Air plants

Air plants - Tillandsia aeranthos

Across the Continent there floats a particular variety of vegetation, hovering anywhere from a few spans to hundreds of paces above the ground. The largest of them resemble gourds, each trailing tendrils of vines, their size and appearance dependent on the location. Surprisingly, the plains and deserts sport as many forms of Tillandsia as any other region. There are entire fields of floating, interlocked orbs, stretching out to the horizon.

The floating gourds are tight with internal gases, the source of their particularity. Occasionally they will spout a pollen-rich gas from an opening on their summit, which travels on the breeze, fertilizing the landscape. This pollen serves a second purpose; self-defense. Any herbivore or hapless individual interested in the soft, nutrient-rich vines, will find themselves the target of a specialised pollen-imbued gas jet. Kept in pockets inside the gourd, and differing from the reproductive pollen and floating gas, this strain is weaponised. Whilst not lethal, the intense itch it induces, as well as the irritation caused to exposed skin, is enough to rebuke all but the hardiest of creatures. The duration and severity of this rash depends on the individual, the duration of exposure, and the strain of Tillandsia. It should be noted that no fatalities have been recorded directly due to this, though many beings have stumbled and fallen from the forest heights. Temporary blindness as well as nausea and difficulty breathing have all been documented in Folk patients.

Despite the hundreds of varieties, the itch-jets and gaseous floating ability remain common traits among the genus. Certain creatures have adapted to benefit from the Tillandsia, not only for nourishment, but as homes for their colonies. It serves as an invaluable sanctuary for aerial species during breeding. Certain cultures, and individuals, have developed safe methods of extracting nourishment, or re-purposing the gourds for limited flight. The children of these communities grow up playing among the plants, using the vines to swing between them, climbing to great heights and drifting on the currents. Trials and feats of daring have been chronicled, though at time of writing this remains hearsay. Necrosis has made some headway into re-purposing the gourds for aerial scouting and surveillance.

Unmistakably born of the genetic manipulation performed by the ancient Deumana, the Library of Motometro notes many examples of vast, beautiful floating gardens. For unrecorded Rotations they flourished in the skies unopposed. The weaponised pollen itch is likely a throwback to an ancestral mutation, developed in order to defend from predators. Initially their flowers were most likely needed for procreation, and these were doubtless enhanced by the Deumana for their aesthetic quality; their presence now is only vestigial.