Summary:

The Cruciform Lily is a rather tall and proud plant, rising in droves from the sides of clear-water springs high within the mountains, bright pink and white petals seemingly glimmering in the light of the sun. The Cruciform Lily is a flower that is often used at funerals and other dark and dreary processions due to the strange calming and relaxing effect that the petals’ smell seems to produce. The female variants of the plant bear a cross-shaped pistil, nestled within the neck of the petals, and such is where the Cruciform Lily gains its name.

Basic Description:
The Cruciform Lily possesses a sturdy and almost wood-like stem that grows to a typical height of eight to twelve inches, possessing a few reed-like leaves that extend gracefully from the edges of the stem, upwards towards the cusp of the flowering bodies. Perched flamboyantly at the tops of the stems, the flowering bodies typically number in ones or threes, and very rarely fives; yet strangely, the plant never flowers in even numbers. A milky white, streaked with a vibrant pinkish hue along the veins of the petals, the Cruciform Lily is a pleasant bloom set amongst the rocks and vales of mountain springs. As the name suggests, the female pistil is shaped in a generally cross-shaped form, though the male stamen is simply a narrow stalk with a bulbous pollen appendage.

Rarity: Uncommon

Location:
The Cruciform Lily is most often found on the border of streams that cascade down the sides of mountains, or surrounding high altitude lakes and ponds that are fed by pure water from natural springs and aquifer wells. The nature of the plant seems to require incredibly clean groundwater and a dry, loose soil high in mineral content. Florists speak of the challenges of transplanting Cruciform Lilies, claiming that they rarely take root at any altitude below where the lilies were gathered. As with most of nature, the most beautiful place for it to remain is where it was born.

Properties:

• Possesses a strong, woody stem.
  
• Typically has one to three, and occasionally five flower blooms.
  
• The flower’s scent has a mild calming effect on those around it.
  
• Is colored predominantly white, with streaks and dots of vibrant pink.
  
• Grows only by the sides of high-altitude spring-fed water sources.
  
• Is incredibly difficult to transplant or grow anew at lower altitudes, and will not take root unless the water source is clean and flowing.
  

Special Properties:

• Crushing and refining of the Cruciform Lily petals may yield a substance prone to reducing the heart rate of a patient.
  
• Eating the petals or steeping them in a tea provides minor alleviants towards symptoms of panic, shock, and anxiety.
  

Summary:

The Ponkling is a creature as elusive and nigh comical as the name seems to suggest it to be. It is unknown as to whether or not they have given this name to themselves, but it is assumed that they have not, due to the rather small range of vocalization they are capable of. Despite being of incredibly diminutive stature, the tiny creatures bear much resemblance to the sentient races that live upon the surface, closest in fact to the Halfling and the Dwarf, given their ruddy complexion, rotund bodies and presence of a facial-hair like fur that adorns the entirety of their lower bodies. Aside from the ruminant-like horns that sprout from their head of fluffy whitish hair and a comically large nose, it could be easy to mistake a Ponkling as some form of tiny, deformed Halfling. Some High-Elven philosophers uphold a theory that the Ponkling is in fact the ultimate devolution of the Halfling, and that all halflings will in time, become a Ponkling. Of all theories, the most reasonable seems to be that the Ponkling is a foul perversion of the Matriarch’s creations by Sadys, whose influence likely took hold of the creatures long after Senhora entered her slumber.

Basic Description:
Rarely more than one foot in height, the Ponkling is a rather short and rotund creature, possessing a round body with very little differentiation between the upper and lower torso, as the facial features dominate the body to such a degree that the nose sits just barely above the locale that may be considered the midriff. Coated in a coarse grey fur that clings to the lower body in the appearance of facial hair, their legs poke out beyond the fur and end in large, bulbous red growths that possess a strange sticky texture not so dissimilar to mold or mushroom undercaps. Possessing small grey-hued eyes and a large bulbous nose, capped with two ruminant-like horns that sprout from within the fluffy white hair upon their heads, the visage of the Ponkling is truly a sight to behold. Many even consider them to be incredibly cute and cuddly, in a strange sort of way. Their hands are relatively small, but possess four digits and an opposable thumb, allowing them varied use of things such as sticks, rocks, and tools stolen from misguided explorers. The Ponkling communicates with other members of its species by a series of shrill hoots and calls that sound very similar to an untuned violin.

Rarity: Uncommon

Location:
Ponklings are found almost universally in the caves and craggy places of the world. It is less that they choose to live in these places, and more that they have found it beneficial to hide in the deep and secluded places of the world to avoid predation by the avians and other larger, wild beasts that adorn the surface. They do assemble tribes and small analogs of civilization within their caves and crevices, though the general structure of this society is more akin to an animalistic herd.

Properties:

• They are relatively small, rarely exceeding one foot in height.
  
• They are rotund, though do not exceed ten pounds in weight.
  
• They are capable of utilizing simple tools, or tools stolen from other races.
  
• At times, they will exit their domain to loot small knives and daggers from nearby towns or encampments, which they use as swords.
  
• They form simple herd-like societies, and tend to hunt in large groups of ten to twenty.
  
• Their spongy, semi-sticky foot-like protuberances can allow them to walk across sheer surfaces that would normally be impassable.
  
• They are not outwardly hostile to other species, but are opportunistic hunters and tend to isolate larger prey by luring them towards a single member of their tribe in dark and enclosed spaces. Shortly thereafter, the rest of the tribe attacks.
  

Special Properties:

• The Ponkling’s foot surfaces can be utilized as mild adhesive objects.
  
• Their bushy fur can be utilized as a form of wool, as it is quite coarse and easy to weave into strong cloth.
  

Summary:
An illness like no other, the Creeping Madness is regarded by many medical professionals as not being an illness at all, and instead a progressive destabilization of the infected’s mental health for reasons unknown. Presenting as a progressively serious devolution into insomnia, schizophrenia and general madness, the disease does not outwardly grant any signs of infection beyond the occasional odd tendril of discoloration beneath the infected person’s skin. Caused by the ingestion of a parasite known as tillifornis, this small worm typically inhabits stagnant waters deep within air pockets of oceanic caves. Most often accidentally ingested by avid swimmers, pearl divers and spelunkers, the tillifornis worm does not seek out the victim like prey- instead, the eggs of the small parasite are typically drawn into the body through orifices such as the eyes, ears, nose or mouth when submerged in waters where they may be found. Some days after, the first symptoms begin to present as a furious itching beneath the skin of the infected, followed thereafter in quick succession by rapid-onset schizophrenia and madness. More often than not, the victim has lost their mental faculty well before being seen by any medical professionals- as such, the Creeping Madness is rarely, if ever, diagnosed properly. The end result of the Creeping Madness is most often suicide or death caused by the violent actions of others towards the obviously insane infected; it is not believed that the disease itself kills. Some have been known to ‘outlive’ the illness, though few have ever been able to make this claim.
   
Communicability:
Noncommunicable; the Creeping Madness is caused by the ingestion of the tillifornis parasite and cannot be transmitted between individuals. The eggs of the parasite hatch beneath the skin of the afflicted, and complete their entire life cycle without being exposed to others.
   
Symptoms:
The infection of the tillifornis parasite initially presents no symptoms, but within three OOC days, the afflicted quickly develop an uncontrollable itch beneath their skin, feeling as if tiny creatures are crawling about with vigor within the flesh. By the sixth OOC day, the parasites have grown and began to feed on the bodily fluids and fatty tissues of the infected, producing considerable amounts of neurotransmitter proteins as waste byproducts- this sudden jump in neurotransmitter uptake result in the victim becoming seriously schizophrenic and beset by incredible madness and paranoia. Specifically, the victim begins to hear voices, feel as if they are constantly being watched and ridiculed by others around them, and tend to perceive their body as being inhabited by various creepy crawlies and other horrors.
   
Effects:
The afflicted tend to rapidly develop various mental abnormalities, preceded by the itching of the skin and the occasional strange discoloration due to the presence of a tillifornis worm just beneath the upper layer of the epidermis. Constantly on a literal high of various excreted neurotransmitters, the infected exist in a state of semi-terrified and semi-euphoric madness, often eliciting violence towards themselves and others at random- albeit, the reason is always justified to the mind of the infected, whether they can express it properly or not.
   
Cure:
Given the lack of study related to the Creeping Madness and the tillifornis parasite, the presence of a cure is entirely unknown. Infected persons typically die due to their actions well before a learned scholar realizes the cause and commits to their piecemeal evisceration to locate and remove the source of the illness. Given the life-cycle of the tillifornis parasite, if survival of the infected persists two OOC months past infection, symptoms disappear entirely. [Any attempted cures will need to be submitted to the Lore Team prior to attempt, and a member of the Lore Team may be present to observe the procedure and give a verdict.]
   
Mechanics:

• The disease occurs when tillifornis eggs are accidentally or purposefully ingested in their source environment.
  
• The cause being the tillifornis worm is not common knowledge, and research must be conducted to learn the cause of the illness.
  
• The symptoms onset first as intense itching at three OOC days since infection, and as mental illness at six OOC days since infection.
  
• The victim feels beset by unnatural itching beneath their skin, and present with rapid-onset schizophrenia, paranoid delusions and general madness.
  
• Occasionally, strange discolorations may appear on the surface of the skin due to the activity of the tillifornis parasite deeper within.
  
• The disease is not fatal, and no known cure exists; survival past two` OOC months from infection date results in the disappearance of symptoms as the parasite’s life-cycle has completed.