>Alternatively, would any of the books we have at our table pertain to the area around Isir's Cross and/or the area where that fairy village is?
>Alternatively alternatively, what sections of books are in our immediate vicinity?
>Many of the books at your table pertain directly to Isir's Cross in some fashion; they were selected expressly for this purpose, after all. Several cover broader regions and interests as well, but all of them had (or at least promised to have) relevance to your target area.
>The table you are seated at is nestled between stacks of classical literature. The books you are actually reading have been drawn from several different floors. You're getting something of a sense of the library's organization by this point.
>Start with the ones we have at our table, since we seem to have 'tower'.
>You decide to expand your perusal of the books already at your table to include anything preternatural associated with plantlife or plant youkai
outside the general area in question. This is a much broader query, of course, and you regard your tower of text dryly for a moment before grabbing one of the botanical surveys and flipping it open again. Without a narrower focus to trim irrelevant sections, you could be at this a while. But, well... that
is what you came here for....
>In the end, there is no shortage of references to unusual plant growth or youkai associated with this, but most are either obviously unrelated or extremely likely to be. The Wild Lands comes up for mention several times, either in terms of unusual flora (for which the involvement of magic is debated but often indeterminate) or certain rare breeds of youkai occasionally spotted there. There are a few oblique references to phenomenon which
could be associated with the events Sachi mentioned, but the text is more a botanical reference than a historical one and doesn't offer you any meaningful insights on that front.
>Cross-referencing with the other books at the table is of dubious value. There are records of spirits manipulating the growth of bamboo in the Takemura region to mislead and divert people passing near them - a fact which may have at one point prevented the sack of one village by another and eventually led to an unlikely marriage which fostered an even more unlikely peace - and an isolated region of Hanashibara that, at least at some point in the past, was prone to producing nightshade youkai, though the text focuses more on the consequent trade disruptions and political fallout than the youkai themselves. Apparently, at least one wilderness preserve within Val Razuan territory is
named after a plant youkai of some description, though the fact that 'memorial' is affixed within the name does not bode well for their continued reachability.
>Closer to your present location, the Wyndermere Botanical Conservatory apparently houses numerous specimens shaped through magical means: trees which bloom a different color for every day of the week, trumpetflowers whose nectar is a rich wine, mushrooms sculpted into sturdy chairs and tables, and flowering vines which ring softly in the breeze like tiny chimes. You are left with the distinct impression that these are the fruits of long and painstaking work, however.
>You take another look at the books arrayed around you and sigh. If you were to read these cover to cover, you could probably be here for a couple days without even fetching any more. And while you've honestly learned quite a few things, you're not sure if any of them can help with your
present problem....
