Solo Herbs and Poisons

[Sayana]

Spring 23, 516 AV

It was almost sundown when Sayana set out for the small apothecary shop. She had long deliberated whether she should even get a job in Syliras, but eventually concluded she would be less conspicuous if she was employed. Plus, seeking out herbs in the wilds gave her all the reason to be going in and out of the city on a regular basis.

The stone buildings of the city cast long shadows and she wore her very rudimentary squire disguise. Her nasal helmet obscured portions of her face and her long hair was tucked up tight within it. Her black robe hid her mid and low arms and a small buckler strapped to her back completed the package. It was by no means the best look, but it would keep her from garnering attention while out on the streets.

She walked stiffly, with a sense of duty and purpose as if on patrol. Her eyes were peeled for other squires and knights. There were fewer of them out on the streets at this time. Perhaps fewer by half or even more. Those who trained incessantly seemed to be finished for the day and either retiring at their dormitories or in one of the taverns. Most of them who were on the streets patrolled alone or in pairs. Rarely were there groups larger than three, and most pairs seemed to consist of a knight and his or her squire.

They were also dressed more ‘professionally’ than she was. Several had full plate with swords visible at their sides and many had at least one article of clothing with the tree emblem so prevalent within the Order. She would have to step up her game to truly appear like a squire, but for now it was to simply deter attention.

Rather lost in thought with her analysis, she was surprised at how quickly she had arrived at the Stormhold Salves. As she opened the door, Mistress Sahfri looked up. “It’s almost closing time. You better be quick.”

“I wanted to know if you needed an assistant of sorts. Someone to gather herbs for you in the woods while you mind the shop.”

There was a moment’s hesitation and then Sahfri frowned. “Sayana? Is that you?”

[Sayana]

Sayana removed the helmet, releasing her thick curly locks of hair. “Yes, it’s me.” She answered simply. “I’ve come back to Syliras.”

She could tell that there were several questions on Sahfri’s tongue, but her determined expression convinced the shopkeeper that she was unlikely to elaborate. Instead, the herbalist cleared her throat. “I could use some help. It’s spring, and many herbs will begin growing once more and go into bloom.”

Sayana smiled faintly and nodded. She was glad to have come in the spring rather than winter. “You don’t suppose you could give me a refresher on some of the more important herbs to be collecting, could you? I know a fair number like vyfox, jile berries, and some others but it’s been a while.”

Mistress Sahfri’s face suddenly lit up. “I have something even better.”

She disappeared to the back of the shop and in a couple of chimes she returned with a small book. “It contains a list and description of the herbs I’ve found in the area, and some even beyond Syliras. But this is precious information and you can’t take it out foraging. I’ll let you borrow it for tonight, and tonight only.”

As the four armed Eypharian handed the small book over, Sayana delicately took it. A year ago she might have looked at it with disdain and turned it away. But now she was slowly gaining an appreciation for the written word and the knowledge it could contain. “I will take good care of it and return tomorrow morning.” She replied. “Then in a few days I’ll provide you with fresh herbs.”

Once Sayana got back to her apartment, she lit a candle and curiously flipped through the pages of the book. It wasn’t all filled in and it was a small book to begin with, but there was still useful information and herbs she didn’t recognize. She smiled when she caught sight of the ‘tolm’ entry. It was a familiar herb but she wouldn’t have been able to identify it in the field. Same with connal. She looked at the leafy fern picture next to the fauxsil description and she could have sworn she had seen something like that along the Avitar river banks. She still found it painstaking to read, but she took several chimes to read through the description of fauxsil and its common uses. Like lettuce… could be useful in a pinch while out in the wilds. And helpful for sleep. Kind of like connal.

She flipped to a few more entries and then was suddenly surprised at one of them. “Blue Whinnis?” She spoke softly as she sounded out the words. Wasn’t that a poison? She carefully read through the description and it seemed to come from a specific root. But there was no mention of the effects. Did Sahfri know what it did? Sayana thought back to when she had first encountered the poison and its name. She was pretty sure that its effects included unconsciousness. Yes, not immediate but fairly swift unconsciousness. For she had been a victim of it once, about a year ago. Maybe Sahfri knew of it so she could make an antidote. Sayana tried to look through to see if there were any other shady substances but no others were as obvious to have a blank spot under ‘uses’.

Still, it was an exciting discovery and she wasn’t going to take it for granted. The Eypharian took out her blank book and her writing implements to start copying out the entry of blue whinnis. It was slow and painstaking work, but it helped when she just focused on the shapes of the letters. Under ‘uses’ she instead wrote, “Helps induce sleep.” With a smile, she chose a couple other entries to copy out including rhinedale ash, azhiltu, and fauxsil. By then her hand felt cramped and tired. It was time to get some rest since she had a long day ahead of her.

[Sayana]

By first light Sayana was up and packing for her trip. She filled her rucksack with various camping items like a blanket, a bedroll, rope, an axe, flint and steel, a cooking pot and some basic utensils. In her high hands was a tent and tucked within her robe she held her small backpack which she would fill with herbs. There were already a few empty jars inside along with some dried food to last her two days.

After returning the book to Mistress Sahfri and making sure she had her own book at hand, Sayana set off for the Windmount Stables and onwards to the Bronze Woods. She did not attempt a disguise at the gates and simply stated she was an herbalist going out to forage in the woods.

At last she was on the road, mounted on her brilliant white Stardust. She leaned forwards upon the mare and gave a firm kick into a canter down the Kabrin road. The spring air was fresh and delicious as it whipped past and Sayana rocked with the horse’s gait keeping her heels firm in the stirrups. It was her first time truly riding the windrunner and did the breed’s name ever ring true.

“Faster, faster,” the Eypharian cooed as she wound her fingers of her mid hands within the mare’s mane with her highs holding the reins and her lows the saddle horn. With another kick, the horse was spurred into a gallop and they dashed onwards, taking the east fork in the road. Sayana’s heart pounded with exhilaration and they must have sped onwards for fifteen or even twenty chimes before she slowed the horse back into a gentle trot.

Stardust was breathing heavily by this point but it was not the disheartened exhaustion that followed the whip of a slave driver. It was more like the prideful ‘quick breather’ after a hard run. The horse had been bred for this.

They were well into the woods now, although still on the road, and Sayana began to feel the burn on her thighs even from the short ride. It had been too long since she had ridden properly and she’d need to build up her stamina once more. She reined the mare into a halt, then swung her leg over to dismount. “Very good Stardust,” she spoke fondly. Then with a second thought, she used her djed to capture her elated and contented state of mind, and wove the magic into her next words. “Very good.”

The hypnotism was far easier when she didn’t have to first concentrate on the feelings she was trying to transmit. It only took one good look into the mare’s eyes to feel her djed releasing into the horse’s soul. Ultimately Sayana wanted to instill loyalty into her mount so she wanted to first start with positive feelings whenever they rode together.

Only then did Sayana draw her attention towards the task at hand and began scanning the sides of the road for potential herbs to collect. The road was nothing more than a wide dirt path, but it was used frequently enough for most plants to grow on the edges. The break in the trees allowed Syna to shine through and the Eypharian picked her way along with one hand holding her horse’s reins.

To one side she spotted a cluster of low evergreen shrubs. As she drew near and moved off the road, a smile lightened her face. Dotting the bushes were little black and brown berries. Jile berries by the looks of it. Even in the early spring they seemed to be plentiful on the bush. Pulling out a jar from her backpack she moved around the bush plucking the ripe brown ones. Many were not suitable but there were enough that were ready and she filled about half her small jar. Even as her boot squelched into the mud to get back to the road, she felt the day had started off well.

[Sayana]

She enjoyed the tittering of birds and the scampering of squirrels as she walked along the road. A variety of plants and flowers were already beginning to blossom in the early spring. Her horse nickered as a shy fox made itself seen far down along the road, but soon it was gone and she spotted something even better. There, just as the sun hit the low vegetation was a large patch of white flowers.

Giddy with her sudden find, she mounted up swiftly and trotted down the muddy path towards them. However even as she approached, her grin began to fade. Even though they had small clusters of white blossoms, the leaves looked off and the general arrangement of the flowers was more rounded rather than flat. Plucking a cluster she eyed them skeptically. No, this was not vyfox.

With a sigh she tossed the white blossoms to the ground. It was quite a large patch she had found but it was probably just a result of the spring sunshine able to reach the forest floor. As she looked closer, she realized a game trail exited from the small clearing. With new determination she hopped into the saddle once more and set off at a walk through the woods. It seemed to head in the general direction of the Avitar river and with any luck she’d reach it as the trail meandered through the woods.

The terrain began to grow more hilly as she rode through the forest. Up and down embankments with hardly any low lying vegetation except for the dead leaves upon the ground and the occasional mushroom. Now and then she had to urge her horse forwards when a log blocked the way. Sayana kept her reins firm as she spurred her horse onwards to continue following the game trail. Just as she thought she wasn’t going to find any useful plant life, the forest broke into a large treeless hill filled with low shrubs and bedrock. It was a curious sort of clearing and immediately she jumped down from her horse to take a look. And there amongst the rocks and low shrubs were several plants with brilliant red undersides on their leaves. Only a couple of the red flowers bloomed, with orange centers, while the rest were still merely buds waiting to blossom.

She quickly flipped open her journal with the herb entries and scanned down to find what she thought the red flower was. Azhiltu. There were some rather precise instruction about how to harvest the seeds in the flowers but she’d save that for later and just make sure she managed to take the flowers intact. She carefully plucked a few of them as well as some bright red leaves and placed them in an empty jar. As she moved about the low shrubs, she found there were a few more of the flowers in bloom and was sure to harvest them.

A sudden bird call distracted her and she turned towards the source of the noise. It looked like a deep black raven perched high upon the trees. It was only then did she realize she could see the Avitar river off in the distance and quite a way below her vantage point. She mounted up once more and set off for the water source. The rocky terrain made riding difficult but as soon as she found another trail, all she had to worry about were low branches. She kept her path downhill mostly until she could hear the babble of the water. As she neared the river, one of her horse’s hooves sunk rather deep into the spring mud. She dismounted to aid the animal out of the muck though she also caught sight of some small paw prints making tracks in pairs. Aha, they were probably close to the river if bunnies were scampering about.

[Sayana]

The sounds of the river got louder as she led her horse onwards along the trail. The thick forest began to break and low lying shrubs covered the area along the river banks. There were more signs of rabbits in the mud, not to mention a couple of holes several inches wide. Even some of the leaves in the vicinity were torn with little bite marks on them.

As soon as Sayana reached the river’s edge she got out her waterskin to fill it with the fresh cool water. Encouragingly, she guided her horse to also drink from the river, but careful not to let it lose its footing from the swift current.

There was an array of plants along the riverbanks, from tall cattails and waterlilies in the calmer areas to shrubs and thickets occupying the banks where the river was too fast to grow in. Sayana spotted a wide carved out area of slow moving water near one of the river bends. It was thick with fern like vegetation growing in and around the water. But most curiously, half of it looked chewed up by some sort of creature.

She blamed the nibbles on any rabbits in the area but when she looked again, she realized that the triple leafed fern might be one of the herbs she was looking for. Cautiously, she bent down and picked one of the more obviously nibbled leaves. The leaves grew in triads and it was definitely by the river. She took a tentative bite, and then another. It was a little bitter, but after a while rather pleasant. She harvested several more of the fauxsil plants and cut them low near the roots before putting them into her backpack. Of course, she couldn’t help but munch along the way as she worked.

Slowly she went along the river following it upstream. She managed to find some actual vyfox this time and something she was pretty sure was tolm. She’d have to check with Sahfri when she got back but it looked promising enough to cut off some of the roots and leaves. There were lots of plants that didn’t seem to have much purpose, like the cattails, though curiously she cut one of the thick brown ‘tails’ to examine. It was an odd sort of plant, and when she started tearing into it with her fingernails, it turned surprisingly fluffy. With a shrug, she put some of the fluff into a jar wondering if it might be useful later.

[Sayana]

Sayana carried on but veered away from the river and back towards the forest. It was late in the afternoon and soon she should start setting up camp if she was planning to stay the night. However, as she went deeper into the woods, there was a strangely familiar sort of thicket, or large bush. Or at least the description was familiar. She retrieved her small journal and read the description once more of the whinnis root. It grew in forest environments but also wasn’t a tree. It had a certain leaf pattern and roots that looked like… Curiously, she thrust her dagger into the dirt near one of the roots and dug up a small section. Could this really be it? Tentatively she cut it down the middle and sure enough there were faint blueish veins within the root.

Once she collected a few samples she continued through the woods until she saw another familiar bush. Except, while appearing to be like the blue whinnis in many ways, the leaves were rounded and the branches thinner and less dense. She was suddenly rather perplexed as she dug out its roots to find similar blueish lines running through the root.

Two plants, looking nearly alike but they were different and only one could be the whinnis root. Or could they both be? Or neither? She’d have to test it to find out. Now was as good a time as any to make camp. As the woods opened up into a clearing, she looked with fascination at the series of caves in front of her. She was half tempted to go exploring in them right away, but if it got dark before she made a fire, it would be twice as hard to do so, if not completely impossible.

Restraining her curiosity, she unsaddled her horse and got out her supplies. First came the tent. The Eypharian found a rather flat potion of grass and kicked away a few stray rocks and sticks. She unrolled the large tent and began fitting together the wooden poles. There were several places with string to tie it together and also some simple wooden pegs that she hammered into the ground with the flat side of her axe.

Now came the tricky part, actually lifting and propping it up. She struggled a bit with the unwieldy tent, unable to support it from the other side. After a good fifteen chimes of making use of all her arms and even a tree to prop up one side, she managed to get it to be self-supporting.

Slumping on the ground, Sayana took a break and glanced around the ever darkening clearing. It would be nighttime soon.

Credit: Shimoje

[Sayana]

After tucking her belongings into the tent and ensuring that Stardust was properly to a tree, Sayana moved about the clearing collecting sticks of varying sizes. With an axe in her mid right, she chopped at some of the thicker branches so that she’d have longer lasting wood for the fire once the kindling burned through. The forest was littered with many sticks and it didn’t take long to gather a substantial pile.

She paused for a tick to feel the slight breeze, then chose a spot for the fire so her tent wouldn’t be immediately downwind of it. It wouldn’t be good for her tent to accidentally catch flame. The Eypharian then got to clearing a fire pit free of grasses and debris, and also somewhat indented into the ground. The sticks came next, with the smaller ones near the center with the tinder, and the larger logs around the outside.

She struck her flint against the steel several times and managed to get a few sparks, but they were snuffed out almost immediately. Then she suddenly remembered the fluffy cattails. With a bright smile she eagerly dug out the fluffy material and placed it near the middle of the fire pit. With a few more sparks and a soft blow, the flame burst into light and started crackling as it engulfed the twigs and sticks.

The rest of the fire was easy work from there. A couple times she went to gather more wood, but it was plentiful in the forest and easy to procure. Once she was happy that the flames weren’t going to die out, Sayana searched around for a flat surface to chop up the Blue Whinnis root. The rock she found was flat, but sure as hai far heavier than she had thought. She half lifted and half dragged it towards the campfire before getting out a small dagger and the roots she had collected.

For a moment she forgot which roots were which, but then was suddenly reassured when she saw a leaf in one of the jars. Making sure they stayed separate, Sayana began chopping the root as finely as she could. It was woody and tough, but her dagger was sharp. And sure enough there were those pale blue veins. After chopping the first set, she put it in her cooking pot and added enough water to cover the roots about an inch deep. She then set the pot to boil over the fire, resting upon two of the more sturdy logs.

Even though she wasn’t entirely sure that boiling the roots would extract the poisonous effect, she figured it was a good first method to try. As she waited for them soak and cook, she began chopping the next set of roots.

Credit: Shimoje

[Sayana]

Sayana impatiently poked and prodded at the root and water mixture cooking in the pot. It was hard to tell whether it was working. After adding some more sticks to the fire, she decided to grind up the other set of roots more finely. With a fist-sized rock she pressed and twisted the roots hard against the smooth flat one. Some of it simply crushed to a pulp but she got some fine powder too, which she carefully returned to the jar.

Peering into the pot she excitedly saw a hint of blue in the watery mixture. Instinctively she reached out to grab the pot but the moment she touched it, she snatched her hands back from the heat. Petch. How was she supposed to take off the pot now? The pot did have a wire handle. She recalled someone saying never use live branches for campfires. Only dead ones that snapped. Does that mean that a green live branch is less likely to burn?

As she worked out her dilemma, Sayana went over to a young sapling growing at the edge of the clearing and cut a long piece of the flexible green wood. Flicking the wire up with the green stick, she slipped it underneath and triumphantly lifted the pot off the flames, holding both ends of the stick. Once the pot cooled enough, she poured the liquid into the jar and dumped out the remaining pulp. Not to waste any time, she put the new batch of ground roots into the pot and returned it to the fire.

Now she just had to see if the poison worked.

Her first instinct was to drink it, but then she remembered how she had been inflicted with the poison nearly a year ago. It had been with a dagger wound. Or some sort of injury. Drawing a fresh dagger, she dipped it into the jar to coat it with the liquid. Then she made a fine cut across the palm of her hand.

Nothing happened at first. She tried to recall how long it had taken with her one and only experience with the poison. She had been fighting, and she had suddenly grown strangely weak. She still felt fine. With a bit of uncertainty, she poured some of the blue liquid onto the cut. What if she overdosed? What if she never woke up? She tried to keep her thoughts in check as she systematically checked the results of the poison and waited decent spans of time in between tests. She was feeling a little tired, but not to the point of unconsciousness. It might have just been from the long day outdoors.

Time passed as she tried to make the poison work, but to no avail. The jar of liquid was practically empty by the time she realized the next batch might be ready. The second batch had been definitely simmered longer and was a more obvious shade of blue when she held it up by the firelight. All her tests for the first poison had been to her left hands and arms. To keep them distinct, she now switched to perform the cuts on her right arms.

It was time for the moment of truth. She made a cut on the palm of her right mid, much like before. Again, nothing seemed to happen at first. Internally she was growing more and more frustrated by this finicky poison that didn’t want to work. Hadn’t she done everything right? Hadn’t she spent nearly the whole day exhausting herself and now staying up for hours into the night? As she realized just how tired she was, she suddenly wondered if it was working.

Was it working or was she just…? Sayana’s eyes blurred and she slumped to the forest floor. There was a moment of dizziness and then her eyes fell shut completely, the world spinning to blackness.

When she awoke the next morning, she was covered in dew and the flames of the fire had burnt out. She would return to the Stormhold Salves with the herbs for Sahfri that day. Her new found poison, however, would stay with her for safe keeping.

Note to GraderThere’s probably only one dose left of the poison since she already used one, and she’s not very good at poison crafting yet.

Credit: Shimoje

[Konrad Venger]

Sayana XP: Intelligence - 1 Herbalism - 4 Poisons - 3 Writing - 1 Riding - 2 Hypnotism - 1 Wilderness Survival (Woods) - 2 Organization - 3 Philtering - 1 Lore: Using a Job as Cover and for Anonymity Poison: Blue Whinnis Organization: Research First, Then Fieldwork Hypnotism: Used to Calm Horses Herbalism: Azhiltu Herbalism: Fauxsil Herbalism: Vyfox Herbalism: Tolm Herbalism: Cattails Constructing a Fire Circle in the Wild Poisons: Boiling to Release Potency Organization: Testing what You Make Additional: -1/4 vial of Blue Whinnis Poison (one dose, as your OOC suggested) Click Me! : I have to admit, this one really drew me in. Not just because of the subject matter - I write a mercenary assassin, of course I like poisons - but because the sheer level of planning was very impressive. Sayana is clearly no random thug, but a very savvt operator, and you portrayed that perfectly in this post. Her sense of organization and intelligence, her analytical nature, covering all the bases when it came to her job and her chance finding of a usable poison. No critique worth a damn, love. You did an amazing job. Oh, and please make sure you go back and edit your post in the Request Thread to reflect the fact this one is now done and dusted. PM me with any questions and later 'tater!