The Iam Iret, or Eyes of Baskarr are a floral shrub unique to the Ashal Islands that earned its moniker through its flowering buds. While it was originally thought to be nothing more than a decorative shrub, its recent rediscovery by the Asha has led to its frequent use as a tea. This plant is still commonly seen throughout the terraces of the Asha States, and in the hidden oases of the desert. It has most commonly made an impression upon travelers who find themselves in the hospitality of the Asha and remains an iconic beverage of the Asha homeland.
History
After the return of the Asha to their cities via the Dewamenet Gateway, Iam Iret were found growing aggressively along the edges of rock terraces and near the pools of water. Upon its first observation, the shrub was thought to be nothing more than an aggressive but decorative growth and was initially ignored as the Asha focused on reviving the infrastructure of the islands. When this task was done, the Asha returned to focus on aspects great and small of their new homeland, including this plant. After a small period of experimentation, the Asha discovered the ability to turn Iam Iret into a unique tea whose characteristics heavily depended on the method of preparation. These particular shrubs earned their common nickname not from the Asha themselves, but rather from later foreign travelers to whom the plant, unfortunately, left a bad impression, and viewed these eyes as the faith of the Asha scorning them. Naturally, those who had any semblance of knowledge about the Baskarr faith would know this to not be true, but many chose to not listen. Now that the Asha have slowly begun to make their way back toward a functioning civilization, the aggressive growth of these shrubs has been significantly culled, though most terraces still have at least one eye watching the street around them.
Appearance
Iam Iret possess flowering buds where upon each growth of the shrub, these circular white bulbs with a black center cover each inch in place of leaves. A single shrub can cover well over a two-foot diameter area before another shrub is needed to grow. Each bulb is around two inches in diameter, without much space between them, with the varying Eyes having to compete for sunlight. The roots and branches of the shrubs are covered in a fine layer of hair, giving the base of the shrub an almost furred appearance. While it is not a tall growing shrub, it is instead incredibly vast. The shrub itself does not have very deep roots and, in fact, it can very easily be lifted and moved provided it has not grown its way around another fixture of the land.
Uses and Abilities
While the flowers of the Iam Iret are bitter to taste, and the roots produce a dry, and furred texture when ingested, the two do have one specific use. If the roots are finely ground and submerged in boiling water and the bulbs of the Iam Iret are squeezed into the beverage as well, it produces an opaque white beverage that often tastes rather similar to a milky tea. It is often used for guests who come to the Ashal Islands but are not quite adjusted to the heavy intake of dairy that most Asha subscribes to. However, if one does not include the ground root, the beverage will appear the same though hold an awful bitter flavor, leading to many individuals to lose their appetite for the coming hours.
Trivia
Many travelers to the Asha Islands share cautionary tales that if you act evilly, Baskarr will watch and poison the tea that you drink while there. While this is in no way true, foreign crime in the Ashal Islands remains low.
It is rumored that those who wield Magic feel uneasy in the presence of these flowers and they fail to ever taste it as anything but bitter, though there has been no substantial proof to these claims.
