Rech

I love being here and discovering new things, which is exactly what the little rech is. Something new to tickle my thoughts with.

—  Retired mer teacher Osrcialea

Basic Information

Anatomy

Rech is a type of seagrass that lays down roots in reth (a type of sea moss). They look more like an algae on the other hand, with a long stripe that allows vertical growth, a float that keeps stripe vertical in the water, and then the blades that reach up like fingertips. Most plants are a darker brown at the bottom, and as they grow the color lightens into a paler tan until it hits the float, and from there and up the blades are a pure white.
Touching rech will result in a variety of textures depending on the area in question. 

• Roots - starting with a dark brown, they are smooth to the touch
• Stripe - while growing the stripe will develop itty-bitty hooks to snag whatever floats by, but these are not large enough to hurt a person, and the dark brown of the roots lightens to a pale brown
• Float - oddly sticky and tacky, even after a lifetime submerged in ocean water. A little pressure shows that the stickiness oozes outward from small pores. 
• Blades - smooth, and similar to the roots, there is one raised "vein" that travels from the base of the blade to the very top. 

Biological Traits

Biological traits can only be observed by the specimens that die and float out of the area. On average, rech tends to be about 20 meters tall before death, and is dominated by a white color due to the amount of blades an older plant has, which is around forty-five.

Genetics and Reproduction

As far as it can be seen, since a growth outside of The Broken Barrows has yet to survive, the plant will break off in old age, and as the stripe, float, and blades drift out of the area, one of the nearby roots will sprout. Since one rech looks very much like another, there is no easy way to see the spread of genetics, unlike in the Stulluvese .

Growth Rate & Stages

Growth has been recorded by checking the coloring of the dead rech that float out of the area, and the stages go mostly from unseen roots digging deep, small pokes in the middle of reth, and then a visual point that can be checked with the aid of far-seeing instruments. Other than that, the rates and stages can only be guessed at the moment. 

• Tallest on record: 31 meters
• Shortest on record: .2 meters 

Ecology and Habitats

The only environment rech grows in are The Broken Barrows. Scientists have tried to recreate the environment, but possibility of injury (light to loss of life) makes that difficult. It has been noted though, that "just keep adding salt" was not enough to make it a fertile ground for rech to grow. 

• Missing minerals and nourishment from the rocks are the key to recreating a place to grow this sea grass. 
• Magic is involved in some way, shape, or form. 

Biological Cycle

As The Broken Barrows does not following the passing of time and seasonal changes in the same manner that mers and land dwellers do, there hasn't been enough of a biological cycle to gather information on.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Only found in The Broken Barrows

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

This species is still being studied and experimented on, so information about the capabilities of the plant are rare. Rech is thought to rely on its touch (via the hooks on the stripe) out of all the senses it posses, but a thin tendril of theory is wondering if there's magic in the plant to begin with, allowing it to survive in a harsh enough region to bring down a fully grown mer in a handful of moments.