Barrencap Mushrooms

Barrencap Mushrooms are a set of fungi that are known to grow in both the Thyral Mountains and the Melith Reach. The key similarity between both realms is that they are both written in the notes of Marlith Lyrelbane as a nexus of spiritual potential. This makes those of us who have experienced the Weird and Magik prick up our ears and take note. Are Barrencap Mushrooms the product of Magikal influence? If so, could that mean that its deadly (even lethal) potentiality could be quelled by the use of Magik?
This file will contain some examples of the usage of Barrencap Mushrooms and particularly some skeptical thoughts from myself around the nature of such powerful 'natural' materials. I will also hopefully get another Warden of Condictor Mundi with a greater understanding of the Magikal uses of Barrencap than myself.

The Barrencaps are a common fungus, but its effects when used incorrectly, or precisely correctly, can be deadly...

— Warden O. B. Davies

The History of the Barrencap

The first known discovery of the Barrencap was in 1604 CY by the adventurer Marlith Lyrelbane. Taking from her notebooks, which were later published, she indicates that her goal was to explore a cavern from which strange lights were emanating, locals who resided talked about a pulsing light that kept many of them awake at night. When Lyrelbane descended into the cavern she found a patch of the mushrooms which were glowing with this strange green light that seemed somewhat unnatural. Even after the fact, her notes described the glow as "ghastly, to the point of tearing my soul out of my body". She wrote about the nature of the fungi as she was able to not only pluck a sampling of the fungi, but was able to observe it grow within its container.
Once the first sample had been collected, it seemed that Barrencap was able to be found far and away across the Oldfront Empire, however it seemed to initially be as a delicacy for many people across the empire. There are a few remeaining recipes from the era, however much of it seems to indicate that the mushrooms came pre-prepared for people to use rather than in their base state.
The vast use of Barrencap ended in the early 1800s. The reasoning for this sudden halt of use seems to be strongly linked to the emergence of a number of events linked to specific poisoning as a result of mispreparation of the mushrooms. Though the exact incident which led directly to the removal of Barrencaps remains unclear, there are a number of possible events which could have caused such an uproar.

Barrencap Mushrooms by Owen Davies

Stanosian Name

Maispul Teins /mai'spul teins/

(Empty Death Plant)
Areas Found
Thyral Mountains, Stanos
Melith Reach, Nylan
First Discovered
1604 CY
Discovered By
Marlith Lyrelbane

Uses

Poison

The most common use for Barrencaps today is as a highly potent poison that leaves very little trace of its existence. When administered, the poison only leaves a faint smell similar to a garlic and sugar mixture. Once the Barrencap poison has entered the system there is no known antidote and medicine seems to have no effect. It is also known to inhibit Magikal abilities and supressess any enchantments or curses that have been placed on an individual.

Delicacy

With significant preparation, the Barrencaps can be used for their original purpose as a delicate food for addition to meals. Reports state that despite its savory nature, it had a somewhat sweet taste that complemented spicy meals, particularly in addition to poultrey.

Hallucinogen

In the late 1750s, it was discovered that consuming a significant concentration of the Barrencap juices would result in hallucinogenic properties. It has become a significant industry within the underworld and to this day is one of the drugs of choice.

Preparation

While much of the information surrounding the preparation of Barrencaps was destroyed and lost in the early 1800s, at least one recipe remains from the time, though its authenticity is questioned by several people. The document is written by a farmer known only by the moniker Una Owen. Many scholars have issue with the name as it seems to be a variant of the word unknown, therefore throwing this information into doubt.
However, for the purposes of documentation, I shall write down the preparation given by the document. Though if any person wishes to utilise this, I ask them to head that these instructions may be designed to kill those who use it.
There are three main steps to preparing Barrencaps for consumption. Each must be carried out exactly so as to avoid a situation upon which the consumer could be fataly poisoned. The first step is to remove as much of the glowing green from the Barrencaps as possible, likely by utilising some form of syringe to extract the green-ish liquid that is contained within caps of the mushrooms. This liquid can be held for later storage, but itself does contain extracts of the poison. However, should it be contained and such container boiled to a high enough temperature, the juices of the Barrencap can add flavor to many dishes.
The second step to preparing a Barrencap is to remove the entire stem from the mushroom. Whether by knife or by hand, the stem should be completely removed. The stem seems to contain a highly concentrated variant of the poison within the Barrencap, as such it is vital that this step is followed, with the stems being careful destroyed within flames. You should know they are destroyed when the flame emits a bright and strong green and cyan flame that could warm even the coldest regions in a Highwinter night.
The final step to prepare the Barrencaps is to split the cap of the mushroom in half. When doing so it is vital not to inhale any spores that are emitted as you do so. These, often green and cyan, spores are the last elements of the potent poison that exist within the Barrencap. As soon as these spores have been released, the Barrencap is able to be used within any recipe safely, however it should be noted that this method is highly dangerous and even a small intake of the poison can be lethal, or cause a high amount of disasterous ailments if a person is able to survive the initial shock.