The Alchemist's Almanac

[Morty]

Name: Bileroot (Mandragora Cruoris)
Origin: Plant
Rarity: 28

Appearance: ( i978.photobucket.com/albums/ae262/Wiremouth/bileroot_zps270caa38.png )
Related to Ferrus plant, bileroot has a thick stem and large, dark green leaves webbed with red or purple veins. While shorter than its iron-loving cousin, bileroot possesses an engorged taproot in which it stores precious nutrients. The root is white in a young plant, darkening to blood-red with age. The juice from the root is black with a reddish stain. The roots can grow to be as long as a person's arm, and twice as thick at the base. In the winter, the leaves turn brown and crinkly and the root becomes black, its juice turning a sickly yellow.

Location: Bileroot grows mainly in rich, loamy soil, deep in the forest. It prefers darkness and is best picked early to mid autumn.

Attributes: The leaves of the bileroot are acrid, though they can be blanched and made into a salad. The real usefulness of the plant lies in its root-- the thick, juicy tuber is highly nutritious, and is an excellent source of energy for those desperate enough to consume it. Bileroot is named after its unspeakable bile-like taste. As such, few people know or appreciate its medicinal properties, considering the gross willpower it takes to stomach it. It It has mild healing properties and has known immunological benefits.

Uses: The plant is a useful food source for the unpicky forest-goer, and has saved the lives of many who have been lost in the woods. While its taste is not ideal, those who have worked up a tolerance for it find it an excellent substitute for red meat. Because it remains intact through winter, it has been used as emergency provisions by villages in times of food crisis, and is considered a treasure to those who understand its worth.

[Morty]

Name: Urunoc venom
Origin: Animal
Rarity: 45

Appearance: A clear, slightly viscous liquid with a yellowish tinge. The poison usually comes in a sulfurous paste that can be mixed with water as required.

Location: Harvested from the long, trailing tendrils of Urunoc worms, this poison is as elusive as the creature that secretes it. It can usually be found on the black market, and is used primarily by crooks and vivisectionists for its unique organic properties.

Attributes: The poison is a paralytic, slow-acting but potent. It starts by dulling the senses of the victim, slowing their reactions and disorienting them. Next, their muscles weaken and cease to function. Unlike with most paralytics, the subject remains completely relaxed while the poison is in effect. Often, the victim falls unconscious, which is a mercy, considering what comes next. This is because the Urunoc uses this venom to hunt; a rigid carcass is more difficult to tear apart.

Uses: Though not a particularly useful anesthetic, the Urunoc's poison's unusual properties make it favored by especially insidious criminals. Poachers and kidnappers may use it to obtain live subjects. The poison need only be applied to the skin for it to take effect-- injection speeds the process, but is ultimately unnecessary. This virtue is what sets it apart from other poisons-- one need only swab or shake hands with the subject and the job is done.