Soul Merger

Labyrinth Materials

This tome is to cover a lot of the unique magical plants that only appear in labyrinths. While monster materials are used frequently in our day to day lives, the labyrinths also have a number of unique features that can assist us. Strange metals, unusual rocks, mysterious gems, and a wide variety of plants. This primer is to offer people an understanding of these unique materials, both to help find them, and to recognize real items from fakes.

Labyrinth Mandrake

Rarity - Uncommon

Danger - Moderate

One of the most controversial magical plants in academic circles, labyrinth mandrake have been cited in pre Fall textbooks. However, those same textbooks claim those references were fictional accounts of the common mandrake plants that exist above ground. Indeed the existence of non labyrinth mandrakes causes problems consistently with adoption of this useful resource. We will sidestep the debates around their origin for now and stick purely to the facts about the plant.

Labyrinth mandrakes a small leafy plants that grow in most soils. They produce lilac flowers, then small round yellow fruits and look like most plants at first glance. However their roots are what make them special. Immature mandrake roots are odd shaped tubers, but mature roots look like miniature humans, about seven inches tall. These humanoid roots can be male, female, or intersex and the plant body starts at the top of their head. Labyrinth mandrakes require high magic environments to grow and can't be cultivated currently.

The plant is harmless unless eaten or disturbed. The leaves, fruits, and immature roots are merely mildly toxic. But when a mature root is pulled up it screams loudly. Those too close to the scream can suffer serious hearing damage and even death. This seems to be a combination magical attack and sonic attack, so both hearing protection and distance is required. A minimum of ten feet is suggested and most harvesters use fifteen feet of rope and good earplugs.

When a mandrake has finished fruiting, it's matured for harvest. Cut the plant off above the ground. This 'haircut' will loosen the root and cause it to partially surface within 6 hours. Place the rope around the 'neck' to pull the plant out.

Uses - Medicines, Magical Rituals

Fakes - Common

Mandrakes have several uses. Magically they're useful in powders and paints that assist in oracular abilities or in depth body alteration rituals. Obviously the details of those spells are far beyond the layman's reach. Just know that there's usually at least someone at the Tower willing to pay for a quality mandrake root.

For medicine they excel in multiple fields. Properly diluted, their 'blood' juices strengthens human blood, allowing better sealing of wounds and a countermeasure to hemotoxins. The entire root can be used in the creation of salves that help clear and refresh scar tissue. And if ground up and mixed with certain spices the roots have a noticeable affect on fertility. Strangely the 'gender' of the root seems to matter, with the matching root boosting fertility in the same gender. The rare intersex roots work for anyone.

As you can imagine this makes mandrakes very popular among certain people. And this creates a serious problem with fakes and 'home remedy' practitioners. Lots of fakes simply put in powdered radish or some other tuber. But some use regular mandrakes, or tell people to gather mandrakes outside the labyrinth. Those roots are a hallucinogenic toxin, and will only cause you pain and suffering.

Given how bad the proliferation of fake mandrake powder is, I would suggest avoiding anyone who doesn't show the raw ingredients. And don't merely accept a mandrake root in the window. A good apothecary will let you watch the mixing process so you know you're getting the real deal.