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The beautiful Chrysant Flower was once one of the most populous flowers of Hadar. The plant commonly grew in southern Hadar and appeared as an important part of Nessrassian festivals and Allar traditions across the island groups. By the time the Chrysant War had come to an end however, the flower was transformed into a symbol of victory for the Regalian Empire and a painful reminder of the past for the Allar and Slizzar. To this day, the Regalian Empire proudly uses the flower as a constant reminder of their victory, despite the fact that the Regalians nearly drove the flower to extinction following the war.
| Chrysant Flower | |
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| Flora | |
| Official Name | Chrysant Flower |
| Common Name | Zsatrilso Malass, Karidssa’s Blessing |
| Classification | Flower |
| Common Use | Religious |
| Origins | Southern Hadar |
| Habitat | Jungles, coastlines |
History
Chrysant Flowers appear early in the history of Hadar. Elven texts described the plant and mention how the Slizzar often associated it with their goddess Karidssa to make them look more beautiful. This was only partly true as the real reason worshipers of Karidssa wore smaller, metal of the plant was to distract their targets. While the Elves eventually departed, this tradition continued for years. The Allar became seduced by followers of the flower. The then Essa Empire flew it on their flag as a general symbol of beauty and refinement, as well as their inner peace. The flower became so profound in popular culture that even simple wood carved plates and Slizzar slippers had images of Chrysant Flowers painted or embroidered on them. Then the Chrysant War came in 286 AC and ended most traditional practices and the pseudo worship of the flower.
Regalian commanders quickly saw an attempt to harm the Slizzar morale, openly destroying the flowers where they could and taking the decorative imitations as trophies. At the end of the war, the Regalian commanders made a decision to harvest what flowers remained in the south and return to Regalia with them as a symbolic form of victory over the Essa Empire. They named the war after the flower to mock the Allar and Slizzar over their defeat, leading to rumors among the soldiers saying the war was fought purely for the flowers. The flower then went virtually extinct all across Hadar, only small floating colonies remaining in Sassrakand, the ruins of the old Slizzar capital. A combination of Regalians, not knowing how to properly handle the flower when extracting it, and pure naval destruction, eradicated all other floral colonies.
Appearance
Chrysant Flowers are quite large, with a diameter of 80 centimeters at most, though small ones occur as well. The flower crown grows on a rather rigid stalk, reaching up to 4 meters into the water below.. The flower itself has a small white core that blossoms out into many overlapping petals around the flower that almost forms a circle due to the slight layering, each layer more strongly and darker blue than the previous. The flower only blossoms at night, in direct moonlight, and is often incredibly tender. It often wilts as soon as it is plucked, if taken during the day, and during the night requires constant contact with water to remain fresh. When it is removed from the stalk and kept in a small bath of water, it will remain flowery for a full week, in which the petals colors will shift from blue to purple and finally intense red just a day before they rot away.
Uses and Abilities
Due to the flower having disappeared from common waters around Hadar, most conventional uses have passed into folklore. In Sassrakand, the flower is purely used to augment the Slizzar rituals still performed among the ruins of their once great capital. Legend has it that the core of the purple blossoming Chrysant Flower is an ingredient of a longevity potion, but such rumors have never been confirmed. The petals however do have a pleasant blossomy/sweet flavor to them when eaten raw, but will immediately turn foul when coming into contact with any fire or hot metal.
Trivia
- At the most recent anniversary of the war in Regalia, there were several Imperial vessels designated specific to go out, collect and then carry the plants back to the capital city for the festivities.
- Chrysant Flowers were often used by Allar during wedding ceremonies where whole Allar dresses were made of Chrysant Petals due to their size. This practice went out of use when the Chrysant flower almost died out.
- A Regalian scholar has managed to produce a Chrysant hybrid mixed with various other plants such as curiously, a strawberry plant. This Chrysant hybrid can be harvested and stays good for longer, however is always considered inferior as it has a very dull yellow color.
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