[Job Thread] This smells like #@)$!

[Ialari Pythone]

15th Day of Winter in the Year 517 AV

It had been a couple of days since Ialari first saw the strange lights in the sky and the accompanying sounds. Since then, she’d witnessed it twice more noting that there was no real pattern to the timing. While nobody seemed to know why the strange phenomenon was happening, the people of Syka did appear concerned even as they went about their daily lives. This meant that there would always be someone encountering something toxic or otherwise poisonous in which Ialari would then have to figure out how to fix. One thing she realized rather quickly after having offered her services at treating poisonings is that she was in desperate need of readily available treatments, antidotes and remedies to help combat the seemingly countless types of toxic plants, venomous snakes, poisonous spiders as well as the various stings, bites and rashes from just about everything else that lived in and around the surrounding jungle and tropical beaches of Syka.

Even among the small settlement, where she hoped people would quickly learn to watch what they put in their mouths, Ialari realized that far too many people were eating things that were either poisonous or tainted in some way. In such a hot environment, there were dangerous plants that looked like harmless ones, fruits that looked nice and juicy yet caused cramps, diarrhea and possibly worse. Fresh food didn’t stay that way long and could turn toxic rather fast. As she wasn’t near as familiar with the tropical jungle as she was with more moderate climate forests, she decided that the best first step would be to pay a visit to Uta, the local expert on all things plant.

She decided to get started rather early in the day. With a quick breakfast of fruit and a cup of coconut milk, Ialari prepared for her day trip. Ultimately, her goal would be venturing into the jungle outskirts in search of some ingredients.

Since she’d chose to leave so early in the morning, the heat of the day, a bit milder in winter, would be minimized which allowed for a good layer of clothing to help protect her from the jungle. While her already dense isurian skin would help her fend off the typical cuts and scrapes that she may experience from a romp through the rainforest, clothing would help fend off at least some of the annoying insects and poisonous leaves that could cause irritation from simple contact. Looking through her clothes she realized how horribly unprepared she was. Most of what she had was either designed for colder climates or not for trouncing around the jungle. A lot of it too was frayed, worn and in need of repair. “Ok, so obviously I’ll have to make a stop by the mercantile as well.” For the time being she settled with her high black boots, skirt and chest wrap. She put on her belt and belt pouch and slid her dagger into one of the pouches loops. When she began sorting through her poisoncrafting kit and first aid kit, she realized again just how unprepared she’d let herself become. Most of her poison collecting gear was also well used and many of the consumable items were gone and/or in serious need of replenishing. Same went for her first aid kit which was also nearly useless. With a heavy sign she muttered to herself, “Looks like I’ll be picking up quite a bit at the mercantile.” Leaving the two mostly spent kits behind, she grabbed her backpack and left her ranchero for the mercantile.

[Ialari Pythone]

With her early start, much of Syka was still asleep or just waking up. Upon arriving at the Mercantile, Ialari spotted Juli out and about setting up for the day. With a smile and casual greeting, Ialari proceeded with some shopping. Going over her mental list of items she needed, she picked out a few simple pieces of clothing. She found a light blue linen shirt that fit pretty well and a pair of darker blue linen trousers that, while a little baggy, still fit well and felt good. She spotted a pair of brown leather gloves that would help protect her hands while she was collecting ingredients and a nice black scarf was folded on a nearby table that would work great as a light head covering.

Moving over to where the various kits were arranged, she looked through what was available. She picked out a first aid kit that looked well stocked and suited more for the jungle surrounds. Ialari even found more than what she was expecting as far as replenishing her poison kit was concerned. Initially she was just hoping to find a few odds and ends to fill it with but instead found basically a new, fully stocked portable poisoncrafting kit. Sitting nearby she also found a philtering kit. Using her old poisoncrafting kit for mixing up simple philters is what wiped it out so fast so having an actual kit devoted to philtering struck her as a wise investment. So, she picked up both kits. With a soft curse under her breath, she said to herself, “This is going to be expensive…” She carried her collected purchases to Juli and from her belt pouch counted out 357 gold mizas to pay for the three kits and the clothing.

When everything was paid for and Ialari had said her goodbye to Juli, she took a few moments to put on her new clothes and strap her kits to her backpack. Making one last stop to fill her waterskin, she was off to see Uta.

[Ialari Pythone]

Uta’s Place was close to the Mercantile. Ialari had heard that the woman knew just about everything there was to know about the plantlife in the area which, as Ialari thought about it more, would be invaluable for her work with poisons. As Ialari approached the small stream that led from the jungle to the ocean, she could see a structure back in the trees. Following a worn path, she came upon the rather unique looking structure Uta called home. Part of the home was suspended over the stream while the rest perched atop a stone foundation. Ialari could see someone moving about in the rather open building. Walking up to the main entrance, she paused and tapped at the door.

“Come in,” called a female voice from inside.

Ialari opened the door and entered. Inside, Ialari found herself in what looked to be the home’s living room. There was a desk, pillows all around with a little bit of storage. It was minimalistic and the room itself was extremely open to the outside, like much of the structures in Syka. Ialari saw a woman, Uta, sitting at the desk while looking at what appeared to be a collection of different leaves. She was scribbling down some notes in a book when Ialari entered.

Looking up from her notes, Uta ceased her writing and smiled. “Welcome. You are the newcomer, Ialari correct?”

Ialari returned her smile and nodded. “Ialari Pythone. Yes, I arrived not long ago, hoping for something a little different in life.” Of course she had other reasons for being in Syka but she wasn’t lying. Indeed she was looking for something quite different in Syka compared to the other places she’d been.

Uta had heard that Ialari had sought to help around the settlement in regards to the various poisons that inundated the area. The idea of an isur of all people, living in and around the jungle while delving into poisonous materials was something of an oddity to Uta. However, she’d seen stranger things in her life.

“So, what can I do for you today?” Uta asked as she gave Ialari her full attention.

Ialari moved a bit further in the room and replied in a slow, measured tone as to combat her heavy isurian accent, “In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve noticed more than a half-a-dozen different types of plants that bare the qualities of being quite poisonous. While I don’t exactly know what they are, I know that some of them look remarkably like others that are non-poisonous. I imagine that is the case with so many more around here.”

Uta nodded, “Yes, the list of such things is seemingly endless. Between the snakes, spiders and exhaustive list of plants, the jungle is really quite deadly in that regard.”

“I was hoping to help a little with that. I’ve heard of some different types of roots, at least in other climates, that when processed and consumed, can cause vomiting. This would help combat ingested poisons and purge them from the body before they’re able to cause too much damage.” Ialari said with hope that such plants could be found nearby.

Uta pondered the idea before looking as though she’d thought of something. Flipping through the book she was writing in, she stopped when she found what she was looking for. “Ah, there it is. Yes, there are a couple varieties of roots that I’ve identified which could accomplish that. One of them is rather rare and I’ve only found it rather deep in the forest. The other, while not as common here as it is in more temperate climates, does grow in patches along the fringes of the jungle. It’s called, Narnvayt root.”

Ialari perked up at the mentioned of the root, “I’ve heard of that one. I didn’t think it would grow here though.”

“It does, though only in isolated patches in the jungle fringes. The deeper jungle is too hot and wet for the plant to grow but on the fringes, it does alright.” Uta referenced her notes as she spoke.

Ialari replied with a hint of excitement in her voice, “Narnvayt would work perfectly. The oil from the roots is especially foul and will disturb even the strongest stomach.”

Uta smiled and gave Ialari some rough directions on the closest patch of Narnvayt that she recalled seeing. “If you could, I would love to have an intact specimen. I used to have a couple plants but they don’t do well in pots.”

“Of course. My thanks to you, Uta, for the information.” Ialari bowed slightly in respect before turning to leave.

As Ialari made her way to the door, Uta spoke up. “Oh, if you’re interested in poisons, I know of a place where you can find something quite exciting. She stood up, pulled a piece of paper from her notes and walked over to Ialari. “Here is a map to the place. It’s called, Jellyfish Lake. Take a trip there sometime. You’ll find an amazing species of jellyfish. Their sting has some rather unique effects. They’re highly attracted to humans but I don’t know how they will react to you. I could use a few of them if you are so willing.”

Ialari took the map and glanced at it before replying with obvious curiosity, “Jellyfish? In an inland lake? I’ll check it out after I get the narnvayt. Thank you again, Uta.” With that, Ialari left and made her way to the jungle outskirts.

[Ialari Pythone]

To start, Ialari followed some of the more well used paths that the other Syka settlers had used on the outskirts of the jungle. Such paths however were quickly swallowed by the jungle itself. The jungle floor was covered in slick, wet greenery that hid exposed tree roots. The jungle canopy was still somewhat thin which allowed a bit more light to reach the floor than would otherwise happen deeper in. Ialari’s took careful steps while keeping an eye out for signs of her objective. She thought to herself the details of what she was seeking. Ok, the narnvayt plant doesn’t grow very tall. It has blade like leaves that are thick and fleshy. She stepped over a large tree root while reaching out for another small tree trunk for stability.

The sounds of the jungle were unique. There were birds singing and calling all around with none of them sounding familiar. Occasionally another call could be heard that Ialari imagined to be that of a monkey somewhere further in. The plants that surrounded her were completely unfamiliar to her and created a scene that felt like another world. Insect sounds filled the gaps between the bird calls. The air was somewhat thick and smelled of a mix of just about everything one could imagine.

As she continued to slowly traverse the area, the thing that drew most of her attention was the mud. Underneath the leaves and tree roots was a thick, ever-present layer of mud. More than once, Ialari found herself stumbling due to her feet getting stuck in the mud. For added effect, an especially annoying fly was constantly trying to find the perfect spot on her body to bite. She smacked at it several times, hitting it a few only to have it fall away and quickly return. The hardened exoskeleton helped it resist her efforts to squash it.

It was hard to keep track of where exactly she was in relation to where she was going. The trees all began looking alike and landmarks were hard to distinguish from one another. After spending more time than she was happy with walking in circles, Ialari tried a different approach. When she wound up back at the point near where she first entered the jungle, she used her metallic fingers to carve into the bark of one of the trees, three slashes. She then did this as she continued on trees that she passed in order to help navigate. This way she could identify where she had already been so that she could proceed in a different direction.

[Ialari Pythone]

Finally, she began to make progress without doubling back on herself. As wild and diverse the jungle fringes were with life, she didn’t see much in terms of larger wildlife. I’ve probably scared off just about everything with my tromping around.

Eventually, Ialari entered a small clearing. Nearest she could tell she was maybe 50 yards or so into the jungle from the settlement. The clearing was little more than 10 yards across in any direction. Uta’s directions had mentioned a clearing but lacked the right details of how to get there easily. Ialari attributed that to the ever growing and changing nature of the jungle. With so much diversity, it inevitable that navigating it would be difficult unless one traveled the same area routinely. As she surveyed the clearing, she caught a promising glimpse. Taking several steps toward what she saw, Ialari realized that she’d found what she was looking for. At first it was just a single fleshy leaf but as she got closer, she saw that there was indeed a decent sized patch of narnvayt. Now in close proximity to the plant, she could smell the pungent aroma that it gave off. It was detectable but not overpowering. If she was remembering correctly, it was the oil extracted from the roots that were the most potent smelling. For now, it smelled like not quite fresh animal dung.

“I forgot how bad this stuff smelled. Well…time to get to work.” Ialari unslung her pack, opened the flap and set to harvesting the plants. As she looked around the patch, she noted that there were eight plants that looked mature enough for her purposes while there were several smaller ones. She would leave the smaller ones for possible future harvests. “Ok, I want to be careful with handling this stuff, that smell tends to stick to the skin.” In fact, the oily residue on the leaves did stay with the skin for a time. Fabric was a little better off but it would take a bit of cleaning to get the smell out of her pack after putting the plants in it. With her metallic hand and her other hand gloved, she reached for the base of the first plant and felt around to see just how deep the roots went. A shallow-rooted plant, it wasn’t difficult to pull it free from the ground while keeping the roots themselves intact. If only the flies would go away. Attracted by the smell of the plant, they were rather thick in the area which made the whole experience rather unpleasant.

[Ialari Pythone]

One by one, Ialari plucked the narnvayt from the ground and carefully placed the plants in her pack. After collecting all eight of the mature plants and packing them away, she slung her pack back over her shoulder. She then walked over to a nearby tree and carved a deep circle in the bark with her metallic fingers. That way she could identify the area whenever she returned. Quickly she made her way out of the clearing although some of the flies followed.

Following the markings she made on the trees earlier, Ialari made her way back to where she first entered the jungle, cursing the flies the entire way. She returned to her ranchero where, thankfully, the flies thinned out. It was approaching midday when she walked through the door and sat her pack down on the floor next to her worktable. She turned then to her pack and the philtering kit she’d picked up at the Mercantile. She unpacked the kit and began setting up the philtering gear.

The primary tools she would be using were the kit’s mortar and pestle. Both were made of carefully carved stone and easily fit in her hands. She sat them on the table before retrieving the first plant. While the plant’s roots were the primary source of the oil, the leaves had a bit of their own. Thus, the entire plant could be used to get the most oil possible. With a small bowl of water, Ialari began cleaning the roots of mud and foreign debris. She continued by cleaning the entire plant while changing the water a few times over. When the plant was cleaned to satisfaction, she separated the roots from the rest of the plant. With her dagger, she cut the roots into smaller pieces. Each piece she then used the mortar and pestle to crush. As she crushed the pieces, she extracted the oil and the smell washed over her. The smell alone was enough to make her want to vomit and in fact she was hit with dry heaving.

Holding her breath as long as possible, she continued to crush all of the root pieces as well as the stem and leaves while pouring the crushed mix over a small screen to separate the oil. She then poured the oil from a small bowl to a beaker. Often she had to take a break and step outside for a breath of fresher air before continuing.

When she’d finished extracting the oil from the first plant, Ialari couldn’t help but think that consuming the oil would be almost as bad as whatever poison it was meant to combat; the smell was really that bad. This gave Ialari an idea. This horrible smelling foulness…there’s got to be a way to… It would require a little bit more work with a different type of plant but Ialari considered making a balm that one could rub under their nose before consuming the oil. There were so many pleasant-smelling flowers all around that they could be turned into a balm that could help with the smell of the oil. Using a bit of balm as a stopper on a vial of oil would allow one to rub the balm under their nose then down the oil. They could purge the poison from their stomach while smelling the scent of flowers at the same time.

For now however, she’d managed to extract the oil…at least from the first plant. She would do the same with five other plants while keeping two for Uta. Although Uta had requested a single plant, Ialari figured two plants would be better especially if Uta was looking to grow some of her own.

Ialari spent the rest of the day extracting the oil from the roots, stems and leaves while taking many breaks from the smell. When she’d finally completed her task, she took time to clean her cloths and implements of the smell. Although it would take a few cleaning sessions, at least the smell had been reduced. The next morning she would make a trip to the Panacea and Uta’s to deliver the oil and plants before experimenting with making the balm. She would give the Panacea a total of 12 doses while keeping eight for herself in order to add the balm. Uta would get the two plants and hopefully everyone would be happy.

[Ialari Pythone]

Thread Grade

Land Navigation: 2 (Jungle)
Wilderness Survival: 1 (Jungle)
Poison: 2
Philtering: 4
Herbalism: 5
Medicine: 1

Lore: Wilderness Survival: The Jungle is filled with poisonous plants and animals.

Lore: Herbalism: Narvayt can be found in the jungle fringes where it isn't as hot or wet.

Lore: Syka: Jellyfish Lake location

Lore: Syka: Jellyfish at Jellyfish Lake have a unique sting.

Lore: Wilderness Survival: Jungle: Experiencing the sights and sounds of the jungle.

Lore: Wildnerness Survival: Jungle: Getting lost and unlost in the jungle outskirts.

Lore: Herbalism: Harvesting Narnvayt

Lore: Poisons: Recognizing the need for protective gear when handling poisonous plants.

Lore: Poisons: Narnvayt smell sticks to the skin and is hard to remove.

Lore: Herbalism: Narnvayt plant and oil smells like animal dung.

Lore: Herbalism: Recognizing the need to not harvest every plant of particular type in a given area.

Lore: Philtering: Using a mortar and pestle to crush parts of a plant and extract oil from it.

Lore: Philtering: Separating oil from plant debris.

Lore: Philtering: Using beakers and vials to collect oil from a crushed plant.


Items:

Light blue linen shirt
Dark blue linen trousers
Brown leather gloves
Black head scarf
First aid kit
Philtering kit
Poisoncrafting kit
------------------------
Cost: 357 GM

20 doses of Narnvayt Oil (8 for Ialari, 12 for the Panacea)
2 Narnvayt plants for Uta