The human clerk replaced the dried snake back and drew out what looked like a lily. It wasn’t. “Lily of the mountain. The texture is so close to that of a real lily, yet with the toughness of ironwood. Also, despite the name, it is a proper lily and a lily of the valley, but for mountains.
“A rare, but not unheard-of component. Found most often in magical forests that are above the treeline of a mountain. Magic fighting weather to allow the forest to thrive in an area where it otherwise wouldn’t.
“Which, while rare and you aren’t assured to find such a specimen within, is found over and over throughout the years. So even though I can’t give you guarantees or promise a direction? I do have the historical data, which allows me to offer you four potential paths for the resulting accessory.”
The clerk set the flower back down before reciting the options. “The path of adversity resistance. In spells, this would be called something like, ‘environmental protection’, but technically the spell version has less coverage.
“The spell would provide resistance to small amounts of heat-based damage, minor slip-streaming through wind, rapid beading and removal of water, plus more specific and miscellaneous things such as filtering sunlight so you don’t get a sunburn.
“All while providing a degree of comfort through an almost skintight bubble of air kept at a moderate temperature and humidity for the one who cast the spell. Which is important to note since it can cause problems if the person casting it comes from a species with divergent needs. Though unlikely to cause any actual harm as it can’t change things too much.
“The accessory will do all that and more. It will provide a bubble tuned to the wearers preference. The resistance will cover things such as depth pressure, low air levels, un-targeted area-affect spells and abilities, a bunch of other things, and specific to the mountain lily a resistance to airborne poison.”
Rosha’s eyes squint, “Airborne poison?”
The clerk nods, “Conceptually, the lily is connected to things like purity and in this application, that translates to purity of the air and so the removal of poison. Oh, and if you were in a dusty area or around a sandstorm, it would help you breathe easier there as well.”
They don’t wait for a response and continue with the next option. “Speaking of purity, if worked into a plate or cup, it would purify that food. Which, yes, would remove poisons and such. However, this isn’t a purely beneficial property. Remember, alcohol is a poison and many spices are technically a plant’s defenses.
“So I find it more useful to turn it into a ring or some similar implement that would be near each bite of food before you eat it. Though not touching like a fork or spoon. This allows the ring to detect when there are harmful poisons. Which, admittedly, still includes those other things, but it doesn’t remove them and only detect when they are in excess.
“So it wouldn’t detect a beer, but it would detect moonshine. Though don’t worry, it will always detect proper poison and it is based on the user, so can detect allergies. Quite convenient that way.
“Which brings us to the last use. If used in creating a tool, chances are it results in the ‘crafter’s purity’ effect. The effect being more conceptual than not, it sees a piece of wet clay as pure if there aren’t any ‘non-clay’ bits of debris in it, ignoring the fact that clay is made up of a bunch of different things. While on the other hand, it sees a metal alloy as impure.
“On a wood carving tool, it will adjust the wood grain as you carve to be straighter and more even, working out knots. Used with a clay sieve and it will sort out even bits too small for it to catch. Though the most profitable use is to make a tool for smelting.
“A simple tool for skimming off the slag will be massively more effective. Sought after by many large fine smithing groups as purer gold and silver is always desired. A shame that this use of the lily is also the least likely to work.”
The clerk picks up the fourth component, a non-descript claw. Maybe feline in nature? “Hmm, What kind of creature did this come from?”
Rosha shrugs, “It was found. A group of near-humanoid monsters had kept it as part of their shamans regalia without actually doing anything with it. The shaman didn’t even channel their magic through it. The claw was a simple decorative piece, likely the loot of some significant fight.”
The man frowns as he turns the claw over a few more times. “We will be forced to follow the spirit of this component instead of having some idea of where to start. Which, I guess, I should mention is an option for any accessory component, but the success rate for doing so is abysmally low.
“If I had to guess? This claw will want to be an armband and do something to improve slicing. I wish I could give you more, but that is the limit of what I can offer.”
Rosha, “Would knowing the source actually have changed things that much? It looks feline, after all.”
The clerk laughs, “So far what we’ve gone over are something we call common components. Not because they are common to find, but because among components, they are common. A chip off a bigger rock? A snake that died swallowing itself? A flower? All of these are things in nature, if special.
“We have no way to confirm this so-called claw is the same. Did you know that you can find fully formed swords made of stone that acts like metal? A miner can be chipping away, only to break into a bubble of air, in the center of which floats said sword? It isn’t even a component, technically!
“You can use that sword right away and it will be Magical. That sword will have formed ‘naturally’ in the ground, despite its existence being anything but natural. So while it makes sense that this claw came from the paw of a feline? That doesn’t have to be the case. Even if you ignore the possibility of it coming from some other kind of creature that happens to have a feline-like claw.”