History of the Monks’ Herblore

From the very beginnings of our guild, the monks’ closeness to nature and affinity to its study has enabled us to learn to use the capabilities that lie within herbs.

Our Elders gathered the herbs, which grow in the various parts of the realm, studied them and experimented till they found the formulas for the pastes you can nowadays buy in the herb shops around Moorgate.

Those monks also used a strange device called potion-maker. With the help of this tool they were able to prepare potions out of thin air and fill them into empty bottles. Even the youngest monks could make potions of healing, potions of invisibility, potion of hearing and potions of flight with the help of it. I don’t need to tell you that the monks made excessive use of that device, though the opinions if that was wise and monk-like were split.

A short time after the new guild building was finished the potion-makers vanished. No one knows the reason for this disappearance for certain, though my suspicion is that the making of potions out of thin air somehow tapped a cosmic source, a source that was vital for the surviving of the realm. What causes me to think that is that the Great Void and the last days of the potion-makers fell close together.

To compensate us for the loss of the potion-makers the Gods blessed the gardens of our new home and made us able to harvest herbs regardless of seasons and with less efforts. Experiments with the new, strong herbs revealed pastes and potions of never before known powers. The formulas of the traditional pastes were given to Moorgate’s herb shops and for some time the monks basked in the grace of the Gods,

Though with great gifts come great responsibilities and I am sad to admit that we monks not always showed ourselves worth the trust of the Gods. Carelessness and greed made some of us step from the proper path and the Gods were urged to use their powers to change the effectiveness of the herbs.

Slight climatic changes weakened the herbs in general that way that whereas you could get out once pastes you were able to apply up to ten times you nowadays will get only smaller units.

Due to abuse (thieves - and I am not referring here to the members of the Rogues Guild - became a real pest) the herb which was used to mix the paste of the shadows lost a lot of its power and in our time the paste will hide you only as long as you move very carefully.

Another herb that was lowered in its potency is the herb we use to make the paste of vitality. Each plant now holds only enough active agent to mix a paste you can apply once. Don’t waste your time with experiments. Even if you use more then one plant you will rather destroy the concoction than get a sufficient result.

A side effect of that change was also that once out of your hands the paste swells that much you cannot pick it up again as long as you have another in your hand, pack, pouch, even your locker.

The paste of spirituality has been given the most interventions. The herb we need to prepare the paste experienced a similar metamorphosis like the herb for the paste of vitality.

Though the abuse didn’t stop and when a short time after the alteration Darby angered a God the other Gods didn’t intervene when aforesaid God destroyed our herb garden. The wasteland you nowadays see when you enter our gardens looked once that way:

Herb Garden A large plot of ground has been lovingly tilled and planted with herbs of every sort. The guild cooks are fastidious about keeping it weeded and trimmed. Here is where they get the herbs that give such unique flavors to their cooking and baking.

Only the efforts and tireless work of your guild tutors preserved samples of the herbs. They planted them at a sheltered place that is not easily to find in the hope that we monks learned from that lesson.

Another backstroke was that the binding substance we need for that paste has to be imported from a distant land and due to climatic changes there which caused a shortage of that substance the price for it increased immense.

Although this isn’t proved at the moment like every drug which affects the mind the paste is suspicious to cause addiction. It has been reported that consume in large quantities, especially in combination with Draughts of the Gods and activated by the Haste spell, may cause a fast growth of the physical appearance whilst the mental development falls behind which manifests itself in infantile behaviour.

As a comparable effect was observed in users of the paste of vitality it is within our responsibility as monks to prevent our fellow citizen from harm and take care to whom and how much of that pastes we sell.

The health and well-being of each inhabitant of the realm is the concern of the Gods. They will punish infringement on a personal as well as at a general basis as this short history of the monks’ herblore has shown. So when it comes to pastes of vitality and spirituality stick to the rule : One Paste – One Time - One Customer. Its better for your health and the health of your customers.

Information gathered and put together by Sister Umbreen, Bushi of Haikushi, Moorgate in the year 215