Grey Bark

"Some of my more... unorthodox colleagues insist that the Red Fever that seems to have taken root in some of the more deprived areas of Rodess can be cured by this 'Grey Bark'. Utter nonsense. Quite why they think that an ailment caused by the moral laxity of uneducated savages can be cured by a powder made from a tree I don't know. Ridiculous. I despair for the younger generation."

Whilst colonists from The New Empire of Belyos have struggled with the ravages of Red Fever, the native Dwellers display a far greater awareness of the illness, along with knowledge of its source, and how to treat it. The majority of Imperial scholars dismiss such knowledge as native superstition, but canny explorers and some more forward-thinking researchers have looked into Dweller practices, and have discovered a substance that whilst does not cure Red Fever, is important in mitigating and preventing it. To the Imperials it is known as Fever Quench, but the Dwellers call it Grey Bark.

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Utility

All that is needed to render the bark into use is a stripping off of the harder outer layers, and grinding the softer inner bark into a powder, which is then typically given suspended in water (the powder itself is insoluble in water). The powder itself is bitter and unpalatable, so it is often mixed with sweeter substances like honey, or stirred into stronger tasting liquids like wine.

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Access & Availability

The tree from which Grey Bark is extracted is common throughout the forested areas of the northern continent, so much so that ignorant colonists often have to clear large numbers of it to plant their crops and allow their livestock to roam. Dweller villages are careful to leave the tree alone when conducting their own clearances, and actively encourage its growth in other areas.

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Discovery

When the Dwellers first became aware of the properties of Grey Bark is unknown; their history is entirely oral in nature, and the discovering of the medicine is not recorded in any of their stories. It is just something that every tribe and village is aware of, and no self-respecting member would ever be ignorant of.
For the Imperials, whilst formal acceptance of Grey Bark is yet to be given, the substance has been used for only around twenty years, and only within Imperial lands for a few months.

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