Heill Grass

Heill Grass is a relatively common plant found in the Serpent’s Spine region of Seori, and appears to make up around fifteen percent of the grasses that cover the Aurvangar Plains. Nearly indistinguishable from more common specimens, the Heill Grass stands nearly three feet tall at its highest, and possesses a slightly reddish, iridescent sheen to its blades.
However, the grass itself is not the remarkable part of this plant. Rather, it is the large, reddish-brown tubers below the surface that possess unique nutritional qualities that make the plant a highly sought-after resource for the peoples of the Spine.
The round tubers range from a few inches in diameter to nearly a foot across, and are quite dense throughout. Roots spread from all directions, but must be thoroughly removed prior to consumption, due to harsh crystal particles within the fibers, which make them harmful to mortal beings. The tubers must be harvested when ground temperatures are between 55 and 57 degrees; any colder, and they lack their iconic nutritious qualities, and any warmer, the extended roots become too dangerous to risk consumption.
The tubers must be harvested within 2-3 days to ensure their quality, and must be eaten or otherwise prepared within one week, or the harvest will spoil.
The Barbarian Clans of the Aurvangar Plains have mastered the art of producing a stable nutritional supply from the Heill Grass available in their region. A nomadic people, the Clans have spent more than twenty thousand years basing their movements off of the harvest of Heill Grass tubers, following the harvest North as the temperatures rise each Spring, and resowing as many other edible plants as possible on their return journey to the South in Autumn.
Once harvested, the Healers of the Clans come together for extended periods of meticulous preparation, beginning with an intense roasting of the tubers to strengthen their nutritional properties. The tubers are then mashed into a thick paste, combined with several other regional herbs and spices, and packed into clay jars that are buried a minimum of three feet underground, creating long-lasting stores of the resulting bars.
A single bar, known as Heill Vist, provides an average humanoid’s complete nutrition for one day, and can sometimes heal those with minor illnesses or injuries. The Heill Vists last for up to two years when properly stored in a dark, cool place.