Death Vines

Armor of the Castle of the Damned

As the runes of the circle alight and mark the beginning of the Eve of Harrowing, blackened vines sprout and crawl across the ground close to the dark and cragged walls of the castle. The castle begins to unfurl, growing and springing to life as the vines climb, lacing the rocky walls like a trellis. The Castle of the Damned has grown its armor, the vines strengthening and tightening around the stone structure as the bell tolls and the Eve of Harrowing becomes the Harrowing once more.
The dark and twisting vines hug the stone walls, creating patterns of dark webs and violet blossoms. Those who have studied the castle akin those violet blossoms to nightshade, a deadly patch of color against the otherwise dark skin of the castle. As the castle grows, the vines grow further, reaching higher, and blooming more frequently. The thorned and flowering vines keep those who wish to climb the castle from doing so, but even the animals, more curious than even those of the Elder Races, keep their distance, whether it is the violent violet blooms or the Ashen Winds that deters them.
The vines reach their zenith as another bell tolls, marking the beginning of the second day of Harrowing. As the castle prepares to make its descent back into whatever black abyss it claims as home, the vines begin to wither, the poison of the blossoms becoming more potent. When the bell tolls again, and the Eve of the End is called, the vines begin to shrink, slowly slinking from the castle walls. As the castle takes its last bow shortly before midnight, the vines finally sink below the rocky floor, disappearing like the armor of a long-dead hero.

Manifestation

The Castle of the Damned manifests a large mass of wriggling vines that are weaved into a set of armor for the castle. It is another layer of defense from whatever may come from outside the circle to harm the castle. The vines' growth is marked by the tolling of the bell that denotes the various stages of the Harrowing.

Localization

The vines are another interesting phenomenon that is unique to the castle. While odd plants grow throughout Káto, the violet blossoms and the blackened vines they sprout from cannot be found anywhere else in the world, even the odd dark wonderland that is known as the Lost Paths.

Type

Natural