Blood Mushrooms of Avistarian Woe

A sea of mushrooms as red as the Avistarian blood that was spilt. Perhaps they arose to morn the dead. - Artur Neha, Traveler

Overview

A field of red fungi, Blood Mushrooms they are called, that has sprouted from the blood-stained battlefield that saw the largest confrontation between the armies of the Principality of Avistar and Kingdom of Helia. The battle took place in the Lozano Plain, which lies just beyond the eastern gate of Guateque. It is not the only Blood Mushroom field in existence, but it is by far the most notable to the scale of Avistar's defeat.

There are many plants with strange properties in this broken world. Though none are quite as sickening as these mushrooms. - Edna Emberleaf, Botanist

Blood Mushrooms

Their appearance is that of a white mushroom with copious amounts of red ooze seeping from them. This red ooze slowly becomes a blackened dust in a fashion reminiscent of that of blood. Hence the name. These mushrooms may be found in other fields that have witnessed a particularly bloody battle. Plenty of these can be found in the wake of the Helia's violent expansions. They do not remain in the fields forever. How long they remain to remind passersby of what transpired depends on the bloodiness of the battle. Some Blood Mushroom fields exist for only a year and others for decades.
It is believed that such mushrooms feed off of the blood of soldiers that has stained the ground. However, there is also reason to believe that this process is facilitated by remnant arcane forces from the Great Collapse. Some botanists have made it their mission to investigate these kinds of strange flora in the hope that understanding them will aid the healing of the world.

The Battle

The Principality of Avistar decided to confront the invading Helian army within the grounds they knew better than anyone, the Lozano Plain. To this end, almost every abled bodied soldier that could be spared was assembled on the field. Unfortunately, the conflict was heavily sided in favor of Helia. In spite of familiarity with their field of battle, The Golden Blight (a name many have come to use for the Helian Army) had both greater training and experience compared to that of the comparatively unorganized Avistar army. In a single day, Avistar had lost the battle and consequently the war. The Blood Mushrooms remaining as a memorial to this devastating defeat.

If you plan to eat one of those blood mushrooms, steel yourself for the trauma first. - Wilmin, Farmer

Sealed Memories

It is said that consumption of a blood mushroom from this field will cause one to witness the final moments of an Avistarian soldier as they are cut down on the field of battle. These memories would be traumatic for anyone, especially to those who have no notion of the realities of war.
The tale of Rizu is a cautionary tale of eating fungus that grows from a field of battle. Rizu was a simple farmer who's only knowledge of war was from hearsay. As the story goes, Rizu's unprepared mind broke utterly when he consumed a blood mushroom and subsequently witnessed the final moments of an Avistarian soldier as he was skewered by a Helian spear. He then fled into the wild never to be seen again. It is said that he hunted among the wolves for the rest of his days. The veracity of this story was never confirmed.

All artwork is by starfarertheta until further notice.

Alternative Name(s)

Avistar's End

Type

Field

Location under

Continental Island of Lluvia

Typical Magic Fields

(ranked according to occurrence)

• Poison
• Acid
• Water

Consult Magic Fields for more information.

Note(s) from the Archivists:

I actually picked one of these mushrooms. Still have it stored somewhere. - Archivist Bob Ironrock
Why would you do that? - Archivist Rena
I was curious about the rumors, but couldn't find a good time to test it. Now I don't know where my blood mushrooms have gone. - Archivist Bob