"Eating one of these little guys can result in a hell of a trip, for better or for worse. Excellent way if you need a quick gut flush. Though local folklore says it's good for when you're feeling a little drained, and the local shamans swear by this recipe. Says it'll keep the bad effects away."
The Wanderer's Ethereal Mushroom, or the Wanderer's Ethershroom, is a rare fungus that can only grow in Vinesia's most ethereally saturated soils. A rare specimen, a single head of one of these mushrooms gathers over 10,000 orbs, making them the most expensive plants in all of the Louthian continent, and one of the most valuable species of foraged mushrooms throughout Vinesia as a whole.
Those who forage for the mushroom are reminded that the strongest ethereal zones within Vinesia are rarely friendly to interlopers, and that those who are not experienced with defending themselves against large concentrations of foreign energy stay away from such zones.
Description
The Wanderer's Ethershroom reaches a height of only 4.2 centimeters tall when fully matured. They stand on a thin stalk and their caps measure approximately 2.2 centimeters in diameter. Immature specimens or specimens that are drained of ether will have a dull brown coloration in their flesh. Their scent has been described as being similar to freshly cut grass, but the taste is described as oily and rancid.
Specimens that are mature and vitalized on the local ether will maintain a vibrant neon green hue that is visible during daytime. At nighttime, these mushrooms can easily be seen from a distance with the naked eye.
Toxicity
The Wanderer's Ethershroom is known to contain a toxin which, upon consumption, inflicts moderate gastrointestinal distress on the consumer, including nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. The toxin can be removed from the mushroom thriough parboiling and thorough cooking of the fungus.
Those who are sensitive to ethereal flux exposure are not recommended to consume the Wanderer's Ethershroom, due to the increased risk of acute
Hyperetheria.
Uses
Medicine
The extracts of the Wanderer's Ethershroom are used in the production of
wyrixin, a second-line
Mana Agonist. The cooked Ethershrooms are also consumed by various magi for a quick restoration of mana.
Alchemy
"And to think you were about to throw this away! Do you not know just how valuable the oils inside of these mushrooms are? The moneybags at the Arcana Society would scramble and claw at each other to get the amount that you somehow harvested..."
Owing to its rich ethereal profile, the Ethershroom and its extracts are often used as reagents for alchemical processes - particularly processes that involve nature and earth-borne aspects. Proper filtering of contaminants can leave the extract with a clean ethereal profile, which enables it to be used as a catalyst for nearly all alchemical processes and reactions. This property of the cleaned extract is what makes the Wanderer's Ethershroom valuable - few other pure thaumaturgical catalysts are as easily prepared and as potent as the extract of the Ethershroom.
Culinary
The use of the Wanderer's Ethershroom for culinary dishes is rare - only
The Dasev are known to partake of this practice. It is often eaten as part of a stew, where the heat denatures the toxic proteins in the mushroom that are responsible for the gastrointestinal distress that accompanies its raw consumption.
Most
therianthropes are able to consume raw Ethershrooms with no ill effect.
Cultural Significance
Despite its rarity, its cultural significance cannot be understated, as its energy boost has given great warriors the boost they needed to push forth and ascend.
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