Taeli Raaf
Bookworm
Olbio Lotus flowers growing within an Order of Arcane Syn cultivation facility on Valrar
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To submit a new alchemically altered and created flower species with unique protective properties.
- Image Credit:
- https://scryfall.com/card/thb/235/nyx-lotus - Olbio Lotus flowers growing within an Order of Arcane Syn cultivation facility on Valrar
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links:
- Name: Olbio Lotus
- Named for the olbio tree samples that were used in the partial creation and breeding of the flower, along with an aquatic flower species found on several worlds such as Naboo that were once rumored in mythology to have mythical properties.
- Origins:
- Valrar
- The main cultivation facility for the flower, at present, is located within the capital city of Indatha on Valrar as part of a new botanical research facility dedicated to creating alchemically enhanced or altered plant life for the Order of Arcane Syn.
- Valrar
- Other Locations:
- At present, the flower isn't located in any other location in the galaxy. However, it is highly likely that the Order of Arcane Syn will allow its cultivation by close allies and on other worlds they hold influence on that would be able to sustain the flower.
- Classification: Flower
- Average Growth Cycle:
- Upon planting the seeds of the flower, it will take the flower, if properly tended and cultivated, roughly two months to grow and begin showing its petals with a full bloom occurring within another two weeks. Once fully bloomed, the planet will survive for several weeks before it begins to die out, although as it dies, it drops seeds into its surroundings to continue the cycle and spread.
- Viability:
- Olbio Lotus flowers are rather delicate, requiring very specific conditions to flourish and if those conditions are not met regularly, they can die out rapidly. The flowers require nutrient-rich soil that is generally submerged within water, such as that found within wetlands or marshes. A near constant supply of light is required for the lotus, once it has flowered, to reach its state of blooming that allows for harvesting of extracts. If properly cared for, the lotus can survive for several weeks before expiring, although anything extracted from it, or if the flower is harvested, must be preserved quickly or they will rapidly become worthless and die.
- Description:
- At a glance, an olbio lotus once fully bloomed is a purple and white flower with a yellowish-white center. The outer petals of the flower have an almost ethereal appearance to them as they softly glow from both the plant's special Force properties and absorbed sunlight triggering its photosynthesis processes.
- Average Height:
- Typical specimens will grow between 8 to 10 centimeters tall
- Average Length: N/A
- Color:
- At present, as the only species with no subspecies, all specimens have purple and white petals with a yellowish-white center nestled within the petals.
- Nutritional Value:
- While not the primary reason for ingesting one of the flowers or any of its potential extracts, the Olbio Lotus does provide some measure of nutritional value as an herb or vegetable, providing some of the daily proscribed amount of fiber within a diet.
- Toxicity:
- Surprisingly for a creation from the Order of Arcane Syn, given its reputation and that of its Mistress, the olbio lotus itself does not have any recorded toxicity upon either ingestion or contact with its petals.
- Other Effects:
- The primary reason why a being would consume the flower, or any potential extracts created from it, are its unique capabilities when it comes to the Force. Due to its creation from the olbio trees that ysalamiri are commonly found within, along with crossing it with flowers from Nathema and the bota fungus of Drongar and the alchemy used, a being that ingests a petal from the lotus gains a temporary resistance to Force powers on par with a Knight-level application of Force Resistance. This resistance, as observed by Order of Arcane Syn scientists, lasts roughly five minutes before it fades away from the subject completely digesting it. The Order theorizes a more potent form could be created from further experimentation on extracts from the plant, but this is only in theory thus far.
- Distinctions:
- Besides the unique Force resistant properties from its ingestion and its beautiful appearance, the plant is only the first creation of the Order of Arcane Syn in this field. It is speculated by the scientists and alchemists that crossbreeding with other plant species would be possible to create a wider variety of new lotus plants, but testing has only just commenced with such experiments.
- Upon ingestion of a petal and its essence, a being gains a temporary resistance to Force powers directed at them on par with that of a Knight-level Force user.
- The Olbio Lotus are extremely delicate and any disruption to their preferred growing conditions can result in the plant rapidly dying out, sometimes within days if not hours.
For all of its existence, the Order of Arcane Syn and its master has mainly worked Sith alchemy, sorcery, and biomancy upon fauna specimens, whether they be sentient or non-sentient or anything in between. A few brief forays into experimenting on plant species had mainly resulted in fungal monsters on Felucia and the mutation of captured Drengir specimens, but the followers of Darth Arcanix had not truly worked on developing botanical creations until recently when the Lady of Secrets authorized a new facility to begin work within the city of Indatha on Valrar. The new facility would oversee alchemical and sorcerous hybridization and cultivation experiments on botanical subjects, beginning with research into whether a plant's properties could be enhanced by such methods or even to awaken, on a metaphysical level, absorbed essences and abilities from their surroundings.
The first experiment began with the study of the olbio tree, a plant specimen that was commonly the habitat and feeding grounds of the ysalamiri. The alchemists believed they could somehow impart or awaken the lizards' abilities to nullify the Force in their surroundings into the plant itself, creating a new vector for resistance to Force powers. In their alchemical experiments, they forcefully crossed olbio samples with Nathema flowers (another plant species that could hold some latent abilities from its exposure to the events on Nathema millennia ago) and fused bota samples into it as a vector for the alchemy to take root dur to bota's Force enhancing abilities when utilized quickly after it had been carbonite frozen. The resulting experiments created the Olbio Lotus flower.
The scientists and alchemists observed that the flower's petals could now imbue a resistance to the Force if ingested by a subject temporarily, generally a span of five minutes or so, even to subjects that were not Force Sensitive. The success in the experiment, once the results were transmitted to Darth Arcanix, gave them a further greenlight to experiment with the flower and see what potential extracts that the Order, along with its allied corporations, could create from the petals.