The Crystine vine Species in Atocitera | World Anvil
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The Crystine vine (kri-steen vine)

Do you see that mountain? Do you see how sparkly and white its snow is?
Well, kids, that's not snow, but the vast root network of the Crystine vine.
Who knows, maybe one day you might be good enough to go there to grab its fruit.  
- Experienced Raider while teaching the new generation.
 

Description

Crystine vine is a vine plant growing on the mountainside of Mount Turgla. The entirety of this vine uses various crystal structures of Soul Crystal instead of plant fibers. The colors of the crystal are mostly white or silver, with a mix of occasional cyan, pink, yellow, or lime.
Cristine vine does not grow any leaves, instead, it creates a vast, creeping network of crystal roots on available surfaces and crystal spherical fruit as means of reproduction.   There does not appear to be any consciousness or memories in the soul crystal making the Cristine vines, and it seems that nothing else than periodic Turgla pulse is needed for its growth.   The aforementioned fruits are created only several meters inside the root network. It takes enormous focus, balance, and steadiness to get for the Cristine vine's fruit and back. While the crystal roots are not reacting when the fruit is taken, losing balance and falling onto the sharp crystals can be fatal enough.   The fruit of the Crystine vine is considered sacred, as only the Raiders aspiring to become legendary dare to travel through the Turgla's ring to the mountainsides of Mount Turgla. The fruit is then used exclusively by the Raider who harvested it.  
"Wait, is that the Crystine vine? We went in the wrong direction!"  
Lost Raiders, realizing the area they walked into.
 

Required environment

The only place on Atocitera, where the Crystine vine can grow, is on the mountainside of Mount Turgla. As it appears, the vine needs the unique energy pulses from the mountain for its growth.
The second thing needed for its growth is specific air condition, created when the fragments of Soul Crystals mix with the air and are then charged by the pulse.   The fruit of the Crystine vine serves as a means to create the unique air condition needed for its growth. When the fruit matures, it is then scattered in the air by the next Turgla pulse thus keeping the air around Mount Turgla fertile enough for Crystine vines to grow.   The moment the Crystine Vine gets out of its required environment and gets in contact with normal air, its structure deteriorates and crumbles.
At first, the vine turns into smaller crystal fragments followed by sand-like composition as it completely turns to dust and disappears. This degradation can finish in a matter of minutes. But Raiders learned to carry and store it in airtight containers. However, the moment the air-tight container is opened, the degradation process begins.  

Lifecycle and growth

No one remembers how the Crystine vine first appeared and grew, one day some small patches simply were there. From these patches, the vine continued to grow.
However, its current cycle is well documented.   The cycle starts with a high concentration of Soul crystal in the air.
When the crystal's particles, scattered in the air, are hit by the Turgla pulse, the crystal in the air becomes overcharged. It then settles on the first surface it lands on and acts as a seed for the vine.   These overcharged crystal particles are then waiting to be hit by the pulse again. When they get hit, they absorb some power of the pulse, growing in the process. This growing takes shape of the various roots and root networks.   When the root network becomes large enough, it slows down its growth and instead accumulates the energy of the pulse in the crystal spheres which later becomes the new fruit.   When the sphere becomes complete, the next time the pulse hits the root network, the crystal fruit is sprung in the air. When it gets hit by the pulse, it shatters into tiny crystal particles and enriches the air. There the particles are waiting for the next pulse to get charged and start the cycle anew.  
"Are you sure? You know its dangerous, you know you might not survive it, you know..."   "Yes, I do. I do know it may not be worth it. I just... Want to se her smile just one last time."  
-Conversation before Raider's departure to the mountainside.
 

Usability

The spherical crystal fruits of the Crystine vine share the same required environment as its roots. But Raiders who are after this sacred fruit already have an airtight container prepared for it. And the spherical fruit turns into tiny crystal particles almost as soon as some more intensive force is applied to it.
  The tiny particle from it, when inhaled along with an extract from another rare herb, cause one to enter a trance.   During this trance, the consumer is on the journey to themselves. One can decide to fight their inner demons, subdue their own Corruption, fight against themselves to improve, relive anything from their memories, or in extremely skilled cases, restructure their memories to improve both their short-term and long-term memory, review their accumulated knowledge in an attempt to find new connections or even simulate any event based on available information.
Uses for this trance are many, and not every possibility has been reported by the Raiders who discovered them.   When the crystal particles from the Fruit are eaten, the people around them will be able to see a faint aura emanating from them based on how much of the fruit was consumed. This aura has a specific color, depending on what element the particular individual most resonates with. This method is also able to hint at possible residual Flow in the individual.   If the particles get in contact with the pupil in one's eyes, the affected temporary gain the ability to see the Flow.   In the case that the crystal particles would be directly injected into the bloodstream, the individual will experience extreme pain, as their blood will start dying from the overload of the crystal particle's energy. This is also a reason why strict dosage must be followed during inhalation, as the same thing can happen in one's lungs if the inhaled amount would be more than their blood and lungs can manage at a time.  

Comments

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Jul 11, 2021 22:49 by Eliora Yona

Very cool and interesting idea <3