Sussur

Sussurs were a rare and magical species of tree native to the Underdark, found only in the largest of caverns and often in ones where wizard fire was present.^[1]

Description[]

On average these trees grew to a height of 60 feet (18 meters). They had long and gnarled branches that sprouted sparse amounts of leaves. Their roots were aerial, similar to those of a banyan.^[1] Sussur plant flowers were large bright blue blossoms that exuded honey-sweet scent. When the flowers were harvested and exposed to sunlight, the aroma eventually turned rancid and then disappeared.^[2]

Ecology[]

Diet[]

Sussurs thrived almost entirely on faerzress and other ambient magic in their environment. Because of their appetite for magic, antimagic fields spanning 100 feet (30 meters) often surrounded them.^[1]

Habitats[]

One particular area in the Underdark where sussurs could be found was the vault of Nuur Throth on the western edge of the northern Lowerdark. There circular groves of them surrounded pockmarked stones covering deep, black wells.^[3]

Another remarkable specimen grew near the myconid circle known as the Ebonlake Grotto.^[2]

History[]

The Mystran cleric Lenore De Hurst embarked on significant research on sussur trees, specifically the properties of their bark and flowers, in the late 1470s DR. She had even planted a sussur sapling in a small garden near the Arcane Tower.^[2]

Usage[]

Sussur were used to produce a rare type of paper.^[4] Sussur tree bark possessed potent magical properties. If it was burned in a blacksmith's forge, the bark turned its flames blue and could imbue a single weapon with enchantments.^[2]