Moss of Becoming

The moss expands the senses

Table of Contents

The moss of becoming growing on a stretch of earth in the Dragon's Domain

About

The moss of becoming, also known as "violet moss" or "violetbloom" is a species of moss with potent alchemical, magical, and psychedelic properties. It is said to grow best in the free and open spaces of the Transitive Plane, usually upon small tracts of loose earth or proto-planes where land and water meet. It can also grow in more "mundane" places where the veil between the planes are weak and magic flows freely. The moss of becoming appears to be similar to the non-magical mosses of Arda, save for its violet color and almost ethereal presence. It is generally brittle and carries a heavy earthen scent. It is prized by alchemists and mages the multiverse over as a reagent for potions, spells, and even as an energy and mind-expanding drug.
For these reasons, the extraplanar fetchlings of the Holy City of Amumbra and the Great Library of Caelanos have made numerous attempts to cultivate the moss. The fetchlings use the moss of becoming to inspire and create new arcana and artifice which are specifically difficult to use while not under the mind-expanding influence of the moss. The cultivation of the moss of becoming is dangerous. The moss grows best where extraplanar magical energy is strong, and will leech latent magic in the environment. As a result, peoples with magic prowess and Power feel weaker in the presence of the moss as their energy is leeched by the moss. Inversely, consuming the moss is said to give these same people a burst of magical energy.
Consuming the moss of becoming alone is dangerous, and in large enough doses, will poison or even kill the user. Thus, most alchemists instead distill, filter, and then dilute the moss into potions and elixirs. Depending on how an alchemist employs the moss, the potions are said to magically empower the imbiber, or in other cases, act as a psychoactive drug which expands the imbibers consciousness and magical sensitivity. The moss is said to be initially bitter, but improves as the psychoactive chemicals alters the mind of the user to the taste that they imagine. As the moss changes its sensation depending on the whims of the user, it is thus known as the moss "of becoming".
The moss of becoming, while its own life form, can also form symbiotic relationships. The most notable of these is as a lichen, where the moss grows with a species of flower which can more easily photosynthesize in the presence of a sun or other bright heavenly body. The petals of such flowers are magenta to deep violet, which become known as "violetbloom". These flowers are often alchemically used as a weaker form of the moss. More terrifyingly, the moss can also grow and "hijack" recently fallen creatures by "restarting" their nervous pathways following the death of their physical brain. The moss then "controls" the body, seeking to preserve itself and fulfill its base instincts such as finding sustenance or shelter, especially if the vessel was a spellcaster in life. Such creatures are known to react violently to spellcasters, and will attempt to consume them by force or magic. From there it will steadily grow, with the moss and other vegetation stripping away skin and flesh until it becomes a goliath creature of its own with little resemblance to its former vessel, known as "Creatures of Becoming". Such symbioses are thankfully rare, and are more common threats to the bold travelers of the outer planes beyond the Dragon's Domain.

A Creature of Becoming

See Also

• The Story So Far
• Dragon's Domain