Burnbrambles

"The pain! Make it stop! Please, please just kill me! I can't bear it any longer!" -Unfortunate Traveler.

The burnbramble is a plant as infamous as it is tempting, a ghostly, thorn-covered bramble that inflicts unbearable agony upon those who dare to touch it. Its stark-white vines and flickering orange leaves give it a deceptively harmless appearance, but to the unknowing traveler, even the lightest brush against its thorns brings searing, flesh-melting pain, as though burned by an invisible fire. The curse does not end with contact, those who panic and attempt to smother the sensation may spread the affliction across their own body, worsening their agony with every motion. Despite its horrifying properties, the burnbramble’s berries are a delicacy, described as a creamy orange with a hint of spice, rich enough in nutrients to sustain a grown man for days. The Dwarfish people seem mysteriously immune to the plant’s affliction, making them the sole, intelligent, harvesters of its prized fruit, which is the key ingredient in their legendary Fire Wine. Legends claim the plant is a curse laid upon the land by a Bog-Witch, her punishment for an ancient theft, and though efforts to eradicate it persist, the burnbramble’s magickal resilience makes it nearly impossible to fully destroy. Feared, coveted, and nearly indestructible, the burnbramble is a bane to most, a blessing to few, and a death sentence to the unwary.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The burnbramble is simple in form, a stark-white thorned bramble plant bearing spiked orange leaves and berries. These berries and leaves possess a soft flickering glow reminescent of a candle, pleasing to the eye but otherwise unremmarkable, one would wonder at-a-glance why the plant has such a nasty reputation. The issue with burnbrambles arises when one touches it. Most living folk or animals save for the Dwarfs when making physical contact with the burnbramble, will see their bodies react immediately as-if severely burned by an invisible flame at whatever point of contact, doubly so if punctured by its' thorns. Redness, blistering, skin peeling down-to-bone, making even minor interaction a potentially very dangerous venture. The burning effect of the plant can also spread like a rash if one is not careful, writhing in pain or rubbing the body to 'smother the flame' unintentionally widening the area the burnbramble damages. Thankfully these effects only seem to be applied with direct physical touch instead of the air or ground around it, still most are rather dissuaded from approaching them given the risks; Though it is a tempting proposition even with the burnbrambles' present dangers as the berries the plant produces do not share these properties, and are considered quite desirable too, described as a 'creamy orange with a hint of spiciness'. Atop superb nutritional qualities, a handful feeding a grown man for several days, likely a byproduct of it's magickal nature that also lures many desparate starving souls to their accidental death. Burnbramble berries especially favored by the Dwarfish people, used as the main ingredient in their renown 'Fire Wine'.

Genetics and Reproduction

The berries it produces are filled with chewable seeds that small creatures such as insects or birds will digest and excrete elsewhere, fertilizing a new burnbramble plant where it lies so long as there is ample moisture and sunlight, if these creatures are not burned to death by falling atop one.

Growth Rate & Stages

A burnbramble in optimal conditions will take roughly 2-years to fully mature from a seed. Bearing fruit around 1-year in age albeit bitter.

Ecology and Habitats

Commonly found within The Grandgleam Forestand surrounding western woodlands, although it has been seen to be present several-hundred miles across the country.

Dietary Needs and Habits

As-is typical for berry plants the burnbramble requires moist soil and access to non-harsh sunlight

Biological Cycle

If left alone in a preferable environment, the burnbramble can survive and grow indefinitely as most plants can.

Behaviour

While the burnbramble is not a sentient entity, its effects on the creatures around it have shaped its reputation into something far more fearsome than the average bramble or thorned plant. Many travelers and hunters have learned to identify its ghostly white stalks and flickering orange leaves, recognizing it as something to avoid at all costs. However, desperate souls often ignore these warnings, either due to starvation, in pursuit of its valuable berries, or simply out of ignorance, only to meet a fate of unbearable agony and disfigurement. Among the Dwarfish people, the burnbramble is not feared but respected, as they seem to be one of the few unaffected by its burning curse. They treat the plant as a sacred ingredient, with the berries serving as the primary component of Fire Wine, a renowned Dwarfish spirit said to warm the body and embolden the soul. Some Dwarfish settlements have even cultivated controlled burnbramble patches, harvesting its berries without issue, furthering the belief that the plant’s curse was never meant to harm them. Legends say the Bog-Witch who first cursed the land with burnbrambles still lingers somewhere in Everwealth, watching as the descendants of those who wronged her suffer beneath her punishment. It is said that to cut down a burnbramble carelessly invites a hex upon one’s crops, and that only the right tools, rituals, or Dwarfish steel can fully destroy the plant without consequence. Whether or not these superstitions hold any true weight, the burnbramble remains a blight upon the land, feared by most but treasured by a select few.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The burnbramble possesses no active perception of its surroundings, as it is an ordinary plant in function. However, its effects on those who touch it give the impression that it is somehow reactive, as the agonizing burning sensation occurs instantly upon contact. Unlike traditional irritant plants, its effects do not rely on poisonous oils or chemical excretions, leading some scholars to believe that the burnbramble’s properties are magickal in nature rather than biological. Some claim that, in the right conditions, the plant seems to "recognize" when it is being disturbed, its leaves shifting slightly without wind to guide them, though whether this is mere illusion or something more sinister remains unknown.

Scientific Name

Pyrobramblius ignis

Origin/Ancestry

Ancient Bog-Witch curse on the lands of the ancient Elfese for stealing from her garden.

Conservation Status

Regular attempts to cull the species are made due to its burdensome nature on the population, but the burnbrambles' magickal composition makes it very resilient and difficult to kill with commonly available tools. Though culling is the desired approach rather than hunting it to extinction as the berries it produces are considered a delicacy.