Black Orchid: Difference between revisions

From MassiveCraft Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
Line 56: Line 56:
*Written by [[User:The_Shadow_King3|The_Shadow_King3]].
*Written by [[User:The_Shadow_King3|The_Shadow_King3]].
*Art by [[user:Lithiel_Everlast|Lithiel_Everlast]].
*Art by [[user:Lithiel_Everlast|Lithiel_Everlast]].
*Processed by [[User:Shayin |Shayin ]], [[User:Plecy|Plecy]] and [[User:Levers|Levers]].
*Processed by [[User:Shayin|Shayin]], [[User:Plecy|Plecy]] and [[User:Levers|Levers]].
[[category:flora]]
[[category:flora]]

Revision as of 22:16, 11 February 2015

Black Orchid
BlackOrchid.png
Official Name: Black Orchid.
Common Name: N/A
Classification: Flower.
Common Use: Aesthetic and religious.
Habitat: The forests of Kilika.
Origins: Ancient.

The black orchid is a flower that has long been a part of the Kilika culture and the Church of Gestalt for the beliefs behind its colour and purpose. Once thought to be a bad omen or the cause of many a traveler’s misfortune, the religion of Gestalt has accepted it into their mythos as a plant that warns of the end of days.

Origins

Found in the few forests that lay in Kilika, the black orchid has been a part of Kilika’s history as far as anyone can remember. It was originally seen as a vile and evil flower due to its color and the superstitious belief that they would bring bad luck upon those who saw or ran into them. This began to change however after it was encountered by several explorers and merchants who noted that soon after seeing the flower growing at the side of the path their party fell into trouble and a life was lost due to a hidden cliff face. Some people pointed out that perhaps the flower was actually a warning of danger and not the cause.

However, real change in the perception of the plant came much later. A reputable healer was in the forest searching for herbs to help heal the soldiers of his patron noblemen when he came across the flower. He saw the herbs he was looking for on the other side of the patch of orchids and walked through. Yet he suddenly tripped on something in the patch and found himself looking over the edge of a vertical cave entrance. He claimed the plant saved his life and that they warned of danger. The Church of Gestalt worked this into their belief system concerning Kanda in their early days, saying that if the plant began to grow in vast excess, Kanda will not be far off. As such, the flower has been uprooted from its native habitat of the forest and placed in Kilika noblemen’s gardens and close to churches of the faith to warn them of the danger.

Etymology

Originally called the “shadow flower,” its name was changed to “bat orchid” once tradesmen brought specimens of the normal white, pale yellow, and purple types. The “bat” portion came about due to the belief in the region that bats can see dangers even though they live in the dark. It was then changed again to “black orchid” to still keep a reference of its obvious colour once it was adopted by the Church as an apparent early warning sign of the end of the world.

Primary Use

If the leaves of the flower are picked off and dried, it can be made into a tea thought by the Church of Gestalt to give the foresight and good judgement, while in fact it does nothing but taste sweet. Some churches also grind it up into a near powder and throw it into onto their bread. This is also said to give the eater the same effect as the tea but very few people actually believe that.

  • Apart from religious assumptions based on its apparent “power,” the tea in fact does nothing to Human races.
  • The Church assumed that because the flower is a warning of danger, it will pass on the power of better sight for upcoming dangers to those who consume it as a tea.
  • There are also no known effects to other races of Aloria.
  • Combined with some mint, the tea helps somewhat with digestion issues, although this is not widely known. Only certain botanists or tea masters would know about this effect.

Trivia

  • A vast number of shadow orchids were once given as a gift to the Regalian Emperor in 259 AC. It is not known what he did with the shipment yet some think it was burned because none of the flowers made it into the Imperial Palace Garden or any other location.
  • As the Church of Gestalt might think the flower as a herald of the end, they wish to be assured that Kilika are the first to be warned of the end whenever it comes and as such has restricted the shipment of these flowers. As such, few specimens exist elsewhere in Aloria.
Name Appearance Habitat
Shadow Orchid. A 7-17 cm wide flower with four to six black petals and a violet center in the shape of the bell of a horn that grow in small clusters. The Black Orchid grows in Kilika, normally around the forests of the island.

Accreditation