Fury of Aerðs
Story Weaver
- Intent: To codify a plant found on Islimore and expound on Lupo culture
- Image Credit: Midjourney AI generated image
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Summerlight Gathering [ mentioned ], Månenøye [ mentioned ], Lupo, Islimore
- Name: Lychanberry
- Origins: Islimore
- Other Locations: Lychanberry can grow outside of Islimore, given the right conditions. Due to their sensitive composition, Lychanberries found outside of their home world are often grown within a greenhouse and/or modified to thrive in other environments.
- Classification: Fruiting Vine
- Average Growth Cycle: While the growth cycle is fairly fast, with vines and leaves growing within the year, most plants will not bear fruit for at least three. Once established, the vines will continue to bear fruit for up to thirty years before withering, sometimes longer, depending on how well-tended the vine is.
- Viability: For a Lychanberry vine to grow well, the plant needs to have adequate sun and water during the growth cycle and cooler weather for the dormant cycle while the plant redistributes nutrients and energy for spring flowers. Typically, Lychanberries will grow best in environments with long, hot summers and cold, rainy winters. For colder environments where it might snow, it's necessary to protect the root system by insulating the plant with mulch and mounds of dirt so that when it snows it adds an extra layer of insulation and does not oversaturate the plant with water once the snow melts. The berries, once harvested, are extremely perishable, though if they are stored correctly in a colder container, the berries maintain their freshness for up to six weeks.
- Description: Lychanberry vines are very colorful, with burnt-red vines and leaves that seem to be veined with gold. Because of their beauty, parts of the vines and leaves are used in various parts of Lupo ceremonial items and/or floral decorations. The berries of the plant can vary between a dark-purple, to pure white. Unlike other types of berries, the lighter fruit is sweeter, while the darker berry tends to be more tart.
- Average Height: 12.1
- Average Length: 24.4 - 30.7
- Color: Green leaves and gold leaves with gold veining, burnt-red vines, small white and purple flowers that will later produce white and dark-purple berries foliage
- Nutritional Value: While in its natural state, the plant itself is quite nutritious. Reports of improved heart and immune health have been attributed to those who regularly consume lychanberries. Extracted parts of the plant have also been used in various medicines.
- Toxicity: While safe for most species, if consumed in large quantities by the Lupo species, the plant can be poisonous. However, consumed in small doses or diluted, the plant can have a psychedelic and calming effect on the Lupo species. For this reason, the plant has been used in various religious Lupo ceremonies and even as a stimulant.
- Other Effects:
- Ingested as is, the berry will produce nutrients to most species. Lupo who ingest the berry in its natural state in large quantities will succumb to toxicity poisoning.
- Can have a psychedelic and calming affect on those of the Lupo species.
- Extractions of the planet have been used in heart medications.
- Distinctions: While Lychanberry vines can grow all over Islimore and on various worlds, the vineyards can look strikingly different depending on the region and its maintenance. Vine training is an art that the Lupo people perfected to produce the optimal berries and a technique that has been adopted by outsiders who grow them. Most will be pruned and nurtured to take a 'goblet' like tree shape, though for the unexperienced farmer, their vines may sprawl out and grow wildly.
- Strengths:
- Grows quickly
- Robust and difficult to kill off once the root system is established
- Makes for a delicious and expensive wine
- Can be used for medicinal purposes
- Heart-healthy
- Weaknesses:
- Incorrect care for the plant will result in a weak vine that will die off
- Needs a lot of care in the beginning
- Without the right precautions, excessive heat or cold will destroy the plant
- Without pruning, the vine can become invasive
- If one part of the vine contracts a fungal disease, it is likely to spread to and ruin the other vines as well, due to how close the plants grow together
- Various bugs will inevitably invade and consume the plant and its leaves without careful moderation or the use of pesticides
- Toxic to certain species if ingested in large quantities
Lychanberries are as old and important as Lupo civilization itself. Archeological digs on Islimore suggest that the Lupo people have been growing the plant for nearly three thousand years and incorporating it into their religious ceremonies and celebrations for just as long. During the Golden Age, when Lupo civilization first made contact with the rest of the Galaxy, the berries were distributed and the berries from the plant became one of the planets original major exports. While this initially brought in an abundance of wealth for the planet and contributed to their growth, the plant was nearly destroyed by over harvesting and later was declared a protected species, establishing laws on trade and harvesting procedures in order to preserve their coveted vines and their cultural importance.
After the purge, Lychanberry laws were retracted and both the plant and its berries were once again freely distributed.
