Vantasil

Vantasil, the largest plant known to humankind. This ancient, towering colossus stretches its sprawling vines for hundreds of kilometers, a mesmerizing yet perilous display of nature’s grandeur. Its gigantic glowing flower buds growing on his tendrils are trying to draw in creatures. Each bud tries to charm close creatures into touching them, so that the main branch can impale the unassuming victim.

Apart from touching the buds, the vines will also try to impale everything that uses force against them. The thicker the vines do more damage they do. However, they don’t react to soft touches. If treaded carefully one can even walk on top of the vines.

History

Vantasil was not always this mighty. Experiments conducted by the Gaidelos aimed to enhance it as a food source turned it into an all-devouring monstrosity – the scientists among its first victims. Especially the young Gaidelos prince Chulainn infused the plant with transmutation magic to enhance its fruit bearing size.

After centuries, Vantasil ceased to bear fruit. Branwen, the god king of the Gaidelos, infused it with time magic to revive it. However, Vantasil had planned this, refusing to bear fruit to outgrow its benefactor. It used the magical boost to impale Branwen, and its tendrils engulfed the castle, killing many. Though the Gaidelos, under Chulainn, reclaimed most of the castle, they ultimately abandoned it, fleeing east as Vantasil's relentless vines never ceased their thirst for the blood of the eternal flames.

Recently, a leech evolved to take advantage of Vantasil as a vast food source. The leech developed a method to suck out nutrients from the vines without the organism noticing. Chemicals numb transmitters and render Vantasil oblivious to the parasite. The leech spread like wildfire consuming large portions of Vantasil. Thus, the plant leviathan became aware of the threat and developed countermeasures. He started growing humanoid extensions of himself in the buds. The vine blights patrol the cradle and kill every leech they can spot, and every other creature.

Vantasil's Blights

These aberrations of nature are twisted perversions of flora, warped into grotesque humanoid-like forms by dark magic or unnatural forces. Devoid of emotions or sentience, they are driven solely by primal instinct or the sinister intent of their creators. Their forms are a mockery of human shape, with gnarled limbs and foliage that writhes and contorts in unsettling ways.

A small Blight Seeker searching for nurishment

Vantasil created these abominations to counter a leech infestation that sucked try many of his vines. He created smaller Seeker Blights to search for leeches and other enemies, they are especially equipped at sniffing out intruders. Once one such trespasser is found they call the Smashers, bigger and far stronger monsters.

A big Blight Smasher responding to a Seeker call

Recently even bigger variations have been seen