning coughing fits.
Mechanic: After smoking for 10 minutes: +1 circumstance bonus to Will saves against fear for 1 hour. Addicted characters who critically fail a Fortitude save suffer a coughing fit and become Stunned 1.

Hollowbriar   SHRUB   ◆ Uncommon
Region: Lum wetlands     |  Method: Smoked
Appearance: Thin, hollow stems with waxy dark leaves. The inner pith burns slow and cool.
Lore: Favored by Fangs of the Shadow as a social smoke — sharing hollowbriar is an informal gesture of trust among river folk.
Effect: Produces mild euphoria and loosens the tongue. Users feel slightly more talkative and trusting. Skilled interrogators know to offer it.
Mechanic: DC 12 Will save (basic) or suffer a -1 status penalty to Deception and Perception checks for 1 hour. On a failure, the character also gains a +1 circumstance bonus to Diplomacy checks when voluntarily sharing information.

Dustweed   HERB   ◆ Common
Region: Frae rooftops, dry ruins     |  Method: Smoked
Appearance: Scraggly gray-green plant that grows in mortar cracks. Dried into a coarse powder.
Lore: Technically a weed. Urchins and beggars collect it. Merchants who sell it don't admit to selling it.
Effect: Suppresses hunger and thirst for several hours. Overuse causes hallucinations — the user hears whispering.
Mechanic: Negates the Fatigued condition from starvation or thirst for 4 hours. If smoked in three consecutive sessions, the GM makes a secret DC 15 Fortitude check for the character; on a failure, they gain the Confused condition for 1 round at unexpected moments during the session.

Mirewort   VINE   ◆ Uncommon
Region: Lum river delta, brackish water     |  Method: Smoked
Appearance: Thin purple-streaked vine; the dried leaves curl into spirals when heated.
Lore: Used by river barge pilots to stay alert on night watches. Also a ritual component in some Maharluini smoke-offerings to ancestor spirits.
Effect: Sharpens attention. Mild stimulant. Extended use causes trembling hands.
Mechanic: +1 circumstance bonus to Perception checks for 2 hours. After the effect ends, the character gains Clumsy 1 until their next short rest (fine motor trembling).

Vohrweed (Hunger's Leaf)   HERB   ◆ Rare
Region: Near ancient battlefields, cursed ground     |  Method: Smoked
Appearance: A black-edged leaf that smells faintly of iron. Cult of the Last Feast considers it sacred.
Lore: Grows only where blood soaked the earth. The Cult burns it during rites to Vohrmazh. Non-initiates who smoke it often report a sudden, ravenous hunger they cannot satisfy.
Effect: Temporarily silences the effects of a magical compulsion or charm — but inflicts intense hunger that overrides all other motivation.
Mechanic: Ends one Controlled or Charmed condition immediately. For the next hour, the character must succeed a DC 14 Will save at the start of each scene or become Compelled to seek food, treating all other goals as lower priority.

Silkspore Mushroom (dried cap)   FUNGUS   ◆ Uncommon
Region: Old Pickle House catacombs, deep cellars     |  Method: Smoked
Appearance: When dried, the cap crumbles to silky rust-colored flakes. Has a sweet, almost edible smell.
Lore: Grows in dark, damp places — especially near pickled or fermented goods. The party's base has more than they realize.
Effect: Induces vivid but coherent dreaming while awake. Used by seers and some babaylan for controlled visions.
Mechanic: User becomes Stunned 1 and enters a trance (Incapacitated) for up to 10 minutes. GM may reveal a fragmented vision related to a recent mystery. DC 15 Will save to resist entering the trance if unwanted.

Bitterblack   HERB   ◆ Rare
Region: Gray Monastery garden (cultivated)     |  Method: Smoked
Appearance: Dark, oily leaves with a bitter astringent smell. Burns with black smoke.
Lore: Monks of Saint Ashmere grew it for mortification practices. The current occupants of the Gray Monastery have found other uses for it.
Effect: Suppresses magical sensitivity — both a protection and a curse. Mages fear and covet it.
Mechanic: For 1 hour, the user cannot Cast Spells but is also undetectable by Detect Magic, Scrying, and similar magical senses. Spellcasters must succeed a DC 16 Fortitude save when smoking or become Sickened 2.

Eelgrass Twist   REED   ◆ Common
Region: Eelmarket waterways     |  Method: Smoked
Appearance: Dried river reed twisted into a tight cylinder. Burns slowly with a faint briny smell.
Lore: Named for Eelmarket, where it is sold pre-rolled at fish stalls. A working-class staple of Frae's waterfront.
Effect: Mild analgesic and relaxant. No strong effect on its own — sometimes mixed with other substances.
Mechanic: +1 circumstance bonus to Fortitude saves against nausea for 2 hours. When used as a base for mixing with another substance, extend that substance's duration by 30 minutes.

Wraithvine   VINE   ◆ Very Rare
Region: Near the Hollow, old magic sites     |  Method: Smoked
Appearance: A pale, nearly translucent vine that seems to grow in places where the boundary between states of being is thin. Touching it feels slightly wrong.
Lore: Nobody cultivates this. It grows near the Hollow and other strange places. The few who've smoked it report feeling briefly outside their body. Some consider its use a blasphemy — it mimics a divine state without earning it.
Effect: User briefly slips between states — partially incorporeal.
Mechanic: For 1 minute, the user gains the Incorporeal trait and can move through solid objects, but cannot end their turn inside a solid object. After the effect ends: DC 15 Fortitude save or become Stunned 2 as the body reasserts itself. Addiction: at the end of each session where Wraithvine was used, the character must succeed a DC 14 Will save or gain a persistent craving (GM tracks as a condition).

  INGESTED

Saltplum   SHRUB   ◆ Common
Region: Lum coast, tidal cliffs     |  Method: Ingested (raw fruit)
Appearance: A small, dark blue fruit, puckering to taste. The skin is coated in a natural brine.
Lore: A Maharluini staple — preserved in jars, eaten on long sea voyages. Associated with home and safe passage.
Effect: Prevents scurvy and resists seasickness. In quantity, mildly stimulating.
Mechanic: +2 circumstance bonus to Fortitude saves against nausea from sea or river travel for 24 hours (eat three). The character is also immune to the Sickened condition from rough water.

Graystem Mushroom   FUNGUS   ◆ Common
Region: Lum forests, rotting wood     |  Method: Ingested (cooked only — raw is toxic)
Appearance: Gray-capped, slender-stemmed. Smells of loam and old wood. Raw flesh has a faint purple tint that cooking removes.
Lore: A common food. However, the poison of the raw form is used in assassination and — in very small doses — by some herbalists to slow a racing heart.
Mechanic: Cooked: nutritious, no mechanical effect. Raw: DC 13 Fortitude save or take 1d6 poison damage and become Sickened 1. Micro-dose tincture (DC 18 Medicine to prepare): grants a +1 item bonus to Will saves against fear and panic for 2 hours.

Nahlola Berry   SHRUB   ◆ Uncommon
Region: River tributaries near the Mirrowen   |  Method: Ingested (raw or brewed)
Appearance: Clusters of small amber-yellow berries with a resinous coating. Smell sweet when crushed.
Lore: Named for the diety Nahlolago . River traders carry them to ward off fever on long journeys. Believed to have some small connection to the ritual practices of the god.
Effect: Potent fever reducer. Also used in Maharluini illness rites.
Mechanic: Reduces the Drained condition by 1 if caused by fever or disease. Grants a +1 circumstance bonus to Fortitude saves against ongoing disease effects for 8 hours.

Pale Tongue Root   ROOT   ◆ Uncommon
Region: Under Frae's cobblestones, near cemetery soil     |  Method: Ingested (chewed)
Appearance: A thin white root, slimy when fresh. Goes papery when dried. Tastes of nothing.
Lore: Harvested from between cobblestones near burial grounds. Morticians chew it to steady their hands. There are rumors about what it actually feeds on.
Effect: Dulls emotional response. Makes the user calm in the presence of the dead and dying. Some find they cannot feel much of anything for a day afterward.
Mechanic: Immunity to the Frightened condition for 4 hours. After the effect ends, the character suffers Stupefied 1 for the remainder of the session (emotional blunting impairs recall and social acuity).

Compact Sprig   HERB   ◆ Rare
Region: Cultivated near arcane institutions     |  Method: Ingested (tea)
Appearance: A stiff silver-green herb with tiny star-shaped leaves. Has no scent when raw, but brewed tea smells of old parchment.
Lore: Arcane scholars believe it sharpens the memory for legal and contractual text. Used by those preparing to sign or break the Bound Compact — a point of irony not lost on anyone.
Effect: Enhances recall of specific verbal agreements, written contracts, and binding oaths.
Mechanic: For 1 hour, the character may recall any contract, oath, or agreement they personally witnessed with perfect fidelity. They suffer a -2 circumstance penalty to any check involving deliberate misrepresentation of such agreements.

Bloodmoss (Dried)   MOSS   ◆ Uncommon
Region: Catacomb walls, underground springs     |  Method: Ingested (brewed as tincture)
Appearance: A deep red-brown moss, almost maroon. Grows in dark, wet places. The dried form crumbles to a rust-colored powder.
Lore: Catacomb explorers brew this when they expect to be underground for long stretches. Also used by midwives in complicated births.
Effect: Slows bleeding. Stabilizes a person already making recovery checks.
Mechanic: When administered to a Dying character, they immediately stabilize (no Medicine check required). On an active character, grants a +2 circumstance bonus to Fortitude saves against the Wounded condition worsening for 8 hours.

Charcoal Seed (Vohrmazh's Fast)   SEED   ◆ Rare
Region: Cursed soil near anti-magic sites     |  Method: Ingested (raw)
Appearance: A small, matte-black seed, perfectly smooth. Looks like a pebble. Tasteless.
Lore: Used by cult initiates during their hunger rites. Said to silence the body's need to eat — and, by extension, to silence other needs. Considered sacred to Vohrmazh.
Effect: Allows a person to go without food for 3 days with no ill effects. Side effect: the user finds no pleasure in anything during this period.
Mechanic: Negates all Fatigued conditions from starvation for 72 hours. During this time, the character suffers a -2 status penalty to Diplomacy and Performance checks (flat affect, joyless demeanor).

Fengroot   ROOT   ◆ Common
Region: Frae back alleys, grows in sewage runoff     |  Method: Ingested (chewed)
Appearance: Gnarled, knobby yellowish root. Smells sharp — almost medicinal. Street kids call it 'rat root.'
Lore: A wretched thing that grows in filth. Beloved by those who can't afford better medicine. Healers are quietly impressed it works as well as it does.
Effect: Prevents infection from minor wounds and contaminated water. Tastes terrible.
Mechanic: +2 circumstance bonus to Fortitude saves against diseases contracted from minor wounds or contaminated water sources for 24 hours.

Sweetgall Flower   FLOWER   ◆ Common
Region: Lum meadows, city window boxes     |  Method: Ingested (eaten raw or candied)
Appearance: A cheerful five-petaled yellow flower with a honey-like taste. Widely cultivated for cooking.
Lore: More food than medicine, but herbalists know that a concentrated sweetgall syrup taken before sleep can slow the descent into fever dreams.
Mechanic: If taken within 1 hour of resting, the character gains the full benefits of a long rest even in mildly adverse conditions (light noise, mild cold). Ineffective in genuinely dangerous environments.

Runeberry Cluster   SHRUB   ◆ Rare
Region: Ancient standing stones, ruined sites     |  Method: Ingested (brewed — raw is inert)
Appearance: Small dark berries that grow in clusters around carved stone. Each berry has faint natural markings that resemble glyphs.
Lore: Herbalists disagree about whether the markings are coincidental. Practitioners of Baynawan script claim the markings correspond to specific syllables of power.
Effect: When brewed, enhances the caster's connection to written magic — particularly Baynawan script.
Mechanic: For 1 hour, the character can read Baynawan script as if they had the Trained proficiency in the relevant Lore. Spellcasters inscribing a glyph or rune during this time gain a +1 item bonus to their spell DC for that inscription.

Mother's Salt Vine   VINE   ◆ Uncommon
Region: Maharluini settlements, coastal shoreline     |  Method: Ingested (leaves chewed, or brewed as tea)
Appearance: A sprawling vine with thick, waxy leaves and a faint salt-crust on the surface. Tastes faintly of the sea.
Lore: Strongly associated with Mother Tihani's people and Maharluini sea-prayer tradition. Chewing the leaf is part of the greeting ritual among babaylan practitioners. The tea is given to those who are grief-struck.
Effect: Calms extreme emotional distress. Opens the spirit to ancestral communication in ritual contexts.
Mechanic: Removes the Frightened condition and grants a +1 status bonus to Will saves for 2 hours. In ritual contexts (GM discretion), the character treats their Occultism or Religion roll as one degree of success better when performing ancestral contact or divination.

Gravelwort   HERB   ◆ Common
Region: Rocky outcroppings, dry hillsides near Lum     |  Method: Ingested (crushed into paste, swallowed)
Appearance: A low, hardy plant with leathery gray-green leaves. Smells bitter and sharp.
Lore: An old-fashioned remedy. Apothecaries sell pre-ground paste in wax paper.
Effect: Treats joint pain, swelling, muscle aches. The working herbalist's workhorse.
Mechanic: Reduces the Enfeebled condition by 1 if caused by physical strain or muscle injury. Grants a +1 circumstance bonus to Athletics checks for 2 hours.

Sorrow's Cap (Blue Mushroom)   FUNGUS   ◆ Rare
Region: Old battlefields, near mass graves     |  Method: Ingested (brewed), Topical (poultice)
Appearance: A vivid cobalt-blue mushroom cap that bruises purple when touched. Grows in clusters. Beautiful and poisonous-looking — it is neither.
Lore: Grows only where grief has soaked the earth — old execution grounds, mass graves, the aftermath of battles. Mother Tihani's people call it by a Maraylan name meaning 'what remains of the weeping.'
Effect: Treats trauma, grief-sickness, and the physical effects of prolonged psychological distress. Not a cure. A support.
Mechanic: Brewed: after a full night's rest with Sorrow's Cap tea, one persistent mental condition (Frightened, a recurring nightmare effect, or GM-designated grief condition) is reduced in severity by one step. Topical (applied to temples): +1 status bonus to Will saves for 8 hours.

River-Eye Weed   VINE   ◆ Common
Region: Lum river shallows, visible at dusk     |  Method: Ingested (raw or brewed)
Appearance: A river vine with round, flat leaves that float on the surface. In low light, the leaves reflect silver, like eyes.
Lore: Fishers chew this before night work. River pilots call it 'the weed that opens the dark.'
Effect: Significantly improves low-light vision for several hours.
Mechanic: Grants Darkvision (60 feet) for 3 hours, or extends existing Darkvision by 30 feet. While the effect is active, the character is Dazzled in areas of bright light (eyes over-adjusted to darkness).

Marsh Pepper   SEED   ◆ Common
Region: Lum marshlands, collected in autumn     |  Method: Ingested (seeds — ground into food or raw)
Appearance: Small, fiery-red seeds in a pale husk. Intensely hot.
Lore: Technically a spice. Also used to ward off infection, encourage circulation, and — in high doses — induce sweating to break a fever.
Mechanic: Ground into food: +1 circumstance bonus to Fortitude saves against cold damage and exposure for 4 hours. High-dose direct ingestion: DC 12 Fortitude save or become Sickened 1 (sweating, nausea) for 1 hour — but any Drained condition caused by a fever is immediately reduced by 1 regardless of the save result.

  BREWED (Tea & Tincture)

Gray Water Reed   REED   ◆ Common
Region: Lum river, slow-moving channels     |  Method: Brewed (tea)
Appearance: Tall, pale reed with hollow joints. The joints contain a trace of clear liquid that tastes of nothing.
Lore: Brewed by Frae's poor as the cheapest possible 'medicine' tea. Barely works — but barely is something.
Effect: Mild diuretic. Helps pass kidney stones slowly. Also drunk as a social tea with no real effect beyond warmth.
Mechanic: After 3 days of daily use, +1 circumstance bonus to Fortitude saves against urinary or kidney-related illness. As a social item, sharing it with an NPC counts as a Friendly gesture and shifts their attitude one step toward Helpful for the scene.

Bitter Kettle Bark   BARK   ◆ Uncommon
Region: Lum forests, hardwood trees     |  Method: Brewed (decoction, boiled for 20 min)
Appearance: Dark, rough bark with a red inner layer. Shavings curl like paper when dried.
Lore: The classic herbalist's sleep-draught base. Mixed with other ingredients for more complex preparations. Alone, it simply helps you sleep.
Effect: Strong sedative. Used surgically to calm patients before procedures.
Mechanic: DC 12 Fortitude save or the character becomes Unconscious within 30 minutes (1 hour on a success). Can be administered covertly in food or drink; the target may attempt a DC 15 Perception check to detect the unusual taste.

Ashroot Tea (Concord Blend)   ROOT   ◆ Uncommon
Region: Cultivated (Ashroot Concord controlled)     |  Method: Brewed (tea)
Appearance: Dried chips of pale root, sold in small cloth bags stamped with the Ashroot Concord's subtle mark.
Lore: The Ashroot Concord supplies this as part of their public-facing apothecary business. It's genuinely medicinal — but the Concord controls the supply chain tightly, and certain batches have gone to certain districts at very specific times.
Effect: Reduces inflammation and pain. Widely used by Frae's working class.
Mechanic: +1 item bonus to Medicine checks when used as part of treatment. Concord-labeled batches: 1-in-6 chance any given supply was deliberately withheld from a district (GM tracks). Characters investigating the supply chain may uncover faction logistics as a Moderate Recall Knowledge check (Society, DC 18).

Hunger's Wort   HERB   ◆ Rare
Region: Abandoned temples to Vohrmazh     |  Method: Brewed (ritual tincture)
Appearance: Black-stemmed herb with hollow, tube-like leaves. When brewed, the liquid is cloudy and colorless.
Lore: Cult of the Last Feast uses this as an initiatory drink. It makes the body reject magic temporarily — which the Cult reads as the body becoming 'clean' for Vohrmazh.
Effect: Temporarily suppresses magical ability in the drinker. Used as a test of faith.
Mechanic: Spellcasters who drink this lose access to their spell slots for 1 hour (prepared spells remain memorized but cannot be cast). Non-spellcasters gain a +2 status bonus to saving throws against magical effects for the same period. Magical items wielded by the drinker cease to function.

Sinadwort   FLOWER   ◆ Rare
Region: Near sinagdan jar storage, old cellars     |  Method: Brewed (tea, drunk before memory-work)
Appearance: A small white flower that blooms in darkness. The petals are faintly luminescent.
Lore: Grows near sinagdan memory jars — possibly the result of generations of spilled memory-brine seeping into the earth. Maharluini priestesses prize it. Mother Tihani knows exactly what it is.
Effect: Sharpens the recall of emotionally significant memories. Used in sinagdan ritual to help a practitioner access preserved memories more clearly.
Mechanic: Requires a quiet hour and focused intent. Grants a +2 item bonus to Occultism or Religion checks made as part of sinagdan ritual memory-work. In GM-facilitated vision sequences, the character may ask one additional clarifying question about what they witness.

Spire Mint   HERB   ◆ Common
Region: Frae window boxes, widespread cultivation     |  Method: Brewed (tea)
Appearance: Tall, angular mint variety with spire-like leaves. Distinctly sharper than common mint.
Lore: Ubiquitous in Frae. Everyone grows it. Every tavern serves it.
Mechanic: Removes the Sickened condition caused by alcohol. Grants a +1 circumstance bonus to Perception and Recall Knowledge checks for 1 hour after drinking.

Tallow Root   ROOT   ◆ Uncommon
Region: Frae churchyards, bone-rich soil     |  Method: Brewed (tincture, long steep)
Appearance: A yellowish root with a waxy, almost fatty texture. The tincture is oily and sits on top of water.
Lore: Herbalists who know this root well know not to ask too many questions about what it grows in. Effective for the bones and teeth.
Mechanic: 3-day course of daily use: +2 circumstance bonus to Fortitude saves against fracture or bone injury. Single dose: acts as a 3rd-level antidote against one ingested poison if administered within 10 minutes of exposure (DC 14 counteract check, +6 modifier).

Dockmaster's Draught Herbs   HERB   ◆ Common
Region: Eelmarket, widespread in port districts     |  Method: Brewed (mixed herb tea)
Appearance: A bundled mix of three dried herbs sold together. Each component is unremarkable separately.
Lore: Frae's harbor workers have drunk this for generations. It's said a dockmaster who doesn't know this blend doesn't know the docks.
Effect: Prevents seasickness. Warms against cold and damp. Mild analgesic for lower back pain.
Mechanic: Immunity to the Sickened condition from rough water for 24 hours. Negates the Fatigued condition from cold weather exposure for 4 hours. River and sea travelers commonly carry several doses.

Dagay Kelp (Maraylan: 'Nameless Sea-leaf')   VINE   ◆ Very Rare
Region: Maharluini sacred sites, offshore reefs     |  Method: Brewed (ritual tea, prepared by babaylan only)
Appearance: A deep sea kelp, storm-blue in color, that washes ashore after heavy weather. Must be prepared within hours of collection or it loses all potency.
Lore: In Maraylan tradition, this kelp is called dagay na walang pangalan — 'the nameless sea-leaf.' It appears in the Fangs' cant sign-and-countersign. Mother Tihani keeps a small preserved quantity. It is used only for the most serious crossroads rituals — when a life-or-death question must be put to the ancestors.
Effect: Allows one clear question to be posed to ancestral spirits. The answer comes in a vision, not words — and is always honest, never complete.
Mechanic: Must be prepared by a babaylan or trained practitioner (DC 20 Occultism or Nature to prepare without training). One question may be posed; GM delivers a vision-based answer. No second question may be asked for 7 days. The drinker gains Drained 1 after the ritual regardless of outcome.

  TOPICAL

Clotleaf   HERB   ◆ Common
Region: Widespread in Lum meadows     |  Method: Topical (poultice, pressed leaves)
Appearance: A broad, flat-leafed herb with a faintly sticky surface. Bright green, waxy.
Lore: The first herb children in Frae are taught to identify. Applied to minor cuts, it stops bleeding within minutes.
Mechanic: Stabilizes a Dying character without a Medicine check if applied within 1 action of the character falling. On a conscious character, prevents the Wounded condition from worsening due to minor lacerations for 4 hours.

Ashwater Moss   MOSS   ◆ Uncommon
Region: Catacomb walls, Frae undercity     |  Method: Topical (poultice)
Appearance: A pale silvery-gray moss found in damp stone crevices. Feels cool to the touch.
Lore: Catacomb workers and Fang dead-drop runners know this one. Pressed to a bruise or swollen joint, it reduces swelling within an hour.
Mechanic: Removes the Clumsy condition if caused by a bruise, sprain, or minor joint injury. Effect lasts until the character's next hour of rest.

Brine Kelp (rendered)   VINE   ◆ Uncommon
Region: Coastal Lum waters, Maharluini trade     |  Method: Topical (rendered into salve)
Appearance: Dark green kelp rendered down to a thick, briny-smelling salve. Feels cold and medicinal.
Lore: A Maharluini preparation — the long sea voyages of their ancestors required skin protection against constant salt-water exposure. Mother Tihani's community still makes it.
Effect: Protects skin from saltwater exposure, rope burns, blistering.
Mechanic: Immunity to the Sickened condition from prolonged saltwater skin exposure for 8 hours. Grants a +1 circumstance bonus to Athletics checks involving ropes, rigging, or wet climbing surfaces for the same duration.

Nettle-flame Paste   HERB   ◆ Common
Region: Lum disturbed soil, roadsides     |  Method: Topical (paste applied to skin)
Appearance: Made from processed stinging nettles — the sting is alchemically redirected into warmth. The paste is bright orange.
Lore: Applied to injured joints and muscles before demanding physical exertion. Soldiers, dockhands, and athletes use it. Applying too much causes genuine burns.
Mechanic: +1 circumstance bonus to Athletics checks for 2 hours. If more than one dose is applied at once, the character takes 1d4 fire damage (burning sensation) and the bonus is negated by pain.

Pale Sap (Ghostwood tree)   BARK   ◆ Rare
Region: Lum forests, old growth trees     |  Method: Topical (applied as raw sap)
Appearance: The Ghostwood tree's bark weeps a white, almost luminescent sap. Smells faintly of iron.
Lore: Applied to wounds sustained from undead or necrotic sources. Herbalists who live near crypts guard their Ghostwood locations carefully.
Effect: Neutralizes mild necrotic corruption on wounds.
Mechanic: On a wound caused by undead or void-damage effects: prevents the character's Wounded value from increasing due to that damage source for 24 hours. If applied within 1 hour of injury, restores 1d6 HP. Requires a Trained Medicine check (DC 14) to apply correctly.

Pitch Bark Poultice   BARK   ◆ Common
Region: Frae industrial areas, tar-yards     |  Method: Topical (hot applied)
Appearance: A dark, resinous bark ground to a paste and applied warm. Smells powerfully of pine tar.
Lore: Used by shipwrights and rope-workers to seal minor lacerations. Less pleasant than Clotleaf but more durable — seals a wound for days.
Mechanic: Functions as Clotleaf but the wound is sealed for 24 hours without reapplication. The character takes a -1 circumstance penalty to Stealth checks if the smell is relevant to detection.

Spiderveil Fungus   FUNGUS   ◆ Rare
Region: Dense forest floor, Lum interior     |  Method: Topical (web-like mycelium applied directly)
Appearance: A fungus that grows thin, web-like mycelium across leaf litter. When peeled free, it's a fragile pale membrane.
Lore: Battlefield surgeons prize it. The mycelium acts as a natural suture, holding a wound closed.
Mechanic: When applied to a serious wound requiring stitching, the attending character's Medicine check to Treat Wounds is made at a +2 circumstance bonus. On a critical success, the patient regains an additional 10 HP.

Silver Nettle   HERB   ◆ Common
Region: Lum disturbed soil, roadsides     |  Method: Ingested (tincture), Topical (poultice)
Appearance: A silver-furred nettle — the fine hairs give it a metallic sheen. Non-stinging. Tastes bitter.
Lore: The apothecary's workhorse. Appears in more remedy books than anything else in Lum.
Mechanic: Topical: removes the Sickened condition caused by a minor rash, insect reaction, or mild allergen. Ingested tincture: +1 circumstance bonus to Fortitude saves against poison for 4 hours.

  BURNED (Incense & Ritual)

Bone-and-Amber Resin   BARK   ◆ Uncommon
Region: Old forests near burial mounds     |  Method: Burned (incense)
Appearance: A thick, amber-colored tree resin that hardens to a crackling chip. When burned, produces pale smoke with an earthy-sweet smell.
Lore: Used in ancestral rites across multiple cultures in Lum, including Maharluini tradition. Said to open the passage between the living and the remembered dead.
Mechanic: When burned in a ritual space, undead creatures within 20 feet must succeed a DC 13 Will save or become Fleeing for 1 round (this is an emotion effect). Ancestral contact and divination rituals conducted in the space gain a +2 circumstance bonus to the relevant Occultism or Religion check.

Veilsmoke (Black Salt Kelp)   VINE   ◆ Rare
Region: Maharluini trade, coastal only     |  Method: Burned (incense, ritual)
Appearance: When dried and salted, this dark kelp smokes thickly and slowly. The smoke clings to surfaces and lingers for hours.
Lore: Mother Tihani burns this during serious readings. The smoke is said to make the unseen visible — or at least, to reveal what is hidden in a room.
Mechanic: When burned in an enclosed space: invisible or concealed creatures within 30 feet must succeed a DC 15 Reflex save or become Observed (fully visible) for 10 minutes as the smoke clings to their outline. Creatures aware of the effect may attempt to leave the area before the smoke takes hold.

Ashspire Bundle   HERB   ◆ Common
Region: Frae, dry market stalls — widespread     |  Method: Burned (smudge bundle)
Appearance: A tied bundle of dried gray herbs. Common and cheap. Burned in homes, taverns, temples.
Lore: The generic purification burn of Frae. People use it to cleanse a room after illness, death, or 'bad luck.' Most clergy and apothecaries privately think it does nothing. They're mostly right — except for one ingredient that occasionally ends up in the mix.
Mechanic: No mechanical effect in 98% of cases. At GM discretion, a bundle may contain trace Vohrweed; the GM makes a secret note and decides if and when to reveal any subtle effect on those who breathe the smoke.

Hollow-Eye Lichen   MOSS   ◆ Rare
Region: Underground chambers, Frae catacombs     |  Method: Burned (powdered, smoke inhaled)
Appearance: A gray-green lichen that grows in eye-like rings on stone. Powdered, it looks like common ash.
Lore: Only certain people know what this does. Found near sinagdan caches and Fang dead-drops. Burning it in a confined space is occasionally used for intense interrogation.
Effect: The smoke compels truthful speech in those who inhale significant amounts.
Mechanic: Characters inhaling smoke for 5 or more minutes must succeed a DC 14 Will save or gain the Compelled (truth) condition for 1 hour — they cannot speak deliberate falsehoods. They are aware something is affecting them but may not know what. A successful save grants immunity to this lichen for 24 hours.

Ember Petal (Fireflower)   FLOWER   ◆ Uncommon
Region: Volcanic soil near Lum's southern border     |  Method: Burned (petals in fire)
Appearance: A vivid red-orange flower that dries to a coppery metallic petal. When burned, flames turn brilliant green.
Lore: Used as a signal fire ingredient in remote areas — a green flame is visible from considerable distances and is used as a distress or meeting signal.
Mechanic: When added to any fire, the flames turn vivid green. The green flame is visible at twice the normal distance in darkness or fog, and cannot be mistaken for a natural fire. Used as a covert signal among the Fangs of the Shadow.

Candlewick Flower   FLOWER   ◆ Uncommon
Region: Frae temple gardens, cultivated     |  Method: Burned (incense), Brewed (tea)
Appearance: A tall, pale flower with a wick-like center that burns when ignited. Popular in temples.
Lore: Widely used in prayer and meditation. Temples of every faith in Frae burn them. Some herbalists believe the two uses produce entirely opposite effects.
Effect: Burned: focuses attention, sharpens will. Brewed: relaxes and softens focus — good for grief and anxiety.
Mechanic: Burned (incense): +1 circumstance bonus to Concentrate actions for 1 hour; spellcasters maintaining Concentration-required spells gain this bonus to the relevant check. Brewed (tea): removes the Frightened condition; character suffers a -1 circumstance penalty to Recall Knowledge and Investigate checks for 2 hours (too relaxed to be critical).

  INHALED (Vapor & Steam)

Lungwort   HERB   ◆ Common
Region: Damp cellars, Frae's lower city     |  Method: Inhaled (steam — brewed and breathed)
Appearance: A mottled green and white herb with spotted leaves resembling diseased lung tissue (hence the name).
Lore: Despite its alarming appearance, it is one of the most reliably beneficial herbs in Frae. River workers with lung disease from years of damp exposure know it well.
Mechanic: Reduces the Drained condition by 1 if caused by a disease affecting breathing or the lungs. Grants a +2 circumstance bonus to Fortitude saves against airborne diseases and inhaled poisons for 4 hours.

Deepbreath Root   ROOT   ◆ Uncommon
Region: Catacomb edges, underground springs     |  Method: Inhaled (root burned slowly on hot stone)
Appearance: A dense, white root that smells powerfully of camphor when heated. Doesn't burn — smolders.
Lore: Catacomb runners and underground workers carry this. When the air goes stale deep underground, smoldering deepbreath root helps.
Mechanic: +2 circumstance bonus to Fortitude saves against suffocation, bad air, thin air, and marsh gas for 2 hours. The character may hold their breath for twice the normal number of rounds before needing to make Fortitude checks.