Scholar's Bane

These small, black-capped fungi fruits on warmer, shaded outcroppings near the snowline of mountains. It grows in tight clusters frequently of ten or more. Stalks are greyish with no partial veil. A polypore with a dark grey spore surface and spore print of the same color. Although not considered a choice edible, it is still harvested by a select group of collectors. It is in high demand for its stimulating, psychotropic, and somewhat narcotic effects which are destroyed by cooking. It is well known to struggling artists and musicians who will use the drug to stimulate their creativity. In communities with large numbers of artists, several may gather and take the drug together. Some of the most famous artworks and songs were created as a result of experimenting with this drug. For all its possible benefit, this mushroom has a more sinister side. The recreational dose is quite small with one mushroom being enough for three or four people. At this amount a user will have a feeling of lightness, aches and fatigue will be diminished. Users say they also feel a mild intoxication and uninhibited. Effects last four to six hours depending on the individual, with a feeling of tiredness afterward. At higher doses, the effects increase in strength. This leads some to try greater and greater amounts, leading to abuse. The division between relatively safe, but excessive dosing and serious complications is very narrow. At these levels, users’ hearts will race and breathing will become shallow. Feelings of power, euphoria, ambition or motivation to physical activity are common. Aftereffects begin to include memory loss and coma. Its common name is Scholar’s Bane due to the possibility of losing the memory of what the user was trying to research or learn. Among more positive adherents it has names like Limner’s Shade or Bard’s Black Tongue. Names like these may be used as a code between users to indicate when the next “collaboration” will be. Historically this mushroom was also used in a poisoning to assassinate Jamie Price, a prolific bard and political firebrand against the dictatorship of Bannar.