petcromancer: (Default)
Hector ([personal profile] petcromancer) wrote2019-06-08 08:29 pm

Plant Research

Hector's Research:
Comparing samples of moss from the ruins at the northern outpost to the moss in the Undergrounds (this will be done once that location opens ICly)

Trying to see if the moss from the northern ruins can absorb life forms the same way that the dream-underground moss did:
-Different versions include-feeding the moss a dead life form (probably a mouse or something similarly small and easy to obtain), a live uninfected life form, and a live infected life form. This would be done in one of the abandoned shacks outside of the city to avoid having to get infected test materials past city customs.

-Note- if animal test subjects don’t work, Hector is not above trying to steal a human or monster body from a graveyard to test if the moss will absorb a corpse.
He would also try to plant some of the moss in a local cemetery as well as his home garden to see if it grows better in places of death or life.

Mod Response:
Currently we cannot say much about the Undergrounds' moss except that gathering samples of it will be tricky! They're very protective of it down there, and the Mirrorbound will have to build good will and rapport with the city before they will allow it. However, the ruins' moss is readily accessible so experiments on it are possible at any point.

He will find that the Ruins' Moss taken as-is or raised from spores in sunlight will not consume other organisms living or dead, infected or non, although in living infected animals, it can still be fed to them and used as an antibiotic for low-level infection.

Raising his own from Ruins' spores entirely in a dark, damp environment will result in a different sort of moss, however. It will not be exactly like the Underground moss; it will be much more fragile, almost like lace and easily torn, and it will not be able to grow much bigger than an average small houseplant, even with careful raising. It will be able to envelop and partly feed on small, infected insects or particularly tiny mammals, dead or alive, although living prey can overcome the moss and shred it in their struggles. Exposing this moss to sunlight at any point will seem to make it grow better, but even a minute of sun will cease the nomming behavior. Growing this moss will take two months at least, even helping it along, but this research is bound to be of interest!

As far as growing the moss in a cemetery versus his home garden, it will seem to take to the grave dirt somewhat better, possibly because of the dead organic matter in the soil. Particularly nutrient-rich soil full of compost will have a similar effect, though, so it doesn't have to be people-corpses, apparently.


Hector's Research:
Litha-Flowers- an ongoing attempt to make the ‘7 flowers under the pillow’ tradition more efficient. Hector is going to attempt to gather one of each of the flowers and use their pollen to cross-pollinate until he gets a new bloom that theoretically contains elements of all 7. He doesn’t believe in the divination properties of the flower, but making a frankenflower is a fun challenge.

Mod Response:
Live your franken-flower dreams! Flowers-under-the-pillow tradition for the modern woman or gentleman

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