Grasses & Grains (sage study)

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Grasses & grains is a sage study in the field of Plant Life, which grants wisdom in the nature and use of herbaceous plants that hold great station among the works of men. This study encompasses not only the knowledge of "true" grasses, but also of sedges, rushes and sundry growths oft confused for such, including the cereals, the stout and towering bamboo, the humble water chestnut, the mighty papyrus sedge and the reedy cattail. The fruits and stalks of these plants have, since time immemorial, furnished mankind with sustenance and drink, shelter and raiment, parchment and kindling, the trappings of beasts and the delicate weavings of baskets and mats.

Through mastery of this study, a soul might learn to raise these plants for all their various uses, that the grain may be harvested and the reed set to purpose, though in many cases the skill shall extend only to the preparing of such materials, leaving the finer crafts to those so trained in their making. The shepherd, knowing well the qualities of pasture, drives his flock to the richest grasses, that their wool may be soft and their flesh wholesome. The thatcher lays bundles of reed atop the house, keeping out both wind and rain. The scribe, setting pen to scroll, presses his thoughts into sheets of papyrus drawn from the marsh. Such is the bounty of the humble grasses, which, though they grow unbidden across the land, are the root and cause of many of mankind's most venerable arts.

It's also proper include among this study the growing of vegetables, though they be not true grasses, nor yet grains, for their manner of cultivation is much alike. The turnip, the bean, the onion and their kin thrive under the same hand that tills the fields of wheat and barley, and their keeping follows much the same course. Hence, he who takes up this study shall find that he is as versed in the tending of the kitchen garden as he is in the planting of broad fields, that all may be sustained from his labour.

Sage Abilities

The sage abilities below are those acquired by a character through the study, according to status.

Amateur Status

  • Domestic Brewing: grants the means to produce ales and beers fit for household use, ensuring a steady supply of drink from the grains at hand. The brewer understands the careful balance of malt, water and fermentation, refining rough harvests into nourishing and palatable draughts.
  • Farming: provides the knowledge to prepare, plough and tend land for grain cultivation. The farmer discerns the right seasons, the turning of the soil and the proper care of crops from seed to harvest, securing a yield sufficient to sustain a household, a village or a greater estate.
  • Land Suitability: bestows the ability to judge the quality and potential of land, recognising where soil is rich or barren, where drainage is sufficient and what improvements may be made. With such wisdom, greater harvests may be drawn from the same fields, ensuring both sustenance and profit.
  • Vegetable Gardening: Confers skill in the planting and tending of root and vine, yielding a variety of nourishing vegetables and tubers. This ability complements grain farming, providing a balanced diet and ensuring that the land's full abundance is drawn forth for the table.

Authority Status

  • Advanced Fermentation: allows mastery over the transformation of grains into complex beverages beyond simple ales and beers, including mead, fortified brews and grain-based spirits. The practitioner understands precise temperature control, aging processes and the use of wild yeasts to create potent, high-quality drinks prized for their purity and depth of flavour.
  • Harvestwright: provides expertise to bring in the best possible yield from every field, so that each harvest is as bountiful as the land allows. The wright of the harvest knows the best times to sow and reap, how to stagger plantings for continuous production, and how to store grain to prevent spoilage. They can also judge when a crop is ready at its peak.
  • Meadowcraft: grants expertise in managing natural and artificial irrigation to encourage the growth of lush, nutrient-rich grasses in floodplains, highland pastures and cultivated meadows. By directing water sources and controlling drainage, the practitioner ensures optimal grazing conditions, leading to fatter livestock with higher yields of meat, milk and wool. This ability also includes the cultivation of specialty reeds for use in basketry, thatching and fine papyrus-making.

Expert Status

  • Briargrain: allows cultivation of a beneficial but perilous grass, Briargrain grows at an unnatural pace, overtaking all vegetation where it is planted in the short space of three weeks. Trees, brush and crops alike succumb to its tightening grasp, as its thorned stalks constrict and choke the life from everything around it. However, at the peak of its dominance, when nothing but Briargrain remains, the plant abruptly withers and dies, leaving behind rich, fertilised soil producing a bountiful crop the next year. Because of its relentless nature, Briargrain must be carefully managed, in areas no larger than one acre; failure to oversee its growth can lead to disaster, for if left to spread beyond its intended boundaries, Briargrain does not stop — turning vast landscapes into barren, tangled fields before collapsing under its own unchecked expansion.
  • Cindergrass Thatch: produces a grass that, when woven into thatch or dried, refuses to catch fire even under direct flame. Sparks land upon it and gutter out, embers cool against its surface, and even in the heart of a wildfire, structures roofed with cindergrass remain untouched. Makes an excellent insulation. Must be tended in wet bottomlands where other grains would rot, and harvested at precisely the right time to preserve its fireproof properties. If cut too soon, it becomes brittle and useless; if left too long, it withers and loses its resistance.
  • Hallowgrain: cultivates a grain that, when made into bread, acts as an antidote to poisons and neucrosis; when spread around the edges of a settlement or a sacred place, seem to deter restless spirits and unnatural creatures, as if the land itself refuses to nourish such beings.


See Druid Sage Abilities