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OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
When the Ka'a system was first being settled, the Cumas tree was found to hold special affinity with the Force, flourishing when in the presence of force users, and being particularly noticeable by force users, even when dormant. It did not take very long for those settlers with green thumbs and force sensitivity to begin cultivating the trees. The Shamans of Drahlin grew up from these original arborists, and with time the Cumas trees grew only in secluded groves protected by the Drahlin Shamans. As the house of Rahl gathered its power over the millennia, the Drahlin Shamans cultivated the trees, selectively growing those seeds that had more strength within the force, and altering the trees in other ways.
Those that made up the core of Drahlin Shamans were naturalists who desired to live closer to the nature of the worlds they inhabited. Rather than give up on the conveniences of modern technology, they altered portions of the Cumas tree to suit their need. The seed pods, unusual for a fruit bearing tree, were altered over the course of tens of centuries. The trees themselves held force imbuements very well naturally, so the enhancements they made to the seed pods were more designed to increase capacity and efficiency, rather than starting from scratch designing a natural battery.
The greatest drawback of this tampering, was making the seed pods viable in only 1 out of every 1,000 pods, and rendering them entirely poisonous to any who attempt to injest them. This has slowed the spread of the trees, and increased the need for force sensitive caretakers. Without such caretakers, the trees have grown to become dormant, not producing seed pods, fruit, and in extreme cases not even producing leaves. If left for too long, it is assumed the tree will die off without a force sensitive caretaker.
Several centuries before the current year, the Shamans of Drahlin were visited by a small group of witches from Dathomir. The exact details of the encounter are debated by outsiders. The outcome was blood spilled, and cuttings of the Cumas tree being transported to Dathomir to be tended by a small sect of the Great Canyon Clan. Dathomir is the only other planet known to have its own grove of Cumas trees.
- Intent: To create a plant that has been Force manipulated to produce special seed pods
- Image Credit: N/A
- Canon: N/A
- Links: N/A
- Name: Cumas
- Homeworld: Anderahlhttp://starwarsrp.net/topic/54585-anderahl/
- Other Locations: Dathomir
- Classification: Tree
- Average Growth Cycle: Seed to Sprouting takes roughly three galactic standard years, Sprouting to Fruit/Seed Bearing takes roughly two galactic standard years, Fruit/Seed Bearing lifespan can cross the millennial line if taken care of well.
- Viability: The main need of this plant, aside from nutrient rich soil, sunlight, and water, is a force sensitive caretaker. Without one, these trees go dormant and will not produce fruit or seed pods. Otherwise, it takes a standard amount of sunlight and rainfall a year to grow, and enjoys soil with a high nitrogen content.
- Description: These trees are relatively short, deciduous trees. Their leaves have three lobes, often with between one and three spikes to each lobe. The bark, when well tended by a force sensitive caretaker, is a mildly golden hue of brown, with deep furrows. Its root systems go deep, typically far deeper than the above ground height, but they have been adapted in the past to a shallower soil level.
- Average height: 2-2.5 meters
- Average length: N/A
- Color: Golden brown bark, vibrant green leaves that change to a bright gold in early autumn, then to a dark burgundy by late autumn. Wood harvested from this tree to produce goods tends to maintain a deep golden brown color.
- Nutritional Value: Fruit can be part of a balanced diet, though it tends to be unpalatable to modern tastes. Seed pods, if ingested, can sicken and kill adult humans who do not receive swift medical care.
- Distinctions: The defining trait for this tree that separates it from many other trees are its seed pods. These pods, once ripe, can act in a similar way to modern battery packs for specially crafted items. For specially crafted items, these pods can provide energy over a short period of time. For items similar to blasters, this would be for a similar number of shots equivalent to a battery pack, not a gas canister. For a standard lantern, an average sized seed pod can provide power for up to a full week of light time. Other equivalencies should use these two examples as baselines. The drawback to using these seed pods as power sources, is they will only react to a force sensitive being who has spent time connecting to either that seed pod, or its mother plant. This makes lanterns and similar items useful for only that one individual, though such is often not as much an issue with blasters. Once these seed pods have been drained of power, they can be recharged only by the individual they are connected to, and only by infusing it with the force, then setting it up in well irrigated soil in the sunlight.
- + Seed pods can provide power to specially crafted items.
- + The trees tend to live for a long time, with adequate care from a force sensitive caretaker.
- + Pods are rechargeable
- - Seed pods are extremely poisonous.
- - Items crafted to use the seed pods are usable only by a single individual who has connected with the pod or mother plant.
- - Recharging pods is a very involved process
- - All parts of the tree, whether attached still or not, act as beacons within the Force.
When the Ka'a system was first being settled, the Cumas tree was found to hold special affinity with the Force, flourishing when in the presence of force users, and being particularly noticeable by force users, even when dormant. It did not take very long for those settlers with green thumbs and force sensitivity to begin cultivating the trees. The Shamans of Drahlin grew up from these original arborists, and with time the Cumas trees grew only in secluded groves protected by the Drahlin Shamans. As the house of Rahl gathered its power over the millennia, the Drahlin Shamans cultivated the trees, selectively growing those seeds that had more strength within the force, and altering the trees in other ways.
Those that made up the core of Drahlin Shamans were naturalists who desired to live closer to the nature of the worlds they inhabited. Rather than give up on the conveniences of modern technology, they altered portions of the Cumas tree to suit their need. The seed pods, unusual for a fruit bearing tree, were altered over the course of tens of centuries. The trees themselves held force imbuements very well naturally, so the enhancements they made to the seed pods were more designed to increase capacity and efficiency, rather than starting from scratch designing a natural battery.
The greatest drawback of this tampering, was making the seed pods viable in only 1 out of every 1,000 pods, and rendering them entirely poisonous to any who attempt to injest them. This has slowed the spread of the trees, and increased the need for force sensitive caretakers. Without such caretakers, the trees have grown to become dormant, not producing seed pods, fruit, and in extreme cases not even producing leaves. If left for too long, it is assumed the tree will die off without a force sensitive caretaker.
Several centuries before the current year, the Shamans of Drahlin were visited by a small group of witches from Dathomir. The exact details of the encounter are debated by outsiders. The outcome was blood spilled, and cuttings of the Cumas tree being transported to Dathomir to be tended by a small sect of the Great Canyon Clan. Dathomir is the only other planet known to have its own grove of Cumas trees.
