Golden Moss

Wet, glistening patches of fat moss grow across rocks, fallen trees, and the roots that snake into the waters of The Farrow. As a patch of sun illuminates the green, fuzzy lichen, small golden flowers open between the tufts of tiny leaves, drinking in the sunlight greedily before closing once again as a cloud covers the daylight.

Basic Information

Ecology and Habitats

So far, the only place where golden moss has been found to grow is the swamp known as the Farrow. Any attempts to cultivate the plant in other locations have failed; the moss tends to die within a few days of being removed from the swamp. However, within the Farrow, the moss grows rapidly. However, caution must be taken to not confuse golden moss with any of the other numerous lichens that grow in the swamp. The only way to distinguish it from other plants (both benign and deadly) is to see it in the sunlight. It prefers to grow near the water, whether that be the rivers or any small ponds on the islands within the swamp. It can grow on any wet surface, such as rocks, roots, and trees (both alive and dead).

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The only part of the moss that has any practical use is the golden flowers. Harvesting the flowers is particularly hard as they can only be harvested during the day when the sun is shining directly on the moss. These conditions can be hard to find in the Farrow since the is quite a thick canopy covering the swamp. However, once the flowers are removed from the moss while open, they will not close again. For the longest time, the flowers were only used in an oil used to anoint corpses to stop them from being raised from the dead against their will. Recently, an alchemist in the Farrow has been using the flowers in a tincture that he claims can stop a dangerous new infection from getting worse. However, so far, he has had no luck with creating an actual cure.

Geographic Distribution

• The Farrow