Gilded kelp
From Mizahar Lore
Overview
Gilded Kelp can be found only in Myri's Teeth, located in the Southern Suvan Sea. Gilded Kelp is a thick golden underwater plant that is grown in the fertile mud found on the sea floor of Myri's Teeth. It grows alone, not in a seaweed forest. The kelp starts off as a small bulb that has unattached itself from its former home and floats along the water until it rests and gets covered in mud on the floor. Slowly, a small stem breaks out of the buried bulb and pushes its way through the mud until it reaches the watery surface. This takes about twenty days from initial landing. The next stage of its growth involves a slow reach of its stem to the surface of the water. When the golden stem is fully grown it reaches about ten feet upwards. The stem is a hard golden stick that only slightly bends in the sway of the water. If forced to bend more the stem will break and releases a thick, white, sticky sap that flows down the stem into the mud. Stem growth takes about forty days. Only when the stem if fully grown will the leaves begin to bud. The leaves are a thin, but meaty leaf that is slippery to the touch. The leafs are usually about five inches long and maybe thirty or so leafs will grow on the stem in the duration of the plants lifetime. One leaf takes about thirty days to grow. The plant itself, after it is fully grown, may live a total of two more years until it slowly sinks back down to the sea floor where it will become fertilizer for more plants. During its two years after it is fully grown the plant will begin to produce seeds. These little bulbs grow on the stem where the corner of a leaf and stem meet. Seeds take about ten days to grow fully. Only five or so seeds will be grown on the stem throughout its life and only one or two will break off and become another Gilded Kelp plant later on.
Usage
Gilded Kelp is very rare and only one race has any use for it.The Charodae think of the Kelp as the highest form of delicacy. The main use that Gilded Kelp has is for eating. The kelp never needs to be cooked, it is extremely healthy and it is incredibly nutritious. It lasts about twice as long as regular kelp when it comes to spoiling and its taste is wanted by every Charodae. Every part of the Gilded Kelp is able to be ingested and each part has a different flavor. The leafs are very chewy and one can chew on one piece for maybe five chimes. The leafs are the most rich in nutrients and taste sweet, like a melon. Chewing on the leafs can also improve teeth health dramatically. The stem can be broken and, like a Sweet Reed the sticky sap can be sucked out of the stem. The sap tastes like a sweet juice with sugar mixed in. The stem can then be eaten to get all the sap out and because it has its own unique flavor as well. Under teeth the stem breaks easily and almost melts in your mouth when broken down to small enough pieces. The stem is both salty and sweet due to its constant touch of the salty sea. Finally the seeds themselves can be eaten and according to most Charodae the seeds taste the best. It is advised, though, to eat only one seeds as there are few seeds and the Charodae don't want to destroy the plants existence. When eaten the seed is broken between the teeth and a thin goo rushes out of the capsule. This juice quickly coats the mouth and is both sour and sweet, more sweet the older the seed is. The second use Gilded Kelp holds is that of being an ingredient of philters. Although more sought out for its taste, the plant can be used in a number of philters for different outcomes. The first and most common philter used with Gilded Kelp is the use of its leafs to provide a kind of toothpaste. If the leaf is ground up into a fine paste (Other ingredients can be added to improve the look and feel of the finished product) it can be rubbed on the teeth to improve gum health and whiten teeth just a bit. The other use in Philtering that the Gilded Kelp possesses is the use of the white sap the stem provides, mixed with a bit of juice from the seeds can create calming oil that is commonly rubbed on baby skin to soothe rashes or just calm the nerves. It is used by adults as well to become calm before a fight, or before a very stressful event.