Ember Blossom
Physical Description
The Ember Blossom is a unique flower native to the Throat of the World, easily identifiable by its delicate rose-like bloom with a deep, luminous heart. The blossom itself does indeed emit a soft orange glow that emanates a warming aura treasured by the people of the frigid north. The stalk of the flower is best described as a gnarled, thorny vine bursting from the earth and sprouting vicious spikes alongside delicate leaves of bleeding crimson. They are found in ever-expanding colonies comprised of dozens or even hundreds of flowers laced into a complex and symbiotic root system grown over centuries. This symbiotic root system is believed to be what allows for the cohesive response of Bloom Colonies which go dormant in the presence of light or perceived danger. This symbiotic harmony works to protect the larger colony as a unified force and when even a single frightful blossom is threatened or startled it will cause entire fields to wink out in great waves as news of a threat travels. These Bloom Colonies can stretch for miles with the dark confines of the caves and underground tunnels found in the Throat of the World. Ember Blossoms thrive in such damp and dark places, preferring the protection of a cave or overhang to the bleak and inhospitable mountainsides. Studious explorers can find these plants in nearly every cave and crevice of the Throat of the World and particularly foolhardy travelers who venture into the Black Roads will find it thriving in the dark labyrinth beneath the mountain range. It is important to note that Ember Blossoms do not survive outside of the enormous mountain range at the heart of the continent, and every attempt to transplant new colonies down from the peaks has failed. Though new colonies have been transplanted by The Boreals to form the habitable pocket that allows the fortress city of Seguro Gra to exist, the smallest survivable colonies measure several meters across with healthy colonies rarely being less than six hundred feet across.
The Ember Blossom does not appear to reproduce naturally, or at least not in any discernible way I have managed to uncover. Though the cultivation of new plants from adult clippings is possible, as seen in Seguro Gra, the flowers produce neither pollen nor seeds. I am unaware of precisely how long these Blossoms take to create their greater root systems because infant colonies grow slowly and lack the cohesive reactions of larger Bloom Colonies. The plant expands by sprouting new stalks and flowers from the ground every few weeks, farther and farther from the center of the network. The Ember Blossoms halt growth and enter a state of hibernation while the sun is in the sky, renewing with vigor upon the rising of the moon. Each flower sprouts not as a separate plant but as a part of a much larger whole, expanding voraciously in predictable patterns dictated primarily by the available water. It is, in my experience, a near herculean task to kill off even one entire branch of these plants. And I would place this specimen more accurately in the category of virulent weed.
Properties
The warming property of the Ember Blossoms is its most valued attribute and further study has revealed that it is the stalk, not the petals, that produce its warming aura. The interior of these tough stalks hordes a strong and stiff fiber used in the creation of mystical textiles with similarly warming properties. Meanwhile, the habitable regions created by the warming aura of Ember Blossom colonies is a thriving den of life. Boreal Rice is a species of wild grain that can be found exclusively growing alongside Ember Blossom colonies which have allowed the rice to thrive in an otherwise hostile region. The water created around these flower patches from snow and ice build-up draws in animals that carry away the seeds of the plants found in these isolated ecosystems to other Bloom Colonies, in order to continue the cycle elsewhere. No one is certain of where this plant came from, some blame the Udirkith while others blame the First Men. Yet the Garkith shun the plant and shroud it in superstition, believing it an aberrant addition to the mountains. Still, without this life-giving plant, the ecosystem of the north would be a space and desolate thing.
Training as an Unseen monk or knowledge of trade is required to know this secret.
Knowledge of Garkith customs and superstitions is required to know this secret.
Dwarven ancestry and proficiency in Arcana are required to know this secret.
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General Information
Scientific Name
Sirab Âtrid
Geographic Distribution
Monastic Cloth
The monks of the Unseen Valley cultivate vast colonies of Ember Blossoms across the Stygian Throat and harvest them to create their signature robes. The cloth manufactured from the fibrous interior of the stalk is incredibly warm even when made into thin robes. It is commonly referred to as Kindle Cloth by the people of the frozen north and is treasured by many for its use in producing unparalleled winter gear and shelters.
