Mournshades: A Metamorphosis

“They’re called Mournshades, ’cause that’s all that’s left to mourn.”

  The Mournshade is a metamorphic plant native to Cerellea. Feared and revered, it grows vibrant by feeding on decomposing organic matter. To the Myriad Syndicate, it is a symbol of dominance and consequence. To scientists and smugglers, it offers dangerous potential—healing, euphoric, or deadly, depending on how it is used.  

Appearance & Aroma

Mournshade grows up to three feet tall. Its leaves are dark, glossy, and shaped like a more sinister peace lily—broad, heavy, and faintly veined in black or silver.
  Each flower is shaped like a bell, its petals curling delicately at the edges like mourning veils caught mid-flutter. The blossoms hang heavy on their stems, nodding low as if in sorrow.
  The plant’s blooms come in spectral color variants, each tied to the nature of the death it feeds on:  

• [color=maroon]Bloodshade Red:[/color] Associated with violent deaths or vengeance.
• [color=purple]Twilight Purple:[/color] The most common variant; blooms in general soil.
• [color=white]Ghostshade White:[/color] Rare; grows only near sites of innocence or mass sorrow.
• [color=blue]Eclipse Blue:[/color] Often found in sites touched by Syndicate rites or rituals.

  Its scent is unmistakable: a musky sweetness mixed with damp soil and decaying leaves—like a graveyard in bloom.  

Metamorphosis: Death to Bloom

Mournshade undergoes a distinct natural metamorphosis, triggered by proximity to fresh organic decay. Its life cycle unfolds in four stages:  

• Dormant Shade – The plant lies curled and still, awaiting a nearby death.
• Deathwake Bloom – Enzymes activate. The root system expands, secreting compounds that break down tissue and draw nutrients from decomposing matter.
• Mourning Bloom – The flower bursts open, color intensifies, scent sharpens. At night, the petals emit a faint bioluminescent pulse.
• Seedfall – Once sated, it drops silk-like seeds. These remain dormant until awakened by nearby death, even decades later.

 

Habitat & Cultivation

Mournshade is native to Cerellea, with a natural preference for coastal regions—particularly along the shorelines of Gadina and Sona. The salty air, mineral-rich soils, and frequent erosion of burial grounds make these environments ideal for growth.
  Though once commonly found in forests, Mournshade has adapted to open terrain. It now thrives in graveyard-adjacent meadows, erosion-prone cliffs, and ceremonial gardens. Much like lavender, it can be grown inland in general soil, provided conditions are rich with organic decay and partial shade.   Common growth sites include:  

• Eroded cemeteries and coastal ruins
• Syndicate-protected greenspaces used for ritual and disposal

  Wild Mournshade is chemically unstable and dangerous to harvest without proper training. Cultivation and processing are tightly regulated by the Myriad Syndicate.  

Syndicate-Controlled Zones

The Myriad Syndicate maintains a network of Black Groves—secret cultivation sites designed to manage Mournshade’s lifecycle and potency:  

• Green Crypts – Underground biochambers hidden beneath parks and plazas
• Hydrocrypt Farms – Clifftop terraces on Sona fed by sea mist and alchemical water systems
• Ceremonial Growhouses – Converted tombs and mausoleums used for both planting and body disposal

  Each grove is overseen by a Cultivator Warden, responsible for magical saturation, nutrient cycles, and secrecy.  

Symbiosis & Ecosystem

Mournshade’s primary pollinator is the Gravewhisper Moth, a nocturnal insect with translucent wings that shimmer faintly under moonlight. Drawn to the flower’s scent and glow, it spreads pollen between blooms and lays its larvae in decay-rich soil.
  Mournshade also supports a unique microbial ecosystem. Fungi and soil organisms thrive in its enriched zones:  

• Mushroot Caps – Pale mushrooms that glow softly in death-fed soil
• Ethermold – A silver-threaded mold believed to store ambient soul energy

  Animals do not instinctively avoid Mournshade. Birds and scavengers may nest nearby, though none feed on the plant directly.  

Toxicity & Stability

Mournshade is not inherently poisonous, but it is chemically unstable in raw form. Its compounds vary depending on what type of death it absorbed, what the soil contained, and when it was harvested. Ingesting or smoking unprocessed Mournshade can trigger:  

• Mild euphoria or disorientation
• Severe nausea, hallucinations, seizures
• Delayed-onset respiratory failure (in rare cases)

  Only through careful refinement are its unstable compounds rendered safe for use. Syndicate-certified handlers and biochemists strictly control all processing and distribution.
 

“Sometimes it heals. Sometimes it hurts. But raw? It doesn't care what you want. It just feeds.”
—Frederick Callahan, Cultivator Warden

 

Second Metamorphosis: Death to Desire

After harvest, Mournshade undergoes a second metamorphosis—one shaped by human hands. The same flower that bloomed from death becomes a tool of pleasure, medicine, or violence.  

Recreational Use

Cured Mournshade petals can be smoked or vaped for a potent, dreamlike high. Common street names include Shadeleaf, Ghost Drag, Mourner’s Breath, and Velvet Smoke.   Effects include:  

• Euphoric dissociation and slowed perception
• Heightened sensory and emotional responses
• Transient memory echoes—some claim to glimpse the dead

  Black-market versions risk overdoses or mental disintegration due to improper refinement.  

Medicinal Use

When safely processed by Syndicate labs or Aradox biotech affiliates, Mournshade becomes a powerful pharmacological base used in:  

• Chronic pain relief
• Antipsychotic treatments for trauma disorders
• Experimental cancer suppression therapies

  Access is restricted to regulated channels. Many patients rely on proxy organizations to obtain prescriptions.  

Poisonous Applications

Mournshade can also be refined into deadly agents. Known variants include:  

• Petal Resin – A sticky, ingestible poison that induces paralysis
• Shadow Powder – Inhalable dust that disrupts neural pathways
• Root Tincture – A slow-acting execution agent that induces euphoria before death

  Unauthorized possession is punishable for long prison sentences or by death.  

Syndicate Significance

To the Myriad Syndicate, Mournshade is more than a resource—it’s a ritual, a threat, and a signature. Victims are sometimes buried beneath the bloom, which digests their remains within days. Entire gardens exist where enemies of the Syndicate bloom in spectral silence.
  “If the bloom’s for you, you won’t see it. But someone will.”  

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  Mournshade does not simply bloom. It transforms—first through death, then through desire. From seed to smoke, bloom to blade, it is the Syndicate’s shadow: a memory with roots, a warning in full color.