Star-spore

A star-spore was a strange fungus-infested meteor that occasionally fell to Toril.

Description
Appearing like any other shooting star, upon being found in its crater, a star-spore meteorite appeared as a glittering rock coated in a glowing yellow mold, unlike any commonly found in Faerûn. This released spores, which also glowed and could be glimpsed as wispy clouds in the air within the crater.

Effects
Those who happened to breathe in these spores quickly succumbed to sickness, suffering both nausea and fever, and with it disturbing dreams and even insane gibbering in one's sleep. Over the next few days came chills, severe headaches, and eyesight failing to the point of blindness. Some hardy beings resist it, feeling only nauseous, while unicorn-blooded horses seem unaffected.

History
The botanical sage Rulthaven of Easting had once seen a "star-spore", as he called it, that had fallen from the sky. He theorized it had originated on the green world of Coliar, and supposed that if life existed there, then it must be so different to life on Toril that it would be poisonous to it. Fortunately, he developed an antidote to the effects of the star-spore.

Then, in the, another star-spore fall from the sky, landing in the southernmost hills of the Sunset Mountains near Darkhold, several days' ride from Easting. It was first discovered by a band of adventurers known as the Seekers—Bublim Barboast, Esta Starchild, Furian Arcanus, Lorrick, Samkin Silvertooth, and Trothgar—who hoped to find the Tear of Selûne they were seeking. They found only rocks covered in a yellow fungal mold and soon fell sick. Though they fled the area and took shelter in a cave, they lay slowly dying. Less affected, the dwarf Lorrick and halfling Samkin rode hard for Easting to find Rulthaven, hoping he might have a cure. They chanced to encounter him coming the other way, as he had also seen the star-spore fall and came to examine it. With Rulthaven's treatments, the adventurers recovered in Easting over a period of several days, during which the sage visited the crater and eagerly collected samples of the star-spore for his research.

Appearances

 * Player's Guide to the Forgotten Realms Campaign