Gorgon Tree

Gorgon trees are one of the few species of plants that call the Waste their home, and one of its only sources of wood. Named for the pattern of their bark and the way their branching roots resemble snakes, these unique trees are highly valued, both for their wood and for their thin, black sap.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Gorgon tree trunks are typically short and wide, with very wide and flat crowns. Their leaves are small, round and flat. The vast majority of a gorgon tree is not actually in its upper sections, but rather its large root structure. A gorgon tree's roots are quite thick, though once they go underground they quickly branch off and become rather thin and stringy, covering a lot of surface area.

Ecology and Habitats

Due to the lack of solid, sturdy ground in the Waste, gorgon trees are forced to make their homes on wastebones. Typically a gorgon tree's trunk and leaves are positioned near the top of the wastebone, where they can get the most sunlight. The tree's large roots snake their way down the wastebone all the way into the Sands. It is very obvious when a wastebone is home to a gorgon tree, as its thick roots cover the massive bones like ivy.

Dietary Needs and Habits

A gorgon tree gets much of what it needs from sunlight, but the sun can't provide one crucial thing: water. Water is rather scarce in the Waste, especially at the surface under the sun. However, gorgon trees possess a unique ability that helps them get all the water they need. Gorgon tree sap is quite poisonous, and a tree's roots secrete quite a lot of it into the Sands. This moisture will attract a certain creature of the Sands that has the ability to sniff out moisture and absorb it quite easily: a parchworm. 
While parchworms appear quite dry, and in fact suck the moisture out of anything near them, they don't simply destroy it. They store it within themselves, and upon consuming a gorgon tree's sap and dying, all that moisture is ripe for the taking. After making its kill, a gorgon tree's roots will burrow into a parchworm and give it a bit of its own medicine, draining it dry.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

First and foremost, gorgon trees are used for their wood. They are the Waste's most dominant type of tree, and therefore its best source of wood. While their thick trunks provide quite a bit, the majority of the wood gathered from a gorgon tree is from its long, winding roots. While not as straight as a tree's trunk, wood is still wood, and as it's rather hard to come by in the Waste people will use any wood they can get.
There is danger to this practice, however. The sap of a gorgon tree is capable of poisoning someone even if it just touches their skin. While parchworms are much smaller than people, it can still make someone very sick or even kill them if there's too much. 
Gorgon tree sap also has a second property, which is as much fun as it is dangerous. It is highly hallucinogenic, so if it doesn't kill you outright, you're in for quite a good time. In smaller doses this property can be used to the fullest without risking death, though some end up injuring themselves seeking an even better high with more and more sap.

Geographic Distribution

• Wastebones