Ritual lily

When using it, remember to not touch the leaves with skin or scales until it is uproot and cleaned. Leaves make the stem more powerful when used together but also more deadly.

— Eris Shanan to Kin'rah Shanan and Samaira

The ritual lily is a rare flower with magical properties found in the coasts of the Thraksar although is now planted in greenhouses of many Kit'de'thrak's temples and used in many rituals done in them. Only parts of the flower are commerciated, never the full flower, to avoid problems and loosing the monopoly of it.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The four petals of the lily are purple and are most of the day surrounding the golden disk, opening only under the light of the moon which then shines in a pulsating soft golden light. The golden disk holds both stamens and stigmas, the stigmas creating the golden disk and the stamens being long and purple, standing above the disk, ending curved and pointing downwards towards the stigmas.

The stem of the flower is short and green, its base is covered in leaves and it grows a couple of sepals. Under the stem and into the earth, the roots are long and strong enough so the lily does not move when in the coast by either water or wind (to uproot the plant, most of the times are used scissors to make the process quicker and easier).

Biological Traits

The petals of the flower have two different properties, depending on how it is treated. While it is still fresh, if put in a bowl with seawater, it has refrigerant attributes and it will not rot until taken out of the seawater; if dried and conserved, it is used as a catalyst in some rituals and potions. The golden disk is comestible and if eaten, it improves temporally the ability to cast magic and the purple stamens, if put in liquids, makes the liquids less volatiles while not changing any other properties (it should be changed periodically when the stamen starts losing its colour, usually between 4 to 7 days).

The stem has coagulant properties and makes natural healing be faster, its abilities improve greatly when used with leaves and sepals. Although the leaves should be carefully used as if they are not properly prepared (cleaned and separated of the stem), they are poisonous, as they are surrounded with a poisoned mucus which is the main defence of the Ritual lily.

The roots, long and strong, are hard to uproot but its ability as painkiller is considerated worth the trouble of uprooting them.

Genetics and Reproduction

While the lily is a plant that has a flower all the year, it can only reproduce during winter, when the sea and the wind are more calm in the island. The colder temperatures will make the stigma create the ovaries to reproduce and then the stamens would create and drop pollen which will fall in the stigma if there is no wind or barely any because of how the stamens are positioned. After being fertilized, the stigmas will detach from the flower and float until they meet the floor. Depening on the foor, it will attach itself to it and grow a new plant or will simply die.

Growth Rate & Stages

• Seed: the seed has found a place to grown and will start growing roots. (0-1 week old)
• Germination: roots have grown enough for the plant to start growing the leaves found in the base of the steam. (1-4 weeks)
• Growth: the stem is starting to grow, protected by the leaves and will grow the sepals at the same time. (5-10 weeks old)
• Reproduction: the plant will start growing the flower inside the closed sepals. After 3 weeks, the sepals will open, showing the closed flower (which only opens during night). The plant will stay like this until it dies (3 years later) and will only change when it is time to reproduce. (10-14 weeks old)
• Pollination: intermittent stage, only appearing when cold enough to reproduce. The stigma will create ovaries and the stamens will create sperm. Plant is ready to reproduce. (last around 1 to 2 weeks)

by Catoblepon

Lifespan

3 years

Conservation Status

While its existence is known worldwide, few know were to buy them or where they grow in nature (Thraksar). These few make sure to plant them whenever they need to uproot some and if the number of lilies reduces drastically, the lilies are planted on both the coast of Thraksar and in greenhouses after making sure they have the conditions needed. If the number is lowered because a person, they will be punished for their actions.

Average Height

5 - 10 cm (1.9 - 3.9 inches)

Average Weight

240 grams (8,4 ounces)

Diet

The plant is delicate with sunlight, it needs aproximate 4 to 5 hours of sunlight and will became ill with less or more sunlight. It also needs abundant seawater and cold temperatures.

Most of the minerals needed to survive are extracted from the seawater or the soil.

Excess of minerals are not a problem as it will only absorb the minerals needed and the rest will be stored in the leaves for it to create the poisoned mucus. If there is enough mucus created, it will stop absorbing minerals.

Greenhouses

Kit'de'thrak have greenhouses dedicated only to ritual lilies in their temples, as their requirements to survive would kill most other plants. Most temples, as they were abandoned, had their greenhouses die, and with them, the Ritual Lilies.

With all the abandoned temples and the low number of Ritual Lilies in the coasts of Thraksar, remaining Kit'de'thrak stopped gathering Ritual Lilies from their island and grew the number of lilies in their greenhouse, while at the same time lowered the commerce of them.

Protected by the Kit'de'thrak

Certain Kit'de'thrak like to travel to the Thraksar to see the ritual lilies, usually during the reproduction epoch, and try help to keep the numbers of the plant up so it does not disappear from the island. These travels are allowed but are carefully watched. The small group of Kit'de'thrak living in Thraksar temple have created many protections for the plants to grow without danger.

Mainly, the Ritual Lilies commercializated or used, come from greenhouses. Uprooting lilies from the Thraksar island is considerated illegal and is punished.

Commercialization

Kit'de'thrak use the lilies grown in their greenhouses to sell them or for their rituals. The number of lilies sold have reduced a lot since Kit'de'thrak where forced to leave behind so many temples. They only sell the living plant to other Kit'de'thrak groups. To others, they only sell the parts of the plant that are need for the experiments, rituals or potions.