"Watch for the roots now, 'else you'll trigger them. And keep your masks tight, for those still might not be enough to save you." - A Northern Isles guide near a Morth Bulb Colony
The Northern Isles is an area of the world that is tread by few but feared by many. Transformed in ages past by the awesome duel of two Masters of the Arcane, the landscape has long evolved to turn utterly deadly. Flash storms flood the land where all manner of magickal beasts crawl and hunt one another. Even the plant life on these islands has proven fatally dangerous. Morth Bulbs are one of the more prominent plants found throughout the Northern Isles. Originally believed to be solely scavengers assisting in the decomposition of corpses, these have been discovered to be both carnivores and scavengers as they spread through spores to kill trespassing Risen and beasts alike.
They are characterized by a large bulb in sickly green and yellow colors sprouting from the torso of a corpse. Thick roots spread roughly ten feet from the bulb in all directions but never go beneath the surface around them. These roots are false; covered in tiny, sensitive hairs, they feel for movement and react to physical touch. A chain reaction reaches the bulb, causing it to explode violently and spreading spores throughout the immediate area.
Spores ejected from the bulb are then inhaled by nearby creatures and implant themselves in their lungs. Inside, they begin to propagate and spread the real roots of the plant. When left untreated, which is often the case in their hazardous home environment, these roots will begin to spread about and pierce through the lungs within a day, causing a painful and excruciating death. The roots will continue to feed from the corpse until all the nutrients have been removed from the body. After the body is almost fully decomposed with little to no flesh or blood left, the bulb will explode all on its own in an attempt to find a nearby host to continue its lifecycle.
Ingestion of Morth Bulb spores is nearly always fatal and travelers through their territories in the Northern Isles are warned to wear filtered masks loaded with charcoal and medicinal herbs to avoid possible contact. They can be treated through a combination of smoked herbs and healing elixirs which slowly chip away at the spores in the affected individual's lungs. However, this process can take upwards of a fortnight, and many can not afford to be on bed rest in such a hostile environment.
Death on the Wind
Spores of the Morth Bulbs spread quickly through the explosion of the namesake bulb, even more so with a strong breeze to carry them, but their real method of travel comes from the living creatures that ingest them. The explosion strikes fear in beasts that trigger it and cause them to flee.
Despite the immense pain in their lungs, some of these beasts can cover immense distances. Morth Bulbs were originally found only on the island north of Glamdring but are now found on several of the neighboring islands.
Researchers theorize that powerful tempests may be able to carry the spores across some stretches of water, or that birds infected with the spores fly between the lands to spread them with their corpses soon after.
They fear to think what would happen if the spores happened to reach the mainland.
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