Silgrad Tower from the Ashes

That Which Is Mystical, Lost, and Forgotten

this is or was (or something) intended on being the final volume of my series "Flowering Plants of Tamriel" and was going to be a compendium of all sorts of rare, lost, Oblivion dwelling, legendary, and so on plants. Instead I figgured I'd just turn it into a place where people, or myself could turn in essays or blurbs on their favorite mystical plants.

as an example I wrote up something on Mana Blooms. This is really more of an example rather than a submission because not too much is based in fact. rahter its mostly self-made lore. however, if someone wants to refine it or give me tips on how I could refine it, I'd be pleased.

Quote:

The Mana Bloom

being that mystical floral denizen of the Oblivion realms

The Mana Bloom is an incredibly rare and valuable plant that thrives in many of the volatile, inexplicable realms of Oblivion. However, unlike many of the realms more fiendish flora, the Mana Bloom is a species of utmost beauty and benefit. The plant begins as a small bed of slender tendrils that cling, with much vigor, to many otherwise uninhabitable soils of Oblivion. These roots, unlike those belonging to the flora of Nirn, imbibe, not water or nutrients, but the Magikcal energies of the realms themselves. Because of this peculiar existence the Mana Bloom can be found even in areas of little to no light. Mana Blooms have been know to, on occasion, to dwell in Nirn but all instances find the plant smaller and sufficiently less brilliant than those of the Realms. From the roots of the Mana Bloom extend a singular delicate stem crowned by a singular blossom of large intermittent petals that radiate from a central urn-like, petal-shrouded seed pod. Such blossoms, who?s radiant color mimics the brilliance of the sapphire and amethyst, has been described by Alchemical scholars and botanists alike as being the single most radiantly beautiful flower to grace our existence. Unlike any other flora, the Alchemical ingredients that can be gathered from the Mana Bloom vary depending solely on the color of the Flower. From the amethyst Mana Bloom flows viscous nectar known as Ambrosia. Ambrosia, amber-colored and sweet, has often been regarded by the Former as a divine drink due to its exceptional healing qualities and aphrodisiac tendencies. From the lazulite flowers of the Mana Bloom comes Lichor. Lichor, like Ambrosia, is a physical manifestation of Mana, an ancient word for Magick and, thusly, is a highly potent restorative. Where Ambrosia flows Amber; Lichor flows deep viridian and, where Ambrosia restores ones physical state; Lichor replenishes the spirit. Some texts speculate that Welkynd Stones, the ancient power sources of the Ayleids, were created from crystalline Lichor resin. This theory, however, has been mostly debunked due not only to the works of Irlav Jarol, that describe Welkynd Stones as being skyborn, but also due to the rarity of Lichor in such quantities and the sheer complexity of the ingredient. Connections can be seen between the resinous Lichor and Ambrosia and Meteoric Elements as both being manifestations of Magick, however, the later of the two has the advantageous position of abundance and simplicity. In Wortcraft Mana Bloom nectar is highly prized but sadly both Lichor and Ambrosia are unworkable in Alchemy, lending themselves to neither mixture or transmutation.

again a lil' something. this is really unrefined... i just banged it out ike a half hour ago so forgive any mistakes. Alot of this is paraphrased from or inspired by Sinderions "Nirnroot Missive". I figgured that it was pretty logical to include these facts because sinderion uses them as if they where already known in the alchemical comunitie and where being debated/talked about.

Quote:

Nirnroot

herbacious child of mundus

Various Studies have been preformed on this rare and Mystical plant, the Nirnroot and this book seeks to provide the most relevant material without resorting to a separate volume of work. The Nirnroot is a low lying, obstinate herb of four blue-green deep-lobed leaves that sprout forth from partially visible white tuberous roots. Studies done by the respected Imperial herbalist Chivius Regelliam state that the Nirnroot once grew profusely over all of Cyrodiil and possibly other provinces of Tamriel but now teeters on the verge of extinction. Chivius speculates in his work the coming of a climate-shifting cataclysm, probably the Sun?s Death event of 1E 668, that forever changed the growing pattern of the Nirnroot. Why the Nirnroot was affected in such a vastly different manner than that of the more common flora of Tamriel is open to much speculation. The most common theory being that the Nirnroot?s magical nature lead it to be more susceptible to changes in the climate or that Ash and Ashsalt from Red Mountain mixed with the earth and the new soil degraded root functionality. This same theory has been applied to many now-extinct plants that have been and will be covered throughout this volume. The Nirnroot, though rare is said to still be found in Cyrodiil, often dotting riverbanks and coastlines or hidden amongst boulders. Most curiously and unlike any other known plant in Cyrodiil the Nirnroot glows a faint blue to bluish-white and as wind passes through its leaves it produces a faint whistling noise. Equally interesting is the size of the Nirnroot. Though now small and very difficult to spot, old references to the plant offer up a different image. Some documented Nirnroot where said to be as large as goblins or even man height. Nowadays such a plant is unheard of, such wonders do not still exist in this world. Many things have been noted on the Nirnroot; however, alchemically the plant is a mystery. Many Alchemists and Imperial Botanists have devoted countless hours to the study of the herb but alas, samples are few and far between. One thing is certain, the Nirnroot must be preserved or soon it will be nothing but a memory.

can anyone give me more mystical or strange plants to type up on? I'm at a blank here and I know there must be more.

I dunno too many...

Falinesti, the once moving city, supposedly a Tower in the form of a Graht Oak...
Hist trees of Argonia.... worshipped by the Argonians as supreme ancestors, in a symbiotic relationship, and are credited with raising the Argonians to sentience....

maybe we can make up a few... a few nasty mysterious plants would be great to put in the Black Marsh

like say....

a plant whose roots went out in all directions and had small verticle roots that shot upwards when an animal was over it, and then the carcass was lifted into the branches by vines and was all shoved into a big hole on the top of the trunk?
Argonian hunters will often drive animals towards these trees, and then before the vines can come to claim their food, the killed animals (or injured animals) are taken away and the vines warded off with knives or machetes...

a type of fern which is very rare and is pollinated only by a particular species of bee. However, it is very delicate and has chemicals which are healing agents and resist disease (though plants don't have immune systems). In order to protect itself, the fern spawns many small ferns all around it in a large radius. When stepped on, the small baby-ferns burst into a toxic cloud which greatly fatigues the trespasser and too much of it can be lethal (like running through a field of them)
while the mother fern itself is very rare, they produce many spawn ferns which are very plentiful, and individually not lethal (only in larger numbers, though they are small so crushing several is easy)
their spawn ferns are sometimes used in a very powerful drug, for ceremonial purposes in Argonian tribes, and social purposes in local gangs...
which is why its a good thing that Dorothy and here retinue didn't run through these, they had poppies, big deal...

a sort of tumbleweed plant... it is moved by the wind. The only catch is... it has purpose. This plant is the mature form of a certain shrub. it is a big thorny ball of annoyance. In the Parchlands of Black marsh, along the western coast were centuries of logging, drainage, and over-farming have created a small savannah, this plant is one of the most feared dangers. they will roll slowly, and randomly, but should they make contact, they will be stuck on you like thistles, and they release a chemical upon contact that alerts all other rollers which all roll to you... really a bundle of aerial roots with thorns, they are able to roll sloely for weeks, but upon contact they expend a lot of energy in harming you (hopefully killing you and you body rotting, which will provide some extra nutrients on the earth where you die, giving the roller weed a better chance)
the thing is, a few hacked from you sword should break it up, but if you don't get it befor eit gets you will will latch on for a few second inflicting damage, and then suddenly many many will roll to you




just some crazy-ass thoughts from me...

well the hist I think may fall under my Black Marsh Volume. however, If i dont make a black marsh volume this may be the place to put it.


but i really am intrigued by the Graht Oak
research time!




and your ideas are great. I have a bunch of personal plant ideas too. we could create a full forest on our plant ideas alone

I can totaly imagine walking through the forest only to discover a field of ferns, a quiet peacefull clearing, and then getting knocked out. It reminds me of when i was little. Back then I played final fantasy V and there was a part where all these poisonous vines where growing and you had to walk around them so as not to step on them.

and those tumbleweed seekers just scare me.



Lovers Lupine: a lupine that blooms only under the sign of the Lover but is very beautifull, maybe even an aphrodesiac.

Vipervine: A tangled mass of brambles that are so poisonous to the touch and so spiny that gloves made with special leathers must be worn while harvesting otherwise death is certain. they have thorns that look kind of like razorwire.

the Dunethorn: a giant(as in 2-3 feet tall and 1 foot wide in size) rose thorn shaped plant made from an iron-hard husk. It has a spongy pilth on the inside that is good for healing salves but its REALLY hard to get at. the dunethorns stick up out of hammerfells desert dunes, watch out.

Bulbous muck-frond
when you get too close or step on it it spews a gas (much like the spiddal stick) but the gas is not noxious, it is very stinky much like a skunk. The skunk stink lasts for a pretty long while causing greivous damage to your personality.

mayby Sload Soap can be implemented as a way to cure the muck-frond stank.

Nice work Ataridante :goodjob:

Any chance you could turn your well-written articles into in-game books?

oh yeah, eventually all of this is going to become in game lit.

Wolfsbane, only one ever existed in Bloodmoon. Had the ability to cure Lycanthropy and was used in the quest to cure the player's Lycanthropy had they caught it in Solstheim. It can be used to cure the other Lycanthropy diseases that are planned for the projects. It's name stems from it's original use of curing Werewolves, but when used was discovered it has a similar curing effect on all manifestations of Lycanthropy, such as Werelion, Werecroc and so on. It is extremely toxic if consumed before alchemic treatment which creates the curing effect.

Here is Wikipedia's list of Mystical Plants from Mythology. There are also lists there from books and stuff, but that's just copying.

Austras Koks - a tree which grows from the start of the Sun's daily journey across the sky in Latvian mythology
Barnacle tree - mythical tree believed in the Middle Ages to have barnacles that opened to reveal geese. The story may have started from goose barnacles growing on driftwood.
Lotus tree - a plant in Greek mythology bearing a fruit that caused a pleasant drowsiness. It may have been real (a type of Jujube (perhaps Ziziphus lotus) or the Date Palm).
Man-eating tree - a mythical tree located in the forests of Madagascar or the jungles of Mindanao Island in the Philippines. This tree is said to have a gray trunk and vinelike stems which eats humans and other large animals. Often mentioned in tall tales.
Moly - a magic herb in Greek mythology with a black root and white blossoms
Raskovnik - a magic plant in Serbian mythology which can open any lock.
Vegetable Lamb of Tartary - a mythical plant supposed by medieval thinkers to explain the existence of cotton
Yggdrasil - the World tree of Norse mythology

I wouldn't use Yggdrasil, because that is a Norse theory of Existance, and it would be Valenwood's Graht Oak x1000000000 because it can support entire worlds on it's many branches.

This development appears to have died a death, with no prospect of revival, so I'm putting it with the other botany books.