The Sharia plant (shuh_ree_uh)
The Sharia plant grows under the sand in the desert. It is mostly found in the Sorreph Desert (Sorreph öknen) but can be found in the other deserts around Aurin. You must dig in the sand to find The Sharia plant. It is a very important plant for the people that live in the desert. It is one of the only ways to find water in the desert. But not many people know about The Sharia plant. It is because not many people think that a plant will be found under the sand, stored with water.
It takes months for it to be full enough to gather enough water that one person can drink from it. But if you find enough of them you have water for about two months. The Sharia plant looks like a ground ball in a bright green colour. And it is as big as a little coconut. The outside is hard, but at the same time the shell feels smooth. If you want to crack it open, you must cut the top of it away. Then you can drink the water straight out of The Sharia plant. The water feels cold because it is stored under the sand where the sun doesn´t reach.
But humans are not the only creatures that drink from the plant's water. The Ahas snake and the Brareg lizard eat The Sharia plant when they can´t find water outside in the desert.
The Sharia plant is a very important resource when you are out in the desert, but you need to know where in the sand it grows. And you need someone that knows the parts of the desert to find the plant. Because it only grows in certain areas of the desert. The Sharia plant doesn´t like the dunes and it doesn´t like to grow near any mountains. And if you found the one you usually found more.
The plant water itself. It collects the water around it in the air and from the ground and when it rains, if it does, they collect the water from the sand. The more water the plant has the bigger they are. Because the desert is a desert and doesn´t have enough resources for water the plants have to survive by watering themselves. And The Sharia plant does that. The root of the plant doesn´t look like much because you usually don´t find them because The Sharia plant loses easily from its rots when someone drags the round ball-shaped plant from it. The Sharia plant that you can drink that is bright green is the flower of the plant.
And that flower gets bigger and bigger depending on how much water it gets. That is why you need an expert to find the plant. Because does who live in the desert for years know where it rains the most. But when it has not rained for a while even for them it is a guessing game. But at the same time, they know where they would likely grow.
Because of the lack of water in the desert, The Sharia plant is a very important trade object. People that have wandered the desert for too long will pay good money for one of these plants. And some people even go out into the desert all day just to find The Sharia plant. They collect the plant and sell it on the market in the nearest city, village, or town. And they get good money for their work. And it is very important work. Because sometimes of the months this is the only way the people that live out in the desert get water. Especially if it has not rained in months.
People that visit the desert usually by with them a few of these plants before they go out into the desert. But they still need someone that knows the way of the land to survive. Especially in founding water. And the people that know where to find The Sharia plant don´t share it with just anyone so, you must be willing to pay good money or die trying on your own.
The growing stage of the plant starts off like a really small, shaped ball like a bubble. That’s growing bigger and bigger. They also grow close to each other because they collect the water around them and in the air. And they start to grow from the small, small dots that is one the flower. And when dots falls of the flower, they start to plant themselves in the sand if they can find some water. Does dots are the seed for The Sharia plant.
The seed look like a little black dot. And does grows quickly when they find the right place. They start to collect water and then let the root of the plant dig into the sand. Then it starts to collect water and gets bigger and bigger. But it takes the seed about three weeks to get enough water to get the rot to dig into the sand. Because of that it can be hard to find the plant because the Ahas snake get around under the sand. Just like the Brareg lizard. And that can make the seed drag around the whole desert or the accidentally destroy them. But they also spread around the whole desert because of these animals that can swim in the sand.
But that is also why you need to be cactus when you find The Sharia plant. Because there is always a chance that some other creature is close enough and they also want the water. And they won´t hesitate like a human would. For them it is the water, and they will kill you for it. So, when you are traveling out in the desert you will need someone that is familiar with the creatures. That has enough knowledge about them to know when you need to move and where it is safe to stay.
When the sandstorms happen The Sharia plant seed can also get spread if it is still on the surface of the ground. But if The Sharia plant has rooted itself in the sand, then it will stay put there to until a creature or a human pick the flower from its rot. But when you pick it, it is very important that you pick of the seeds and leave them in the sand. That is why not many people that visit the desert cities knows about the small black dots on The Sharia plant. Because the people that have pick them have left the seeds in the desert. And if you try to sell The Sharia plant with the seed still on it, it loses more of its value. Because you have done something that is against the law of the desert.
And that is a very dangerous mistake to make. A one that you will only do once. Especially if you value your own life. You are lucky if you even get paid for them at all. And don´t get kicked out of the city or thrown in jail for that mistake.
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