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Argothians are sentient vines that prefer to live in darker areas, typically in densely forested areas. Historically, they grew in Redwood forests, but in modern times Argothians can only be found underground and inside warded cities. Due to their typical immobility, Argothians are at an even greater risk when outside of the wards of a city.
Physically, Argothians resemble a large network of flowering vines, similar to spreading vines like kudzu. The flowers that bud irregularly on the vine have small petals with the same coloration as the vine itself. However, the buds distinguish themselves from the rest of the vine by emitting a soft purple glow. Given enough of these buds, Argothians will dimly illuminate their surroundings. The glow is often comforting to wild animals or people lost in the otherwise very dark sections of the woods, acting as a subtle lure. The buds also emit a very pleasant ambiguous scent, which the brain unconsciously assumes is its favorite scent, food, or spice. The scent acts as a olfactory equivalent of an illusion picture (for example, the spinning woman with one leg out that can be interpreted as spinning clockwise or counter-clockwise). This also acts as an attractor to the Argothian home. The scent has a mildly soporific effect after inhaling enough of it, and is known to keep the sleeping, wild animal or people, asleep for longer than normal.
Argothians are omnivorous, capable of 'eating' animals and plants alike. They are also capable, though generally unwillingly, of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis represents extra effort for an Argothian, and so will only do so if no other source of food exists. Argothians can only 'eat' stationary things; their ambience is generated in the hope of causing prey to fall asleep while within reach. If within reach, an Argothian will extend a vine to touch the prey. From there, the vine will sprout tiny filaments, small enough to root through skin, scales, or cellulose. Once inside the prey, these filaments expand rapidly through veins or whatever other pathways present. This process takes several hours at the very least, during which time the prey could easily free itself if awake. Soon, however, enough filaments and vines will grow through and in the body to render the prey rooted to the ground, completely immobile. It is at this point that the filaments begin to root into organs and muscle. Sometimes, the prey has died by this point (from obstructed blood flow or filaments filling a vital organ, such as the heart or lungs), but if not, the prey will awaken, completely paralyzed. It is reported that this is excruciatingly painful. A similar process is performed on plant-life. Once this process is completed, nutrients are leeched from the still-living prey. Argothians prefer it when their prey lives through the process, as living prey will continue to produce these essential nutrients until it dies of starvation or malnutrition. Plant-life represents a steady source of nutrients for an Argothian, as plants nearly always survive the rooting procedure and do not require food outside of sunlight and water. As a plant, Argothians are a predatory parasite. Once the host prey has died, Argothians will continue to leech nutrients from the corpse until it becomes emaciated and little more than bones and skin, or transforming a healthy plant into a wilted version of itself. Trees simply become sturdy deadwood. It is important to note that the filaments and vines grown into the prey remain present even after death.
An Argothian vine can range in size from the thread-like filament to as thick around as the average arm. Argothians are capable of movement at the far end of their unrooted extremities, similar to the tentacles of an octopus or squid (though mercifully lacking in suckers or hooks). They are immobile when rooted; however, they can uproot themselves by shedding the largest portion of their mass. Argothians are extremely reluctant to do so, as will be explained in the portion covering their minds and society. The mobile vines have superb tensile strength. Coupled with the leverage gained from being rooted in place, Argothians are capable of lifting extremely heavy things. In times of war, Argothians have been known to uproot entire Redwood trees, using them as massive clubs. They do not usually do this, as Redwood trees are their typical home (it would be similar to a Mundian lifting their entire house and using it as a weapon), but it is an excellent emergency weapon, especially against dragons. To most people, however, the most frightening of the Argothian's mobility is referred to as Argothian necromancy. Though not true necromancy in any way, Argothians can 'zombify' any prey that they have devoured through the extensive filament system inside the prey's corpse. Though this results in jerky movement, not unlike a puppet's, and the corpse's reach will be no farther than the Argothians' reach, it can give, sometimes literally, an Argothian a set of teeth to work with. Though Argothians can use these 'zombified' corpses to trap more prey, it is considered barbaric and seldom done.
Argothians are asexual and do not reproduce in the conventional sense. It is impossible to describe how another Argothian comes into being without first understanding what constitutes an Argothian's mind/brain. The vine network that makes up the whole of an Argothian's body is also an Argothian brain; instead of existing in a centralized location, the brain is ubiquitous throughout the body. It is helpful to think of the nervous system distributed throughout the body, excepting that instead of simple nerves that report signals, the Argothian nerves are capable of independent thought. There is a critical mass that must exist for sentience: if an Argothian is reduced to below this size, they will lose their identity and mind until they grow back past the threshold. This is called a the dormant stage. A dormant Argothian is only capable of feeding and growing. A sentient Argothian is said to be as intelligent as they are large, for the more network their 'brain' has to work with, the more quickly it can process information. Unfortunately, the loss of vines can represent the loss of the ability to perform learned tasks or even entire memories. A sentient Argothian is capable of voluntarily shedding vines without any loss of memory or ability, at the cost of slightly reduced intelligence. Once an Argothian becomes large enough, a new and separate identity/mind can arise within the network. It is at this point that the Argothian can choose to assimilate the new identity into its consciousness or to shed some of its vine network for the new mind. Assimilating the new identity is called a Rebirth amongst the Argothians, as it changes the Argothian's personality and interests noticably. However, it does not sacrifice any memories, so abilities and goals typically remain the same, merely achieved with new approaches. If the Argothian chooses to shed, this is the most analogous to reproduction, as the shed vines are now a separate individual.
Argothians have, for obvious reasons, a sort of shared racial memory. Each newly shed Argothian possesses the memories of its parent, so it is possible for every Argothian to 'remember' being the very first Argothian plant, the common ancestor to all. As the race expanded, memories diverged through different experiences, and memories were lost through the destruction of vines. For this reason, Argothians as a society are very close-knit (literally, in some cases). It is uncommon in the extreme to find a solitary Argothian. Instead, Argothians grow together, sharing the same trees and plants, even growing on top of each other freely. Their minds as well as their bodies are nearly always touching each other, and as a result Argothians form a semi-hive mind society. What happens to one Argothian is instantly known by another Argothian in the same society. While each follow their own interests and desires, Argothians naturally seek consensus from the entire group. Knowledge is freely shared, so more than one visitor to their territories have been surprised to find that, once introduced to one, each Argothian knows their name.
Without exception, Argothians practice Nature or Druidic magic. Being a mere vine without any senses beyond touch, they experience the world by magical means. The 'sixth sense' that Mundians use to experience mana is the only sense that an Argothian can use. As it has been noted elsewhere, however, this method of sensation is highly variable and so represents the entire gambit of possible experience. This is also the means through which an Argothian communicates with non-Argothian species. It is often called telepathy, but it is more akin to sounds that mind perceives but the ears swear they did not hear. (Amongst themselves, Argothians communicate either mind-to-mind or through an elaborate form of sign language that incorporates subtle scents exuded from their flowers). Argothians are most adept at nature magic that relates to growth, healing, sensation, knowledge (overlap between Nature and Mental), and anti-magic. Like nature magic in general, Argothian spell structures are extremely resistant to outside interference, 'regrowing' any damaged/countered portions of the spell structure. Similarly, Argothians are best at muting existing spells, to the point of extinguishing them entirely.
Argothians have amiable relations with Mundians, most commonly living alongside their cities. They welcome visitors to their forests, mildly interested in independent minds and gendered individuals. Individual Argothians often adopt a 'gender' to be referred to by outsiders for ease of identification. Argothians avoid feeding on any thinking sentient being. Given all of this, Argothians are an insular society that exists nearly completely separate from Mundian society and politics. They interact with Mundians at need, especially during dragon attacks, but they do not offer nor ask for anything more. It is common that one or two Argothians will be appointed as an Ambassador for the rest; given that at least one vine grows all the way back to the Argothian society, like an umbilical cord, the Ambassador will be in constant contact with the rest, never alone.
-Exerpt from Species of Mundi - A Comprehensive Guide, Chapter 24 - Sapient Species
Here we see Lord Grey II discussing magical theory with one of his good friends at the University. :D
A gift from
namelessimp
Artwork by
Gutter_tongue
Physically, Argothians resemble a large network of flowering vines, similar to spreading vines like kudzu. The flowers that bud irregularly on the vine have small petals with the same coloration as the vine itself. However, the buds distinguish themselves from the rest of the vine by emitting a soft purple glow. Given enough of these buds, Argothians will dimly illuminate their surroundings. The glow is often comforting to wild animals or people lost in the otherwise very dark sections of the woods, acting as a subtle lure. The buds also emit a very pleasant ambiguous scent, which the brain unconsciously assumes is its favorite scent, food, or spice. The scent acts as a olfactory equivalent of an illusion picture (for example, the spinning woman with one leg out that can be interpreted as spinning clockwise or counter-clockwise). This also acts as an attractor to the Argothian home. The scent has a mildly soporific effect after inhaling enough of it, and is known to keep the sleeping, wild animal or people, asleep for longer than normal.
Argothians are omnivorous, capable of 'eating' animals and plants alike. They are also capable, though generally unwillingly, of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis represents extra effort for an Argothian, and so will only do so if no other source of food exists. Argothians can only 'eat' stationary things; their ambience is generated in the hope of causing prey to fall asleep while within reach. If within reach, an Argothian will extend a vine to touch the prey. From there, the vine will sprout tiny filaments, small enough to root through skin, scales, or cellulose. Once inside the prey, these filaments expand rapidly through veins or whatever other pathways present. This process takes several hours at the very least, during which time the prey could easily free itself if awake. Soon, however, enough filaments and vines will grow through and in the body to render the prey rooted to the ground, completely immobile. It is at this point that the filaments begin to root into organs and muscle. Sometimes, the prey has died by this point (from obstructed blood flow or filaments filling a vital organ, such as the heart or lungs), but if not, the prey will awaken, completely paralyzed. It is reported that this is excruciatingly painful. A similar process is performed on plant-life. Once this process is completed, nutrients are leeched from the still-living prey. Argothians prefer it when their prey lives through the process, as living prey will continue to produce these essential nutrients until it dies of starvation or malnutrition. Plant-life represents a steady source of nutrients for an Argothian, as plants nearly always survive the rooting procedure and do not require food outside of sunlight and water. As a plant, Argothians are a predatory parasite. Once the host prey has died, Argothians will continue to leech nutrients from the corpse until it becomes emaciated and little more than bones and skin, or transforming a healthy plant into a wilted version of itself. Trees simply become sturdy deadwood. It is important to note that the filaments and vines grown into the prey remain present even after death.
An Argothian vine can range in size from the thread-like filament to as thick around as the average arm. Argothians are capable of movement at the far end of their unrooted extremities, similar to the tentacles of an octopus or squid (though mercifully lacking in suckers or hooks). They are immobile when rooted; however, they can uproot themselves by shedding the largest portion of their mass. Argothians are extremely reluctant to do so, as will be explained in the portion covering their minds and society. The mobile vines have superb tensile strength. Coupled with the leverage gained from being rooted in place, Argothians are capable of lifting extremely heavy things. In times of war, Argothians have been known to uproot entire Redwood trees, using them as massive clubs. They do not usually do this, as Redwood trees are their typical home (it would be similar to a Mundian lifting their entire house and using it as a weapon), but it is an excellent emergency weapon, especially against dragons. To most people, however, the most frightening of the Argothian's mobility is referred to as Argothian necromancy. Though not true necromancy in any way, Argothians can 'zombify' any prey that they have devoured through the extensive filament system inside the prey's corpse. Though this results in jerky movement, not unlike a puppet's, and the corpse's reach will be no farther than the Argothians' reach, it can give, sometimes literally, an Argothian a set of teeth to work with. Though Argothians can use these 'zombified' corpses to trap more prey, it is considered barbaric and seldom done.
Argothians are asexual and do not reproduce in the conventional sense. It is impossible to describe how another Argothian comes into being without first understanding what constitutes an Argothian's mind/brain. The vine network that makes up the whole of an Argothian's body is also an Argothian brain; instead of existing in a centralized location, the brain is ubiquitous throughout the body. It is helpful to think of the nervous system distributed throughout the body, excepting that instead of simple nerves that report signals, the Argothian nerves are capable of independent thought. There is a critical mass that must exist for sentience: if an Argothian is reduced to below this size, they will lose their identity and mind until they grow back past the threshold. This is called a the dormant stage. A dormant Argothian is only capable of feeding and growing. A sentient Argothian is said to be as intelligent as they are large, for the more network their 'brain' has to work with, the more quickly it can process information. Unfortunately, the loss of vines can represent the loss of the ability to perform learned tasks or even entire memories. A sentient Argothian is capable of voluntarily shedding vines without any loss of memory or ability, at the cost of slightly reduced intelligence. Once an Argothian becomes large enough, a new and separate identity/mind can arise within the network. It is at this point that the Argothian can choose to assimilate the new identity into its consciousness or to shed some of its vine network for the new mind. Assimilating the new identity is called a Rebirth amongst the Argothians, as it changes the Argothian's personality and interests noticably. However, it does not sacrifice any memories, so abilities and goals typically remain the same, merely achieved with new approaches. If the Argothian chooses to shed, this is the most analogous to reproduction, as the shed vines are now a separate individual.
Argothians have, for obvious reasons, a sort of shared racial memory. Each newly shed Argothian possesses the memories of its parent, so it is possible for every Argothian to 'remember' being the very first Argothian plant, the common ancestor to all. As the race expanded, memories diverged through different experiences, and memories were lost through the destruction of vines. For this reason, Argothians as a society are very close-knit (literally, in some cases). It is uncommon in the extreme to find a solitary Argothian. Instead, Argothians grow together, sharing the same trees and plants, even growing on top of each other freely. Their minds as well as their bodies are nearly always touching each other, and as a result Argothians form a semi-hive mind society. What happens to one Argothian is instantly known by another Argothian in the same society. While each follow their own interests and desires, Argothians naturally seek consensus from the entire group. Knowledge is freely shared, so more than one visitor to their territories have been surprised to find that, once introduced to one, each Argothian knows their name.
Without exception, Argothians practice Nature or Druidic magic. Being a mere vine without any senses beyond touch, they experience the world by magical means. The 'sixth sense' that Mundians use to experience mana is the only sense that an Argothian can use. As it has been noted elsewhere, however, this method of sensation is highly variable and so represents the entire gambit of possible experience. This is also the means through which an Argothian communicates with non-Argothian species. It is often called telepathy, but it is more akin to sounds that mind perceives but the ears swear they did not hear. (Amongst themselves, Argothians communicate either mind-to-mind or through an elaborate form of sign language that incorporates subtle scents exuded from their flowers). Argothians are most adept at nature magic that relates to growth, healing, sensation, knowledge (overlap between Nature and Mental), and anti-magic. Like nature magic in general, Argothian spell structures are extremely resistant to outside interference, 'regrowing' any damaged/countered portions of the spell structure. Similarly, Argothians are best at muting existing spells, to the point of extinguishing them entirely.
Argothians have amiable relations with Mundians, most commonly living alongside their cities. They welcome visitors to their forests, mildly interested in independent minds and gendered individuals. Individual Argothians often adopt a 'gender' to be referred to by outsiders for ease of identification. Argothians avoid feeding on any thinking sentient being. Given all of this, Argothians are an insular society that exists nearly completely separate from Mundian society and politics. They interact with Mundians at need, especially during dragon attacks, but they do not offer nor ask for anything more. It is common that one or two Argothians will be appointed as an Ambassador for the rest; given that at least one vine grows all the way back to the Argothian society, like an umbilical cord, the Ambassador will be in constant contact with the rest, never alone.
-Exerpt from Species of Mundi - A Comprehensive Guide, Chapter 24 - Sapient Species
Here we see Lord Grey II discussing magical theory with one of his good friends at the University. :D
A gift from
namelessimpArtwork by
Gutter_tongue
Category Artwork (Traditional) / Fantasy
Species Exotic (Other)
Size 957 x 1280px
File Size 1.59 MB
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