Lichbloom
Lichbloom is a delicate, frost-laced flower with translucent petals that shimmer faintly with an inner blue-white glow. Each petal appears like finely carved crystal, coated in a persistent rime of frost that never melts, even near flame. The center of the bloom pulses with a faint, eerie light—a sign of its magical attunement to death and ice.
The flower grows only in extreme cold and emerges from glacial crevices or frost-choked soil touched by necromantic residue or soul-essence. The plant itself has no visible leaves; instead, it draws nutrients from the magical ice and trapped essence beneath the permafrost.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Handling a fresh Lichbloom without protection may cause:
- Frostbite to bare skin
- Sudden feelings of cold-induced numbness or mild hallucinatory visions of past lives or spirits
- In some cases, brief soul-displacement, where the user sees through the eyes of the dead
Ecology and Habitats
Crevices, glacial fissures, and ice-locked caverns of the Iceshard Glacier
Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Lichblooms are sought after for their unique fusion of necromantic and cryomantic essence. Alchemists, witches, and arcanists value them for:
- Potioncraft: Used in elixirs of frost resistance, undeath suppression, or temporary ethereal vision.
- Enchanting: When powdered and mixed with soul-ink, it can bind frost or death-based enchantments into weapons, scrolls, or armor.
- Rituals: A Lichbloom placed on a corpse is said to prevent it from rising as undead—or alternatively, anchor the soul to the body during a necromantic rite.
- Preservation: Infusions of Lichbloom essence are used to preserve corpses, books, or magical reagents in extreme conditions.
Civilization and Culture
Culture and Cultural Heritage
- Among the Frost Dwarves, Lichblooms are symbols of sacred death and eternal memory. They are used in ancestral rites and funerary practices.
- The witches of Castle Emberfrost cultivate Lichblooms in hidden ice gardens, using them in soul-binding spells and visions.
- To some nomads of the frozen north, gifting a Lichbloom is considered an invitation to share one’s death—a bond of trust, or a death oath.
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