Knots

right|300px
Knots, not to be confused with formations made by intricate loops of rope, are a small, annual flower growing in the majority of Vailya's temperate climates. They produce spores which can act as strong nuerotoxins, depending on the variety of Knot that grows.
Knots, if unchecked, can become a problem for communities and farms due to their proliferation and abundance. A person who haphazardly wanders into a patch of Knots can become subject to their poison immidiately. However, the toxins produced by Knots will loose their potency just as quickly if the victim is removed from their vicinity.
Each spore produced by a Knot can grow into another Knot, which in turn produces more spores which can become more Knots. Knots expand by agitation; external influance provokes the Knot to produce its powerful self defense mechanism, which can scatter along the ground in the process. Under proper conditions, the scattered spores will germinate, and grow into a new Knot within weeks. Carcasses and afflicted victims will often line the perimeters of Knot patches, which attract curious and hungry victims to aggitate and expand the patch.
Knots come in several varieties, identified by their color. The most prolific of all varieties are the red and maroon colors, which induce a psychotic rage within their helpless victim. The thrashing suspect aggitates and flowers, releasing more spores which create more potential blooms. Victims of Red Knots usually esscape its clutches, however, as they do not become robbed of their motor fuctions.
Gold Knots are the second-most naturally occuring Knot flower. When a victim wanders into the patch, they are assailed by sleep-inducing spores, rendering them helpless until they no longer provoke the wrath of the tiny terrors. Unfortunately, upon waking, the victim's movements aggitate the flowers once more, causing them to fall helpless again. Gold Knots, when harvested carefully, are used by doctors to put a person into a deep coma which painful procedures, such as setting a limb, or pulling a tooth, are being preformed.
More abundant than Gold Knots are Blue Knots, which are cultivated and farmed for their sweet smell. The neurotoxin they produce is usually harmless, as it induces feelings of joy and happiness. Farmer's generally enjoy their work, but can get carried away. A farmer "lost in the Knots" might continue to work until exausting themselves to death. Because of this, Blue Knot farmers are often grown in multiple isolated patches, allowing the farmer time to recover from the feelings of joy. Blue Knots are commongly made into perfume and mild aphrodisiacs.
Green Knots, although rare, stand as the more dangerous of the flower's species. Their hue renders them invisible in patches of tall grass, leaving their victims to hopelessly stumble into their clusters. Victims are hit is a paralytic toxin which can take anywhere to half-a-minute to activate. The victim wanders in the patch unknowingly, then helplessly looses all motor function. If the victim is lucky enough to be afflicted with enough doses of the delayed toxin, they can esscape by running from the patch as quickly as possible. More often than not, however, the victim either suffocates or starves in the patch, drawing the flower's next victim. Green Knots are used most often in paralytic poisons used by torturers and assassins.
Violent Knots are an abberation among Knots. They are large, dog-sized plants which slowly creep toward unsuspecting prey. When close enough, thorned vined are extended out toward the victim. Each thorn produces a rapid degeneritive which quickly breaks down organic material. In addition, a struggling victim will often break and damge thorns, which act as the seed carrying "spore" of the species. It takes months for a new flower to grow, compared to usual weeks. Each Violet Knot acts independant of other Knots, and will even attack their siblings if the flower preceives its movement as a threat. Dispite this, a "pack" of Violet Knots moveing toward a single target is not unusual.
All Knot flowers are dangerous, and should be handled with care. They need little soil and water to proliferate and expand rapidly. The most commonly used defenses is fire. The Fire burns the flower, which is quite flamable, and allows the opposing being to remain a safe distance from the flower's released spores until the fire consumes them. The drawback is that fire often scatters spores in its smoke, leaving a ring of Knots along the former cluster's perimeter. Another method practiced by sorcerers if rapid freezing, killing most of the flowers before they can release spores.