Lesser «and not so» Important Flowers of Meranthe

[innocence]

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ɪɴ sᴏᴍᴇ ᴄɪᴛɪᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴋɪɴɢᴅᴏᴍs ᴏғ ᴍᴇʀᴀɴᴛʜᴇ ᴀ sᴍᴀʟʟ ᴘᴜʙʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇ ғᴏᴜɴᴅ, ᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀᴅᴠᴇʀᴛɪsᴇs ʟᴇssᴇʀ ᴋɴᴏᴡɴ ғʟᴏᴡᴇʀs ᴀɴᴅ ᴀʟᴏɴɢsɪᴅᴇ ɪᴛ sᴍᴀʟʟ ʀᴇɴᴅᴇʀɪɴɢs ᴏғ sᴄᴇɴᴇʀɪᴇs ᴛᴀᴋᴇɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʀɪɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇ ғᴏᴜɴᴅ; ɪᴛ sᴇᴇᴍs, ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇʀ, ᴅᴇsɪʀᴇs ғᴏʀ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ, ᴛʜᴇᴍsᴇʟᴠᴇs, ʜᴀᴠᴇ ғᴏᴜɴᴅ. ғʀᴇᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡʟᴇᴅɢᴇ ᴏғ ᴀ sᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀɴʏ ɪɢɴᴏʀᴇ ᴏʀ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ғɪɴᴅ ᴛᴏᴏ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴇsᴛɪɴɢ.

“Though Meranthe is noted as the continent of the faithful, it is important to note that there are many others that make the neighbouring continents envy the peninsula that is often filled to the brim with trouble. One of these things are the many items which one can find while roaming the wilderness which ranges from enchanted metals that are difficult to find elsewhere to flowers which hold magical properties and allows for alchemists to craft potions which offer wondrous effects to one’s body and psyche.

Boosting one’s strength, agility, mana capacities… miraculous flowers capable of curing any injury or causing the most deadly of mental afflictions… tonics crafted from dusted flowers which re-arrange one’s magical circuits…

One can find many uses for many flowers, however it is important to note that there are many flowers in Meranthe which can be as rare and as beautiful if slightly less useful to the common magi; flowers used for teas, for worship, for cooking, as a sign of respect… flowers which are mostly valued by the common non-magi folk of Meranthe and which have in recent years surged due to the work of an exploring botanist which has allowed for them to be properly catalogued.

These are some of them…”

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“A daffodil subspecies that can be found mixed in between the fields of daffodil commonly grown by farmers that use them to craft dyes and make small poultices to fight diseases such as common colds or asthma.

With the added prefix of ‘Sorcerous’ due to how they emit a faint yet enjoyable magical hum, these flowers are used often by lesser religious leaders due to their ability to emit a faint light which can illuminate small monasteries and to be given as tribute to would-be heroes by denizens of small villages should said heroes be magi.

Additionally these daffodils offer much more potent effects when it comes to making poultices to fight small diseases and are thus more valued. The properties of such flowers remain mostly unknown and many magi have deemed them useless but they remain a common in many households for they offer aid to those that cannot pay for more expensive medicines.”

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“A flower that is much like a rose albeit with larger and more sturdy trunks and heavier petals. Found in the vicinity of the statue of the true giant and Grimnir reborn (ɴᴇ́ ᴊᴏᴋᴜʟ ғᴇʟʜᴀᴍᴍᴇʀ) and having only seemingly ‘appeared’ in recent years, botanists still struggle when it comes to cataloguing as the true nature of these flowers and if they are or not a subspecies of rose is discussed.

These flowers are prized by giants and would-be worshippers of Amier due to where they are most commonly found as many believe they share a special bond with the now departed giant. They are offered on the eleventh day after the beginning of each season by many pilgrims who make the treacherous journey to the entrance of the tower where one can find the statue of Grimnir reborn and said flowers which after being taken one must take ten petals which one keeps for fortune before laying the flower at the base of the statue.

Holding a special and most interesting scent of lime, these flowers are also used by perfumers to craft perfumes and small poultrices that aid one’s eyes and sinuses.”

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“A flower that is a crossbreed between a red carnation and a rose. These flowers can be found in the ruins of the old Citadel in the frozen north if one makes way towards the edges of the fel pools or the crumbling chasms which do not seem to have a bottom.

Named after one (sᴜᴘᴘᴏsᴇᴅ) son of the god of war which fell from glory and was thus disgraced making it slightly ironic that such a flower would be found in a place where the worship of such a god once abounded.

The so-called flower of Hades has a strong magical presence that has confounded some magi and alchemists over the years due to how this dwindles until it disappears when one tries to gather its essence for use in magical potions. It is brittle and its petals seem to ‘bleed’ now and then as they turn into a herbaceous liquid that has, in recent years, been used by spirit makers in the craft of strong herbaceous wines and liquors that is commonly drank by lowly non-magi soldiers before a siege as they believe that drinking such may bring unto them the favour of the god of war when said spirit makers are monks devoted to said god… whether or not it can do such a thing is a thing much debated by scholars and monks.”

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“If one dares venture inside the ruined tower of Aetius and comes close to one of the wicked runegates one may find these beautiful lilies which hold alluring yet out of place colors. Used by non-magi adventurers and bards to ward off both evil spirits and misfortune, alas, what many seem to ignore when using such a flower is that the runegate where one may find these lilies lead to the entity known as ‘Misfortune’.

Also known as ‘Lily of the Trickster’, this mischievous flower has caused much confusion and has led many adventurers and novice alchemists to their death when trying to distill it as one would an aetherblossom (ᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀɢᴇɴᴛs ᴜsᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴀʙʟᴇᴅ ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ ᴏɪʟ ᴀʀᴇ ʜɪɢʜʟʏ ᴠᴏʟᴀᴛɪʟᴇ).

It's confusing uses and due to how close it is found to the now inactive runegate, which lead to the tomb of swords, has made some ponder if this flower wasn’t created by the trickster primordial himself, Misfortune, before he departed the realms as one last way to meddle with the affairs of mortals.”

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“Native to Sheng, these snowbells were introduced to the flora of Meranthe by way of the refugees that came from such a continent to both bolster the forces of Xuefeng and to live there. Pink and capable of emitting a faint hum and once prized by such people, now, they can be found in the wilds of the north where such a settlement once used to be.

They do not have as many uses in alchemy due to how difficult it is to extract only certain properties from it; despite the fact these have properties which aid in one’s headaches these are also poisonous when consumed which has left them to be used only for symbolic purposes by Geishas and eastern leaders, one because these symbolize modesty and beauty and the other because they are offered when one is trying to reach a favourable resolution in matters of peace (ɪғ ᴏɴᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ʀᴇᴀᴄʜ sᴜᴄʜ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ᴀ ᴡᴀʀ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋs ᴏᴜᴛ).

It is much easier to extract similar medicinal properties from other plants and herbs, in the same manner it is much easier to extract similar poisonous properties from more easily found and more readily available mushrooms. The glow they emit has not yet been categorized by the archmage association who yet studies the plant (ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴍᴜᴄʜ sᴜᴄᴄᴇss ᴅᴜᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴏғ ғᴜɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴛᴀɴɪᴄᴀʟ ʀᴇsᴇᴀʀᴄʜ ᴅɪᴠɪsɪᴏɴ).”

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“Rare and fabled; these flowers can be found in the wilderness where cornflowers may grow, however, it is noted that one may only find one magical blue cornflower in a mix of one-hundred million other ‘normal’ cornflowers.

Filled to the brim with the same medicinal properties as other normal cornflowers, these hold a much richer blue dye which has made them prized and valued by kings and monarchs alike for the confection of vibrant clothes for when processed as a dye one may extract not just the rich blue that one may see on the flower but they may too be broken down into many shades of blue.

Unfortunately they are seemingly unwanted by magi due to how the medicinal properties they offer can be found elsewhere as not many magi know or understand the desirability of such dyes, a thing that would’ve made, more than one, rich.”

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― ғʟᴏᴡᴇʀs ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏ. ᴘᴜʙʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ɴ. ?
ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪsʜ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀɪʙᴜᴛᴇ ᴀɴʏ ғɪɴᴅɪɴɢs ᴛᴏᴡᴀʀᴅs ʟᴇssᴇʀ ᴋɴᴏᴡɴ ғʟᴏᴡᴇʀs ᴏғ ᴍᴇʀᴀɴᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴄᴛ: ᴇᴠᴀɴɢᴇʟɪɴᴀ, ᴀʀᴄᴀᴅɪᴀ ᴘᴏ. 56-76.