By Liela
Trama shrub is an invasive species that will spread into large thickets, choking out other plantlife if left unchecked. Thankfully, the shrub only thrives in the mineral rich soil of the ashlands. However, First Era chimer alchemists observed that the thorns of the trama root secrete a non-lethal, but poisonous sap that causes lethargy and lightheadedness in the afflicted. Some of these symptoms were traced back to the trama root’s -previously unknown- natural levitative properties. After this discovery, trama root quickly became a desirable ingredient especially among what would become the modern day Telvanni settlements where levitation is a staple of everyday life. But the trama shrub’s affinity for growing in ashy soil continued to be an inconvenient limitation for many farmers until the Telvanni found that the cut trama thorns could be grafted into nearly any woodlike material. The foreign trama would then grow like a parasite on its host plant, but lacked the ability to spread at any concerning rate into the unideal soil around it.
This led to speculation regarding how trama processes the mineral rich soil in the ashlands since it could inherit comparatively mineral poor nutrients from its grafted host but could not distill it on its own in the same soil. Experts still disagree on the subject, but the most popular explanation is that trama roots supplement their more mundane nutritional needs by draining magical essence from the soil itself. When grafted to another plant, the trama root can feed on the magical essence of the host as a substitute for what it otherwise draws from the salts of the ashlands - but obviously with decreased efficacy. It is common knowledge that crystalline ash salt possesses storative properties similar to many other morpholithic crystals but there aren’t many documented practical applications. Ashlanders use ash salts in their dream rituals and believe that the salt crystals contain memories of what they call the “Red Moment” - their folktales spin a tale of trama roots feeding on the painful memories of that time. But as with many other Ashlander legends and prophecies, this belief is not founded on any tangible evidence.
Info
Source: OAAB_Data