Description:
Cloris Bane is a striking orange and grey lichen known as much for its haunting beauty as for its dark legend. Often forming delicate, fan-shaped spreads along cool, shaded stone, it clings in quiet places where voices echo no more. The lichen’s ash-grey body is laced with branching, flame-orange filaments that seem to smolder in mist or morning dew. It is named after the herbalist Cloris , who perished after mistaking its vibrant form for the curative Emberrest bloom. Since her death, the lichen has carried a reputation of quiet malice
Structure & Growth:
Grows in thin, tight clusters that radiate outward like cracked porcelain or frost patterns
- Primarily found on north-facing stone or along the upper rims of old wells and ravines
- Can survive on bare rock with little moisture, thriving in silence and shadow
- Texture is leathery when moist, brittle and sharp-edged when dry
Color & Confusion:
- Easily confused with young Fireveil Lichen due to the vibrant orange patterning
- Cloris Bane is paler in dry weather, the orange dimming to rust; when wet, the colors brighten dangerously
- Unlike most lichen, it does not fade or crumble after detachment—it stiffens and blackens, retaining its form for years
Scent & Reaction:
- When bruised or scraped, it emits a faintly sour, metallic scent
- Contact causes no immediate harm, but some claim extended exposure causes fatigue or nightmares
- Animals instinctively avoid it, though ravens have been seen nesting nearby
Folklore:
"Stone does not lie—but some things upon it do. So begins the tale of Cloris Bane. Old texts say she died whispering apologies to the wind, her fingertips stained orange. Now, hedgewitches claim the lichen can hear regret. Offerings of salt, silver, or sweetwine are left on stones where Cloris Bane grows. It is said that burning the lichen will call forth forgotten memories—and sometimes, voices. Some say the lichen only grows where betrayal is rooted deep in the stone."
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