Ghidagoi Vine

Lethargy, delusions, hallucinations, death. These are only some of the reasons most people learned long ago to stay away from ghidagoi vine's untamed cousin the mirál berry. Those same effects, however, were exactly what drew the Juiwian faithful to this vine and made them plant it in their gardens.

The cultivation of the ghidagoi vine began immediately after a temple was built near Dhuiduniu in the First Age, and the newly recruited apprentices told their teachers of the strange flora growing in the Singing Hills. After seeing the effects in person through careful experimentation, mirál berries were planted in the temple gardens, and the cultivation of the ghidagoi vine began. Its effects began increasing after combination with a local breed of deadly nightshade thriving in the low, open woodlands west of and around Dhuiduniu.

It's purpose was to be a more potent and more easily accessible option to the wild and relatively picky mirál berry. Over centuries of care - and likely alchemical secrets of the Juiwian faithful - the ghidagoi vine had become just that.

Appearance

Vine-like stems split and curl around each other on the ground while others grow skyward. Long and narrow leaves of dark green appear always in pairs, forming a shape the children have taken to calling "rabbit ears". During mid to late summers before the rains come to the Shining Cove, small, pink and purple flowers bloom in clusters from higher-growing stalks. Later, when the flower petals drop down to the ground, berries begin to grow; first as small, green buds but soon enough they grow white and finally ripen and turn pitch black.

Use in Juiwian practices

As stated before, Juiwian faithful were the ones to originally cultivate the ghidagoi vine. While raw parts of the plant could be more fatal than the predecessor, properly prepared the berries could be combined with other ingredients to create a pain-numbing salve, and if necessary, a liquid could be made which relieved physical and mental anguish alike.

Dried berries and leaves could be combined with, for example, chamomile flowers into a tea which gave vivid dreams when consumed, letting the dreamer be fully awake even in dreams. On the other hand, combined with some other ingredients, one could experience dreams while fully awake. While possible, the latter practice became quickly outlawed after its popularity spiked in Dhuiduniu and its surrounding areas, and public order began to suffer greatly.

Pronunciation: /ˌxidaˈgoi/
Alternative names: Wake-Dream
Type: poisonous berry
Location: Juiwian temple gardens. does not grow in the wild
Lifespan: avg. 10-12 years