Baneflower

Highly poisonous perennial plant in Hrafnawyld

Called Fámsjíðíláðír (FOWM.shee.thee.Lau.theer) in Hrafnawyld, where it is native to many of the island's numerous rivers, the Baneflower is beautiful but deadly; even touching the lovely bell-shaped flowers, or any other part of the plant, is sufficient to cause irritation to the skin and painful cramping of the muscles in the affected area within the quarter hour. Ingesting any quantity of any part of the plant is invariably lethal.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Baneflower is an herbaceous plant with a tall central stalk that grows and withers annually, and on which its pink or purple bell-shaped flowers grow during the spring and summer months. The flowers grow in tiered groupings of two or three set around the stalk, with one or two small leaves at the base of each flower.

Death in Misery

Consumption of any part of Fámsjíðíláðír, and in even small quantities, usually results in death within the hour, beginning with excruciatingly painful cramping of the stomach and ending with crippling muscle spasms and loss of control over basic body functions, most significantly breathing.

Ecology and Habitats

Baneflower grows in very wet areas, and can be a fairly common sight along river and stream margins throughout its range. It is intolerant to sea water, however, and thus is absent from coastal regions and estuaries.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Baneflower is extremely poisonous to humans, and thus is considered to have no commercial use. It has, however, on occasion been used as a means of murder or revenge, and there are always those who keep such deadly things at hand, in the event they should prove needful... or profitable.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

The plant is native to many of Hrafnawyld's rivers, and can be found in relative abundance in the Silverlands, Súðejasvík, the Ravenfjords, and the Northfjords. It is far less prevalent at the high elevations of the Black Mountains, and is absent entirely from Icewall, and the other glaciers of the island.

Lifespan
Perennial
Conservation Status
In most cases, Wylden seek to remove Baneflower, carefully, from their homesteads and local rivers; the flower is tenacious, however, and frequently reappears.
Average Height
1-1.5m
Geographic Distribution
Related Ethnicities

by Grimbjorn Gregersson (Photographer) w/ LunaPic.com
Above: Morning dew drips off the beautiful but lethal Baneflower blooms.

Appears in

Bloody Vengeance
Prose | Feb 14, 2025



Cover image: by Grimbjorn Gregersson (Photographer) w/ LunaPic.com

Comments

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Mar 18, 2025 12:26

Gotta love a well-named deadly plant! Are there any treatments short of magical or divine intervention that can help someone survive exposure to Baneflower? How about species that exploit it, like beetles that are immune due to extremely different physiology but consume it to become toxic to their predators?

Mar 18, 2025 19:16 by Grimbjorn Gregersson

Glad you like it! For treatments, there are none known, so extremely careful handling is required to remove the plant. As for adapted species, I'm not sure about exploitative or symbiotic creatures (yet), but there is a river predator native to Hrafnawyld that has enzymes in the oils of its skin and fur that neutralize the toxicity of Baneflower, allowing the creature to touch it, but not eat it, without harm. Thanks for reading!

Grimbjorn the Skelð