Tanglevine
During the The Great Strife, the gods who created the forests saw their works being devastated by invaders bent on laying waste to anything beautiful on Cartyrion. In response, they caused a new plant form - the Tanglevine - to begin appearing along the trails used by invaders into the forest realms.
The plants seem only to grow near natural wildlife trails through forest undergrowth and open glades. The sparsely leafed tendrils stretch to and fro across these trails, effectively covering areas about 5' (1.5m) to either side of the pathways. They are almost impossible to spot by anyone not well-versed in forest survival lore; thus any creature, or group of creatures, that trigger the plant's defenses are almost always surprised.
One of the plant's tendrils, referred to as the trigger vine, tends to wind back and forth across the pathway many times at the point where it is nearest to the plant's central root mass. When this trigger vine is disturbed - stepped on or moved in any way - the entire plant erupts in a tumult as all of the vines rapidly coil around anything they can. The legs of any intruding creatures within range of the plant's vines will become entangled. Some vines may even whip into the air as high as 5ft (1.5m), wrapping around arms, torsos, necks and heads.
The most remarkable feature of the Tanglevine, though, is its apparent ability to discern between creatures that belong in the area and those that do not. The natural wildlife, especially the creatures responsible for creating the natural trails in the first place, never trigger the reaction of the vines. It is unknown how the vine can sense the foreignness of a creature.
Species
Tanglevine
Creature Type
Plant
Description
Tanglevines grow along the ground in forests and meadows, with as many as twenty tendrils reaching out from a central root mass. The extended vines are typically 20ft (6m) to 30ft (9m) long, though specimens with tendrils reaching as much as 50ft (15m) have been reported.The plants seem only to grow near natural wildlife trails through forest undergrowth and open glades. The sparsely leafed tendrils stretch to and fro across these trails, effectively covering areas about 5' (1.5m) to either side of the pathways. They are almost impossible to spot by anyone not well-versed in forest survival lore; thus any creature, or group of creatures, that trigger the plant's defenses are almost always surprised.
One of the plant's tendrils, referred to as the trigger vine, tends to wind back and forth across the pathway many times at the point where it is nearest to the plant's central root mass. When this trigger vine is disturbed - stepped on or moved in any way - the entire plant erupts in a tumult as all of the vines rapidly coil around anything they can. The legs of any intruding creatures within range of the plant's vines will become entangled. Some vines may even whip into the air as high as 5ft (1.5m), wrapping around arms, torsos, necks and heads.
The most remarkable feature of the Tanglevine, though, is its apparent ability to discern between creatures that belong in the area and those that do not. The natural wildlife, especially the creatures responsible for creating the natural trails in the first place, never trigger the reaction of the vines. It is unknown how the vine can sense the foreignness of a creature.
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