Elaran Earthmind

The Earthmind is a small grove of plants roughly twelve meters across located in the approximate center of the Elaran Shadowjungle near the river Thengbe. It is primarily notable for being sentient (yes, the entire grove), and in fact being the only vegetable-based sentient entity.

'Anatomy' of the Earthmind
The Earthmind is a roughly circular 'pixie ring' of mushrooms twelve meters across, with the interior carpeted with various grasses, herbs, and small shrubs. The mycelium and connected mushrooms has been identified as a species very similar to the Optical Mycelium bred for heliograph cables and light pump components. Essentially, each mycelial fiber appears to, by some form of reactive luminescence, relay light across it's fibers and perform some kind of operation on the light signals at the nodes or junctions of the fibers. Interwoven with this mycorrhizal mass are the various other plants which inhabit the grove, which are almost in their entirety reactive and pseudonervous species such as the Shrinking Violet, Lightshy Grass, Ear-Trumpet Weed, with a smattering ofcarnivorous plants and a variety of more ordinary grasses. Apparently, the mycelium constitutes the 'brain' of the Earthmind and the other plants growing within it are its 'orgrans,' both sensory and digestive. Flowers similar to the Indikos Bloom carpet the area, and according to espers who have studied them contain the Earthmind's memories. The Earthmind appears to have highly powerful esper abilities, including the ability to commune with even non-sensitive individuals.

History of the Earthmind.
According to the Compendium of Herbological Wonders' excellent analysis of the Earthmind- one of the only truly reputable and in-depth studies of it, given it's out-of-the-way location- and the transcript of their commune reveals much about the Earthmind's history.

Inferring from the Earthmind's transcript, and assuming it is to be believed, the Earthmind has been around for an extraordinarily long time, over a full millenium. (It doesn't use our calendar system, but it can at least count years, days, and seasons.) Furthermore, it will accept trade in the form of new memories it has yet to see, and as travellers and pilgrims have been delivering these for much of that millenium and as it vastly predates the Information Discontinuity and the Chrome's Obfuscation efforts, it theoretically could contain vast troves of useful information. However, it will only talk to certain very arbitrary individuals, and is extremely hard to decipher and even locate in any case. However, the transcript in the Compendium does reveal memories of certain truly wondrous sights- one of the Chromian Fire Pits fulfilling their intended purpose, the Elaran forest developing in extraordinarily sped-up view, even what seems to be an original Ancient stoneship- and Indikos beads of these have proved immensely valuable. (Finding an edition of the Compendium with the beads still within it is a rare treasure, and these have gone for many thousands of Qyen.)

Although the Earthmind is not terribly useful in helping to decipher our lost scripts, as it has little human contact, the various sights and memories it holds- such as views of the uses of various artifacts that experts have long puzzled over, and views of certain ancient rituals- have proven invaluable in helping to uncover our history.

-By Mr. Maximillian Zenith ir ven Eldritch