red grass Species in Scarterra | World Anvil

red grass

Red grass is the most common foliage in the Fire Plains, fields of it stretch all the way to the horizon. Red grass is similar to normal grass in most respects but is notable in that is immune to damage from non-magical fire and very resistant to magical fire.   Red grass is not actually red, it is dark green. Red grass temporarily changes to a red hue only when exposed to fire.   Patches of red grass have been recorded at growing 12 feet tall, but it rarely gets this high before something grazes on it. More often than not, fields of red grass are between four and seven feet tall.   It needs to be between two and half and three feet to seed.

Basic Information

Dietary Needs and Habits

It still relies on soil, sunlight, and water like all other grass, but it doesn't need much water. Red grass needs periodic exposure to fire to stay healthy. It is theorized that it can draw sustenance from fire somehow and this is why the grass requires very little water.

Additional Information

Domestication

There have been attempts to domesticate this grass and grow it outside of the Fire Plains to harvest fire retardant materials, but all the attempts to grow red grass outside of the Fire Plains fail within the first year or two.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Red grass loses a lot of its fire resistance when it's pulled from the ground or cut, so no one has figured out how to make fire proof grass mats. With proper alchemy, red grass can be processed into reagents but the process is so time consuming that few alchemists bother.   The main use of red grass is indirect. Without red grass forming the staple of the region's biomass, even fire proof animals could not survive in the Fire Plains.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Red grass grows almost exclusively in the Fire Plains. Attempts to cultivate red grass elsewhere have been marginal successes at best. Red grass can grow elsewhere, but without frequent exposure to non-magical fire, it will sicken and die.
Geographic Distribution


Cover image: Symbol of the Nine by Pendrake

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