Praeter Stew Horn

Praeter Stew Horn
Flora
Official Name	Praeter Stew Horn
Common Name	Salphwand, Shadow Potato
Classification	Fungi
Common Use	Culinary
Origins	Drowdar
Habitat	Mountains

Praeter Stew Horn is a fungus native to Drowda with an ancient history dating back to the Drovv of the north, who consumed the fungi as part of their everyday diet. Though the Fifth Void Invasion took many things away, it instead added one effect to the fungi, the power of aiding digestion. Quick to grow and easy to eat raw, but often used in soup by the ergonomic Drowdar, the Stew Horn has become a key part of their diet. Unfortunately, it is also the crucial part of several other animals’ diets, such as the Norlda, which has brought the two life forms into violent contact more times than can be counted.

History

Praeter Stew Horn was well known in ancient times, though only as the primary foodstuff of the Drovv people found to the north of the Elven Empire. Its appearance at that time was far more appealing, growing in ovular clusters in the mountains. When the Fifth Void Invasion came, the fungus curiously only suffered adverse effects to its appearance as it became gnarled, while the inside reportedly remained the same. Following the Cataclysm and the Cults of Dronnal moving to Drowda (the only location the fungus could now be found), the fungus became known once again. With time, knowledge about the fungi grew, and it was discovered that the plant aided in digestion and was harmless to the Drow. It is unknown if the Drovv people knew of this effect or if the Cataclysm gave the plant this ability, though some scattered records claim the Drovv's term for the fungus meant “aid for the inside.” Due to the isolation of Drowda as a whole, the plant has not been diminished in numbers for years and like many other Drowda flora, attempts to cultivate it elsewhere have failed (though these attempts were years ago when Regalia first made contact with them). Today, the flora is now a staple of Drowdar cooking, especially in soups as that method is the best way to help spread the plant’s effects over the largest group possible.

Appearance

The Praeter Stew Horn is a twisted grey fungus in the shape of a gnarled horn coated in a thick, shell-like skin. This skin contains a fleshy, meaty inside with a potato-like taste. The meaty inside is colored light blue with glints of purple if held up to the light. The fungi grows in clumps at high altitudes, often in caves or rock niches but also on corpses.

Uses and Abilities

Praeter Stew Horn can aid in the digestion process, which is important for the martial Drow to maintain physical prowess and a healthy existence. The fungi is commonly added to stew, giving it its trademark name, but it can also be eaten raw though when done so, it has a discernibly starchy taste and tough texture.

Trivia

• The shell of the Praeter is rather disgusting, but some have taken to leaving it to dry and then drawing or cutting into it as a crude, temporary sculpture.
• The Norlda of Drowda are eager consumers of the Stew Horn, as the Void mutations caused by the Fifth Void Invasion weakened their digestive tract in favor of poison resistance. This weakness is sometimes used by the Drowdar to lure the animals into traps, but more often the two groups fight over patches of the fungi.
• Praeter Stew Horn is often compared to a hard-shelled potato by Drowdar trying to explain it to other races.

---

Accreditation
Writers HydraLana Artists Betterer Processors Enkiduu	Last Editor HydraLana on 10/24/2021.

---

» Read more