The Nightshimmer Vine is a single broad-leafed climbing vine found throughout the whole world of Caelereth. It is also sometimes called "Nimbus Flower" or "Mooncharm" when referred by its flowers.

Image description. A typical Nightshimmer Vine growing around a Urban Tree. Picture drawn by Faugar.

Appearance. The Nightshimmer is a single broad-leafed climbing vine. It will attach itself to any tree twining around climbing for the branches. It will run along the lowest branches until it reaches their ends, at which point it stops. Here the Nightshimmer will drop looping tendrils half a ped long laterally along these branches. The leaves, growing alternately along the vine, are a dark green, tear-shaped and a palmspan across. Two opposing concentric rings of five tear-shaped petals opening outward form the flower, which has several long stamens projecting from the center. The entire flower is a dull white and proliferates along the branch and looping tendrils. The flowers all open at the same time and bloom for seven days, then they and the entire plant dies. Before the flowers of the Nightshimmer open, it resembles any common climber and is often overlooked.

Special Abilities. It is at night when this vine becomes other than what it appears. The flowers give off a milky white radiance that seems almost translucent. Just a breath of a wind and the flowers start a lazy kind of shimmering, shivering dance. This movement has a very hypnotic quality about it. The flowers also emit a very strong fragrance that seems to have an addictive quality. A person caught by the fragrance and shimmering light will not leave until the flowers die. During the day a person seems to still have lingering affects and often just sits under the flowers or falls into an exhausted sleep, only to awake and be caught again. Often a person who has been captivated for too long will become too weak to move and die from lack of food and water.

Territory. The Nightshimmer Vine has been found in forests on every continent of Caelereth. It never seems to reappear in the same area.

Usages. There are no known uses for this vine. There are rumors that an extremely skilled herbalist can use the petals to produce clairvoyant dreams. Supposedly, given at bedtime, a person will have one or more clairvoyant dreams. It is not clear if the petals are added to a tea or brewed as a tea. It is also not clear how many are needed to produce these dreams.

Myth/Lore. There are persistent stories from many different cultures about this vine. Every story seems to agree to the same basic idea, although told a little differently in each culture. The main theme is this: A vine once grew beside a tiny village and when the flowers opened the entire village became entrance. The villagers sat under these blooms for seven nights and seven days and were still sitting there when some men from a neighboring village found them. At first it was thought they were assembled for a town meeting. Upon closer inspection they were found to be quite dead, but all seemed to have a smile upon their faces.

A study of records has yet to produce any mentioned village on any known map, history texts, trade routes or tax records. It is most likely a story used to tell children. With the purpose, to frighten them into better behavior of course.