Myridias Moss

The Color of Magic - As a soft carpet beneath your feet

Color, Divinity and Nature - No other thing in this world embodies the culmination of these three aspects better than the Myridas Moss

Myridias, a type of moss found almost everywhere in Caramiza, is well known for its colorful appearance and magical glow it emanates. It is known to grow by absorbing magical energy and taking on one of at least six different colors depending on the plant's magical affinity. In magically strongly charged areas, the moss and its spores are luminescent and create breathtaking visuals.
With the recent advancements of magically powered industry, Myridias Moss has become a constant plague, clogging up the channels and machinery of the factories. As the plant is relatively resilient, many industries, especially Whitesteel Inc are researching effective Myridiacides.

Basic Information

Myridias is a moss growing in large patches on almost any surface all throughout the known world, especially within the Greenwinds Valley. The plants are resilient to both extreme wind and direct sunlight, even growing at the coasts and within more arid patches of land. While the plants do thrive on water and nutrients in the ground, they are apparently able to live off of magical energy alone.
Its roots and stem are always of a brown or ochre color, however, the leaves are always one of six vibrant colors: Red, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, and Purple. These colors are associated both with the six gods of the Great Pantheon as well as the six base types of magic outlined in the Prismatic Theory of Magic.
The plant has a clear affinity to magic, being able to absorb energy both from the air as well as the surface it is attached to. When provided with an abundance of magical energy, the plant will develop a long-lasting glow. This glow even can affect their spores, which are carried away by the wind for reproduction. Myridias Moss is able to crystallize a small amount of magical energy and store it between its roots.

Abundant Magic

Myridias growing in areas of Abundant Magic have leaves with vibrant colors. The top parts, the sporophytes glow in the same color, visible even by daylight. When touched, a person would feel a slight tingle.

Normal or Weak Magic

Myridias in most areas of the world is colored, but the leaves and stem are more translucent, the less magic is present. These will sometimes glow up in response to a strong magical user nearby.

Drained of Magic

When a Myridias plant is drained of all its magic, the leaves will turn grey or black. The plant will continue to grow and spread spores, and while new plants may again have color, it will rarely return to this specimen.

Usage

The innate effects of Myridias Moss are both the storage and absorption of magical energy as well as the amplification of specific types of magic passing through the plants. This does affect the wildlife around it and can be purposefully used for magical and medicinal uses.

Nutrition

Considering its large amount of stored energy, Myridias moss serves as excellent nutrients for many animals.
Many herbivores have adapted to eating Myridias, granting them better health and strength as well as some small magical abilities. Species usually prefer certain types of moss, but they can typically eat any variant.

Alchemy

Myridias grows small magical crystals in its roots, crystalline accumulation of the energy, the plant has gathered from the environment.
These Crystals can be easily harvested by pulling back the moss as a rug and brushing down the crystals. Grounded down to a fine salt, they are used as a base ingredient in many alchemical processes.

Artificing

Several centuries ago, most magical users were wielding staffs and wands as a catalyst and focus for their magical power.
Some cults had fashioned their wands with wood overgrown by Myridias Moss. This usually enhanced the focal effect of the staff and made it longer lasting. Additionally, certain types of spells could be amplified by the moss.

Medicine

Most beings in the world react positively to small amounts of magic provided to them, especially when fighting off sickness or healing injuries.
As such, Myridias moss is frequently used as part of a compress to lay on wounds, as well as a brew to strengthen a person's resistance against most infections. Depending on the moss's color, they are more efficient for certain types of wounds - red moss, for example, is excellent to cure frostbite, while blue moss helps soothe burns and blue moss is excellent for broken bones.

Colorful Myridias Forest

Cultural Relevance

Sign of Peace and Serenity

In most regions of Caramiza Myridias Moss is associated with wonder, magic and a peaceful blessing by the gods. It is rarely desired to remove moss from walls or buildings.
Even in large cities like Bealuki or Taymtstrom one can encounter moss almost everywhere. Especially in graveyards colorful patches of moss create a serene atmoshpere.

Silver Moss and Divinity

Besides the six colors, there is also a silver glowing variant, almost exclusively found around Selversheyn.
This moss is said to represent the most divine form of magic and demonstrates the importance of Selversheyn as the most spiritual place in all of Caramiza. Most notably, the Silver Fields of Divinity the largest known occurence of silver moss in the world, is deeply intwerwoven with the ascension myth of the Great Pantheon.

"To look upon Myridias, is to look upon divine art. Open your eyes for the ever present beauty, the many colors that speak of the bond the gods have with the mortal world. As the Myridias covers the world, peace covers everybody like a warm blanket."

Art

During the so-called "Myridiastic Period" from ca. 1350 to ca. 1415 many artists were depicting realistic, peaceful nature scenes. A common element was the glowing moss, often contrasting the scene against one or more animals. The common use of the moss as a means to convey peaceful and untouched scenery gave the artistic era its name.
This is especially remarkable as this era is full of conflict and war. Hints of these troubled times were only rarely depicted and always being shown covered by moss.

Moss-Covered creatures

In many stories and depictions, animals overgrown with Myridias Moss often function as messengers from a god. Several of these animals most likely existed at some point and multiple of them can be still sighted today.
Some examples include the Birchcrown Stag, the Woodland Goldfox and the Camiten Otter.

Black Moss

Drained of all magic it once held, black Myridias Moss is seen as a sign of corruption and evil areas. Writing and Art uses black moss to depict buildings, places, or persons as morally rotten, decaying, or cursed with bad luck.
Considering that industrial regions tend to turn Myridias Moss black, this has triggered some superstitions against technological advancement.

Folk Tale

A very unique folk tale tells of an unusual danger posed by the moss. According to the story of the Wanderer in the Morast, lone travelers lost in the woods or swamps are in danger of getting devoured by the moss, when sleeping. Even worse, a copy of the person made from the moss might return to their home village, threatening to abduct more people into the woods.
There never have been concrete hints of how the copy might differ from the original person, except some traces of moss on their clothes.

Dangers and Endangerment

In general, Myridias Moss has beneficial effects on nature and people or is at least neutral in its effects. However, in some specific cases Myridias can be an annoyance or even harmful.

A hindrance to Industry

The spores of Myridias Moss follow the flow of magical energy and thrive where magical energy is abundant. Current industrial development extensively uses magical energy for powering and moving the motors and machines used in production.
As a result, Myridias Moss regularly ends up in the pipes and gears of the machinery, clogging up the energy transfer and blocking intricate gears. Being inside the machinery, the moss can siphon energy from the flow of magic directly. Completely removing the moss seems to be almost impossible currently, and is a hard and regularly required task. The Moss Scrapers have started to specialize on moss removal.
Considering the rather lucrative earning potential, some Moss Scraper actively seek to block the development of an effective Myridiacide. Simply killing it off is not effective.

Danger for Magic Users

Longterm exposure to Myridias Moss can endanger the health of a magically gifted person with the threat of Mossrot.
People trained in using magic often subconsciously pull magical energy into them when breathing. This additional flow of magic often pulls Myridias spores into their body, where they might be able to settle. Supplied with enough magic, the moss is able to grow within the body.
At first, this actually enhances the magical user in a symbiotic way - they will be able to store more magic, use it more efficiently and be healthier. Over time, however, the growing amount of moss in the body will start to hinder air- and blood flow, damaging the organs and break through the skin.
Mossrot at this stage is usually untreatable and fatal within a few years.

Endangerment

With the advent of modern industry the spread of magically drained, blackened moss seems to have increased significantly. Magoscientists explain this with the Instable Sustainability Effect, where magical machinery, once started up, would drain additional magical energy from its surroundings. Myridias Moss in the vicinity will be subsequently drained and turn black, scarring landscapes around factories for decades.

"Curiously, Myrididas Moss that gathered inside the machinery seems to be resillient to the Instable Sustainabillity Effect - most likely since it can restore the magic drained from it through the abundant magic flowing around it. It makes me wonder, if one can revive blackened moss with a sufficient gift of new magic. What would it mean to our theories of Energy Exchange if effects like these are indeed entirely reversible?"

As it is unclear what long-lasting effects this might have on the moss and its connected ecosystems, some naturalists are worried about nature's possible destruction. Movements have developed to protect certain beautiful areas from the industrial destruction's threat, especially the Ukanten Valley close to the Whitesteel Inc territory in Caramiza's western region, home of the most beautiful flora.

Further Details

Myridias Moss has always been a steady part of Caramiza's cusine. Dried or pickeled moss can be used as mild spices with a very distinctive flavor. While red Myridias Moss tastes hot, green moss would taste slightly sour and yellow moss sweet.

There is a legend In the area around the Fenorijten Swamp about a reclusive but peaceful man (or perhaps a group of men), covered in Myridias moss that roams and guards the swamps. Some claim the man allows to grow the moss on his skin, gaining mystical power through it.

Considering its properties in storing energy, some industries started to experiment on using moss as a refreshable and transportable energy storage. The ability to recharge would make it superior to crystals, which are only a one time use. So far, the moss only yields back too little of the invested energy though.

The Gamian Greenotter consumes only the Blue Myridias Moss and the Yellow Myridias moss, often found along the Coast of the Gamian Sea. This enables him to glow in a bright green color at night as well as breathing underwater and swimming at high speeds.

Myridias Moss (Sketch)

Single Stem of the Moss growth (highlighted), ca. 3 cm:
(1) Sporophyte with Luminescent capsule,
(2) Gametophyte with magical pigments,
(3) Surface Rhizoids,
(4) Subterranean Rhizoids,
(5) Crystalline growths

Type

Moss

Magical

Yes

Magical Affinity

All

Average Size

2cm to 4cm

Propagation

Spores

Flammable

Yes

Edible

Usually, yes

Scientific Name

Bryum Magiluminis Myridias

Geographic Distribution

• Gamian Sea
• Greenwinds Valley
• Serrenten Mountains
• Terkanten Mountains
• Ukanten Mountains

Variants

Myridias Apacidas

Red Myridias Moss

• Affinity to magic of Order and Strength.
• Promiently found in warm, dry regions.
• Increases physical strength and can fight off Hypothermia.

Myridias Maneris

Yellow Myridias Moss

• Affinity to magic of Flow and Change.
• Prominently found in valleys along rivers.
• Increases resistance against infections and can help waking up.

Myridias Vituades

Green Myridias Moss

• Affinity to Magic of Growth and Regeneration.
• Prominently found in forests.
• Increases overall endurance and can speed up healing of wounds.

Myridias Sabesias

Cyan Myridias Moss

• Affinity to Magic of Calm and Void
• Prominently found in colder or shadowy regions.
• Increases concentration, can cure insomnia, and can counter fear and panic.

Myridias Gazezis

Blue Myridias Moss

• Affinity to magic of Stability and Resistance.
• Prominently found in elevated regions.
• Increases defense against brunt forces and speeds up healing of broken bones.

Myridias Lirinis

Purple Myridias Moss

• Affinity to magic of Variance and Heat.
• Prominently found in lush and verdant areas.
• Increases creativity and boosts self confidence

Myridias Divinitas

Silver Myridias Moss

• Affinity to divine magic.
• Irregular and rare occurrences.
• Can temporarily increase magic abilities.