ɢʀᴇᴇɴ ᴡɪᴛᴄʜ ᴏꜰ ɢᴀʀɢᴏʟʏɴ
O O C - I N F O R M A T I O N
- Intent: Expand on Gargolyn's lore, Star Wars-ify mythical plants. Give people a reason to get lost on Lesaj's homeworld.
- Image Credit: Could not find a creditable source for the image. Gif found on pinterest.
- Canon: No.
- Permissions: N/a.
- Links:
G E N E R A L - I N F O R M A T I O N
- Name: Feurstrae.
- Also known as: Witches' Grass, Hexweed.
- Origins: Gargolyn IV.
- Other Locations: None.
- Classification: Grass.
- Average Growth Cycle: Like most grasses, feurstrae grows quite quickly. Being a force-sensitive weed, 'quite quickly' is swiftly transformed into 'immediately'. Seed germination occurs as soon as it hits viable ground, and the grass completes its first full growth cycle within a few seconds. With solid, strong roots, the grass will attach itself to the path of soil it claimed and continue rotating through its growth cycle in that same place all throughout the year. It is believed that a patch of Witch's Grass will continue to live and renew itself indefinitely if left to its own devices.
- Viability: So long as there is soil for its roots and a minimal amount of water and minerals for it to live off of - feurstrae will persevere and endure even the most dire of climates. It's connection to the living Force ensures the grass can thrive against the bleakest of odds.
- Description: For the very few who have somehow heard of the fabled Witches' Grass of Gargolyn and its waggish power, it is quite underwhelming to find out that hexweed looks exactly like any other common plant of the poaceae family. Feurstrae will match the color of the vegetation it is surrounded with, there is not one thing that is remarkable about the plant and, more often than not, it goes completely unnoticed even by those who are intimately familiar with it.
- Average Height: Variable. Feurstrae will usually grow to match the surrounding floor vegetation, with a range between 5cm to the extremely rare tall feurstrae that can reach about 2.5m in height, that would occur should a hexweed seed find itself into a tall grass field. It is tremendously strange to find hexweed that surpasses the 20cm of height.
- Average Length: N/a.
- Color: Variable. Will match the surrounding vegetation's coloring (more often than not, shades of green).
- Nutritional Value: None.
- Toxicity: None.
- Other Effects:
- The Herb of Turning: Attuned to the Force, the adult specimens of this curious plant harness an ability that, while not inherently harmful nor helpful in and of itself, makes it perilously dangerous. When stepped on, Feurstrae grass will attempt to influence the mind of the unfortunate soul that happened to cross paths with it and cause severe disorientation, confusion, and a trance like state of misdirection.
- Distinctions: Feurstrae might not be anything amazing to look at, but it is quite beautiful for what one could expect of, well, grass. It has feathery, soft, wide blades that make it seem all that more comfortable and inviting, and during its blooming season it will produce tiny, white florets that, although naturally odorless, are known to have an exquisite perfume if prepared correctly. There are no known variants of Feurstrae.
Indescribably difficult to sense or identify, even the very Witches of Gargolyn who have to deal with the pesky vegetation quite frequently find it hard to tell Hexweed apart from common, regular, innocuous grass even with close inspection - a task made all the more grueling on the endless greenery of the Garden Planet.
S T R E N G T H S
- "Wonderland is better when you are completely Lost": Witches' Grass would seem to have come into the world with one objective alone: being a pain for everything and anything walking on Gargolyn's surface. When stepped on, the force-sensitive grass will reach into the mind of the being that has come into contact with it and attempt to throw it in disarray: causing confusion, disorientation, and a trance-like sense of misdirection and loss of time. If successful, one will suddenly forget where they are, what they were doing, where they where going, who they were with - and instead begin aimlessly wandering for hours until the effect passes and you suddenly find yourself in the middle of nowhere, alone, cold, muddied, and perhaps even hurt. Resisting the plant's influence is a feat that the Witches of Gargolyn themselves consider a mighty feat - for even the strongest and most experienced among them still fall prey to the effects of Feurstrae.
- Bad Weeds Don't Die: Like many plants native to Gargolyn, Feurstrae is...particularly hard to kill. The weed is completely impervious to fire or burning, and so long as even one of its roots remains on the soil - it will grow again. Quite the endeavor to get rid of one.
- A Needle In A Haystack: Good luck telling it apart from everything else on the forest floor, if its there Feurstrae's chances of being stepped on and exerting its effect are quite high.
W E A K N E S S E S
- A Lonely Weed: Although it grows really quickly, Feurstrae then focuses on renewing the small tuft of grass it has grown, rather than reproducing. Once germinated, Feurstrae will reproduce and expand extremely slowly. Because it does not propagate, Feurstrae will only affect those who happen to step on the small piece of ground it covers. There is only one known exception in which witches' grass have been seen to live side by side covering a larger area: Wistwail Wood on Gargolyn.
- Literally Just a Plant: The grass is not inherently evil, nor has any kind of sentience. It is not on the prowl hunting for its next victim, nor will escape or retaliate if someone decides to destroy it - it is just there.
- Telltale Signs: There are only two known ways to identify Feurstrae before it is too late. The first one, and harder one, is that the grassing animals of Gargolyn would seem to have a sixth sense for the plant and know to avoid it - when in doubt and with no other means, the Witches of Gargolyn are taught to follow the animals of the forest to avoid stepping on Hexweed. The second, and most popular one among the Witches, is that if one is carrying a feurstrae blade, the grass will begin softly swaying in one's direction when sensing the presence of a plucked hexsweed - giving away its position.
- A Feeble Hex: While it is incredibly hard for the individual affected to overcome the effects of Feurstrae once they have fallen prey to them, it is extraordinarily easily for someone else to break them out of it. A slight telepathic tap from a Force User should suffice. If not, knocking the afflicted individual off their feet and keeping them from moving for a few seconds will do the trick.
- Everyone Loves to Pick Grass: Feurstrae might not burn, but with enough patience and attention to detail the plant will perish under any other plant-killing methods, plucking included.
O R I G I N S. According to the records of both the Cor and the Witches of Gargolyn, Feurstrae might be as old as the garden planet itself and one of the very first species to ever develop on it. The Cor even believe that the grass might have played a role in the population of Gargolyn - separating tribes and making sure at least one Cor ended up in every known corner of the planet.
With the arrival of the Nightsisters to Gargolyn after the Battle of Dathomir, who would then become the Witches of Gargolyn, Feurstrae seemed to begin propagating more frequently and it soon gained the monikers of Hexsweed and Witches' Grass. The grass would become so much of a prevalent nuisance and constant threat, that it would take on a paramount role in the Witches' lives.
C U L T U R A L - I N F L U E N C E. Not one single witch that is worth her salt will venture into the wilds of Gargolyn without carrying a few Feurstrae blades to avoid stepping on the dreaded grass. The necessary habit has become a tradition, and now plucked feurstrae wreaths, woven bracelets or even just bundles are both a common sight and an invaluable asset. Giving such arrangements of the plant as a gift before a journey is also symbolic, so that one may not lose their way.
Witch's Grass plays a major role in one of the Sisterhood's trials: the Walk of Muddling. An initiate sister will step into a patch of hexsweed and must try to fight its effects and manage to commune with the Force and its entities so that they might guide her to a safe, familiar place despite the plant's influence. Many underestimate the extreme difficulty of this trial, and despite not being the most dangerous one - it has always been the test to see the most amount of initiates crowned in failure, for even experienced members of the covens struggle to overcome the effects of the Witches' Grass.
Last edited:
