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The Cyrodillic Edition of the Botany Books, Vol1 |
raggidman
Prince
Registration Date: 06.01.2006
Posts: 3,317
Location: where my heart is
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The Cyrodillic Edition of the Botany Books, Vol1 |
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Here we have a major contribution to the Botany Books from the
university of Silgrad's very own Dr Ataridante. Please note that this
is volume one, and that there may well be a second volume in the
making, and so the Botany Books is seeking submissions for this.
Further illustrations, screenies etc, as for the other volumes of the Botany Books will be most welcome for this volume.
Dr A
NB: A book from Cyrodiil can make it's way to Vvardenfell - look one has done!
quote: |
A bit of a disclaimer first:
A. This book is a work based on the plants of Cyrodiil and not
Vvardenfell but I thought that it would be a valuable addition
none-the-less since its all Tamriel goddamnit. XD
B. there are some plants in here that dont exist ingame:
Hibiscus
Kings Crown
Lover's Lupine
-This is because I intended to add these plants to the game in my mod.
Disregard them if you feel so inclined. Personaly I like the entries so
I kept them in.
C. Regarless of the books title- this is not a difinitave source of
Cyrodiil's flowering flora so PLEASE feel free to add, revise, discard,
or otherwise mutilate. I would love it if I had other input beyond my
own.
also I'm sure this is out of date and others have writen their own entries on many of the plants in here.
and now without further whatever:
quote: |
The Cyrdodiilian Edition of the Botany Books
being A Complete and Authoritative Guide to
Flowering Plants of Cyrodiil
2nd Edition
Penned and Printed under the Authority of the Imperial Botanical Society,
Loyal servants to Emperor Uriel Septim VII.
Praise be to Akatosh and all the Nine.
Accreditations:
Nalion Leoriane must be accredited for his great Morrowind compilation
and for being part of my inspiration. My friend Darliandor and his
alchemy lab provided a good deal of information on to what all these
blasted ingrediants do also.
(* note this fine edition has been included in the Botany Books through
the auspices of Dr Ataridante and under agreement with the Imperial
Botanical Society.)
3E 406
----------Forward----------
To my mothers skirt I cling,
Far flows my emerald gown
And on my crown there sits this thing
For hue it is renowned.
Nirns gift I am, handmaid to soil,
I dance in gentle breeze.
And by thy hand, through tireless toil,
I blossom just for thee
-Anonymous Poet c. 2E 230
Contrasting other plant species in Tamriel, flowering plants are
striking, copious, and widespread. They are a most important aspect to
our treasured science of botany. Green flowering plants have an innate
mystical ability to soak in and covert magical energies of Aetherius
through the holes of Magnus and the stars, then synthesize it in the
heart of the plant and release it as breath. It is that breath that
supports all Fauna, Man and Mer on Nirn. Flowering plants also hold
deeply important Medicinal and Alchemical role in our society and,
thusly, a basic knowledge of the flowering plants of Tamriel should be
among the populace's general knowledge.
Much has been written about flowering plants and every reader of this
guide shall miss that which he regards worthy of his knowledge, while
discovering other facts trivial in nature. However, It is our want and
duty to provide all known knowledge on this subject to our readers ?
trivial or profound ? in hopes of a more enlightened Empire.
-The Imperial Botanical Society, Established 3E 93
----------Volume I: Cyrodiil----------
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera or simply Aloe is a succulent plant, with perennial, strong
and fibrous roots and numerous, persistent, fleshy leaves, proceeding
from the upper part of the root, tapering, thick and fleshy, usually
beset at the edges with spiny teeth. Many of the species are woody and
branching and are found predominantly in costal Hammerfell and along
the Gold Coast of Cyrodiil. It boasts large yellowy flowers that bloom
frequently and unmitigated. The Aloe Vera plant is grown for its leaves
that, when shucked from the plant and eaten, are a font of vivacity,
especially if properly combined with the leaves of the Ginkgo Plant. An
excerpt from The Flora of Hammerfell says this of the Aloe:
?The ancients know well the efficacy of the Aloe. It is a wondrous
herb, useful in staunching the flow of blood and in promoting the
healing of wounds. It has also been found to lessen the effect of the
pox. An elixir may be simply made by combining the liquor from a
crushed leaf with purest water."
Alkanet
A common wildflower, The Alkanet can be found in many instances along
the banks of the Stird, between Kvatch and Skingrad and even as far
south as northern Valenwood. The Alkanet plant boasts delicate blue
flowers that grow, two at a time, at both a central point of the
Alkanet?s single spindly stem and also at its tip. The foliage of the
Alkanet is bright green, pointed and slightly serrated in appearance.
Commercially, the Alkanet root yields a fine red coloring matter often
used in dye and to tint tinctures, oils, wines, and wood varnishes. It
is often employed to improve the appearance of poor grades of port and
similar wines, and to give the appearance of age to wine corks. A
seasoned wine consumer may be apt to taste the subtleties of the
Alkanet but to a less educated tongue the wine may as well be of the
early Third Era. The flowers of the Alkanet are also of economical
value due to their usefulness as a fortification against venoms and
other toxins.
Arrowroot
The Arrowroot is a large herbaceous plant that thrives on the western
banks of Valenwood and also along Cyrodiil?s Gold Coast. It has large
cordate, pointed, almost heart-shaped, leaves and small white flowers
all set at the top of meager stems. The true beauty of the Arrowroot
lies in Nirn?s soil. The plants root system is made up of a singular
tuberous root who?s starch when prepared in a mortar and pestle and is
not only nutritious but also makes the sluggish more agile and
temporarily offers a burst of strength. Many Bosmer of Valenwood carry
pulp derived from the Arrowroot?s tuber in pouches for luck on the hunt.
Bergamot
Each instance of Bergamot sports a single showy, scarlet flower and is
very aromatic in nature leading it to be a favorite in Imperial
gardens. The plant can be found wild in the fertile stretch of land
spanning from the Nibenay Basin to the Great Forest. The plants stem is
squarish and hard, usually growing to a height of two feet and its
leaves stand, bracket like, pale-green and tinged with red, along the
stem it at regular intervals.
Bergamot seeds when crushed into a powder by use of a mortar and pestle
can be used as a fortification against many less deadly diseases and in
potent poisons that dispel and cause muting of the voice.
Columbine
The Columbine is a native flower of Cyrodiil that can be found in the
southwestern Heartlands or the extremely fertile area of the West Weald
that constitutes the road between Skingrad and Kvatch. Columbine grows
on a single stalk that divides and bears up to three or four flowers.
The leaves of the Columbine are trifoliate, containing three leaflets,
and have lacerate edges. The petals of the Columbine blossom are red
and explode, yellow tipped and feather-like, at the top of the flower.
The name Columbine is said to be derived for an early Merethic
reference to a bird in flight. It seems that to the Former- these
flowers resembled flying birds. The plant is used predominantly for
decorative purposes and is often found potted or arranged in the great
halls of Cyrodiil?s nobility. The root pulp of the columbine is
sometimes used to cure hangovers and can restore a drunkard?s lost
"personable disposition" and thus is sometimes found in taverns and
pubs.
Domica Redwort
A native of both Cyrodiil and Valenwood, the Domica Redwort boasts
truly beautiful and ostentatious flowers that are crimson and feathery
in nature and often very tall. In addition to their beauty, they are
said to have magical abilities to enhance the appearance of anyone who
carries or wears one of the flowers. This, however, has not been
scientifically proven. What is known of the usefulness of the Domica
Redwort is it?s propensity as an antidote for many poisons as well as
its widespread use as pigment in both paint and dye. Any artisan will
swear by the pigment of the Domica Redwort to be the truest and purest
hue of red.
Fennel
Found in the western Colovian Highlands, Fennel is a hardy herb that
can winter many seasons without falter or withering. Both flower and
the foliage are unique to Tamriel in that they have distinct and
different structures that they adhere to. The leaves of the Fennel
plant are skeletal in appearance. The flowers, tinted anywhere from
yellow to white, grow, clustered on separate stems from the top of the
central stalk in resemblance to a bouquet. The seeds of the fennel
plant have long been a staple spice in Cyrodiilic cooking and thus are
a cash crop of the region of Colovia. Not only is the Fennel seed a
valuable spice but it is often ground up or boiled into potions that
restore vigor to tired travelers or in poisons that immediately
immobilize their sufferer.
Flax
The Flax plant is deep-rooted and intertwined in the economical
histories of Cyrodiil. Its versatility and multitude of uses have given
the abundant plant great value to any herbalist or farmer. The stem of
the Flax plant produces a fiber that is one of the oldest and most
respected in all of Tamriel. The Flax plant is harvested while still
green, pulled up by the roots, and soaked in water. After the
non-fibrous material rots off the Flax is threshed and the seeds
removed. The cloth made from spun Flax fiber, called Linen, is more
durable and cheaper even than Kresh and Wool. Many shirts and pants
today are made from the Linen of the Flax plant. Linen, like its fiber
bearing relative from Morrowind, the Kreshweed, is commonplace in
Cyrodiilic Households. It is most commonly found manifested as
bedspreads, tablecloths, curtains and pillowcases. When properly oiled
or rubbed with the wax of a Dreugh- Linen can be made waterproof and is
versatile as material for shoes, tents and traveler?s mantles. On its
stems, the Flax plant bears as many as thirteen fetching flowers that
can be any of five or so hues of color spanning from pink to blue to
yellow, that fan out in all directions from the plant?s base, and
produces valuable seeds. The seeds of the Flax plant, at one time,
where used as currency by many Second Era hamlets before the
introduction of our unifying Septim. Today, some commoners still accept
payment with Flax seeds being that they are still a valuable trade
good. The seeds of the flax plant are used to create oils for cooking
and varnishing and are also dried and crushed up to be used as a way to
restore Magicka or summon up a magical shield.
Foxglove
The Common Foxglove of the woods, perhaps the handsomest of our
indigenous plants, is widely distributed throughout Cyrodiil and is
common as a wild-flower in and around many of her Cities, growing
freely in woods and lanes in the Nibenay basin, particularly near
Beadrock Break. The Foxglove is a biennial plant but its roots can
shoot up flowers for several seasons. In the first year of the plants
life a rosette of leaves is sent up followed by one or more flowering,
which can be as tall as a Bosmer, and bear long pikes of drooping bell
shaped flowers which are often violet in color. As a rule the flowers
are in perfection in Sun?s Height. The nectar of the Foxglove can be
used to fortify ones-self against a myriad of deadly diseases and
toxins. Caution must be used, however, for an overdose of any part of
the Foxglove can be a detremental or even fatal.
Ginseng
The Ginseng plant can be found thriving in the rich coastal plains of
the upper Gold Coast. The Ginseng plant is a native to Tamriel?s
mysterious eastern neighbor Akavir and was brought over to Cyrodiil by
Akaviri merchant-sailors during the rule of the Akaviri Potentate
Versidue-Shaie. The name stems from the Akaviri belief that the Ginseng
is a mystical lord of all herbs. The Ginseng plant?s literal
translation is ?wonder of the world?. The plant its self, wonder or no,
is a truly beautiful plant with golden blossoms as radiant as the
region in which it flourishes. The foliage of the Ginseng plant is a
bright green and coarse and if properly prepared, are a potent cure for
any poison. However, if improperly prepared the Ginseng plant can
damage ones good luck or even cause burdensome pressure uppon ones self.
Goldenrod
The many-rooted Goldenrod, found predominantly along the Gold Coast
north of the port-city Anvil, is called such because of its spikes of
simple golden yellow flowers that are shot up annually around Second
Seed. The plant grows to a height of about a foot and is widely
regarded as a weed due to its creeping, invasive tendencies. The leaves
at the base of the plant are bright green and pointed, while the leaves
on the flower stem are smaller ovals. Despite the Goldenrod's invasive
habits and status as a weed, its seed pods, often white and fluffy like
cotton, are of some alchemical use and can be used as a poison to
shutter its sufferer's mouth and mute their voice.
Hibiscus
The Hibiscus plant is often refered to as the Rosemallow due to its
nature of being a flowering relative of the Vvardenfellian Marshmallow.
The Hibiscus finds itself plentifull throughout much of sothern Tamriel
and its tropical relatives are especially abundant all across the
provincial Summerset Islands of the Altimer. The tropical Hibiscus
blossoms year round and boasts the largest documented blooms of any
plant in all Nirn- which have been known to span, petal to petal, over
three two four feet. Though the grandeur of the Tropical hibiscus is
lost to its northern sisters of Cyrodiil,the Tamrielian Rosemallow
holds simmilar alchemical usefullness as a restorative herb. The petals
when plucked from the hibiscus and finely ground can be made into a
bitter and potent salve. This salve is without a doubt one of the most
cogent alternatives to a potion of Restore Magicka.
King?s Crown
Often referred to in antiquated texts as Three Crowns, Elf Coronet, and
the King Imperial, the King?s Crown is a truly ponderous plant. Sadly,
the plant was picked to extinction in the late Second Era so no modern
day studies can be made of it. What is known of the plant is the King?s
Crown is said to have originated in Aldmeris and was brought to the
Summerset isles by the first settlers. The original Foremer, the
Forefathers of modern-day elves, were said to cherish the plant they
called the Ald?lilis Divine, now known to be the very same Kings Crown.
It is also said that the plant was cultivated as a food plant, its bulb
possessing poisonous properties when raw, but being wholesome, even
supernatural, when cooked. The plant bore upon three stalks, three
circles of pendulous flowers ?crimson to orange in color- all with
crown of emerald foliage above them.
Sadly, due to a lack of known documentation of this mythic flora,
little else is known of the flower or its Alchemical properties.
Lover's Lupine
Originally cultivated as ornamental plants, the handsome blossom of the
Lover's Lupine is a truly beautiful and enchanting sight, shooting up
dark bluish-green palmate leaves, divided into oval-lance-shaped
segments, per annum. It grows in multitude in the southern Nibenay
Valley, especially dotting the banks of the Panther River. Those
unenlightened to the details of its botany believe the title "Lover's
Lupine" to stem from its ancient use as an aphrodisiac. This, however,
is not so. It is in fact given its name for the rare occasion of its
flowers, whose buds bloom and last barely a month before closing back
up. The Lupine?s stunning spikes of pea-like alabaster flowers are
visible only in the month of Sun's Dawn under the sign of The Lover.
The plants name stems from this affinity to the stars. The Lover's
Lupine itself is no more an aphrodisiac than the common Wickwheat of
Vvardenfell. Recently, however, Alchemists have discovered its fresh
petals to be an excellent ingredient in all manners of Night Eye
draughts. It is also known among Alchemists and Botanists for its
cryptic connection to the myth of an "Elixir of Eternal Life", though
there is little more than theory to bolster this remark.
Morning Glory
Found principally south of the Cyrodiil's Great Forest, the Morning
Glory?s vine-like foliage, arrow-shaped and delicate in texture, is
very striking. The flowers range from a very delicate tint of azure to
a light magenta and are intervallic along the vine. Its roots are long;
tapering, covered with a light grey bark and containing a milky juice.
A gummy, resinous pulp can be obtained from this milky juice of the
root by clearing away the soil from the upper part of the root and
cutting off the top obliquely and fixing a vessel in such a position as
to receive the exuding juice, which gradually hardens and becomes the
pulp of commerce. The city of Skingrad is known for her beautiful
lengths of Morning Glory that hang from almost every windowsill climb
along her walls. This pulp can be used as a poison to damage the
Magicka and strength of mind of its sufferer.
Motherwort
The Motherwort plant is a common tall plant with green three fingered,
hastate shaped leaves and many small blue to white flowers,
intervallic, growing from the base to the tip of the stalk. It is found
along roads in the West Weald near the city of Skingrad, to the north
and west of the Imperial Capital and in the highlands of Colovia and
the Jerall Mountains. A great concentration of Motherwort can be found
to the northeast of the city of Bruma at Dragonclaw rock. An old wives
tale claims that sprigs of Motherwort can bring an end to most
calamitous palpitations of the heart especially that of shock. This is
partially true but fresh sprigs of Motherwort are more valuable due to
their use as an anti-venom.
Nightshade
Though widely distributed over Southern Tamriel, especially the
province of Elsweyr, Nightshade is not common in Cyrodiil, and has
become rarer of late. It has been sparingly found in central and
southern Cyrodiil on the border of Elsweyr, also known as the West
Weald, mostly near old ruins. Under shade of trees, it will grow most
luxuriantly, forming bushy plants several feet high. The leaves are
dull, darkish green in color and the flowers, which appear Mid Year to
Sun?s Height, are of a dark and dingy purplish color, tinged with a
light pink. The flowers petals are intensely sweet, yet dangerously
toxic. The fresh plant, when crushed, exhales a disagreeable odor,
almost disappearing on drying, and the leaves have a bitter taste, when
both fresh and dry. The plant has been known to produce a potent poison
that can damage ones good health. Alternatively khajiit thieves of
Elsweyr tuck leaves of Nightshade into their cloaks to increase their
facility to slink and even become undetectable.
Peony
Peony plants bear attractive, glossy green foliage but their popularity
is due mainly to their flowers. The most striking peony flowers are the
highly fragrant, massive, usually pink, red or white. Other colors and
flower types do exist in other provinces but they are to be covered in
a later volume. Peony blooms are especially beautiful around the month
of Mid Year and grow in concentration in south Cyrodiil, chiefly in the
West Weald. In ancient times, the seeds used to be strung as a necklace
and worn as a charm against malevolent spirits. Merethic texts proclaim
the seeds of the Peony to be a potent ward against all manners of
nightmares and malevolent spirits.
This has been studied extensively and botanists have found this to be
nothing more than an old wives' tale. Peony seeds are still used today
in both poison and tonic and have been known to restore strength in
times of weakness.
Primrose
The Primrose plant grows copiously in woods, hedgerows, pastures and on
the embankments of the heavy-trodden paths southeast of Kvatch and is
in full flower during Rain's Hand and Second Seed. In sheltered spots
in mild winters it is often found in blossom during the opening days of
the year. The flowers are each on separate stalks and are very low to
the ground. Sometimes confused with its highland relative the Mandrake
the Primrose can be distinguished by its large white flowers and
thinner leaves. The vegetation of the primrose has been used, not only
as a good luck charm, but also as a way of restoring ones strength of
mind and physical charm.
Wormwood
The frozen northern mountains of north Cyrodiil and southern Skyrim are
home a most peculiar herb, the Wormwood plant. Wormwood is a hardy low
growing shrub of silvery-green leaves that resemble the fronds of a
fern and blue flowers positioned, intervalic, along its stems. The
plant is easily noticible in the wild for it almost sparkles under the
light of Maser and Secunda. The leaves of the plant are held in high
regard by the ancient men of Atmora and Skyrim due to its prowes as a
catalyst in many shamanic rituals. There is no known proof that the
Wormwood plant is such a powerfull aid in Divination and Mystiscism but
the leaves of the wormwood, though tough and fiberous, can greatly
recouperate the tired and haggard. |
Appendix
sources
Special Flora of Hammerfell - esp Aloe Vera
Special Flora of Tamriel - espaspects of nightshade and sundries.
The Flora of Morrowind: An Alchemists' Resource
Fundementals of Alchemy
Darliandor's Alchemy Lab - properties of ingredients
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I quoted the Special Flora of Hammerfell in my Aloe Vera section
It Can be found here.
I also got lots of usefull info from this ingame book <3<3. especialy some of the lore aspects of nightshade etc.
Special Flora of Tamriel
I dont think I used any info from this guide but Nalion Leoriane must
be accredited for his great Morrowind compilation and for being part of
my inspiration.
The Flora of Morrowind: An Alchemists' Resource
fundamentals of alchemy was important tooo
Fundementals of Alchemy
my friend darliandor and his alchemy lab provided a good deal of information on to what all these blasted ingrediants do
Darliandor's Alchemy Lab
and not to mention imput for people on the TES official forums and Here at ST
thanks a ton, Ataridante
This post has been edited 2 time(s), it was last edited by raggidman: 05.04.2008 20:01.
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31.03.2008 13:30 |
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