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Posts tagged sweetberry bush

The Long Run page 107 has secured the goods

The Long Run page 107 has secured the goods published on

Check out the loot:

This chapter introduces some new characters, of whomst you shall glimpse one here.  Tyv is something of a famous burglar, well-known across the Valley for deploying a dramatic flair when xe steals stuff. Hence the fan club of Bad Kids intent on making off with xer wanted poster as a souvenir.

Regarding one of the other posters in the background, imploring people to halt the spread of sweetberry bush, I just wanna say this was written pre-pandemic and is mere thematic coincidence. I’d already figured the Valley would have issues with people complying (sweetberry bush spreads because the berries are tasty, and if you’re hungry, what are you gonna do), but actually stropping the spread for real would require coordinated governmental action and can’t be left to individuals to stop. Didn’t expect that to be quite so on the nose, but here we are.

ANYWAY. The chapter continues next week!

Cheers,

Dylan

Flora and Fauna: Sweetberry Bush

Flora and Fauna: Sweetberry Bush published on

Valley of the Silk Sky - sweetberry bush

Sure, giant mudbats can be scary if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, but by far the most dangerous thing in this picture is that massive green shrub, the sweetberry bush.

As the name would imply, the bush produces a delectable fruit. It’s quite edible and nutritious! Some enterprising soul who encountered the bush in its native habitat thought, “Why don’t I bring this lovely, innocent little plant back to Pocalo with me, that I may cultivate its delicious produce?”

Well, it turns out birds took a liking to the berries and cheerfully dispersed the seeds in their poop, and the sweetberry bush really, REALLY took a liking to the province of Muru in particular. It spread explosively, and has choked out countless native species in its rampage across the landscape.

Economic and Social Effects

Muru’s economy has long been heavily dependent on the collection and sale of the various rare medicinal plants that grow throughout the province. Runners who specialized in a particular species found themselves out of work after the sweetberry bush showed up in their region and destroyed the indigenous flora.

The resulting economic instability has led to a significant increase in crime throughout Muru, with many former runners becoming bandits. Meanwhile, the extinction of numerous medically beneficial species has caused a resurgence in various previously-treatable diseases, resulting in waves of epidemics throughout Pocalo as supplies of medicines have run out. Social services are stretched thin dealing with both the crime and the epidemics.

The Poison Marsh

Attempts to control the bush have ranged from the ineffective to the utterly disastrous. The worst of these was an experiment with an herbicide whose runoff collected into a low-lying area, rendering a whole region dangerously toxic. This area is now simply known as the Poison Marsh.

Worst of all, the herbicide not only failed to kill the bush, but destroyed various other plants, opening up even more of the landscape to colonization by … THE DREADED SWEETBERRY BUSH.

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