How to behave prepare for a festival & not be an idiot!
An indispensable guide provided to you by the Dark Lord & written at his request by Louis Nayer.
We all know that the
Dark society has been under assault for several centuries and the number of Dark mages has been in constant decline. However, now that we are so close to the final battle against the
Light, we can afford the least to lose any more Dark mages, let alone to the sheer stupidity and recklessness that far too many of you show without shame!
Since too many of these individuals use the Light repressing our traditions as an excuse for their ignorance and behaviour, here is a summary of how to properly interact with plants contaminated with
runaway ritual magic and how to harvest them for festivals and rituals.
Why consume dangerous plants
Soil high in magic
When
rituals run out of control, they of course immediately result in a terrible devastation of the surroundings & loss of lives.
Once everything settled down, an enormous amount of magic was still left behind, with nowhere to go but to seep in the soil to then over the course of centuries be slowly absorbed by plants.
Transformed plants
Generations of exposure to excess magic has transformed the plants at a cellular level, making them highly susceptible to
astral movements.
All of these plants now communicate through magic waves & vibrations & have a special awareness of any living being in their proximity. Their fruits are especially magic-dense.
Perfect for rituals
These plants are perfect for use during rituals for both religious & practical reasons.
They can either take the role of a simple ingredient, or more interestingly, they can be consumed directly. In such cases, eating them has a similar effect to
candied magic but with more oomph—& more risks!
Where to harvest them
Local places
If you are lucky enough to have a little tree groove on your property in a place where a ritual got even only
slightly out of control, go for it.
Yes, the magic there is less concentrated than in places where a big catastrophe occurred, but you will be able to harvest more plants without having the government come after you!
The capital
Little parcs in the neighbourhood of
Old Esteille are very practical because of their proximity.
However, they are both very popular during festivals with out-of-town visitors & tightly watched by the army, so you will be lucky if you managed to find & discreetly grab a handful of fruits while walking along the main paths.
Garna Forest
The
Garna Forest is massive & full of magic & unique species—many of which are deadly. This makes it absolutely perfect for harvesting.
However, be careful. Even if the size should make it easier to hide, the army & ingredients procurers are still on the watch, especially in the few safe areas of the forest, leaving us to deal with the more
fun ones...
What plant to consume & when
Follow the guides
Follow the local guides closely! They are no mere suggestion, as the level of magic we are dealing with means that any mistake is likely to be fatal!
Indeed, the sight of a seedling bursting out of the stomach of an arrogant or careless mage is not uncommon during festivals. Even outside of such extreme cases,
exposure to runaway ritual magic & overdose are far too frequent.
Classic plants
Spring equinox: daffodil petals, daisies, wild strawberries, plums
Summer solstice: mirabelles (respect the harvest window to avoid poisonous fruits!), cherries
Autumn equinox: apples (be careful about which varieties!), surface roots of vines (only after making a blood offering to the plant)
Winter solstice: pears, small citrus
Plants to avoid
Spring equinox: apricots, peaches, most early fruits are especially poisonous
Summer solstice: wild forms of
crimson rhubarb
Autumn equinox: late-bloomer mirabelles, unpurified grapes
Winter solstice: getting close to any pine (they are in fool mood at this time of the year)
Harvesting technique
Prepare beforehand by choosing one or several plants in the list in your guide & by preparing your harvest tool & a good excuse in case you get caught!
On the day, do not make any stop to avoir raising suspicion, simply walk at a leisure pace.
Do not approach any plant you are not 100% sure to have identified correctly & that is in your approve list.
Do not harvest before making the proper sacrifice to the plant & receiving its approval through magical vibrations.
For the actual harvesting, be quick to avoid dragging the plant suffering & angering it & to avoid raising suspicion.
Store your ingredient properly & continue your walk at the same pace.
Absolutely do not consume any plant immediately!
The bit about grumpy pines was my favourite. :)
I feel that everyone would get grumpy in winter, including trees XD