During this last week we encountered several Bontani and infected people. I, together with my company, would like to know why these Bontani want to infect us and what they would get out of infecting us. But the main question is: How we can we cure this infection? Today, the fifteenth of September, I tend to find out and see what our company can do. We already found out, the how to the question: How do these Botani infect us?
A few days ago we encountered several pollen on some bruiseweed that we found. As soon as these pollen would touch a open wound, get close to blood or flesh, or even by getting a fresh host, it would turn into a Botani Amalgamation. One that would infect the wounded from the inside out.
The infection would start from the cut or wound and the Amalgamation would grow and sprout vines along the spine, along the organs and into the brain. The vines would feed themselves, by using the blood and organs in the body. These vines would start by sucking out the blood from the body and injecting themselves into the host's brain. There they would take over the movement, coördination and the other skills whom are needed for movement, feeding and attacking.
To remove this infection from the wounded, we of the 'Curative Concern' worked together with the Scryers from the 'Acolytes of the Seer', from Shattrath city. We worked out that the fastest way to kill a Botani, would be setting it on fire. But we also improved a slicing poison, by adding arcane powered enchantments to a splicing poison. But I would not suggest using this on an infected person.
On the night of the fourteenth of september we went out with a large group of people to try and get to the bottom of this infection. We wanted to get answers. When we travelled from Booty Bay past the digging ground of 'Explorer's league', we found a hidden ruin behind large vines. But before we could enter this ruins we got attack by a large horde of podlings and one single Mandragora. During this fight we lost two of our Physician's and one arcanist to one of the Mandragora's attacks and one the matron of Curative Concern stayed with the wounded. After this large scale attack, one of the mercenaries that joined us in Booty Bay left the group and ran back to tend to his wounds.
The group that was left, was one spellblade, one paladin, our Chief of Security, one retainer, one enchantress and me. We cleared the bodies of the fallen podlings and removed the vines from the entrance of the ruins. When we entered we saw infected Trolls and Forsaken walking around like mindless slaves and all around them were decaying corpse and lots and lots of vegetation. When we came up on a large hill in the middle of the ruins we found a Botani caster. It was standing and ordering the infected around. A few of our melee fighters charged straight to the Botani, but we were not prepared for another Mandragora to attack us from behind.
After this fight we had lost no one else but me. I was knocked out by a kick of the Mandragora. The Spellblade, in our group told, me that during their search, of the ruins, they had found several unaffected plants and a Orc and Human standing in between the healthy vegetation. But when the Spellblade went closer, they teleported away. After this they took some samples for me to work with and we went back to Booty Bay to tend to our groups wounds.
So when I woke up the next day I could start my diagnotic work on these healthy plants. After dissecting some of their pods, I encountered pollen and spores that looked like the infected one, but had a slightly different genetic make-up. I placed some of these spores in a growth potion and after a few hours, I could use them for some research.
The first thing I did was crushing one of the spores with my mortar and pestle to a very fine powder. I had learned from serveral alchemic studies that fine powder of plants could help healing but could also the release the most potent of reactions.
Then I set up a tube holder with eight vials of basic healing potion. This potion was created with fresh spring water, crushed bruiseweeds leaves and powdered briarthorn. I also prepared seven more additives to add to the potency of the potion. These would be Azhara's veil ( Light blue potion, for clarity of the mind), Blindweed ( light blue green potion, for healing the pulmonary problems), Cinderbloom ( Soft red potion, to calm the nerves, bring mental clarity, boost resistance to disease and magic), Dahlia's tears ( Dark blue potion, for the restoration of damaged tissue), Felweed ( Dark green potion, to draw out and intensify the medicinal effects of other herbs), Golden Sansam ( Golden yellow potion, for its incredible healing and restorative properties) and Wild Steelbloom ( Dark Ocher yellow potion, It can act as a muscle stimulant and pain suppressor).
After carefully adding one dram of powdered spore from the healthy vegetation, the potions all remained stable and I hope we can test these potions out soon. Because after testing them all on infected flesh, which Rythiel and I had gathered from the dissection of the corpse, the result made me believe that the flesh turned into their original state and the infected vegetation in the organs died. But I have no idea what it would do on a live subject.
References
All other information can be gained from the Curative Concern. Currently residing in Booty Bay or else at the court of the Sun in Silver Moon City.
For more information about the herbs used in this report check out the Medicinal guide to herbs in your local book shop.