Skilja (SK-EEL-YUH)

A feather like plant that appears short on the surface but grows a long, hardy root, this cold-dwelling plant is often found on the forest floor beneath snow-covered pines. These small plants grow best sheltered from the wind. The small thin green leaves look very similar to pine needles. Skilja mimic pine saplings, so they are very hard to identify to the untrained eye. One difference is the fading of light green to dark green in the small leaves. While Pine trees have bark, Skilja have smooth stems with small blue veins. Young roots start out a light blue. As they mature the root turns a darker blue until it turns purple. The root is edible at all stages. They have the strongest magical potency at the purple stage. The Skilja have small pinecone like, dark pink flowers. While they are abundant, the process of digging them out of the snow for their valuable roots makes them a pricey ingredient for various teas and other alchemical concoctions. The roots are said to have the power to grant a deeper understanding of oneself and others.

Type

Biomaterial