Allure
An old Bretonnian tale speaks of a strange gardener in Parravon who cultivated carnivorous flowers that attracted birds with the sweet aroma of their pollen to eat them. Although many dismiss this story as the fevered imaginings of a madman or as a parable to warn people to not look too closely into the affairs of others, there is a kernel of truth to this legend.[1a]
The Bird Flower is a rare species of carnivorous plant indigenous to Lustria. Quite stunning, they bloom in a variety of colours. Each flower is large, about the size of a man’s head, and shaped like a bell. The bright waxen style is perversely phallic, and the flower has no visible stamens. The plant exudes a pale pink fluid that is aromatic and has a sweet, intoxicating taste.[1a]
During the exploratory expeditions in 1492, a few sailors brought this interesting species back to the Empire. Most of the plants couldn’t adapt to the colder climate, but a few survived in the gardens of those who could afford to maintain such exotic plants. After a few years, there were rumours of strange, nightly visitors in the areas around the gardens, not to mention the sharp decline in the bird population. And then people started disappearing. What exactly led the locals to attributing the cause of the disturbances to the flowers isn’t certain, but the specimens were all burned and their owners burned at the stake.[1a]
Though banned, some gardeners maintain these unusual plants for their nectar. It’s said that consuming a small measure of the fluid evokes powerful dreams and instils a deep sense of calm and tingling pleasure. No one uses the nectar for long as people who sample the fluid tend to disappear.[1a]