Gargantua pod

In the late days of the War of Dark and Light, the Dark Tribe began to wilt under the firepower of the Light tribe's mechanical siege weaponry. In response, the Dark Tribe developed a plant-based weapon designed to destroy and dispose of large mechanical objects. Enter Dionaea Gargantua; The Dark Tribe's most fearsome biological weapon.

Basic Information

Anatomy

A single specimen of Gargantua consists of two to eight vines all extending from a central pod, and a large, leafy maw designed for crushing and snapping. The main body of the creature is twenty feet in diameter on average, making it more than ample to destroy most siege weaponry.

Biological Cycle

Because of it's large size and the energy required to sustain it's movement, a full-fledged Gargantua cannot survive on it's own in the wild; instead it will usually take the form of a small, closed bud, about a two feet in diameter, that grows throughout the Black Forest. The buds' extensive, interconnected root systems store concentrated proteins and chemical energy supplements that, when activated by a Psion, will rapidly grow the bud into a massive Gargantua maw that will wreak havoc on enemy forces in it's area. After anywhere from an hour to thirty minutes, the Gargantua will run out of energy, wilt, and die, leaving the roots systems of the area drained of nutrients and unable to sustain any more Gargantua growth until the forest is able to reproduce them in roughly twenty-four hours.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

There are several different ways a Psion can use a gargantua pod to their advantage. The first and most obvious one is to grow one in a contested area to deny enemy troops passage. Another use of the pod is for a Psion or small group of psions under threat to take shelter within the Gargantua's maw when surrounded, or, inversely, to capture and impound enemy troops there until backup arrives. And, finally, a Gargantua pod was designed to be grown near an enemy artillery emplacement, grab it, and eat it.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Snare Grass

Scientific Name

Dionaea Gargantua

Average Height

15 feet