pustuled rose

I have fought bugbears and gelatinous cubes, but I refuse to go near that without a good herbalist in tow.

— Smart adventurer

There are few smells that are as strong as the smell of a pustuled rose. As with other roses the smell is pleasant, with a mossy undertone.

The name comes from the small pustules that grow on the flower petals. When touched they secret a sticky substance that causes inflammation and is notoriously difficult to clean off. If the substance is injested it causes an aching stomach for a day or so, but is generally not deadly.

The substance can be processed further into a valuable anti-inflammatory. This has caused certain herbalists in large cities to specialise in harvesting and processing the secretion from these plants.

Basic Information

Ecology and Habitats

The plant can be found in the middle of open fields, where it stands alone on bare ground, displacing other plants. The older the plant, the greater the radius of bare soil.

Due to the tendency for this plant to appear in open fields it has been possible to cultivate these roses in farmed fields. However, once a rose has taken a hold it is very difficult to get rid of, making it a nuisance for when a farmer doesn't want it.

One reasonable way of doing it is to burn it down, but due to its hardiness one might have to that multiple times a year for a few years, depending on the size of the plant. One danger with this method is that the smoke is very painful when inhaled. It has been described as

A fire in the lungs that does not end.

and in weaker individuals it can also cause the lungs to become filled with mucus.

Due to the difficulty in removing them farmers have learned to check regularely for signs of these plants, be it naturally appearing or artificially planted as a way to sabotage.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The substance emitted by the pustules has multiple uses. When greatly sped out in oils or fats it can be used as an anti-inflammatory, but when mixed with strong alcohol and injested it can dissolve the stomach lining causing a creature to be painfully dissolved from within, making it a well known assassins tool. However, as a poison it is easy to avoid by abstaining from strong alcohols.