Other Names

Madwhite, Presence

Rarity

Easily foraged

Description

A red-stemmed flowering plant found in multiple areas of the Ironlands. Grows best in half-shade but is otherwise quite versatile in habitat. The small leaves nearest the white blooms will rotate at a speed and direction correlating to its present surroundings—clockwise in alkaline soil and counterclockwise in acidic soil, with higher speeds at more extreme ends of the scale.

Interactions

Application of a root extraction can help repel insects from crop and fodder plants, though it must be washed off prior to human consumption.

Dangers

Consumption of a significant amount of any part of the plant causes neurological symptoms typically lasting for several days. The affected person suffers a lack of stimulus habituation and processing, such that most new or ongoing sensory information is constantly at the forefront of one's mind. Complex thought and action is difficult at high doses, which may cause harm by accidental or intentional means.

Medicinal Uses

None.

Culinary Uses

None.

Practical Uses

If the stem is preserved, the leaves retain their acid-alkaline responses and can be used for measurement. 

Other Uses

Sometimes consumed for meditative purposes.

In floral arrangements, can be used to represent utter infatuation.

Aleksy is the artsy one in the family, a bit of a goofball but a surprisingly good listener. Enjoys tooling leather, drawing scenes from nature (especially snails,) and good-naturedly pranking Lucya, who falls for it EVERY. TIME. Sings a lovely tenor, even if he adlibs a little too much.

A decently large circle, reputed for its mushroom farming, situated in a large hill at the border of the Hinterlands and Havens. The natural cave system within and beneath the hill forms the majority of the circle, but a few live aboveground, and much of the cave system is still uninhabited and mostly unexplored for safety reasons.

Around twenty-five years ago, a missing children case that jumped from one apparent victim to five caused no small amount of chaos, requiring intervention by a few passing Ironsworn. Though the infighting eased enough for the circle to stay intact, the children remained missing for months. Finally they were found in a deep cave with little air, all laid out beside each other with care, their bodies preserved in grave wax. While other injuries would be hard to discern, each body appeared to have had its heart methodically removed.

Blame for the incident has passed from one Labhinn family to another, to merrows, to a powerful sea witch, to even those Ironsworn who had stopped to help. But no consensus was ever reached, and the general air of distrust lingers.