Alhoi Grass
Windhearts
At the centre of each cluster of Alhoi is the windheart, a cluster of blades naturally woven together like the intertwining stems of a beanstalk. In the middle of this, cushioned by a layer of pith, is the windheart fruit itself. These fruits develop over the course of a month, in time with Jasedar's waxing and waning, until they become a cluster of light seeds. When Jasedar, Myroklast's twin planet, is at it's height and the wind strongest, the trunks of the Alhoi will snap open, releasing hundreds of seeds, caught by the eddies and dispersed over the plains as the original plant withers and dies over the following days. Reshkai people know this is a dangerous time to be out of their tents, as the grass grows fast and a body has more nutrients than the soil. They also know that the windheart, when harvested at the right time, is a delicacy. Past the grass and pith is a creamy fruit, similar in shape to a yam, with a nutty, herbal taste. A single windheart can feed someone for nearly a week, though they do not last long unless preserved.Uses
The Reshkai people cultivate Alhoi to produce most of their daily needs. The grass itself is useless as food, except for zethers, the prime beast of burden on the plains, a stout, stumpy creature with a body like a camel, a short neck, and a pig-like head. Windhearts can be forced to grow, taking just over a week in a dark tent with a small hole cut in the roof, so more established tribes have a permanent source of food. A root system, unearthed and filled in with a little mud, can form the wall of a permanent structure. The short stems are about 6 inches long, as thick as a thumb, and as strong as wood. They are easily worked into knife handles or pegs for building. The leaves themselves can be reduced down to fibres. The clothes made from them are not comfortable but keep off the worst of the wind and dust. They are usually worn over furs.In game
Alhoi grants at least half cover, more when further away. Alhoi seeds drain 1 Constitution each day after two days of being ingested. As Alhoi seeds are neither poison, disease, or magical, they are not affected by spells such as Lesser Restoration or Dispel Magic. However, Greater Restoration will cause the body to overcome the spread of the roots and expel the seeds, Speak With Plants can be used to convince the seeds to leave, and a very well-controlled Blight spell can target a growing sprout while leaving the victim relatively unharmed. Casting Waterbreathing will allow people to walk through the clouds of seeds without breathing them in. Casting Transport Via Plants on the seeds is not recommended. Reshkai shamans can make a vile-tasting potion that can kill a growing seed but causes several days of vomiting and nausea, though many tribes refuse to as killing an unripe Alhoi plant is sacrilege to inner Reskai, no matter where it is growing. A windheart contains 6 days worth of food and, if good enough quality (DC 14 Wisdom (Medicine) check when harvesting) provide 1d4+4 HP when eaten.Adventure Hooks
- The party, not knowing to avoid the open air when Jasedar is full, are caught in an Alhoi bloom. They begin a race against time to find the cure.
- Some Reshkai tribes have no qualms against feeding their forced windhearts with nutrient-rich corpses. The players look like prime plant food...
- A botanist on the edge of the plains has been struggling to get their hands on a windheart for their research due to the conditions of the plains and the tribes that guard them. They want the party go collect some windhearts for them.
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This article was really cool. You have a lot of detail about the alhoi grass, which makes it feel very real and integrated into your world. I do have a couple of questions & constructive criticism: 1. I think using headers and pictures would really help create as aesthetic flow to your article. It's actually fine as it is, but adding color can help create a sense of overall progression with little visual checkpoint goodies for the eyeballs. 2. I really liked how you explained Zethers as the (main?) herbivores on your plains. I think it'd help if you did the same thing for "Jasedar" (either just linking it or giving a quick snippit). My mind lingered there trying to figure out what it was, so I thought it worth note. 3. You note that the seeds drain one CON a day; this happens two days after the seeds have been ingested. It might help to know what level of spell or remedy (skill check difficulty, random item) is needed, otherwise it seems incurable ? and if it is, that is also really metal. :D Thank you for the read!
Hi, thanks for the feedback! This is the first article I've publicised so it was really nice to see all the positive reactions to it. Let me know what you think!