Dangerous Flora¶
"It is rumored some very old Duskblossom trees have achieved consciousness." — the reagent catalogue (S224)
The predatory and animate plants of Terrun: trees that lure, vines that choke, roots that scream, and the conscious fae-trees that remember. Most of what is known of them comes from the alchemists' catalogue of herbs and reagents, which sorts every plant by the Fae realm it belongs to (S224, S226); the rest comes from the ruined forests where they were met in play. The reagent catalogue as a whole, with its prices and tiers, is alchemy material kept under Magic; the plants of the Rift have their own page.
Trees that hunt¶
The Duskblossom Tree is a creature of the Shadow realm of the Fae. "The tree creates a visual and olfactory illusion of enticing fruit and beautiful flowers that appears at dusk (it's magic is strongest at twilight). The display is intended to lure animals towards the tree. Once a victim is close enough to the tree, a powerful illusion takes hold and the animal enters a dream/illusion filled sleep until their death. Their decomposing bodies and fae intelligence fertilize the tree. It is rumored some very old Duskblossom trees have achieved consciousness." It grows in wet, partly shaded places in hot and temperate lands (S224).
The Gravediggers Tree "appears as a Willow tree with black trunk and bright green foliage" and bears one to four Shadefruit a year in spring, "purple-grey round fruit" that whoever sees is enticed to eat. "Those that consume the fruit find themselves under a Gaes to plant the seeds (which are now in their stomach). They will find a warm, mixed sun area with good soil and plenty of water and bury themselves there. The victim will act normally except they will find any path that does not lead them to the end goal unbearable" (S224).
Vines and thorns¶
Chokevine "is a vine that is capable of explosive growth. It stores vast amounts of living energy in its complex tuber root systems, which it can then draw upon to expand itself to capture and consume its prey. In mere seconds it can grow to entangle, trap and choke living creatures. It then feeds off an entirely consumes the corpses." It grows in wet, warm country with rocky soil, and its tubers are best harvested while the vine still holds its reserves (S224).
Briarblade is "A nasty large tough woody vine with large metal thorns. They tend to grow in large colonies and they make an area impassable to medium creatures and are very difficult to clear. These colonies are also the preferred habitat of Briarblade Wolverines and Lashers which will vigorously defend their home" (S224).
Lashers "are rare and only live in areas with partial sunlight or more. They gain much of their energy from the sun/light, but are also carnivorous. They can uproot themselves and move surprisingly fast over short distances, though need to become rooted again shortly" (S224).
Witchblood is "a Fae-plant, it is a deep purple 4 petal flower that fades to black in the center. It has long 2" thorns and even the flower itself is protected by thorns coming out of the center. The thorns are tipped with a strong degenerative poison (called the witch's curse)"; the juice of its roots paralyzes nerve endings in small doses and cleans like an acid in large ones (S224).
Agnes's Veil "is a creeping vine that prefers dark, very shady environments... Agnes's Veil creates round globe blossoms that radiate darkness. The area of darkness created is often used as a lair or for ambush" (S224). Corpseroot, "also often referred to as 'Foulrot'", is an invasive vine that grows into and through animal corpses and keeps other scavengers off with its stench (S224).
Gap
Briarblade Wolverines are named only as the inhabitants of briarblade colonies; nothing is said of what distinguishes them from an ordinary wolverine.
Roots and plants that fight back¶
Mandrake Root is hard to tell from other plants above ground, "a small plant with large lobed green leaves. The root is often shaped like a humanoid and appears much like ginger. However, the root center is blood-red colored. It is also dangerous to harvest as when the root is first exposed to air, it lets out a paralytic screech" (S224). Ashflower, "often nicknamed a 'burning bush'", sweats a flammable oil whose fumes ignite in the heat and burn the plant to ash, scattering its seeds; Fireweed blossoms explode when mature and in the wilds "a blooming fireweed destroys itself and a large area around it"; Quotpod vines burst their pods in a thick mist when they sense animals nearby (S224).
Conscious trees: treants, tree giants and wicker giants¶
The reagent catalogue speaks of "ancient conscious trees. Trees that tend toward consciousness include most fae-trees (such as Treants, Tree Giants, etc) as well as very old Sequoia, Oak, Spruce, Pine and Aspen (normally > 2000 years)" (S224). The Kalari goddess Arya, Mistress of Life, is "Creator of sylvan creatures such as Treants, Brownies, Sprites, etc." (S429, S372).
Treants are among the beasts corrupted in the forbidden forest of Arne'Athosia, where a Scourged Treant Guardian stood over cultists animating a dead dragon (S052, S056); those are described under Scourged. In the Fourth Age, around the blighted Caerylas Tree of Uran'Syvalla in Angorath, the besiegers included "two Wicker Giants (corrupted treants)" among thousands of elven husks and dozens of abominations (S328).
Gap
Tree Giants are named once, alongside treants, and never described. The sources do not say how a treant differs from a conscious oak, or where uncorrupted treants still live.
The Fae-twisted plants of Acadia¶
On Acadia, where a failed Fae Conjunction tore the wall between the Fae and Material planes, the wood fae called Verdant Assimilators "assimilate biomass to fuel verdant growth. They revere plants of all kinds and their purpose is to build verdant jungles and forests. They have assimilated some humans as 'Mulch-hewers', these violently disassemble non-plant life for mulch. 'Architects' plan and design for growth." Their vines and spores form a "Verdant flak cannon" that entangles, confuses and drops aerial creatures (S358). The Fae factions themselves are discussed under Fae.