Niraeni
"Beware of the demon-plant! Beware of the herb of the Horned Ones! Beware of the effects of its vile leaves and the deadly berries! Beware of your mind, of how it twists and turns and forms horns into your head, driving you mad with rage! Beware! Beware! Beware!"
-A warning-chant, used by monks from the Church of Gröln to repel Fauns
A plant which is often and only used by the Fauns. A chemical in the Niraeni allows non-Fauns to speak the Faun language, and vice-versa. The Fauns have kept this plant a secret until only recently, when it was introduced to 'civilised' society under command of the royal house of Tangrana-Eldivar.
It is described as looking like a rose-cabbage with the leaves of a stinging nettle. It has a bright green colour, and grows like a crop and (a smaller subspecies) on bushes. It grows all year round, and in summer it sprouts small orange-yellow berries. These berries are highly poisonous, and upon consumption cause an effect similar to rabies, which lasts anywhere between two hours and two days. Untreated, it causes fever, and in extreme cases, death.
The plant itself has a minty, nettle-ish flavour, and is a fine spice used in soups or salad. Centaurs, Fauns and Elves can use this plant with little to no effect.
Overuse of this plant has a high chance to cause addiction, and 'Faunification', where one becomes feral, unpredictable, energetic and incapable of performing 'civilised' and 'human' actions for an undetermined amount of time. Cases of recovery are very difficult, and most cases end in indefinite change of character.
This plant is often used in Faun-rituals of unknown and occult nature and a major ingredient for the 'Ritual of the Horn'. Mixed with other ingredients it provides a mild to severe hallucinogenic effect, making it quite a 'forbidden fruit' for tourists. Aquiring Niraeni is hard, and the distribution of it is still regarded as taboo and highly illegal. Fauns do not like parting with their precious plant.
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