Fury of Aerðs
Story Weaver
- Intent: To enhance the RP of Lupo characters
- Image Credit: Figure Eight
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Lupo, Islimore
- Name: Nithari
- Origins: Islimore
- Other Locations: The Nithari plant is extremely rare and primarily found on Islimore. Attempts to cultivate it elsewhere have been largely unsuccessful due to its inability to survive in space.
- Classification: Flowering Plant
- Average Growth Cycle: Takes approximately one year to grow from seed to maturity. It germinates in the early spring, blooms with vibrant flowers in the summer, and wilts in the fall. The roots can be harvested any time after the plant has flowered.
- Viability: The Nithari plant requires a cool, shaded environment with rich, well-drained soil. It thrives in the mountainous regions of Islimore, where it receives indirect sunlight and ample moisture from the misty climate. The plant is highly sensitive to temperature changes and needs a consistent environment to survive. Once harvested, the flowers maintain their freshness for about a week, but the roots, from which the toxic milk is extracted, must be processed immediately to preserve their potency.
- Description: A delicate, flowering plant with deep green foliage. It produces vibrant, multicolored flowers that are elongated and slightly curved.
- Average Height: 0.5 meters
- Average Length: N/A
- Color: The Nithari plant features deep green foliage with vibrant, multicolored flowers ranging from blue and purple to red and gold.
- Nutritional Value: No known nutritional value.
- Toxicity: While the flowers themselves are harmless, the roots of the plant are highly toxic.
- Other Effects: The milk extracted from the Nithari roots are highly toxic. When ingested in large doses, it can cause severe neurological damage that is otherwise undetectable on standard medical scans. Small quantities are also lethal, but in a smaller dose will drag out the effects of the poison and its symptoms, making them seem less severe and harder to pinpoint what the ailment of the victim is, until it is too late. When in contact with the skin, you can expect anything from mild irritation to severe blistering and it's recommended that you wash off the milk as quickly as possible with water and a gentle soap. There is no known cure for Nithari poisoning.
- Distinctions: The Nithari plant is distinguished by its exceptionally beautiful and multicolored petals that are elongated and slightly curved, resembling delicate, flowing fabric. The colors of the petals often transition smoothly from whatever their main color is, to a deeper, more intense color at its edges. Before anyone knew about their toxic qualities, these flowers were well loved and regarded, often planted in gardens and given to loved ones. Now, the plant can still be found in gardens, but often used in vegetable gardens as a way to deter animals and other pests. Likewise, gifting the flowers can be taken to mean you wish someone ill will or that you might receive a bad omen.
- Adaptability: Despite its need for specific environmental conditions, it is highly adaptable within its native ecosystem.
- Toxicity: The toxic properties make it a powerful deterrent against pests and potential threats, as well as a potent ingredient for poisons used in protection or warfare.
- Reproductive Efficiency: Completes its growth cycle in a single year and produces multiple seeds, ensuring its survival and propagation.
- Environmental Sensitivity: Highly sensitive to changes in temperature and cannot survive outside its native environment, limiting its cultivation and use.
- Short Post-Harvest Viability: Once harvested, the flowers and roots rapidly lose their potency and freshness, making long-term storage or transport problematic.
- High Maintenance: The plant requires rich, well-drained soil and a specific balance of moisture and shade, making it difficult to grow and necessitating careful, constant care to maintain its health.
- Harvesting Risks: Due to the highly toxic nature of the plant's roots, improper handling or accidental exposure during harvesting could result in severe health risks or death. This necessitates specialized knowledge and safety measures to safely extract and process the plant's toxic components.
The Nithari plant, being endemic to Islimore, has always been known in the long memory of the Lupo, and its poisonous properties known even longer than that. However, it first gained its infamous reputation and notoriety when it was used to assassinate one of Lupo histories most prominent leaders, Thorir the Great, also known as Thorir the Unifier, or Thorir the Bold. This marked a pivotal moment in the history of the Lupo people, as Thorir was one of the main key figures in unifying the disparate clans under a single banner and creating the Clan systems, along with the Lupo species first form of government. However, the details of his demise are murky at best with two different accounts and theories on the matter. Due to the undetectable nature of the plant, no concrete evidence could ever be established. In the aftermath of Thorir's death, the plant became synonymous with treachery and death.
