My friend Hazelwald is, among other things, a talented alchemist and botanist, regularly collecting rare plants and ingredients for use in spells, potions, and poultices. I asked about some of the most sought-after with a thought toward presenting them as a lecture at the herbarium, only to discover that she had already done so—twice. Nevertheless, my curiosity was indulged.

The immediate answer was etherroot and astraleaf. In those places where the ethereal or the astral worlds infringe upon ordered reality, where the laws of the physical world grow thin and malleable, those plants thrive. They have, according to Hazelwald, a brute purpose and an elegant one apiece. In both cases, they must be prepared: the etherroot by grinding, and the astraleaf by boiling reduction (of leaves) or pressing (of pollen, flowers, or seeds).

Brute purposes for either, which both caused Hazelwald to wrinkle her nose in disgust, are as lethal toxins. If eaten or swallowed in sufficient quantity, they will cause death as the body begins to phase into the ethereal or the astral, both places where living, ordered beings cannot normally exist. Even an experienced conjurer with access to the means to survive the journey will typically not survive, as they will be caught betwixt. Clever assassins are known to use the toxins to hide bodies, as well, by placing them out of phase with their surroundings.

The elegant purpose is as an astral or ethereal beacon. When combined with mineral oil and applied to an object, that object becomes visible in and can have limited interactions with things that are out of phase. As long as those using it are careful to keep it out of their mouths, it can be an essential tool.

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