Creepers

This scene was captured by a Slender academic who stumbled upon the vestiges of a civilization when en route to the west. The scholar noted the location of the passageway, with plans to study the ruins in greater detail on their return trip. It was the last view any Lumian had of the abandoned city of mountain spires before the vines sealed the passage shut. Who can guess what else may lie buried beneath Lume's verdant vegetation?

The Flora of Lume

When describing the life on our fantastic continent, it is difficult to draw a distinct line between flora, fauna, and fungi. Any venture into the chimerical vegetation should begin with the prosperous Creeper vines.

Creepers

A genus of fast-growing runners found across Lume, the Creeper progenator was developed by the Deumana to replenish the landscape devastated by their large-scale land engineering. The cycles since has seen these versatile vines adapt to many available niches. In addition to their widespread success, both the Druids and Gardeners assert that Creepers possess a hive-mind sentience - which some of the evidence would seem to support - though at time of writing this has yet to be proven.

The Creepers are continuously claiming barren territories; the antithesis of a desert's encroachment on grassy plains. When encountering a new environment, the Creepers rapidly mutate - first diversifying, then specializing - to better colonise the terrain. A pioneering plant, these vines spread before quickly decomposing to fertilize the soil for subsequent plant species. It is unclear whether they carry in these ensuing seeds and spores, or merely provide an ideal environment for their germination. It may be a combination of both. It's probable the mobile Air plants, which regularly disperse seeds that float on air currents, play a part in this process.

There is no doubt that this plant has contributed to Lume's lack of major cities, as any felled forests that are left unused are quickly reclaimed. Since Creepers eschew existing flora, the Folk ward them off by maintaining garden perimeters, lest their villages be overrun. Some Races take this barrier system a step further, barricading themselves within rings of tightly knotted growth. There are regions where Creepers have been unable to claim a foothold due to conditions too hostile or toxic for even their tenacious talents, such as the Wastes throttling the Cerulean Crown to the north.

Their advance does not appear to demonstrate hostility to other life forms. For example, a traveler who lays to rest for the night might awaken to find themselves on a layer of interwoven Creeper fibres where, the night before, existed only dirt. The typical Creeper is not carnivorous, and seemingly attacks or ensnares only when protecting a vital area of growth. Perhaps they see little reason to waste energy on self-defence, when it is simpler to regrow?

The Druids and Gardeners are said to communicate with their local Creeper variants, though both Races are guarded on the topic. The Druid Casters go a step further, persuading Creepers to behave a certain way, and in so doing can manipulate a range of vegetation. They insist this is a question of compromise, and not of control; the vines cannot be forcibly coerced, and the Gardeners support their claims. The Druids' cultural connection with Creepers forms the basis for much of their society, and they decline to discuss the matter in detail. Whether this plant species has greater incentives beyond reforestation remains to be seen.

The fast metabolism and lifecycle of the vines is observable to the naked eye, occurring in staggered jolts, much like a time-lapse recording. An astounding species, its growth is often unnerving to witness.

Lume arboriculture

Some of trees, shrubs, grasses and ferns on Lume resemble those known to the Forerunners, with negligible differences. Many others still have developed sophisticated, symbiotic relationships with the inhabitants of Lume, and are underestimated at one's own risk. It is a credit to the tenacity of this vegetation that mycologists, herbalists and botanists must be more than knowledgeable when investigating their chosen subject in the field; they must also be quick on their feet. No Lume village is without a carefully inscribed and well-used herbal grimoire, and the Motometro library boasts row upon row of relevant lore.

The line between fungi, flora and fauna on Lume exists on a spectrum, without clear delineation. While some trees are convincingly tree-like, and some grasses innocently grassy, lifeforms exist on Lume which bridge trite attempts at classification. Take Trogs, for example; sentient, quick-moving, and companionable, they share the traits of both trees and dogs, and are often seen living alongside Folk. Both strains of psylocybin-laced Mellows are a blend of fungi and flora, requiring sun for photosynthesis, but not pollination, and resemble a toadstool ringed by wing-like fronds they use for migration, or to escape predators. Stranglers are another example; not to be mistaken for Creepers, these reptilian, root-like serpents seek prey among the forest floor, while their core mass remains rooted to one spot. Also worthy of note are the colossal Land Whales; towering, quadruped fungi which graze the northern plains, once used by the Deumana as harvesters.

The life on Lume is diverse, spectacular, and always surprising. It is rumored that the unusual bone-pearls which hail from the southern coasts - often adorning the most prosperous Dunefolk - are in fact the accumulated calcium of prey, condensed over centuries by ferocious coastal Stranglers.

Account of common plants, herbs, flowers and fruit

Many of the edibles and plants used by the Races of Lume survived the Deumana, while others were developed to feed the serf Races. Some were also luxuries to be enjoyed by the Deumana who maintained a mortal likeness. Though other reasons exist also, such as food for bait, as rewards for servants, as poison, or simply on a whim, as demi-gods are want to do.

Below are listed some of the better documented examples:

• Frecklewart - herb edible - medicinal
• Mooncalf - flowers at night - energizing tea
• Moonglade - spottled grey white flowers, low dose painkiller, high dose toxic
• Moonclover - white clover, very large, pollen filled
• Sunstone - fungi, retains warmth, used for heat and light
• Sunshower - water-filled cactus
• Elflock - knotty braid of fibres. Edible vegetable. Kept in hair as snack. Fashionable.
• Hrassian - small sprouts, edible, fresh
• Deeglass - Translucent succulent, aloe vera healing properties in fluid.
• Shardgrass - grass, sharp edges, pointy tips, slices and punctures prey. Folks use as defence.
• Flintbush - Bush with rock-like, flinty thorns. Boundary fence, used for arrows.
• Knifebush - produces leaf-like, etched, organically shapes knifes for Deumana troops. Carbon.
• Bladegrass - whip-like or hardened and raised, seasonal, bypassed by approach at right-angles.
• Mossbeard - Actually reside from fauna, accumulates then grows.
• Threadmoss
• Apple
• Rotwood
• Geezer - wrinkled mushroom
• Pigsnout
• Bran
• Sweetroot - beetroot
• Sugarthread - sweet, edible web-like moss
• Dorf
• Bone nut - a.k.a spine fruit
• Hairy - citrus covered in hairy threads
• Pimple - oozy vegetable. As delicious as it is unappealing
• Breadroot
• Daisy - fat, succulent flower
• Green eyes
• Spearfield
• Fraux - thick-skinned watery, nutritious mushroom root that resembles a large river pebble
• Tears - small, watery berries
• Mora - long-lasting, syrupy juice made from various flora
• Arwen - meat preserved in seeds, honey, and nuts. Small, long-lasting, nutricious
• Ring flower - flowers with gap in center
• Southron - condiment
• Ropebush
• Wargift
• Oncepast - faces direction of recent passerby
• Heartworm
• Fishfruit - smells better than it tastes. Good for bait.