Manabloom

A unique flower known as the manabloom develops inexplicably under certain conditions. It was both practically everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Manabloom is extremely in demand since it is necessary for mages worldwide to stabilize themselves from overcasting, making the cost for even a single flower around 1 gold coin. Manabloom emits a weak blue light that does not go out even after it is cut; once cut, it is a race against time to process or eat the plant before it becomes unusable like any other vegetable. Manabloom has been known to grow underwater as well, but only in certain pockets of water for reasons unknown.

The cultivation of Manabloom is a highly guarded secret, as it involves using the bodies of magical creatures or wizards, whose life essence often yields a Manabloom of a useful size and potency. Manabloom is the life force of the Familiar lands and gives other mages a way to stay anchored in the world of the living. Manabloom is commonly extracted from graveyards or catacombs, as well as from any location in the wild where an animal with a magical sensitivity has perished. Nevertheless, not every magical corpse will yield a Manabloom, and there are some techniques to encourage the flower to take root although these are well-guarded secrets among magical societies and academies. In most countries, it is forbidden to grow manabloom without approval. Clerics of Kindness are one of the few groups able to cultivate manabloom successfully. Naturally with the demand there are many fakes throughout.

Usage

Though the Manabloom is used extensively by mages and sorcerers alike, there are other uses for the herb aside from anchoring. To those without magical sensitivity, consuming a Manabloom would be equivalent to taking powerful hallucinogens, causing them to have a glimpse of how a mage sees the world, for mages it allows them to experience quiet for just a moment, allowing them to align back into reality. Manabloom can be powdered and mixed with mage blood to create magical ink that can be used to enchant equipment and items or write spell scrolls. Manabloom can be mixed with other hallucinogenic materials and smoked to create glimpses of the afterlife. Undeads require the consumption of Manabloom to maintain their movement and state. Overuse of Magic tends to tire the mage out; Manabloom does not help in this aspect.