Some say its a freak of nature. Some say its pure evil. Well I say, "It's just a poisonous flower for Santhros' sake." This deadly herb is used widely by assassins. The Wild Rose or "Death Rose" is exactly what it sounds like. It is a black rose that contains a deadly poison. This ghastly flora was the result of various experiments done by the insane Delberath, a gnomish mage. By some strange accident, he happened upon a way to combine the essence of multiple living things. He paid for this knowledge with his sanity, and opted to create a home for himself in the Shivering Woods, which is located in the upper part of Southern Sarvonia. The Wild Rose is also known as "Nightweed", "Deathweed", "Demon Flower" or "Death Rose".

Image description. The deadly Wild Rose, also commonly known as "Death Rose" or "Nightweed". Drawn by Seeker.

Appearance. The Wild Rose is not a plant to trifle with, said to be one of the most deadliest plants in Southern Sarvonia. Its roots have a rather spidery appearance, going much deeper into the ground that the size of the plant might suggest. A heavenly cyhalloian snow in colour, they seem to be the only part of the plant that is not deadly.

Above the soil you might find that the appearance of the plant belies the title 'rose'. The Wild Rose usually produces four to six plants at one time, all stemming from one seed and set of roots, and it usually grows to around one fore. Its stem is an undesirable sickly brown in colour with rather large ithild hued thorns, which serves as a warning as it contains the most potent of poisons that the plant possesses, which also spreads into the two shriveled styruine coloured leaves on each side of the stem of each individual flower. This poison can be injected into the blood through the flower's thorns and is a rather painful way to perish, being as it seems to eat away at your blood and rather slowly at that. During the War of the Blood, it was a favourite torture method of elven jailers. It was used on disobedient prisoners.

Further up on the plant you would find its uncanny flower. This flower possesses a cold, terrible beauty that alludes to the dangers that it possesses. In the warmer months, the flower will turn a rich shade of nor'sidian. This is when the poison inside of the flower becomes active. Unlike the poison in the stem, this is an extremely potent anaesthetic, putting an average-sized human to sleep for at least two days, and has the potential to put smaller creatures (such as Brownies) into a comatose state for several weeks, or even kill them given a high enough dosage. However, in the colder months, the flower turns a light shade of barsa dusk. During this time, two things happen. The first is that the flower will stop producing its poison, and the remaining poison will then be broken down by various chemicals that the flower releases. The second is that the rose will close up, appearing to become a large version of its bud. During this time, many will clip the flower from its stem and preserve it by pressing it between the pages of a book.

Territory. The Wild Rose is only found in the upper areas of Southern Sarvonia (namely the Shivering Woods and the Vontron Forest), where it is actually a rather commonly known plant. It is known to thrive on warm weather, though it distinctly prefers and may only open in the shade. The Wild Rose usually resides in forests, growing in moist, shady areas because more than the bare minimum of sunlight that is found in a shady forest area will kill this plant.

Usages. The main use for the Wild Rose is that of its poison by assassins or other crafty warriors. It is perfect for dipping weapons into, or planting into someone's evening tea or milk, as it is tasteless and contains a natural reagent that wards against rust. Some provinces use this poison as a method of execution. Usually it is used on those who have committed outrageous crimes, such as murder or treason. It is rather fitting because of its slow and painful death. Some healers have utilized the flowers anaesthetic solution in order to put patients to sleep or help with pain.

Reproduction. This plant has a peculiar way of reproduction. It's roots spring up from the ground and lurk ominously. Once an unlucky animal comes along, it ensnares it with its roots. It then drags the unfortunate creature to it, where it secretes its deadly poison onto the animal. By the time the plant is ready for this procedure, its poison has matured to the point that contact with the skin is enough to kill. The poison then eats away quickly at the animal, acting as an acid. It takes three days at the most to do its job. As it dissolves the animal, it releases tiny seeds into the carcass that later dissolve into the ground once the procedure is completed. The original plant will then die, leaving four to six more in its wake.

Origin. This plant is believed to have been created by the insane experimenter, Delberath. Delberath was one of the few gnomes that opt to become Ximaxian mages. His particular areas of expertise were the arts of summoning and demonology. During one of his standard summonings, he accidentally fused a chasm demon with a sacrificial Carthasian bear. The new creation attacked him, and successfully drove him insane before he was able to exterminate it. He elected to stay at the Academy, despite having been offered a full tuition refund upon leaving, and continued his studies. When he eventually left twenty years later, he took his research with him into the Shivering Woods.

In his experiments of merging essence, he merged two plants together: The nightshade bush, and the common rose. This resulted in what is now known as the Wild Rose. It quickly spread throughout the Shivering Woods, and has been spread by the Criminals Underground into the forests mentioned above. It is believed that this could be a deciding factor in his death.

Myth/Lore. This plant is said to be sacred to Queprur, the Aviarian Goddess of Death. As it causes death on a number of levels, it is only fitting that it fall under her jurisdiction. Some elves say that she was the one that influenced Delberath to create this ghastly flower. Needless to say, it is a must-have for some of her followers, and some even cultivate them in private gardens, or even in damp cellars.

Long ago, this flower was once used to end the lives of heartbroken maidens who had been rejected or scorned. The famous Monsonius composed a rather dreary poem, telling of a young maiden who was once scorned by a handsome young noble, and in fact used the flower to exact her revenge. It was, in fact, one of his most early writings.

23rd Fallen Leaf 1671 a.S. Information provided by Eldor Delrossa and Xenos Ravenbeack