IkAmal's Moss

IkAmal's moss is a species of moss native to the fringes of Noltêrrë, discovered and described for the first time by the eristurdal researcher IkAmal during the founding expedition of Dallikton. It is a hardy, edible, salt-tolerant species of moss that likes to grow on coastal rocks that receive direct ocean spray during high tide. In the brief spring months of Noltêrrë, it is a common sight to see large sections of the shore blanketed in thick green mats of IkAmal's moss.
Although edible, the moss on its own does not make for a particularly palatable meal. Consumed raw, it is bitter, astringent, and quite chewy. It is best boiled or simmered as it breaks down into a gel that serves quite well as a thickener, giving soups and stews a delightfully silky texture, and when fried or cooked over direct heat it becomes unpleasantly crumbly.
The true value of IkAmal's moss does not become apparent, however, until one attempts to eat Nolteri oilfish without it. These fish—the most abundant fish in the waters near Dallikton and therefore a staple food for the settlement's inhabitants—contain moderate amounts of a neurotoxin. Though the toxin's effects were limited to considerable gastrointestinal distress in people when the fish was consumed in moderation, even small amounts of flesh were sufficient to debilitate smaller animals that had been brought along to serve as a food source for the expedition. Dallikton puffins were a notable exception, seemingly immune to the effects of the toxin despite consuming oilfish almost exclusively.
IkAmal's curiosity was piqued, and doubly so when he noticed that the droppings of Dallikton puffins almost invariably contained undigested clumps of moss. After some observation, he discovered that the puffins would peck at and swallow clumps of moss after consuming oilfish. He conjectured, correctly, that the moss was an important part of the puffins' apparent immunity.
IkAmal first tested his hypothesis by consuming a filet of oilfish with a fist-sized clump of raw IkAmal's moss. Though he spent the next few hours suffering from nausea and bloating, the uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea that was typical of the experience was absent. Further testing confirmed that the moss did indeed produce a substance that either neutralized the toxin or counteracted its effects and that cooking, crushing, or otherwise distressing the plant caused it to produce more of the substance.
Nowadays, IkAmal's moss is cultivated in the hot houses of Dallikton in order to secure a steady supply through the late winter months when stocks of other foodstuffs begins to run out, and oilfish takes over most meals throughout the day.