BLOODROOT AUM
The Bloodroot is one of Tehom’s most defining native growths, rising from the realm’s mineral-rich earth with dark bark, deep root systems, and a presence that feels older than the roads cut through Bloodroot Pass. It is not delicate flora, nor ornamental woodland growth, but a hardy aum bound to the strength and endurance of the land itself.
Though its name suggests vivid color, the exterior of the aum remains dark and natural, giving no sign of the red-veined wood hidden within. Only when the root or inner wood is cut does the blood-deep hue reveal itself, exposing the rich interior Tehomians harvest for use. In this way, the Bloodroot reflects the deeper nature of Tehom: strength first, beauty revealed through labor.
FIELD RECORD
Realm-native timber rooted in Tehom’s volcanic soil and harsher upland terrain.
Tehom
Flora
- Dark bark with no visible red on the outer trunk or exposed root surface
- Large, deeply rooted growth adapted to difficult terrain
- Dense interior wood marked by blood-red veining when cut
- Heavy root systems that grip tightly through mineral-rich soil and stone
- Strong silhouette associated with Bloodroot Pass and older wild stretches of Tehom
Bloodroots grow slowly and root deeply, favoring rugged ground, passes, and mineral-heavy soil where other growth thins. Their strength lies beneath the surface as much as above it, with root systems that spread wide and hold fast through rock and slope.
Harvested primarily for its red-veined inner root and wood, which are valued for material use and trade. The aum is known as a source of durable timber, with harvested sections cut carefully from root or inner wood rather than judged by outward appearance.
Harvesting is labor-intensive and typically done where mature root systems can be reached safely. Extraction focuses on the inner wood and root once cut, when the hidden red veining becomes visible.
Most strongly associated with Bloodroot Pass, older wooded ridges, and the harsher mineral-rich stretches of Tehom beyond cultivated heartland ground.
ARCHIVAL NOTE
Among the flora of Tehom, the Bloodroot stands closest to the realm’s harder face. It belongs to pass roads, difficult slopes, and the places where travel narrows between stone and weathered earth. Its presence is not softening, as with Pricia, nor sustaining in the way of orchard fruit. Instead, it marks the land with age, weight, and endurance.
Even so, the Bloodroot is not barren. What it offers is simply hidden. The red veining for which it is named does not announce itself on the bark, but waits within the wood until labor reveals it. This has made the aum one of the clearest natural emblems of Tehom itself: outwardly restrained, inwardly rich, and known best by those willing to work the land honestly.