The Nagaraj Berries are grown from seaweed typically found on the coastal seafloor a short distance from the city of Yggdrazil. The specific region the Nagaraj seaweed is found in, lies within the boundaries of the Morrigana Estate, owned and run by the Kol Family, a branch family of the main Draz Family and the branch Fauchs Family.
Gestation rate is surprisingly rapid, providing up to three harvests in one Hroan year, provided optimal environmental conditions.
Typically clustered in groups of around 200 individual berries, the Nagaraj berries actually grow at the base of the cluster, typically hidden from the wildlife of the sea by the seaweed itself. The leaves of the seaweed number five to ten per cluster, and are lined with hair-thin needles which sting any adventurous wildlife. Those animals that are killed by the stings, typically float down into the cluster, where they rapidly decay and provided fertilizer for the growing berries. Inversely, the tips of the leaves are also a major food source for much the marine wildlife. Interestingly, the berries are edible, and protected by evolution, but largely ignored by all wildlife in their natural habitat.Only humans have dared to breached this normal cycle, and harvest the largely ignored berries.
Uses and Harvesting[]
Nagaraj Berries tend to be sweet to the taste, and are edible by many species, both those indigenous and nonindigenous to Hroa. A more common use for the berries is that they are pressed into wine, which is then sold as the Sector Famous, Nagaraj Moscato. This wine is served is a premium delicacy, and is the Kol Family’s main source of income. Other products include jam, jelly, and food oil, in much larger, and more affordable distributions.
The Berry Divers who harvest these berries are typically telekinetics who are able to shield their bodies from the immense cold of the sea, as well as the needles of the seaweed with psionic energy. In order to actually swim down and then back up, these swimmers are also held to strict physical standards. Typically, they would be well-muscled and average in height to around 6 feet, 1 inch(es), but usually taller.
The Harvest Moon[]
The Harvest Moon is a festival held at the Morrigana Estate in conjunction with the harvesting of the Nagaraj Berries.
Watching from the lower levels of the main Manor, which are underwater, guests and family alike will watch as the Divers begin to pluck the berries from the clusters. Typically, friendly bets are made as to which Divers will last the longest, or Harvest the most berries.
There are rumors that there is a secondary, and most unwelcomed, gambling ring to see which Divers might die during the Harvest. Whether they die from asphyxiation as a result of their psionic barriers failing, the stings from the seaweed, or even the occasion marine predator that makes its way into the underwater fields.