Brickmoss Lichen

Wind whips around her head, bundled as it is by scarves and furs. The mountain rages against her progress but still she presses on. Yuresh had traveled for too many days to let the weather beat her back, not to mention the things she had lost. Her guide had been left aside, further back on the road. Injuries and a lack of willpower meant he was better off carving out a cave. It was no matter, Yuresh had found the peak, it was only a matter of time until she reached it's summit.
Many more minutes, close calls and precarious ledges had finally brought her to a cave. Somehow untouched by the snow and pelting ice, it seemed to be warmed from the inside. She saw no fires and no glow, but still the stone was warm to the touch. A moment to calm her heart revealed a gentle noise like rain, and she realized there must be a melt going on from through the cave walls. The gentle heat of the place must be slowly trimming off the endless buildup of snow above.
A little further into the cave and she saw it, the thing that had brought her so far, the Brickmoss lichen. Reportedly found nowhere else in the world, Brickmoss was believed to be of such a potent magical quantity that it could be used in any potion to amplify the effects tenfold. Erivha would be so pleased. Finally, they would achieve their goals. As she walked toward the collected lichen, she heard a soft step from the back of the cave and stopped. Her hand went to the short sword on her belt as she turned and watched the figure approach.
It was most curious, the man she saw. He bore a simple tunic and trousers, made up in a dark blue with light grey trim. He stepped forward and in the thin light that was coming in from outside she was able to see his face, narrow and angled, his nose topped by a pair of small lenses. At his side he carried a small book, a novel or a journal perhaps. She gave him a look of deep suspicion. This man wasn't wearing any heavy, weather gear. He showed no signs of discomfort, no signs of living in this cave. Thanks to how he approached, she did see there was a narrow passage at the back of the cave he must have slipped through, and now she was curious about what might lie down that way.
The man spoke, but in a language she didn't understand, it was something harsh and precise. Each syllable flowed out easily but they were all noises like the strike of a stick on a tree. She didn't respond to his first speech so he paused, seemed to think for a moment and tried again, his speech this time quick and flowing. Again she didn't understand, and again he seemed to try a different language until he had tried fourteen more. She was confused by the situation, but even more confused by the fact that he somehow knew at least fifteen languages, all of which she had never heard.
"Do you... now be understanding me?" The man said with an uncomfortable grimace in her tongue, but a foreign and broken dialect that wasn't easy to understand.
"Who are you and how are you here?" She calmly asked, "The Mountain shouldn't be inhabited."
"Ah... This is not good people feeling?" He says with a softly uttered curse, "Sorry, not used this language in a long time." Yuresh brandishes her weapon coldly and advances a few steps, repeating her questions in response.
"Right..." the man clears his throat and straightens a bit, "My name is Ank'era, I am a researcher." He says, his words slowly becoming clearer and more eloquent as he speaks. "I am here studying the Thugura. I assume that's why you have come as well?" She nods slowly and stands a bit straighter, returning her sword to its scabbard but keeping a hand on the pommel cautiously.
"Yes... I intend to take some back home, I did not think anyone could survive here for long."
"Indeed, I am... Not just anyone..." Ank'era responds awkwardly, "I know this may seem suspicious, but would you like to come into my cave?" He quickly puts up his hands when her hand tightens instinctively on her hilt, "Oh, no! Perish the thought, I would never do something as unconscionable as harm you. I simply wish to show you what I have found in my research."
"Move slow, stay on the tip of my blade," She says softly pointing the freshly drawn blade at him. He nods pleasantly, smiling and turning around to wait for the touch of the steel in the small of his back.
"Follow me, then..." He says with a soft, well-meaning chuckle, then leads her toward the partially concealed passage. It appears to be invisible from the main cave, but a short walk to one side reveals a relatively wide passage. He leads her down it for a short while, the sounds of the storm behind them fading quickly as the get further and further in.
"Ah, here we are...," Ank'era says jovially and leads her around the final corner. Revealed inside is a massive cavern, large enough to create an echo. Against one wall are a few heavy, wooden tables and chairs, the tables are strewn with alchemical equipment and large tomes. A sizable sample of the Brickmoss is collected nearby, enough to perform thousands of experiments on. The cavern is illuminated by a few flame-less lanterns that cast a wide, blue glow around the room, most notably on the large pile of jewels and gold in the other half of the room. The pile looks like it is spread, as if a large weight was laid on top.
"Gods...," Yuresh gasps, realizing where she had found herself in an instant. "I... I am sorry... I shouldn't have..." He shakes his head at her comment, his demeanor still pleasant as he takes a few step away and puts up a hand.
"Please, do not trouble yourself. You couldn't have known, and you should pride yourself on having the wisdom to realize," he bows and comes back up with a warm smile. "Allow me to formally introduce myself, I am Ank'era of the Sunset. You have no reason to fear me, my only desire is knowledge and a nice cup of tea."
"W-why... would someone like yourself need knowledge?" She mumbles in awe, her sword arm falling limply by her side for a moment before she remembers it and stows it away once more. It would be useless, so it would be best to save the blade.
"Our kind might be powerful and intelligent, but that doesn't mean we automatically have knowledge of everything," he smirks, "and my brother and I are particularly keen to understand things that have been lost to this world." Yuresh glances about with a sharp eye, but he puts his hand up again. "And no, my brother is not here. He's somewhere in the south."
"Well... then what was it you wanted to show me?" Yuresh relaxes a bit and peers over his shoulder at the tables of tomes and experimental equipment.
"Yes, let me tell you all about Thugura, it's the least I could do after you came so far," Ank'era says with a flourish and leads her over to the tables.

Brickmoss Lichen, or Thugura, or Wonder-Scruff, is a base component for potions and poisons. It provides a reactive compound that the other components can be mixed into to provide the expected results. The particular benefit of this lichen, over other such bases like wyrmtoungue, is that it allows the creation of a potion with infinite duration. This might seem tremendous and unreasonable, but there are limitations. For example, the plant is extremely rare, only two known locations in Zinneria possess even the slightest amount. Also, the brewing of such a potion is not an automatic boon, you must treat the Brickmoss delicately to achieve the correct result. With these and more, it makes it a rare ingredient worth pursuing, but only with a delicate brewer's hand at the helm.

Brickmoss Lichen, or Thugura, or Wonder-Scruff, is a base component for potions and poisons. It provides a reactive compound that the other components can be mixed into to provide the expected results. The particular benefit of this lichen, over other such bases like wyrmtoungue, is that it allows the creation of a potion with infinite duration. This might seem tremendous and unreasonable, but there are limitations. For example, the plant is extremely rare, only two known locations in Zinneria possess even the slightest amount. Also, the brewing of such a potion is not an automatic boon, you must treat the Brickmoss delicately to achieve the correct result. With these and more, it makes it a rare ingredient worth pursuing, but only with a delicate brewer's hand at the helm.