Frost Trees
Frost trees are hardy, deciduous plants found only in northwestern Kanix Forest along the northern coast of the Dragonían continent, where the climate is particularly cold due to the effects of the element of Darkness.
They are in many ways the boreal equivalent of Ember Trees found on the Dakrúzú Peninsula to the far south, being well adapted to the often extreme temperatures in the region and highly dependent on the dominant element there, to the point that their range fluctuates greatly depending on which element is most influential at the time in Dragonía.
They are generally most widespread during ice ages, during which frost trees can be found throughout the northern part of the continent, and conversely are restricted to the extreme northwestern part when the element of Fire is dominant, which is their current range.
They are in many ways the boreal equivalent of Ember Trees found on the Dakrúzú Peninsula to the far south, being well adapted to the often extreme temperatures in the region and highly dependent on the dominant element there, to the point that their range fluctuates greatly depending on which element is most influential at the time in Dragonía.
They are generally most widespread during ice ages, during which frost trees can be found throughout the northern part of the continent, and conversely are restricted to the extreme northwestern part when the element of Fire is dominant, which is their current range.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Frost trees are easily identified by the bark, which glitters as if frosted throughout the year, and the foliage, which emits steam whenever in direct sunlight. The flowers bloom in early summer, and they too appear to be covered in rime, while the leaves become semi-translucent instead of red as they fall off.
The fruits resemble pomegranates, but are pure white with translucent flesh, the latter which is not particularly sweet but has a distinctly cool aftertaste.
The fruits resemble pomegranates, but are pure white with translucent flesh, the latter which is not particularly sweet but has a distinctly cool aftertaste.
Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
While the trees are unsuitable for firewood and for building houses, the Ameders who inhabit Kanix Forest use frost wood to make ice chests, as it's cold to the touch, and its shimmering appearance makes for beautiful jewelry, statues and certain decorative elements on buildings.
These properties lessen as the wood is brought further from western Kanix Forest, and objects made from frost trees are thus rarely exported except as curiosities.
The fruits are dried and used by the aristocracy in certain city-states as a kind of chewing gum, while frost tree sap is a vital ingredient for the brew used to turn Ameders into full-fledged mages as well.
These properties lessen as the wood is brought further from western Kanix Forest, and objects made from frost trees are thus rarely exported except as curiosities.
The fruits are dried and used by the aristocracy in certain city-states as a kind of chewing gum, while frost tree sap is a vital ingredient for the brew used to turn Ameders into full-fledged mages as well.
Frost tree by Lappalingur
That tree sounds (and looks) very pretty! Nice article and nice illustrations :D I like the idea of cold and pretty wood. A few suggestions/notes I took while reading: You could add a tooltip on "the element of Darkness" to explain what they are. Do you have author credits for your picture? Even if you did it yourself, you need to say so somewhere. " While the trees are unsuitable for firewood and for building houses" I'm guessing this is because it feels cold, right? That wouldn't be very nice for a house in a cold climate. "These properties lessen as the wood is brought further from western Kanix Forest, and objects made from frost trees are thus rarely exported except as curiosities." Do you mean that the wood stop looking like that and being cold to the touch the further away you go from the forest? A shame they can't export the wood to where the climate is very warm then, otherwise that would be ideal for making a house.