The Eye of Illyria
I N T E N T | To create the species of mushroom growing under the Temple of the Silmä which is used by the coven to induce force visions.
C A N O N | No
P E R M I S S I O N S N/A
N A M E | Pölvästi
O T H E R - L O C A T I O N S | None
C L A S S I F I C A T I O N | Fungus
A V E R A G E - G R O W T H - C Y C L E | The Pölvästi fungi have an average growth cycle of a single day for clusters of small mushrooms, to three to four days for clusters of a medium size. The Pölvästi begin as spores which are released into the air around the omnivident, finding purchase in areas with softer rock covered in moss where their roots can burrow. The mushrooms then begin to go through their growth phases, starting with a hyphal knot where the stem and the head grow (a process visible to the naked eye). Once the mushrooms are grown they periodically (once every few days) release more spores into the environment until they are picked or destroyed at the root, meaning that they can quickly overtake the entire cave. However, the population of the Pölvästi in the omnivident is carefully controlled and cultivated by the Silmä.
V I A B I L I T Y | The Pölvästi are an incredibly hardy type of fungi that require no direct sunlight or soil to grow. They rely entirely on the dark, humid conditions of the cave containing the omnivident to thrive, and they require no water as they primarily draw their source from the nexus itself, which in turn imbues them with their magik qualities. Many attempts by the Silmä to transplant them into soil or other rock within the temple have failed miserably. There is no defined time for the length of its survival as most of the fungi are harvested by the Silmä after a few weeks. Picked Pölvästi, if dried correctly, can last an indefinite amount of time. However, the longer they are left in storage the more their effects are diminished. The Silmä also report that their taste changes drastically when left in storage for exceedingly long periods of time.
D E S C R I P T I O N | Pölvästi are a soft white stemmed fungi with a cup that glows a gentle yellow thanks to the nexus they draw their water supply from. Ranging from small to medium in size they often grow in clusters which light the cave they are found in.
A V E R A G E - H E I G H T | Stalk length ranges from four centimeters to twenty centimeters.
A V E R A G E - L E N G T H | Cap size ranges from two centimeters to twelve centimeters.
C O L O U R | The stalks and caps of the Pölvästi are white. However, the nexus power gives the caps a soft yellow glow. Beneath these caps, where they are protected from the glow of their clusters, the hue of the mushroom is a strange grey, almost similar to the cave itself.
N U T R I T I O N A L - V A L U E | The Pölvästi are low in calories and fat, cholesterol free, and rich in vitamins. However, as they are incredibly poisonous when ingested raw, they are boiled. During this process they lose almost all of their nutritional value.
T O X I C I T Y | The Pölvästi are extremely toxic when ingested in their raw form. Even one small fungi can cause nausea, stomach cramps, insanity and eventually death. However, drying them out completely and boiling them nullifies the poison.
O T H E R - E F F E C T S | When boiled and ingested in drink form the Pölvästi have a hallucinogenic effect on the imbiber. According to their size and how many have been added to the brew, this effect can range from mild visions to extreme and dangerous hallucinations. The effects can also change depending on the mental stability of the person ingesting it. Those who have been party to the effects of the Pölvästi also report feelings of euphoria, sudden bouts of synesthesia and deep introspective experiences. Senior members of the Silmä, or members who regularly partake in the drinking of Pölvästi tea, are able to somewhat direct their hallucinations to attempt to see specific things. Negative effects of the Pölvästi are felt often, especially by those who are imbibing for the first time. These can range from something as simple as nausea or lightheadedness all the way to paranoia, panic and psychosis.
The effects of the Pölvästi are extremely addictive, and if ingested often enough their negative effects can become permanent. Meaning lasting and potentially life threatening damage on the person’s psyche.
The effects of the Pölvästi are extremely addictive, and if ingested often enough their negative effects can become permanent. Meaning lasting and potentially life threatening damage on the person’s psyche.
D I S T I N C T I O N S | Outside of their strange glow the Pölvästi look like any ordinary fungi. Their shape and colour do not vary depending on the season. However, the size of the fungi and the size of the clusters they grow in depend on their proximity to the omnivident. The closer they are the larger the cluster and the larger the fungi. The larger fungi are also known to have stronger hallucinogenic effects. The fungi cannot be grown anywhere else, proven by the Silmä who have tried for many years to get them to successfully grow in their pivaras.
H A R D Y | The Pölvästi are an extremely hardy fungus. They require no direct sunlight or water to thrive. Their roots are often found to burrow in the cracks of the mossy rock they grow on. Pölvästi are also extremely successful at reproduction, and if left to their own devices would quickly swallow the entire cave.
N A T U R A L - L I G H T | The force effects of the nexus the Pölvästi grow around have imbued themselves into the fungi. They give off a soft yellow glow which lights up the caves they grow in, meaning the Silmä have no other light in the omnivident save for what comes off the Pölvästi.
H A L L U C I N O G E N I C | These fungi have been empowered by the omnivident, giving them extreme hallucinogenic qualities. Those who have ingested the fungi often enough are able to somewhat direct them in order to discover specific things.
P I C K Y - P L A N T | No matter how hard the Silmä try, Pölvästi refuse to grow anywhere other than the cave where the omnivident is located. No amount of modification to soil or rocks they have attempted to grow them on provide them with the right nutrients needed for them to survive.
H I G H L Y - T O X I C | Pölvästi are highly toxic. Even a nibble of one of the smaller fungi can lead to severe stomach pain, nausea, insanity and, in most cases, death.
A D D I C T I V E | These fungi, if ingested often and regularly, are extremely addictive. Their negative effects, such as insanity and paranoia, can become permanent traits if the user continuously abuses them for their powers.
The Silmä believe that the Pölvästi have been growing beneath the temple long before the creation of the omnivident. Their white stalks and caps tell a tale of a fungi that thrived in dark, damp conditions. However, the addition of the force nexus imbued them with the poisonous qualities, as well as their hallucinogenic ones. Their effects when boiled were discovered after many trials and errors on the part of the Silmä, who lost many coven members in the process of attempting to find a suitable way to ingest them. The Silmä are now the only people in possession of the correct drying and boiling recipe to render the Pölvästi poison null and to bring out their hallucinogenic effects. They are used often in their rituals to see visions of the past, present and future.
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