Herbalist's Guide to Cyrodiil II - County Chorrol, the Great Forest and the Colovian Highlands

Herbalist's Guide to Cyrodiil II - County Chorrol, the Great Forest and the Colovian Highlands

Chorrol is located at the intersection of the vast expanse of chaparral and prairie known as the Imperial Reserve, and the heart of Cyrodiil’s Great Forest. It is home to a hardy and devout people, which is to be expected from the inhabitants of a city whose patron is Stendarr. At the epicenter of the city is Chorrol’s Great Oak, which I estimate to have germinated sometime in the late 2nd era, contrary to popular culture, which would date the tree to the founding of the city itself.

The Great Forest is densely populated with groves of oak, ash and elm trees which vary from dotting the landscape to engulfing it in a swathe of canopy. To the northwest is the Colovian Highlands, famous for its vast expanse of untouched grassland. Sparsely populated other than a handful of hamlets and mines, this region is known for boasting the largest venison in the province; perhaps even all of Tamriel.

All in all, the wildlife situated around Chorrol has helped shaped the county in a prosperous one, full of a hardworking and cheerful people. There are many unique flora and fauna to be found in these two contrasting biomes, some of which I have detailed below:

Blue Entoloma

During the Sun’s Death event of 1E 688, this fungus nearly went extinct due to the high level of salinity from the ash-salts covering up the sun. The high salinity of the soil and water slowed down the decomposition process, making it unable to spread. Most of the species above-ground died out, while the ones underground managed to survive by adopting a blue luminescent glow that attracted various fungivores, encouraging its resurgence after a few hundred years of being dormant.

Today, however, these mushrooms can be found in abundance under the thick wooded canopy of most temperate forests. Which is very fortunate for us, as Blue Entoloma’s primary medicinal use saved Tamriel from utter annihilation by the Thrassian Plague. It is known to excrete an anti-viral compound that helps the body fight off infections and major diseases. Due to this rather beneficial trait, many master mycologists, myself included, have made a conscious effort to cultivate these fungi in case of a second extinction event.

Saint John’s Wort

Saint John is an important figure in the popular culture of Colovia. It is said that in 2E 466, during the first year of the Red Wheat Blight, Saint John, a woodsman living off the Orange Road, stole shipments of food from the clergy and divided it up among the peasants and commoners, attempting to curb the growing hunger and reverse the swelling class divide. At the Blight’s climax was the Kvatch Bread Riots, in which townsfolk, outraged by the imprisonment and execution of Saint John for “high treason against the blessed of Akatosh,” stormed the cathedral armed with pitchforks, torches and axes, and were promptly slaughtered by the defenders of the Cathedral, the Order of the Hourglass. Years later, he was granted sainthood by the Imperial Cult as the Saint of Charity. Many cities in Colovia observe the yearly Feast of Saint John, which coincides with the season that the aforementioned herb blooms, which is arguably one of the most important plants to Colovian culture due to many of its uses.

The perennial herb is a flowering plant with yellow, five-petaled flowers, known for its ovular, perforated leaves. There are many various remedies that can be made from this herb:

Saint John’s Wort Oil: Allow the blooms and buds of the plant to dry post-harvest, and then place them in a jar of vegetable oil. Let the flowers slowly allow their nectars and constituents to dissolve into the oil for a few weeks. Once the solution is a deep red color, strain out the flowers. This oil can be applied to minor bumps and bruises to encourage healing and ease pain, as well as a daily lotion to promote healthy, hydrated skin.

Saint John’s Wort Tincture: First, chop the blooms into tiny pieces like you would a vegetable. Allow the diced herbs to slowly dissolve into a grain-based alcohol at about a 1:2 ratio. Shake daily for about two or three weeks. This elixir, when taken in small doses, can help reduce stress, relieve anxiety, and remedy sleeping disorders.

Saint John’s Wort Tea: When brewed into a tea, this herb can help remedy colds and sore throats.

Saint John’s Wort Salve: Much stronger than the already mentioned Saint John’s Wort Oil, this can be used to fight infections and heal burns. Firstly, combine the homemade Saint John’s Oil in an 8:1 ratio with beeswax. Allow the mixture to melt under a small fire and stir until the beeswax is fully dissolved. While still warm, pour the solution into a vial or jar, and allow it a few hours to cool and solidify before applying to the skin.

Ogre’s Teeth

Due to the fact that the entire western plateau is almost entirely uninhabited, there exists no regional government to set bounties far into the wilderness of the Colovian Highlands. As such, Ogres, Minotaurs, and other Ogroids tend to be in particular abundance in the Imperial Reserve. Ogre are large, overweight goblins with long, slender arms; they generally measure up to be about fifty pertans and twenty-five thousand angaids. There are many theories as to how they came about; while I won’t go into those, it’s important to note that whatever the case may be, they are extremely dangerous.

Ogre’s teeth are not the only ingredient harvested from recently deceased Ogres, but their teeth have unique properties that are hard to find substitutes. Dissolving the teeth in an acidic solvent and distilling the newly formed solution will result in a concoction that encourages the body to secrete hormones that promote muscle growth, resulting in a buildup of protein. As such, many young Colovian men take it as a dietary supplement.

A second use for Ogre’s teeth is that of helping to break down other ingredients. Freshly harvested teeth can be placed in a mortar, as not only will they physically break-down the substance, they will also break your reagent down chemically. Saliva from the teeth will secrete enzymes that will partially digest the substance you intend to grind up. This method can be effective in obtaining a very uniform mixture for use in various remedies; finer-grained solvents typically dissolve much faster.