Hedgehog Grass

It really works. I don't know why. I can't measure it. But it works each time like a charm. It really is magic.

— Prof. Anthony Stone

A clover like plant found in many parts of the world. It is known for its alchemical properties to unlock anything which is locked. The grass is impossible to distinguish from other clover species. Which makes it very hard to find. It is possible to recognize the grass with detection abilities and spells that can detect the faintest traces of mystical energies.

Cultivation

Since its discovery, many alchemists and herbalists have attempted to cultivate this useful plant. Due to its mysterious nature, none of these attempts haven been particularly successful. Some were able to grow one or two generations of the grass, but subsequent generations always lost their supernatural properties and became ordinary clover species.

Application

The supernatural properties of the hedgehog grass were studied extensively. Many alchemists and scholars from around the world have published their findings on this subject. The hedgehog grass is most commonly used as a paste. This paste can then be applied to locked doors and gadgets. Within five to ten minutes, the locking mechanism is then unlocked. The effect can be slowed down or even prevented by magical counter measures. However, the paste can overcome any kind of countermeasure. It just takes a lot of paste and time to overcome powerful protection spells.
In modern times the paste can even be used to unlock phones and computers locked by passwords or fingerprint sensors. This has led to a scramble by manufacturers to apply a small protection spell to all of their devices to prevent this easy hack. The only protection is that it is not possible to mass produce this paste.
An alternative use is to mix the hedgehog grass as a potion. When the potion is ingested by a person they become more lucky in successfully lock-picking a lock or hacking some device. This effect is much less reliable than the paste directly, but can help with gaining access remotely. To unlock locks and similar mechanisms it requires skill in lock-picking. A thief who does not know how to pick a particular lock will fail even with the potion.

Habitat

The hedgehog grass can be found in temperate meadows around the world. The grass requires a nourishing environment and a source of mystical energies to thrive. Perfect environments have become rarer with the expansion of human settlements and pastures. This has made the hedgehog grass rarer overall.

Type

Spirit Herb

Macedonian

Ež trava

Alternative Names

Raskovnik
Razkovniche
разковниче

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Geographic Distribution

Climate Map by Allice Hunter

Hedgehog

According to folklore, the hedgehog is capable of finding this grass. As humans are not capable of determining the authenticity, herbalists and alchemists are rumoured to have trained hedgehogs to collect them.
In 2019 Dr Lars Helderman conducted an experiment at Leiden University to test this. In a paper published in the Lancet, Dr Heiderman claims that the hedgehog is indeed capable of identifying the grass from other clovers. However, peer-reviews have cast doubt on the validity of this paper as the exact process is rather unclear.