Death Flower- Naruana

In flower lore, a black rose, is considered to symbolize death, mourning, and revenge, or a love that is tragic, or one that is highly devoted or possessive in nature.

Alraune - A semi-sentient semi-intelligent plant, which has adapted itself by adopting a humanoid form and certain scents, in order to obtain prey to eat or to reproduce. Often highly dangerous to encounter unawares, wild Alraune can emit an intoxicating scent that lures creatures into the reach of it's vines for it to catch and devour, in one sense or another.

Death Flower - A primarily carnivorous Alraune variant genetically selected in order to tame it's wild habits and reduce it's fecundity, while simultaneously making it more deadly overall.  It is often planted around royal palaces and other sacred sites, as a dual purpose guardian and aesthetic border ornament. Death Flowers can only grow if planted from seed, which is very large; the plants reach maturity after about 5 years, and if properly cared for, they will usually live for up to about 35 years, and occasionally more. The oldest Death Flower recorded is 54 years old, and presently, remains still alive, though it has been continuously fed and tended with extreme care. They don't produce a lure until they reach maturity however, and the physical attributes of that lure can depend significantly upon their parent genetics, and local environment. 

As a territory border guardian, Death Flowers are highly efficient.  Their stem and vines are strong and tough, even able to resist some sword cuts, with sharp thorn-like leaves growing out of them, occasionally adorned with attractive flowers. These vines, after only a year, can reach up to a 10 foot radius, and after 15 years, can encompass the whole area of a 30 foot diameter circle- these are often pruned back however. They can repair minor injuries in a day, and even severe wounds usually need no longer than a month to recover provided the plant was not altogether killed.  Their lure has functional eyes, but they also can sense energy and local disturbances around them, up to 30 feet out from their main stem, even without a lure.  These traits allow Death Flowers spaced apart and planted in rows, to defend an entire line of territory night or day, for a significantly lower overall cost than a militia guard unit, though they are limited in only being able to provide perimeter defense. There is a record of a Death Flower border wall halting the advance of a small army for several hours before ultimately being overcome and destroyed by sheer numbers- the casualties on the side of the army was enough to cause the military campaign ultimately to fail however, a testament to the effective power of the Death Flower

Death Flowers, like most Alraune, can obtain nutrients from the soil and energy from the sun, but Death Flowers can subsist on meat and blood alone if the soil or weather conditions are too poor. The presence of Death Flowers also significantly improves plant growth and production in their local vicinity, and some royal gardens keep a Death Flower, not just as a pretty ornament, but also for the purpose of improving the yield and vigor of the rest of the garden. Death Flowers can and often will eat anything they can catch, and so they are also considered good for keeping birds away from berry bushes. Among all Alraune, Death Flowers secrete the least amount of nectar, but what nectar they do produce, is significantly more potent for it's various uses, and, depending on the Death Flower's recent diet, it's taste can vary significantly, although all Alraune nectar is considered a supremely delicious aphrodisiac. The leaves of the Death Flower, which are always a very dark green-black color, are medicinal, and can be used for a variety of healing and beauty purposes.

Death Flowers can learn language, and communicate basic thoughts and ideas, although they usually only find interest in food, reproduction, beauty, and the natural elements; they are also fond of music and singing.  They care very little for the bustling human society around them, except insofar as it provides for their needs or produces beautiful things for them to admire in some way. They enjoy the day slowly, focusing on all the natural sensations of life, such as a soft breeze, a kiss of sunlight, or the drops of morning dew. They have a fully functional digestive tract from the mouth of their Lure, and are technically omnivorous, being able to digest most anything they please, but they especially prefer meat.  A strange habit among Death Flowers, is a tendency to sometimes wrap around themselves tightly with their thorny vines.  This wrapping often results in the Death Flower pricking and scratching themselves with their thorns, causing them to cry out in pain all the while they are wrapped. The reason for this is not fully understood, but it is supposed by some, to have something to do with their nectar production. The injuries repair quickly however, and leave no blemish, so it is a tolerated behavior.  They often do this while it is raining, but will occasionally do it on a beautiful sunny day as well.

The safest way to approach a Death Flower, to collect it's nectar, or for pruning, or other purposes, is to provide for it a large, sumptuous meal, and then take advantage of the distraction. Older Death Flowers who have had training or much favorable contact with humans, often do not need this, and will allow any person they are familiar and on amicable terms with, to approach, though this is still not without risk.  Death Flowers trained for guard duties or other purposes have significantly more rigorous training, and with their level of intelligence and sentience, can perform complex tricks and have social relationships exceeding that of dogs, monkeys, or even dolphins. Although they will never reach the level of human ability and ingenuity, they can come quite close socially, even though their interests are rather limited.

Unique Traits:

Naruana Cultivar - a specific cultivar of Death Flower, all seeded descendants from the named plant "Naruana".  A rose type flower, they have petals ranging in solid color from violet to a deep violet black, or a dark crimson maroon. They have generally, a higher intelligence than most other Death Flowers, and a notably better human sociability. After maturity, they can learn language sooner then most other Death Flowers as well. Their lures are predominantly either small chested, or generously chested, and their heights also, are predominantly much shorter, or slightly taller than the average Death Flower, leaving middling sizes quite rare. Their habit of self-constricting is also more prominent.  They have elf-like ears.  Occasionally, their vines will not have flowers at the ends, or will be lined with flowers all up and down along with their thorny leaves. Their vines also can end in a long spike, instead of a gaping maw, or rarely, may have rows of hard spines along the outside instead of teeth on the inside. Their hair and eye color always match in a lighter hue of the color of their flower petals.  Their vines, stem, and leaves, though still dark green, can have lighter shades of green than usual specimens of Death Flowers. Their lure's skin-tone can range in solid color from a pale peach, to a yellow-green color. This cultivar also produces significantly more nectar then usual specimens, though still far less than other Alraune species.