Ghazali

Hidden by Poison

Ghazali mushrooms are a species of mushroom native to the wetlands of the continents of Graveslor and Solistien.
Until recently, there was no delineation between the Ghazali and its similar relative, the Fhavan Spore. The two plants thrive in the same environment, often intermingling, and are nearly identical in appearance. Until recent years, the "single" species was avoided, because the Fhavan Spore is highly toxic.
When scholars from Sulgent discovered several primitive tribes living in the swamps of Esur whose diet largely subsisted off of the mushrooms, the Ghazali were discovered as a separate species.

Medical Benefits

"I was dead. My team had been killed by the Uthern, and it'd nearly taken my leg clean off. I was dead and lost and dead. I lost consciousness in the middle of the swamp.
I woke up here. They'd used the Sightmakers to heal me. It was unbelievable. I swear the only thing holding my leg together was a but of muscle and skin, but I'm stronger now than I've ever been. Only thing is they won't let me leave, but life's not so bad here ..."

-Erron Savant, former explorer, speaking to Sulgenti scholars

Not only did the villagers of Esur regularly consume the mushrooms, but they possessed knowledge of the plants' properties. While an attempt was made to guard the secrets of the Ghazali, it was futile.
"Ghazali" is the scientific term given the mushrooms by the Sulgent Scholars. In the Esuri swamp villages, they have a different name: Sightmakers. This seemingly uncharacteristic naming convention puzzled scholars, before the mushroom's unique properties were discovered.
When cooked into a paste of salve, the Ghazali has remarkable, unbelievable healing properties. The salve is able to treat severe burns, lesions, and other injuries far more quickly than any other contemporary method, short of divine magic.
In addition, the mushroom can be ground into a powder to form a highly addictive psychadelic stimulant, that heightens awareness, calms the emotions, and, some say, extends the life of the user. The majority of the swamp dwellers in Esur have a strong addiction to the drug.
Despite their recent discovery, Ghazali have quickly become the most sought-after resource in both eastern and western continents. When they were first discovered, the Sulgent city-state - and a year later, the Granisian Ascendancy - seized a monopoly on the mushrooms, but more recently, they were discovered growing in Solistien.

by Miklós Ligeti

Sightmakers

The Esuri revere the mushrooms, and believe it is their duty to protect and cultivate the plants, even at the cost of their own lives. As such, the legends surrounding Ghazali run thick, and are the subjects of many myths and prophecies. The foremost among them is where the plants get their colloquial name.
Legend says that the first Elder of the first Esuri swamp village had been blinded by the spit of a poisonous lizard. It was said that his entire face had been burned off by the acid. He wandered blindly through the swamps, finally falling asleep in a bed of Ghazali. When he awoke, his face had been healed.
It is in this way, the swamp dwellers say, that the mushrooms were first discovered, and their culture began.