Dyrsbane

Dyrsbane is a ground-cover plant with a distinct leaf shape and colouration so dark it appears black. However, in certain lights you can see a subtle sheen to it in shades of blue, purple, or teal. This plant prefers shade and withers in bright sunlight. Dyrsbane is most famous for its ability to suppress magic, and because of this it has a complex history in Tyrth.

There is an old fable about a king with an unquenchable thirst for magic. He did everything in his power to try to wield it, and his obsession with magecraft had him chasing after some highly dangerous tomes. The spellwork he tried to command ended up corrupting him, and he contracted a nameless disease that the fairy tales simply refer to as magic sickness. Dozens of healers tried to cure him of this strange arcane sickness, but nothing would work. The palace finally summoned an ancient fowldyr herbalist to the king’s bedchamber. The fowldyr was reluctant to have an audience, but the king’s advisors wouldn’t allow the fowldyr to be alone with the king. Tensions were high and trust was fraying, so the fowldyr agreed to allow a select few of the king’s most esteemed council to observe.

 

The dyrsbane tincture that the fowldyr used to treat the king cleansed the magic sickness from his body. It was a truly miraculous turn of events. They say this is the first time humans learned about the strange effects that dyrsbane has on magic. It was a well kept secret by fowldyr for a long time, and this one instance of altruism would forever change history for fowldyr. 

 

No one can say exactly who is responsible for the knowledge of dyrsbane’s properties reaching the populace, but whispers began to spread of a rare herb that can disrupt magic… and some of the more cunning humans began to see the wider possibilities that this plant held. Fowldyr were greatly respected for their immortal status in Tyrth, and any kingdom that had a fowldyr warrior protecting it was an incredibly formidable foe. If you were able to immobilize a fowldyr that was standing in your way… it would open up many new opportunities for conquest.

For you see… fowldyr that ingest too much dyrsbane will struggle to conjure their magical powers, and in high concentrations it can even dematerialize a fowldyr and cause them to revert back into their vessels. Arrowheads and daggers soaked in concentrated dyrsbane began being used to level the playingfield against fowldyr warriors.

 

Once the secret was out there was no severing it from the general population's pool of knowledge. Instead, fowldyr collectively began to combat this new threat in a different way. Fowldyr have known about this plant far longer than humans, and so they were highly aware of its preferred habitats and growing conditions. A guild of fowldyr herbalists began the extensive task of uprooting wild dyrsbane and transplanting in their own private collections. Over the centuries fowldyr have made this plant functionally extinct in the wild. Every few decades there are sightings of wild dyrsbane, but it is exceptionally rare to find it growing on its own.

 

These days, dyrsbane is carefully grown in controlled arboretums overseen by fowldyr herbalists. Originally, the cultivation of dyrsbane by fowldyr was a means to control such a dangerous substance, but after hundreds of years of careful research fowldyr have learned that diluted dyrsbane is an effective treatment for an Unstable Core. In small quantities, the magic suppressing effect of this plant can soothe an Unstable Core and control the spread of the disease. Because of how diluted the plant needs to be in order to be used as an effective treatment, it is often smoked or diluted into teas and elixirs.

 

Since this plant has both a nefarious use and a medicinal one, it is a regulated substance in Tyrth that is overseen by fowldyr. Dyrsbane can be obtained by licensed cultivators for medicinal use, but it has also been seen circulating on the black market for individuals with ill intentions.