Glow Shield

Description:

Glow-shield is a rare, antlered coral known for its warm inner light and powerful healing properties. Found clinging to stones along salt-scoured coasts and deep, glacial lakes, it earns its name from the faint glow that pulses through its branches at twilight. Though brittle to touch, it shields the body from within—mending flesh, easing breath, and steadying the heartbeat of the wounded. Lakefolk believe it to be a guardian’s gift, grown where moonlight meets water, while sea-bound clans say it is the sea’s way of returning what it does not wish to keep.

Structure & Growth:

• Forms upward-reaching, antler-like branches with a smooth, marrow-like core


• Grows on submerged stones in both salt and freshwater, favoring quiet bays, fjords, and deep lake shallows


• Extends outward in spirals or fan-shapes, often forming clusters that resemble luminous shields


• Growth accelerates in spring thaws or during lunar eclipses, when waters run still and cold

Color & Essence:

• Outer surface ranges from ochre-gold to deep crimson; inner channels glow soft amber when moist


• Gel extracted from the marrow is prized for healing burns, sealing wounds, and calming fevers


• When dried and powdered, it shimmers faintly and tastes of mineral salt and smoke


• Fresh growth glows faintly at dusk, especially on moonlit waters or ley-bound lakeshores

Scent & Reaction:

• Carries the scent of clean stone, rain-washed bark, and distant fire


• Heated fragments release a calming vapor used in recovery tents and rites of safe return


• Applied to broken skin, it draws out infection and knits flesh with startling speed


• Ingested in draughts, it slows internal bleeding and strengthens the body against lake-fever and sea-sickness

Folklore:

"Glow-shield does not burn—it remembers. Some say it grew first in the footprints of a giant who walked from lake to sea, carrying the wounded upon his back. Warriors carve its shape onto their shields for protection, while healers bind it into talismans worn close to the heart. It is believed that Glow-shield never grows where cruelty lingers; instead, it thrives in places touched by mercy. During solstice rites, fragments are cast into water to guide the souls of the lost and seal old pain beneath the waves."