In the Acid Jungles of Jidi Isle, venom runs in the veins and gurgles in the guts of every living thing that scurries climbs or swoops between luminous vines oozing with acid sap. Yet even in this toxic menagerie, Venomancer is recognized as the most venomous. Ages ago, an Herbalist named Lesale crossed the Bay of Fradj by coracle, exploring for potent essences that might be extracted from bark and root, and found instead a terrifying revolution. Two leagues into Jidi’s jungle, Lesale come upon a reptile disguised as an epiphyte, which stung him as he erroneously plucked it. In extreme anxiety, he used his limited knowledge of the jungle’s herbal bounty, mixing the venom of the (swiftly stifled) reptile with the nectar of an armoured orchid, to mix an antidote. In the moments before a black paralysis claimed him absolutely, he injected himself by orchid-thorn, and instantaneously fell into a coma. Seventeen years later, something swirled in the spot where he had fallen.