Red Planta

Red Planta

Red Plantas are large creatures that resemble Red Pandas in body shape and colouring, but are plant based creatures. They are found throughout Thistleland, mainly living in woodlands and other plant-filled places.

Red Plantas 'fur' is composed of leaves and plant matter, red, white or black in colour depending on the location. They are typically bulky looking, and on each side of their body are two pitcher plant like pods, large enough to hold one large person each. Each of their two ears is a specialised and shaped leaf. Their long tails are striped with red and white leaves, which at the end can sometimes form a flower during the spring.

Red Planta, clearly showing two of the four Pitcher Plant Pods, one empty and one full

Red Plantas will consume most smaller animals that will fit inside their pitcher pods, however they greatly prefer to eat creatures that have higher mental capacities such as people. They will primarily feed on the awakeness of a person, rapidly rendering the victim to a state where they are barely conscious, and certainly unable to act on their own willpower. This prey will be provided with liquids and nutrients that are provided from the Planta in order to keep them alive for longer, thus able to provide the mental food they feed on. Once the prey passes away, however, the Planta's Pitcher Pod will digest them much in the same way as a Carnivorous Pitcher Plant, freeing space for a new meal and providing a secondary food source.

A planta feeds on a persons mental awakeness using a selection of vines within the pitcher pods, half the vined being used to restrain the victim, and two specific vines entering the ears. While the mechanism for feeding is unknown, the vines can be observed to be swallowing large bulges of the persons awakeness. The process of being fed upon is painless, though is reported to be quite a draining rush, removing a person's ability to think clearly within one or two swallows.

Internal anatomy of a Red Planta, highlighting pitcher pod vines, throat vines and seed sack/nutrient storage

Once restrained and rendered helpless by the feeding, the Planta will lift the victim and draw them into it's pitcher pod, where they will be kept and fed on continuously. Often victims are unaware of time passing within, their mind largely overwhelmed by the draining. Is rescued, the victim will make a rapid recovery within half an hour, weakening from remaining motionless so long excluded. The process is generally considered akin to have a very long, deep and restful sleep.

Due to their large size and several pitcher pods, Red Plantas have been known to have the capacity to wipe out entire parties of Adventurers in an encounter, holding each Adventurer in a pitcher pod and up to two in it's stomach via conventional feeding, drained via similar vines in the Plantas throat and stomach. Thus parties of up to six members can be considered threatened by a single Red Planta. Once consumed, as a person is not killed by a Red Planta it is often a considerable time, several weeks or more, before a victim will be fully digested and can thus be restored to live at the Restoration Shrine, further adding to the dangers of being eaten by a Red Planta.

Being captured by a Red Planta

Being fed on by a Red Planta

Red Planta remains are prized throughout Thistleland, especially their bones, which is made out of Bone Wood. Bone wood is a highly dense form of wood that is suitable for carving into construction materials, tools and weapons. Bone Wood is durable enough to keep a sharp point and even retain a blade to an extent. Bone wood is also used for valuable light plate armour that has the strength of iron and steel, the flexibility of chainmail, and the weight of wood. This Bone Wood Armour is highly prized as a non-magical alternative to the high end magical armour created by Mages.

In some of the deeper woods in Thistleland there are small clearings in the forest where no plants will grow. These clearings are often littered with the Bone Wood of Red Plantas that died long ago, and are known as Planta Graveyards. While it is not known why these clearings exist or if they were made by Plantas, the Bone Wood from such clearings if turned into weapons, are known to be able to kill Red Plantas with a single strike, rapidly weakening the Planta until it collapses and dies with a confused and deeply pained cry. Such Bone Wood is often collected as soon as a new Planta Graveyard is found and such Planta Graveyards are rarely, if ever, repopulated with new Red Planta remains.

Both Red Planta Feeding, and seed laying, have been described as a distracting experience.

Red Planta procreation is complex, as it replies on their plant based anatomy. If suitable, a Red Planta will flower once a year in spring, the flower emerging at the tip of their tail. Another Red Planta who is also in bloom can then pollinate the flower, or the Red Planta can await a pollinating creature such as several bees or a helpful Weaselroo looking for nectar. Once pollinated, the flower will remain as typically two to five soft egg-like seeds grow, the nectar sweet scent altering to a sweet scent designed to relax those that smell the flower. The Red Planta will when lay the soft seeds, which are typically half a foot in size, during Autumn to remain during the winter before hatching into small, almost fully formed Red Planta kits. However, a Red Planta can accelerate this process by finding a victim and applying the flower directly to the victim to lay their seeds directly into any place they can. Inside a warm and moist host, the seeds will germinate quickly and within a short time either the host will expel the seeds themselves, or the seeds will hatch inside the host, and the Red Planta Kits will be birthed.

Bohea and her tamed Red Planta

While Red Plantas feed on people, can wipe out entire parties of Adventurers and are considered a high level danger, they are not classified as Monsters by The Adventure Guild as they have the ability to adapt, change, and modify their behaviour to their surroundings. There is one documented case of a Red Planta bonding with a person, Bohea and while this Red Planta still consumed and feeds on her, it only does so in a way beneficial to Bohea. The Adventure Guild highly encourages people to not attempt to replicate Boheas success with another Red Planta.