Louest Vines

Woeful is the man who consumes it, wealthy is the man who curates it, deadly is the jungle that harbors it. But above all, beautiful is the vine that forms it.

- Ardran, First person to map the Ardran Jungle

Properties

Material Characteristics

Long flowing vines that are often found entangled in the Ardran Jungle. They are bioluminescent, but the light they give off is faint enough to not be disturbing. At times, small orange flowers will bloom from the vines without warning. There are no buds, and blooming does not line up with seasons. Some variations of the vines change colors depending on the environment, and some are spiked. The spiked vines are to be avoided at all costs.

Physical & Chemical Properties

These vines, while beautiful and quite wanted, are deadly. Besides their poisonous nature, the blooming flowers have been known to emit gasses that can kill within seconds. It doesn't matter if someone has developed complete immunity to all toxins, the gas will kill all the same. This gas is invisible, the flowers its only indicator. In order to avoid the gas, people must carry a lantern of black flame, it will draw in and destroy the gas. The spiked vines will lash out if someone gets too close or tries to cut them. The vines can only by cut by bone weapons wreathed in flame, otherwise they die.

Origin & Source

These vines are only found deep within the Ardran Jungle in Farch, and even then, they only cling to the side of trees shrouded in the darkest of areas. They can survive in light, but do not naturally grow there. There are no known seeds these vines come from, they simply appear against trees in the jungle.

History & Usage

History

Following Ardran Louest's return from his expedition into the jungle in 554 AC, Raz sent parties of explorers into the jungle to harvest more of the vines for decoration, having found they could be sculpted to create beautiful images. Quickly word of the vines and their danger, both in harvesting and display, got out, and more elites wanted them. This led to, in combination with a number of other factors, the deforestation of the Ardran Jungle. It had at one point covered most of the Southeast, but it was greatly reduced.
Despite this, the vines remained dangerous, and thus are still a luxury item. Various wars distracted the elites for some time, but, after a time of peace was reached, the vines came back into demand. The majority of the vines that were sold after their initial explosion in 554-800 AC are found in Farch or Galran.

Discovery

In 546 AC, Ardran Louest was commissioned by Queen Raz of Valac to chart the jungle that, at the time, covered a large portion of the Southwestern coast. He set out from Verbrana with a small team of 15 explorers, including his 2 sons. They reached and entered the jungle in 547 AC, and were not seen again until 554 AC. When the team emerged, there were only 5 left, the remaining 10, including one of Ardran's sons had been killed by the jungle. With them, the party brought the vines, they were carefully restrained using chain magic to a cart, they were what killed Ardran's son. Raz and many elites were fascinated by the vines and their deadly properties, and, despite Ardran's warnings, sent another party to harvest more.

Environmental Impact

These vines require quite a bit of water, and have been prone to suck the water out of surrounding plants if ignored. This made them especially dangerous in the desert country of Valac, and caused a rapid system of irrigation to develop. These vines are also known to snatch and swallow smaller animals.

Type

Organic

Value

They are extremely valuable, costing around 5,000 vuires per sculpture ; that's around 50,000 USD

Rarity

Quite rare. While a large number of elites around the world have the vines, they are surprisingly hard to find

Odor

Like honey and roses

Taste

Bitter, extremely bitter

Trade

The vines are sold by merchants who primarily inhabit Farch, they work together with harvesting teams, and sell the good for high prices. Usually the vines are sold by commission to people who have contacts. They are a luxury, and, in most of the world, an exotic good.