Ashen Bloom (Patreon)

Wondrous item, rare

An ashen bloom is a rare flower that grows in earth that's been charred by a phoenix's fire. Once it blooms, it continues to live indefinitely until all of its petals are removed, even if it's plucked from the soil. When found, an ashen bloom has 2d4 + 2 petals remaining. The flower crumbles to ash once its last petal is removed.

Its petals have a variety of uses. You can pluck one of its petals as part of the options below. Once a petal has been used, it loses its magic.

Component. You can use one petal as part of casting a spell that deals fire damage. When you do, choose one creature that takes damage from the spell. That target takes an extra 2d6 fire damage.

Eaten. You can eat one petal using an action. When you do, you're cured of either one disease or one poison affecting you. If you're afflicted by more than one, you neutralize one disease or poison of your choice that you know is present, or you neutralize one at random.

Smoked. You can smoke one petal in a pipe or similar object over the course of 1 minute, at which time you gain resistance to fire damage for 1d4 hours. The exhaled smoke is red.

Steeped. You can steep one petal in 8 ounces of cold water over the course of 10 minutes, by which point the water is boiling and crimson. Drinking all of this tea, which takes at least 1 minute, reduces your exhaustion level by one.

The phoenix's fiery breath drowned the cursed forest in a wash of red and orange. When the smoke cleared, the putrid necrotic magic was gone, and all that remained was ash. From the dust, glittering embers bore new life: crimson flowers that sparkled with warmth.

Life sprang forth from death, and from its ashen blooms, the cycle would continue forevermore.