Heart flower

The Heart flower is a plant endemic to Welt whose fruit, the heart, has unique and fascinating properties in the physiology of a mysterious species of elf known as the Lyrean Elves, which is a diaspora in Welt that lives where the heart flower grows. 
== Distribution ==
These small plants are commonly found all over the surface of Welt. Since the heart flower is abundantly found in the floating province region of Crumble, perhaps that is its point of origin, and as the fruits float from the islands, this is how the flower is dispersed all over the surface. However, the floating province used to be part of the surface and then was sent upwards. So the heart flower could have originated before that event. Another possibility is that since the other creatures of Welt would have reasons to destroy the flower (as will be explained in the following parts), they would be more plentiful in the floating province, where it is valued by the Lyreans. 
Depending on how long ago the floating province was sent up, the evolutionary implications of a sudden isolation of part of the population take 2 interesting routes worth consideration. 
# The "floating province" hearts are in the process of evolutionary divergence as they become adapted to the sky, and so are somehow different from the "surface" hearts. That goes against the life cycle idea though, since it suggests the different forms of hearts aren't various life cycle stages of a single species, but instead various species in the process of evolutionary divergence
# The hearts need something at the surface to complete their life cycle. The population that got sent up to the floating province were at risk of going extinct - but they evolved a life cycle that gives them access to the surface. Drifting down is easy enough, but coming back up is where the Lyreans come in (they are the only other species found in the sky and on the ground - even their bird mounts never come down to the surface).
== Reproduction ==
In Welt, heart flowers are plant organisms found all over the surface and on some of the floating islands of Welt. The fruit of the heart flower, recovery hearts, are noted for their curative effects. Several variants of this plant exist, heart flowers, recovery hearts, quarterhearts and fullhearts.
=== Heart flower ===
Heart flowers are grown from stumps, which require the contents of a standard water bottle to grow to maturity instantaneously. When mature, the fruit of the flower will detach itself from the plant. Heart flowers can also be found growing in the bodies of creatures in the wild.
=== Recovery heart ===
Main Article: Recovery Heart
When the fruit of the heart flower reaches a certain maturity, it will detach itself from the stem of the heart flower, becoming what is known as a recovery heart and float away. Recovery hearts have curative effects. 
=== Quarterheart ===
Main Article: Quarterheart
Considered a more mature version of the recovery heart, quarterhearts repair all the emptied hearts that have been damaged, restoring the consumers health.
===Fullheart===
Main Article: Fullheart
The final phase of the heart cycle, the last stage of maturity of the heart flower is known as a fullheart. Fullhearts are created from the joining together of four quarterhearts. 
== The Heart Flower and the Lyrean Elves, a unique symbiosis ==
Main Article: The Heart Flower and the Lyrean Elves
Lyre Elves have an interesting relationship with the heart flower and its variants to the point that it could possibly be a form of symbiosis, this is for several reasons.
Firstly, for the importance of supplementary hearts to the Lyrean’s lifestyle. Secondly on how the symbiosis manifests in the level of technological commitment the Lyreans devote to finding hearts, specifically when compared to the rest of their technological development which is comparatively quite medieval.
== Impact of the heart flower on Weltan biology ==
Main Article: Impact of the heart flower on Weltan biology
The heart flower seems to interact and influence the biology of Welt, if left unattended the heart flower will create Ultrafauna organisms and cause recovery heart tumors in creatures, the demon scion hide heart flowers for these specific reasons.
=== Ultrafauna ===
Main Article: Ultrafauna
Ultrafauna are colossal organisms found in the wilds of Welt or imprisoned in temples. They are created from (with the notable exception of lyrean elves and associated animals) an animate that consumes a Fullheart. They share no common traits beyond their size and the fact that fullhearts can be found on their spoils. Ultrafauna are thought to be the apex predators of Welt and to be actively hunted and contained by the Demon scion.
===Heart Flower Faeries===
Main Article: Heart Flower Faeries
Heart Flower Faeries who are born from a combination of Vascul Mushroom spores and a recovery heart, making its reproduction cycle a unique case of animal born from plant interactions. When the creature dies, a new heart flower stump will grow
== The role of the Heart Flower on the history of the Lyrean Elves ==
Main Article: The role of the Heart Flower on the history of the Lyrean Elves
The heart flower has had a prominent, if secret, role in the history of Welt with ramifications that can still be seen today. The Lyreans plant spread disease and monstrous beasts unto the lands without being kept in check and this eventually led to a desperate alliance to destroy an insidious enemy. The demon scions historic opposition to the Lyreans when one considers the negative impact that the plant has on their everyday lives is understandable.
== Dalmer Usage of the heart flower ==
Overall, due to its prolific nature, on the whole, the Dalmer do not like the heart flower, but they did develop several technologies from the plant.
=== Endurance Hearts ===
Further discovery into the Heart Flower introduced Green Hearts. These replenish the endurance of materials, such as a ships hull, or a trains chassis. Most vehicles start out with a rating of four Hearts, and can obtain more by replacing or acquiring better parts to the vehicle. When the vehicle runs out of Green Hearts, it is essentially broken.
=== Temporary Hearts ===
Further research into the phenomenon introduced Temporary Hearts, which are yellow in color and temporarily increase an individual's total life energy. Temporary Hearts can be gained by consuming cooked food or elixirs that have this effect. Once depleted, Temporary Hearts are lost and cannot be recovered, however more can be gained by consuming another item with the effect.
== Other race usage of the heart flower ==
Other than the Lyrean Elves, other races make usage of the heart flower.
===Supplementary heart hedge magic===
There is a type of hedge magic where a supplementary heart can be grafted to an individual artificially. Crystallized hearts can be placed in another chest cavity, this gave rise to the supplementary hearts concept among the other races. 
Category:Lyrean Elves
Category:Biology of Welt
Category:Pages with red links
Category:Heart Flower