The Tear Frost Flower

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[Azhira Styralias]

Additions in YELLOW

Categorization:

Flower

Basic Overview of the Plant

The tear frost flower has long been considered one of the most rare and beautiful plants in all of Northern Sarvonia. The delicate looking plant is unique in that it thrives in extreme cold climates and permafrost soils. The flower is a very hardy plant, despite its appearance, and can withstand the powerful gusts of mountain blizzard wind that it frequently experiences. The most remarkable aspect of the tear frost flower is its snow white colored stalks, transparent leaves and multi-hued blooms of blue and purple pedals. Once a year, the flower produces a "fruit", which is a tiny crystalline bulb that resembles a tear, hence the plant's name.

Description

The tear frost flower is a small plant that grows very slowly over a period of several months. Its root system is a long conical shaped bulb that grows deep within the hardened, frozen soil seeping up nutrients from below the ice line. The root is rough in texture and a dull white in colour. It is firmly embedded into the frozen soil and is quite difficult to pull out.

Above the surface of the soil line, the flower grows into an almost entirely white colored mass of stalks, between five and ten in number. Each one is stiff and slightly moist and extremely cold to the touch. A thin layer of fine white dust coats the stalks that gets released into the air if touched.

Each stalk is between two to three palmspans in length and from a half to one nailsbreadth in width at its base becoming thinner towards its outer point. At the base of each stalk grows exquisitely beautiful leaves that are entirely translucent. Each leaf is smooth as glass, yet has the similar texture of an otherwise green leaf of a temperate climate plant. When examined closely, the leaf contains a complex structure of veins that are a soft blue in color. The rest of the leaf is almost entirely clear and see-through. Each stalk contains only six to seven leaves.

When the flower blooms once per year, typically in the month of Frozen Rivers, soft shaded petals of blue and purple open up. Each bloom produces a delicate flower of eight to ten petals. The pedals are generally six nailsbreadths in width and length and are triangular in shape. The pedals are also quite tough and chewy when eaten. The flavor of the leaf is said to be slightly bitter and dissolves quickly in the mouth.

Growing in the center of the petals is the flower's seed, a crystal like tear that resembles a multifaceted gem. After two months, the pedals die and fall off the plant. The tear seed is fully visible and remains attached to the stalks for several more days. The tear frost seeds are very hard and cold like a tiny piece of ice. With enough hand pressure, they can be burst and broken. Usually, the winds carry the seeds away to other areas where they land atop the snow and ice where new growth begins.

Territory

The tear frost flower is a delicate looking plant, but extremely hardy. It grows primarily in very cold climates in permafrost soil. The far northern reaches of the peninsula of Caaehl'heroth are known to be the primary growing territory for this cold born plant. Specifically, the Icelands of Aeh'os'th'er'oc are sufficiently cold enough for the bush to grow along the mountain sides and valleys of the area. The nearby islands of Kalta'Goor and Karma'Goor are also known to grow the tear frost bush along the island's steep mountain sides with a few growing along the shores. The snow drake researcher Ihea Miwone discovered that the bush grows extensively in areas where the snow drake leaves its droppings. She has theorized that perhaps the bush utilizes the snow drake's bodily waste for food and energy.

Usages

The tear seed has also been discovered to be of some use in recent years as a reagent in the casting of frost based water spells. The tear is cold and hard with a sufficient amount of water and earth ounia to base several frost spells from. Spells such as Lance of Frost, Frostbolt, or Icewall can be cast by low level magi with a tear frost reagent. The difficulty of obtaining a tear, however, makes its use as a reagent rare as most Ximaxian or Thalambath magi never find their way so far north in their lifetimes. It has become more common in recent times that only the most enterprising and wealthy of magi can afford to send expedition teams to these northern reaches for this reagent. The tears are known to fetch a high market price in Ximax.

Miwone's Osther-Oc guides recounted some lore surrounding the flower. The orcs have sometimes used the tear as a sort of jewelry and decoration upon themselves. The tears are attached to clothing to provide a decorative sparkle during certain winter festivals and rituals. Some orcen clans are said to believe that the tears contain special divine powers of healing certain illnesses. The tear is put into the mouth of a victim of a sickness or disease, or the tear is dissolved in a liquid to be drunk. An old name for such a curative method is "Traak'mul Puush" or "Frost medicine".

Another tale tells of the plant's leaves providing a nutritious supplement to starving explorers. The orcs believe that the leaf is rich in energy and is a divine gift that increases strength and stamina. The leaves are quite edible, if bitter tasting, and even Eleanna claims that they do indeed give a short boost of energy to the limbs.

Reproduction

The flower possesses a very hard and sharp root system that finds its way into the permafrost soil to feed on nutrients deep below the ice line. The seed falls from the plant and begins by slowly pushing its way down into the soil. As a result, the tear frost flower is very slow to grow and mature and one will never find a naturally abundant field of them.

Once the seed takes root in the ground, the root digs deep for many months, sometimes taking years to fully reach nutrients underground. Once done, the tear begins to grow a white stem until it reaches about a palmspan in height before branching out into many shorter stems. It is during this time that growth and the absorption of food is critical as this is just before the plant grows its transparent leaves.

It must be noted that the soil must remain sufficiently cold enough for the bush to grow. Should the ground become too warm (although still quite cold by human standards) the pods will not produce tears.

The tears are spread by wind or by falling off naturally. Strangely, a tear frost flower will not grow within six to eight peds of another flower. It is thought that this is because the first bush has taken to all of the surrounding nutrients within this range and no other bush can grow within it.

The flower lasts a short time once the tears are born before it begins to die. The summer months bring warmer weather (warm for the plant, but again, not necessarily warm by human standards) and the flower begins to shrink and turn a dark shade of gray color. Much like the tears that turn gray also in the warmth, the plant shrinks and becomes easily broken before falling apart completely.

Myth/Lore/Origins

The snow drake researcher Ihea Miwone first discovered these wondrous flowers during her journey to the island of Kalta'Goor. Her expedition found several of the tear frost flowers in various states of bloom along the mountain sides and shores of the island. Although not a herbalist herself, she was able to bring back a tear to show experts in southern Sarvonia. She was able to convince one such explorer, the gnome botanist Eleanna, to accompany her on an expedition. The gnome was able to bring back more tears and took the opportunity to study the plant in its native habitat. Miwone and Eleanna both observed that the flower grows in greater numbers in drake territory where the drake's droppings were localized. It is thought that the flower uses the droppings as fertilizer. Eleanna was not able to discover any known consumers of the bush as the pinnip seals and drakes are both meat eaters. Perhaps in the higher reaches of the mountain peaks there exists an as of yet unknown plant eating creature that feeds on the bushes.

[Azhira Styralias]

I have yet to devise some myth/lore for my little cold plant, but I am open to comment/suggestions on what I have so far! 

I am no herbariumist and know nothing about Terran plants...so be gentle in your harsh backlashing and flaming, ok?

Depending on the reaction to this, I may or may not be scared away from the greenhouse forever...

[Drúadan]

Problem #1: Have you seen Petros’  Ice Heart? The names are pretty similar and his was proposed first I guess a little while ago, so he gets dibs if he doesn’t feel comfortable with the similarity.

Categorization:

Flowering Shrub
Bushes
You must choose from one of the categories under the herbarium menu. Bushes seems most appropriate IMO…

Basic Overview of the Plant

The Icetear fern has long been considered one of the most beautiful, and rare, plants of Northern Sarvonia. The fern is a small shrub that grows only in extreme cold climates and thrives in frozen soil. Surprisingly, the fern is a very hardy plant, despite its appearance, and can withstand the powerful gusts of blizzard wind that it frequently experiences. The most remarkable aspect of the Icetear fern are its snow white colored stalks and multi-hued blooms of light to deep blue and purple flowers. Once a year, the shrub produces a "fruit", which is a tiny crystalline bulb that resembles a tear, hence the shrub's name.
You mentioned that you are not a plant expert. This had better be ok, cause I’m not one either. I do know a few things though. First, you should know that by Terran def. ferns live in temperate to warm climates and do not flower. You do not have to stick to this, but if we screw with these terran names too much these words such as “fern” or “tree” would be useless except as a general appearance description. Perhaps stick with “shrub”? Only a suggestion though.

Description

The Icetear fern is a small plant that grows very slowly over a period of several months. Its root is a long conical shaped bulb that grows deep within the hardened, frozen soil seeping up nutrients from below the ice line. The root is rough in texture and a dull white in color. The root is hardened and difficult to pull out of its soil. Perhaps some variation in sentence structure from, “Its root”, “The root is”, “The root is”. Just mix up the order of verbs and nouns etc. to make the sentences less repetitive.

Above the surface of the soil line, the fern blossoms into an almost entirely white colored mass of stems. Each stem is also hardy and extremely cold to the touch. A thin layer of fine white dust coats the stems and is released into the air when touched. It is thought by some Ximaxian scholars that this dust is magical in nature and has been known to serve as a reagent for some water and frost spell casting. The dust is difficult to collect however, as it is so fine that the merest breeze blows it away quickly. A fern can grow between thirty to fifty stems per plant.

Each stalk is between two to three palmspans in length and from a half to one nailsbreadth in width at its base becoming thinner towards its outer point. Upon each stalk grows exquisitely beautiful leaves that are entirely translucent in color. Each leaf is smooth as glass, yet has the similar texture of an otherwise green leaf of a temperate climate plant. When examined closely, the leaf contains a complex structure of veins that are a soft blue in color. The rest of the leaf is almost entirely clear and see-through. Each stalk contains only six to seven leaves.
See comment about ferns blooming above

When the fern blooms once per year, typically in the month of Frozen Rivers, the tips of the stems begin to produce a tiny bulb. The bulb is white in color for two weeks before turning a light shade of blue and becoming slightly darker as the bloom progresses. The bloom then produces a delicate flower of eight to ten petals, all ranging in color between blue and purple. The pedals are generally six nailsbreadths in width and length and are triangular in shape. The pedals are also quite tough and chewy when eaten. Some iceland tribes eat the petals when they can find them as they claim they taste sweet and cold.

After two months, the pedals die and fall off the plant. It is then that the plant produces its "fruit". In the center of the now naked bulb, small amounts of tiny crystal-like seeds can be found. They are entirely clear in color and resemble a diamond in shape and are about the size of a child's fingernail. They are very hard as like a pebble, but with enough hand pressure, they can be burst and broken. Also, if kept in a warm environment, the tears will slowly "melt" and become smaller while turning a light shade of gray in color. After a time, if left alone, the Icetear seeds fall off the plant or get blown away in the wind to land elsewhere to reproduce, as explained below.

Territory

The Icetear fern is a delicate looking shrub, but extremely hardy. It grows primarily in very cold climates in permafrost soil. The northern icelands of Sarvonia are the main regions of Icetear fern growth in such regions as the Icelands Coast and surrounding the White Sea. I don’t like the previous sentence. The double use of “region”, and it’s kind’ve run-on IMO. Consider splitting up. The fern will grow in meadows, heaths, mountain sides and most anywhere where the soil is sufficiently cold enough. The fern is not known to grow in warm or temperate climates, preferring permafrost regions. This sentence is redundant considering all you said above.

Another Northern Sarvonian region where the Icetear fern is known to grow is the Wicker Isles. The Himiko tribe especially reveres the fern and some have been known to grow the rare plant in gardens. Which effectively removes their rareness.  The Himiko also enjoy cultivating the Icetear seeds and making exquisite jewelry and fine ornaments from them. The tribe's medicinal healers make use of the stem powder, pedals and seeds in magic reagents as they are the only ice tribe to practice magic of any kind.

Lastly, the far northern reaches of the peninsula of Caaehl'heroth are known to be another home for this cold born plant. Specifically, the Icelands of Aeh'os'th'er'oc are sufficiently cold enough for the fern to grow along the mountain sides and valleys of the area. The nearby island of Kalta'Goor, known as the Isle of the Snow Drake, is also home to the fern. The snow drake researcher Ihea Miwone discovered that the fern grows extensively in areas where the snow drake leaves its droppings. She has theorized that perhaps the fern utilizes the snow drake bodily waste for nutrients and energy. I think nutrients have been voted a “bad word” so to speak. No sufficiently medieval.

Usages

The Icetear fern has a number of uses, both for decorative purposes and for magical ones. The Himiko tribe in the Northern Sarvonian icelands make use of the fern's delicate petal tears for decorative purposes on jewelry, clothing and artwork. Of course, the tear does not remain viable if kept in a warm environment, such as indoors or near a source of heat. When used on jewelry, the tear is wondrously elegant with a natural beauty and luster. Wouldn’t a body’s natural hit be enough to
melt it? Doesn’t work so well as jewelry then…

The tear has also come into common use in recent years as a reagent in the casting of frost based water spells. The tear is cold and hard with a sufficient amount of water and earth ounia to base several frost spells from. Spells such as lance of frost, frostbolt, or icewall can be cast by low level mages with an Icetear reagent. The difficulty of obtaining an Icetear, however, makes its use as a reagent rare as most Ximaxian mages never find their way so far north in their lifetimes. As such, the tear is used as a reagent primarily by the magically inclined Himiko tribe. Didn’t you say in the description it is the dust from the stalk, not the tear, that is the reagent?

Reproduction

The fern possesses a very hard and sharp root system that finds its way into the permafrost soil to feed on nutrients deep below the ice line. The seed falls from the plant and most seeds never germinate as it is not easy to grow in such cold soil. As a result, the Icetear fern is very slow to grow and mature and one will never find an abundant field of them. See my comment on the word “nutrients”. Also, you say it is not easy to grow plants in the cold climate, but you’re looking at this from the point of view of a plant that doesn’t like the cold. This one seems to thrive in it. I’m not being very clear I think.

Once the seed takes root in the ground, the root digs deep for many months, sometimes taking years to fully reach nutrients underground. Once done, the tear begins to grow a white stem until it reaches about a palmspan in height before branching out into many smaller branches. It is during this time that growth and the absorption of nutrients is critical as this is just before the plant grows its transparent leaves. More nutrients in here.

It must be noted that the soil must remain sufficiently cold enough for the fern to grow. Should the ground become too warm (although still quite cold by human standards) the pods will not produce tears.

Icetears are spread by wind or by falling off naturally. Strangely, an Icetear fern will not grow within six to eight peds of another fern. It is thought that this is because the first fern has taken to all of the surrounding nutrients within this range and no other fern can grow within it.

The fern lasts a short time once the tears are born before it begins to die. The summer months bring warmer weather (warm for the fern, but again, not necessarily warm by human standards) and the plant begins to shrink and turn a dark shade of gray color. Much like the tears that turn gray also in the warmth, the plant shrinks and becomes easily broken before falling apart completely.


OK I’m through. Not bad for a first Herbarium entry Az! Some closing remarks.
- Capitalize ALL the “Icetears”. That drove me nuts highlighting them all.
- No Nutrients.
- Good job. You may ask why this is counts as a closing remark. Basically, I look at that entry and there’s a lot of highlighting. When I see that much highlighting I know I get a little frustrated, and you should know that this entry is a lot better than all that highlighting shows. Half of those comments were things outside you’re control, such as Petros’ Ice Heart. I sincerely hope I didn’t scare you away from the herbarium, cause I like to leave that job to Mira. You have to agree, he doesn’t need any help.


  Nice Entry Azhira! I must leave an assessment of the territory and a myth/lore idea to a northern person i'm afraid. But good luck!

[Azhira Styralias]

Thanks, Dru! Your comments are in Yellow. Some items I removed by striking through them.

Still working on a myth/lore section...

[Nsikigan Ho´Tonanese Yourth]

I'll get to this tommorw, Az'! Have a good night, thanks for all the edits!

[Azhira Styralias]

By the way...I am more than welcome to ideas for a new name for this plant...I loved Icetear Fern, but it was similar to the Iceheart cactus, so...blah.

Funny, I can name a billion other things, but not a plant...

[Tharoc Wargrider]

Hello you! Just a few comments for you on your rare trip into the Greenhouse!
In YELLOW

Categorization:

Bush

Basic Overview of the Plant

The Tear frost bush has long been considered one of the most beautiful, and rare, plants of Northern Sarvonia. The bush is a small shrub that grows only in extremely cold climates and thrives in frozen soil. Surprisingly, the bush is a very hardy plant, despite its appearance, and can withstand the powerful gusts of blizzard wind that it frequently experiences. The most remarkable aspects of the tear frost bush are its snow-white coloured stalks and multi-hued blooms of light to deep blue and purple flowers. Once a year, the shrub produces a "fruit", which is a tiny crystalline bulb that resembles a tear, hence the shrub's name.

Description

The tear frost bush is a small plant that grows very slowly over a period of several months. Its root is a long conical shaped bulb that grows deep within the hardened, frozen soil seeping (soaking?) up nutrients (I'm sure I was told when I used this word that we wouldn't understand nutrients in our time)from below the ice line. The root is rough in texture and a dull white in color. It is also quite difficult to pull out of its soil.

Above the surface of the soil line, the bush blossoms into an almost entirely white colored mass of stems. Each stem is also hardy and extremely cold to the touch. A thin layer of fine white dust coats the stems and is released into the air when touched. It is thought by some Ximaxian scholars that this dust is magical in nature and has been known to serve as a reagent for some water and frost spell casting. (Should this go into the Myth/lore section?) The dust is difficult to collect however, as it is so fine that the merest breeze blows it away quickly. A bush can grow between thirty to fifty stems per plant.

Each stalk is between two to three palmspans in length and from a half to one nailsbreadth in width at its base becoming thinner towards its outer point. Upon each stalk grow exquisitely beautiful leaves that are entirely translucent in color.(Perhaps tell us what colour they are, and describe them as being translucent) Each leaf is smooth as glass, yet has the similar texture of an otherwise green leaf of a temperate climate plant. When examined closely, the leaf contains a complex structure of veins that are a soft blue in color. The rest of the leaf is almost entirely clear and see-through. Each stalk contains only six to seven leaves.

When the bush blooms (, which it does) once per year, typically in the month of Frozen Rivers, the tips of each stem begin to produce a tiny bulb. The bulb is white in color for two weeks before turning a light shade of blue and becoming slightly darker as the bloom progresses. The bloom then produces a delicate flower of eight to ten petals, all ranging in color between blue and purple. The petals are generally six nailsbreadths in width and length and are triangular in shape. The petals are also quite tough and chewy when eaten. Some iceland tribes eat the petals when they can find them as they claim they taste sweet and cold.

After two months, the petals die and fall off the plant. It is then that the plant produces its "fruit". In the center of the now naked bulb, small amounts of tiny crystal-like seeds can be found. They are entirely clear in color (Clear isn't a colour) and resemble a diamond in shape and are about the size of a child's fingernail. They are very hard, like a pebble, but with enough hand pressure, they can be burst and broken. Also, if kept in a warm environment, the tears will slowly "melt" and become smaller while turning a light shade of gray in color. After a time, if left alone, the Tear frost seeds fall off the plant or get blown away in the wind to land elsewhere to reproduce, as explained below.

Territory

The Tear frost bush is a delicate looking shrub, but extremely hardy. It grows primarily in very cold climates in permafrost soil. The northern icelands of Sarvonia, such as the Icelands Coast and the White Sea, are excellent places to find this plant. The bush will grow in meadows, heaths, mountain sides and most anywhere where the soil is sufficiently cold enough. The bush is not known to grow in warm or temperate climates, preferring permafrost regions. (And who can blame it, I say!)

Another Northern Sarvonian region where the Tear frost bush is known to grow is the Wicker Isles. The Himiko tribe especially reveres the bush and some have been known to grow the rare plant in outdoor gardens. The Himiko also enjoy cultivating the Tear frost seeds and making exquisite ornaments from them. The tribe's medicinal healers make use of the stem's powder, pedals and seeds in magic reagents as they are the only ice tribe to practice magic of any kind.

Lastly, the far northern reaches of the peninsula of Caaehl'heroth are known to be another home for this cold born plant. Specifically, the Icelands of Aeh'os'th'er'oc are sufficiently cold enough for the bush to grow along the mountain sides and valleys of the area. The nearby island of Kalta'Goor, known as the Isle of the Snow Drake, is also home to the bush. The Snow Drake researcher Ihea Miwone discovered that the bush grows extensively in areas where the Snow Drake leaves its droppings. She has theorized that perhaps the bush utilizes the Snow Drake bodily waste for food and energy. (I'm not too sure about 'bodily wastes' or 'energy' as acceptable terms?)

Usages

The Tear Frost bush has a number of uses, both for decorative purposes and for magical ones. The Himiko tribe in the Northern Sarvonian icelands make use of the bush's delicate petal tears for decorative purposes on jewelry, clothing and artwork. Of course, the tear does not remain viable (Again, not too sure on this word) if kept in a warm environment, such as indoors or near a source of heat. When used on jewelry, the tear is wondrously elegant with a natural beauty and lustre.(Perhaps they make a delightful tinkling sound as they rub together?)

The tear has also come into common use in recent years as a reagent in the casting of frost based water spells. The tear is cold and hard with a sufficient amount of water and earth ounia to base several frost spells from. Spells such as lance of frost, frostbolt, or icewall can be cast by low level mages with an Tear Frost reagent. The difficulty of obtaining a tear, however, makes its use as a reagent rare as most Ximaxian mages never find their way so far north in their lifetimes. As such, the tear is used as a reagent primarily by the magically inclined Himiko tribe. (Being an absolute dunce when it comes to magic, I hesitate to say that 'reagent' is a word we would use in medieval times. But I could be wrong! *Waits for furious backlash from high-level mages across the land)

Reproduction

The bush possesses a very hard and sharp root system that finds its way into the permafrost soil to feed on nutrients (its goodness?) deep below the ice line. The seed falls from the plant and begins by slowly pushing its way down into the soil. How does it do that? As a result, the Tear Frost bush is very slow to grow and mature and one will never find a naturally abundant field of them. The Himiko tribe, however, has cultivated their soil especially for growing the bush, although it still takes many months for even a (modest) garden of Tear Frost bushes to grow.

Once the seed takes root in the ground, the root digs deep for many months, sometimes taking years to fully reach nutrients (ample goodness?) underground. Once done, the tear begins to grow a white stem until it reaches about a palmspan in height before branching out into many smaller branches. (To many branches in one sentence, if you ask me!) It is during this time that growth and the absorption (gathering?) of food is critical as this is just before the plant grows its transparent leaves.

It must be noted that the soil must remain sufficiently cold enough for the bush to grow. Should the ground become too warm (although still quite cold by human standards) the pods will not produce tears.

The tears are spread by wind or by falling off naturally. Strangely, a Tear Frost bush will not grow within six to eight peds of another bush. It is thought that this is because the first bush has taken to (delete this) all of the surrounding nutrients (goodness?) within this range and no other bush can grow within it.

The bush lasts a short time once the tears are born before it begins to die. (How long?) The summer months bring warmer weather (warm for the bush, but again, not necessarily warm by human standards) and the plant begins to shrink and turn a dark shade of gray color (delete this). Much like the tears that turn gray also in the warmth, the plant shrinks and becomes easily broken before falling apart completely.

Myth/Lore/Origins


Well, there you go! Feel free to ignore any of the above if you feel I've been a bit picky. It feels strange commenting on someones work when they are infinately more experienced in the Dream than I am! Still, you've gotta start somewhere.

I'm impressed, BTW, a very interesting plant and very well described. I'll make a gardener out of you yet!

[Miraran Tehuriden]

Az, let me know when you've implemented Tharocs ideas so i can give you a read-through myself

[Azhira Styralias]

Please! For the love of all things green and beautiful!

Will someone help me with some names for this plant? I'm stuck! I can't finish this entry without a decent name. 

So where is this Dream Teamwork I keep hearing about...

[Alysse the Likely]

Umm...don't you HAVE a name for it?  Do you just really hate "Tear Frost Bush" and want something better?  Or are you looking for some alternate names?

Perhaps call it "Frozen Tears"?  After all, we have weirder plant names in RL ("Sweet William", "Bleeding Heart", "Dutchmen's Breeches and "Love-in-idleness" come to mind as examples)

Other possibilities:

"Weepfruit"

"[name of person]'s Tears"  (you could make up a short myth about a Himiko woman who experienced a great sorrow and died of grief and this plant sprang up from her grave...something like that.  Be good for the Lore section)

"Ice Leaf" (as they wouldn't know "glass" in this cold a climate)

"Jewelfruit" (since it's used as adornment)

Does that help?

Alysse

[Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels]

Hi Azhira, I'm not really back yet, but I saw your submissionon top and skimmed over it - and  I don't have to tidy up when drinking my morning coffee, right?

So a few comments only.

When reading through it I had the impression we need to clear up one thing first: How warm will it be in summer in the Iceland region (and Wicker Islands) in summer and especially how much will the soil thaw.

When we first talked about these regions (long ago) I was told, that the Wicker Islands are always and completely covered with snow, so I designed the Himiko to meet these requirements (in my notes). Later it seems the area got warmer. :p

I still imagine these very northern areas in the east to have not only  permafrost, but that the soil never really thaws (because it is covered with snow), maybe only a few nailsbredth in places near a warm spot. So, where does your bush grow, in soil which is entirely frozen all the time? The overview says yes







Categorization:

Bush

Basic Overview of the Plant

The tear frost bush has long been considered one of the most beautiful, and rare, plants of Northern Sarvonia. The bush is a small shrub that grows only in extreme cold climates and thrives in frozen soil. Surprisingly, the bush is a very hardy plant, despite its appearance, and can withstand the powerful gusts of blizzard wind that it frequently experiences. The most remarkable aspect of the tear frost bush are its snow white colored stalks and multi-hued blooms of light to deep blue and purple flowers. Once a year, the shrub produces a "fruit", which is a tiny crystalline bulb that resembles a tear, hence the shrub's name.

Description

The tear frost bush is a small plant that grows very slowly over a period of several months.
That is very quick given the circumstances. A conifer needs 20 years to grow a cm or so, maybe you should slow down all times, I would propose it needs several years to grow and have the fruits only, say, every seventh year - or even much rarer? It is a characteristic of the cold regions that all growing takes ages
 Its root is a long conical shaped bulb that grows deep within the hardened, frozen soil seeping up nutrients from below the ice line. The root is rough in texture and a dull white in color. It is also quite difficult to pull out of its soil. I would say, not at all, but that you have either dig it out or the stalks will separate from the roots.   

Above the surface of the soil line, the bush blossoms into an almost entirely white colored mass of stems. Each stem is also hardy and extremely cold to the touch. And flexible, not rigid, so that it can bend in the hard wind)  A thin layer of fine white dust coats the stems and is released into the air when touched. It is thought by some Ximaxian scholars that this dust is magical in nature and has been known to serve as a reagent for some water and frost spell casting. The dust is difficult to collect however, as it is so fine that the merest breeze blows it away quickly. A bush can grow between thirty to fifty stems per plant.

Each stalk is between two to three palmspans in length and from a half to one nailsbreadth in width at its base becoming thinner towards its outer point. Upon each stalk grows exquisitely beautiful leaves that are entirely translucent in color. Each leaf is smooth as glass, yet has the similar texture of an otherwise green leaf of a temperate climate plant. When examined closely, the leaf contains a complex structure of veins that are a soft blue in color. The rest of the leaf is almost entirely clear and see-through. Each stalk contains only six to seven leaves.
Lovely! 

When the bush blooms once per year   make it more rare, see above! , typically in the month of Frozen Rivers, the tips of the stems begin to produce a tiny bulb. The bulb is white in color for two weeks before turning a light shade of blue and becoming slightly darker as the bloom progresses. The bloom then produces a delicate flower of eight to ten petals, all ranging in color between blue and purple. The pedals are generally six nailsbreadths in width and length and are triangular in shape. That's quite big for cold climates, would make 12 nailsbredth in diameter! The pedals are also quite tough and chewy when eaten. Some iceland tribes eat the petals when they can find them as they claim they taste sweet and cold.
That's now just my 'feeling': Don't make them chewy, that does not fit. I imagined them on the tongue like a bit of flavoured waterice which gets somehow soft while having it in the mouth and which melts finally away, leaving a  kind of 'net' structure back on the tongue which can be used otherwise, or is bitter, or can be used as ornamental embroidery on leather, or contains a colour.. 

Does the bloom only open in sunshine (wait for it??) Does it close again when a storm comes up? Or does it bloom at night?

After two months, Ah, that is so boring, two months, let it bloom over the summer, when it is a bit warmer up there and produce the fruit in autumn. Maybe it needs a certain amount of sunlight to bloom, so when it is a bad year it doesn't? Or maybe there is a (relative) abundance of these flowers during a "hot" summer (=much sunlight)  the pedals die and fall off the plant. It is then that the plant produces its "fruit". In the center of the now naked bulb    How big?), small amounts of tiny crystal-like seeds can be found. They are entirely clear in color and resemble a diamond in shape and are about the size of a child's fingernail.   The seeds or the bulb?) They are very hard as like a pebble, but with enough hand pressure, they can be burst and broken. Also, if kept in a warm environment, the tears will slowly "melt" and become smaller while turning a light shade of gray in color. After a time, if left alone, the tear frost seeds fall off the plant or get blown away in the wind to land elsewhere to reproduce, as explained below.
Blown away? Are they so light? Maybe describe that the  bulb slowly opens and that the still somewhat sticky seeds are blown away from the bulb. Or the Hruckchuck  mice eat them and carry them away, being not digestible.

Territory

The tear frost bush is a delicate looking shrub, but extremely hardy. It grows primarily in very cold climates in permafrost soil. Permafrost thaws on the surface, so where do they grow?  The northern icelands of Sarvonia, such as the Icelands Coast and the White Sea, are excellent places to find this plant. The bush will grow in meadows, heaths, mountain sides and most anywhere where the soil is sufficiently cold enough. The bush is not known to grow in warm or temperate climates, preferring permafrost regions.
So it grows in areas without snow as well? Where the soil thaws? 

Another Northern Sarvonian region where the tear frost bush is known to grow is the Wicker Isles. The Himiko tribe especially reveres the bush and some have been known to grow the rare plant in outdoor gardens.
Eh, no, no outdoor gardens, no cultivating, they are nomads, living in snowhouses and moving around! But revering, yes, see myth 
 The Himiko also enjoy cultivating the tear frost seeds and making exquisite ornaments from them. The tribe's medicinal healers make use of the stem's powder, pedals and seeds in magic reagents as they are the only ice tribe to practice magic of any kind.

The ornamenting things is cool, but not clothes.. *thinks*, I have to invent a antechaber where they store their outdoor clothes which is cold enough.. Maybe they use it for ceremonial purposes, for death rituals.. 

Lastly, the far northern reaches of the peninsula of Caaehl'heroth are known to be another home for this cold born plant. Specifically, the Icelands of Aeh'os'th'er'oc are sufficiently cold enough for the bush to grow along the mountain sides and valleys of the area. The nearby island of Kalta'Goor, known as the Isle of the Snow Drake, is also home to the bush. The snow drake researcher Ihea Miwone discovered that the bush grows extensively in areas where the snow drake leaves its droppings. She has theorized that perhaps the bush utilizes the snow drake bodily waste for food and energy.

Usages

The tear frost bush has a number of uses, both for decorative purposes and for magical ones. The Himiko tribe in the Northern Sarvonian icelands make use of the bush's delicate petal tears for decorative purposes on jewelry, clothing and artwork. Of course, the tear does not remain viable if kept in a warm environment, such as indoors or near a source of heat. When used on jewelry, the tear is wondrously elegant with a natural beauty and luster.

The tear has also come into common use in recent years as a reagent in the casting of frost based water spells. The tear is cold and hard with a sufficient amount of water and earth ounia to base several frost spells from. Spells such as lance of frost, frostbolt, or icewall can be cast by low level mages with an tear frost reagent. The difficulty of obtaining a tear, however, makes its use as a reagent rare as most Ximaxian mages never find their way so far north in their lifetimes. As such, the tear is used as a reagent primarily by the magically inclined Himiko tribe.

Reproduction

The bush possesses a very hard and sharp root system that finds its way into the permafrost soil to feed on nutrients deep below the ice line. The seed falls from the plant and begins by slowly pushing its way down into the soil. As a result, the tear frost bush is very slow to grow and mature and one will never find a naturally abundant field of them. The Himiko tribe, however, has cultivated their soil especially for growing the bush, although it still takes many months for even a garden of tear frost bushes to grow.
See above; the Himiko would not prepare a soil, but maybe  *thinks again* , yes, they do have burial sides for special tribe members where they throw seeds in the hope, that the bushes will grow. So these could be places to see more than one bush in one place.   

Once the seed takes root in the ground, the root digs deep for many months, sometimes taking years to fully reach nutrients underground. Once done, the tear begins to grow a white stem until it reaches about a palmspan in height before branching out into many smaller branches. It is during this time that growth and the absorption of food is critical as this is just before the plant grows its transparent leaves.

It must be noted that the soil must remain sufficiently cold enough for the bush to grow. Should the ground become too warm (although still quite cold by human standards) the pods will not produce tears.

The tears are spread by wind or by falling off naturally. Strangely, an tear frost bush will not grow within six to eight peds of another bush. It is thought that this is because the first bush has taken to all of the surrounding nutrients within this range and no other bush can grow within it.

The bush lasts a short time once the tears are born before it begins to die. The summer months bring warmer weather (warm for the bush, but again, not necessarily warm by human standards) and the plant begins to shrink and turn a dark shade of gray color. Much like the tears that turn gray also in the warmth, the plant shrinks and becomes easily broken before falling apart completely.

I did not realise it grows in winter - maybe make it clearer, that the growing time depends on where it grows - it is faster in a annual cycle in "warmer" areas and takes longer, as suggested above, where snow covers the ground all year long.   


Myth/Lore:
I thought to base Himiko belief very roughly on the Santharian gods, for they are different from the rest of the icetribes and may have different origins, came on a different  from the south. BUT, the main goddess has changed drastically. It will be a double faced goddess, representing  the moon and with him/her ice, coldness, snow AND the sun with live/warmth etc. She will be an image of the Wicker islands as well with snow which covers the land all time, but due to volcanism with warm waterlakes and springs inside the mountains as well. I don't know her name yet (Ima/Ami), have to search out my notes first. But your bush could be a representative somehow, with the blue shaded flowers for the cold aspects and the purple for the hot aspects. Maybe the interior of the petals when eaten have a hot(sharp) component? So if we have a name for this goddess, the bush could be name after her. I wanted to have a name which fits to the Himiko and which you can flip around like Ami/Ima for the two aspects... Help!


Did I say, I love tis plant, it is so cool!

Break fast done, back to work...

[Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels]

Look, what I found in my old notes:


Himiko Gods

Anua, First One, the doublefaced goddess, the goddess of fire and ice, of live and death, creator and destroyer, goddess of volcanos as well as the warm springs and ponds in the caves, goddess of the soft snow and sharp ice.

genderless/both genders

Groar,(Grothar) the god of the weather, of the storms and the upbreaking ice in spring, god of thunder and lightning, currents
{animal: big white bird}

Sella (Seyella), goddess of destiny, the goddess who enables the „seeing“ of the gifted ones . merciless as..

Nirra: (Arvin - Nivra - Nirra) goddess of hunt, preserver of the oecological equilibrum, goddess of the animals

Jerra: (Jeyriall) The old/young woman, the goddess of fertility, of birth and renewal, goddess of healing

Revol: (Lover) The old/young man, god of love, worshipped by both genders, but seen as the god for the men especially. (Love and jealousy)

[Bard Judith]

I love the dual goddess idea AND the names, which express that nature so well  ('Ima', or 'Ina' sounds sharper and colder, while 'Ami', with its suggestion of 'love', or 'Ani', has a maternal, warm sound to it...)

[Azhira Styralias]

@ Alysse - That's a great lore idea! That gives me some inspiration to create a myth perhaps concerning a Himiko priestess of Anua who perhaps died of grief, or lost her faith, and her tears fell to form the bush. Wonderful! 

@ Talia - I am so glad you happened by and gave me some Himiko details. It is exactly what I needed. I think I'll name the bush "Anua's Tears". But should I call it a bush? Is there another name for bush? It's not a vine, or fern...I'll use bush if I have to, but it doesn't fit to me.

Oh well! I have a name and lore idea and that's what I needed! Thanks, ladies. 

[Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels]

*laughs*

Good that you like it, Azhira, but I was not yet done with choosing the name. Anua is nice, but cannot be turned around like Ima/Ami or Ina/Ani. I still need a day to decide upon that. Anuas tears won't fit either, at least I have no idea yet, why this god/goddess should cry. No will Alysse's idea work with the Himiko, for they don't bury their dead. Maybe with one of the other icetribes? Don#t recall right now how they are doing it.
However, the bush is related somehow to the goddess, but I need another couple of days to set my mind working on this. (The Himiko did not occupy my thoughts lately)

How does Amih/Hima sound? Or Hina(frost/death)/Anih(Fire, Life..)
Hîna/Ânih

Amíh/Híma (-->Hima-iko)
Maybe I come up with a myth so that Anua's Tears would fit, but you need a more common non-Himiko name as well

Icetears, Frosttears  - an Iceland's shrub (you don't need "bush" in your name, everybody up in the north will know, what you mean when saying Icetears)

...  and again back to getting done with the aftermaths of a holiday.

Or take another language: Lacrima (Lacrimosa =full of tears)

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Last 10 Shouts: Seeker Yesterday at 07:41:35 Are Shabby and Dek the same person in my mind.  Strange. Artimidor Federkiel 20 May 2012, 10:38:19 Ah yes, forgot to point out to Shabakuk that Chapter 5 is ready for testing - will do so now! Deklitch Hardin 18 May 2012, 09:35:51 I am pleased it is going well for you though Seeker ... can't wait to try it and die. Deklitch Hardin 18 May 2012, 09:35:13 No, I didn't Seeker. I think it is Master Anfang who is doing the testing Seeker 18 May 2012, 08:30:42 Dek-   shoals is going very well.  Art is starting on chapter 6. A very important chapter.  Did you test chapter 5? Valan Nonesuch 15 May 2012, 05:41:48 *Valan filches some parchments from around the corners of the pile before sauntering off attempting to look casual and tripping over the hem of his robes.* Bard Judith 14 May 2012, 07:33:29 Waiiiiiit!   (Bard staggers back with a pile of Unfinished Projects so high her arms are trembling)  Let me stuff mine in there before you lock the room!  *looks guiltily around and snatches the Quenyss parchment off the top of the stack* Deklitch Hardin 13 May 2012, 08:12:31 and throw the key into the deepest river we can find, or the midst of one of the volcanoes Altario Shialt-eck-Gorrin 13 May 2012, 03:19:29 Then I say we lock the Unfinished Projects room.  If Arti ever gets in there.... big trouble. Deklitch Hardin 13 May 2012, 02:54:30 I'm amazed you can see the Altario projects pile considering it is dwarfed by my unfinished projects. For which I apologise.

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