Ever-Living Branch
Summary
The Ever-Living Branch is a four-foot-long piece of living wood discovered by Safia in Yassandra's shed during Session 9 of the campaign. The branch is ragged at one end and features a green leaf at the tip of one knot, indicating it remains alive despite being severed from its source. Safia's analyzer detected residual energy similar to the tiny machines that compose Goober, suggesting the branch possesses or once possessed transformative powers.
The branch gained particular significance when it permanently fused to Sucks Benedict's body after contact with the Purple Transformative Goo, becoming a functional third arm. According to Vasso's knowledge from the Earth Mother Cult, this type of living wood was traditionally used in the commune to replace lost limbs or augment natural bodies. The branch demonstrates a unique attunement to Sucks Benedict, allowing controlled attachment and detachment through calm mental concentration.
Properties
The Ever-Living Branch is approximately four feet in length, consisting of living wood with a ragged end where it was separated from its parent tree. A green leaf grows from one knot on the branch, confirming its continued biological activity. The branch features small branching projections at one end that form three finger-like structures—two fingers and a thumb.
When Safia's analyzer examined the branch, it registered residual energy signatures similar to the transformative machines comprising Goober, indicating latent or historical transformative capabilities. The exact nature and extent of these powers require further research to determine.
The branch's most remarkable property manifested when it came into contact with Sucks Benedict's chest while both were exposed to Purple Transformative Goo. The goo catalyzed a permanent fusion, with the branch knitting itself into Sucks Benedict's flesh near the left armpit. The fusion integrated the branch into Sucks Benedict's nervous system, creating a functional appendage controlled by his own mind. The branch acts as an additional arm capable of independent movement, demonstrating sentience or at least neural connection by moving with purpose—including slapping Sucks Benedict's own body in an attempt to remove the goo during the fusion process.
After the initial fusion, the branch became specifically attuned to Sucks Benedict. Through calm mental concentration achieved via meditation or listening to soothing music (specifically Enya on a mini disc player), Sucks Benedict learned to detach and reattach the branch at will. The branch can be attached to any part of Sucks Benedict's body through this mental process. When Sucks Benedict attempted to attach the branch to another person by poking them, it would not fuse, confirming its exclusive attunement to him.
Vasso recognized the living wood as a material used by older members of the Earth Mother Cult commune—particularly those in their later twenties and adults—to replace injured or lost limbs. When attached to Sucks Benedict's forehead, the branch creates a deeper connection than Vasso's circlet provides to the cult, suggesting it may serve as a more powerful conduit for spiritual or magical communion.
History
Session 9
Safia discovered the Ever-Living Branch while searching through a pile of blankets in Yassandra's shed, where it had been hidden among other valuable items. Upon finding the branch, Safia noted the ragged end and the green leaf indicating it was still alive. An analysis with Safia's equipment revealed energy signatures similar to Goober's transformative machines, prompting the party to speculate about potential connections to Yassandra's immortality and to plan further research into its properties.
Sucks Benedict later carried the branch as a walking stick while adopting an old man disguise, hunching over to appear shorter. During this time, Sucks Benedict accidentally slipped in Purple Transformative Goo while holding the branch. Some goo contacted both the stick and Sucks Benedict's chest simultaneously, triggering the transformation. The branch began moving and shifting, fusing itself to the left side of Sucks Benedict's chest near his armpit and knitting into his flesh through his shirt.
As the fusion completed, Sucks Benedict realized the branch had become an appendage with its own mind—or rather, with his own mind controlling it as naturally as any other limb. The three finger-like projections at the end became functional digits, giving Sucks Benedict a second arm on the left side of his body. The branch demonstrated its neural integration by independently slapping Sucks Benedict's body in an attempt to remove the goo.
Vasso shared knowledge about the living wood's traditional use in the commune for replacing lost limbs among older members. This information helped the party understand the branch's nature and potential applications.
Sucks Benedict experimented with the branch's attachment capabilities, discovering through meditation accompanied by Enya's music on a mini disc player that he could achieve the calm mental state necessary to detach the limb. The sensation of losing a limb proved unusual but manageable. Sucks Benedict then tested reattachment at various body locations, finding success with his forehead (where Vasso noted it provided a stronger connection than the circlet) and attempting attachment at his crotch, where it held an apple. When Sucks Benedict attempted to attach the branch to another person, it fell off immediately and refused to reattach, confirming its exclusive bond with him.