Sanguarbo

**Sanguarbo** was a vampiric tree-like monster that lived beneath the ruins of the Evergarden in Northern Ishtar. It would lure humanoids into its lair to petrify them and forcibly drain them of their blood. Through this process, it would feed itself and produce the delicate white blooms known as Evergarden Blooms.

## Description

### Appearance

Sanguarbo's main body took the appearance of a giant gnarled tree with a monstrous face. It had two black eyes with red pupils on the left side of the face and a large gash across it resembling a open maw. All across its body were scars which leaked a blood-infused sap. Sanguarbo was also usually connected to many vines and roots that ran all around the caverns of the Evergarden.

### Personality

Sanguarbo's primary motivation was to feed itself with the blood of mortals. This innate desire gave rise to a twisted and evil personality. It would attempt to lure prey in under false pretenses, requesting their aid in finding its "children", the perverse name it gave its previous victims. It would then use its roots and vines to trap and entangle them in order to drain their blood.

However, Sanguarbo possessed a rather simple intelligence that undermined its cunning. It could not rationalize that it had depleted its last resources, instead thinking them missing, and was unable to adequately answer or incentivize the voyagers that confronted it on its actions. Upon being found out, Sanguarbo immediately became hostile, devoting its being to destroying any who would slight it.

## History

### Background

Sanguarbo's origins are unknown. It is unclear if it is as old as the Evergarden itself, which would make it several thousand years old, or if it simply moved in there at some point long after its destruction. Regardless of its history, Sanguarbo took up occupation beneath the Evergarden. Unlike other plants, Sanguarbo took sustenance from other creatures, draining their blood to feed itself. Whenever mortals would enter its den, it would ensnare them with its vines and petrify them in hardwood. Once the victim was encased, it would impale them with its roots and gradually drain them of their blood and vital organs.

As an unintended side effect of this, Sangaurbo would sprout numerous flowers above ground, which became known as Evergarden Blooms. These blooms were unique to the garden and possessed impressive alchemical properties, especially for healing. However, a bloom could only survive for 48 hours adter being plucked, requiring Sanguarbo's excess nutrients to sustain itself.

### Adopting New Children

Over time, Sanguarbo would grow to encompass the entire cave system it inhabited, causing it to become overgrow with vines and roots. It could use these appendages to manipulate the cave structure to its liking. Long after Sanguarbo had established itself beneath the Evergarden, a trio of historians from the Sogu Historia Guild arrived in the Evergarden, seeking to further document this relic from before the Shattering. However, the three historians were unfortunate enough to find the entrance to Sanguarbo's lair. It is unknown what happened, but the three became separated and Sangaurbo managed to trap them in the caves. It then transfigured them into its new food source, called them its "children" for some perverse reason.

## Phase 3 Story

### Bleed Dry

Some time after this, Sanguarbo lost connection to its latest victims, having completed drained them of all nutrients. However, this confused the creature, unable to comprehend such an outcome. With no alternative food source, Sanguarbo began to starve. However, an opportunity presented itself when a group of six humanoids made their way into its lair. The party approached Sanguarbo tentatively, expecting hostility. The group also unsuccessfully tried to identify the blood sap that leaked from its body. However, Sanguarbo chose not to attack, merely staring at the group. After some deliberation, the party urged the Silvona Almen'gyl to use its innate abilities to communicate with the vampiric plant.

Almen'gyl wrapped their vines across the roots, allowing Sanguarbo to speak through them. Sanguarbo informed the group through broken Common that it was dying having lost its "children". It requested that the group seek them out and return them to it. The group questioned Sanguarbo further, but it only provided minimal information and no reward. It then severed its connection to Almen'gyl, feigning tiredness. The party consulted each other and eventually decided to aid Sanguarbo and set off to find its "children".

### Blood for Blood

Not long afterwards, the party returned to Sanguarbo with the petrified husk of one of this historians. Almen'gyl reestablished its connection with the vampiric tree for communication purposes. They inquired if it was one of its "children", to which Sanguarbo assented. It then inserted its roots into the back of the husk in an attempt to leech more blood from it. Upon seeing this, the party became suspicious and began to confront Sanguarbo. One of them, a Rift Elf called Pandora, was especially indignant, pointing a crossbow at the creature and accusing it of tricking them. Sanguarbo unconvincingly tried to derail the interrogation by reminding them of their task. The discussion turned for the worst when the Skeleton Ribeye asked if Sanguarbo's "children" were biological or adopted. Sanguarbo responded that they were biological now. This statement immediately turned the party against Sanguarbo, realizing what the creature had done. Sanguarbo then swiftly severed it connection with Almen'gyl, though not before declaring it would make them its newest "children". It then sunk into the ground along with the child.

While hidden underground, Sanguarbo used its power over the area to collapse the entrance, preventing the party from escaping, It also finally realized its "child" was completely devoid of useful matter and ejected it back above the surface. Sanguarbo used its earth-shaping abilities to force the party deeper into the cave. The party, despite knowing Sanguarbo's strategy, had no choice but to go along with it. When the party reached a long narrow cavern, Sanguarbo summoned a wall of thorns, vines and roots to block them in. It then manifested its face on the wall and began to surge forwards, intending to crush the party against the opposite wall.

The voyagers fought back against the approaching wall, hacking apart vines and seed pods as they backed up. Using her magic, the historian Gloria Gladeblossom was able to set Sanguarbo on fire multiple times, forcing it to hide and stop advancing. Ribeye also used an enchantment to made it believe it was ablaze. Sorely injured from the assault, Sanguarbo desperately charged forwards, catching the party on the wall as it raced forwards. Its fear of fire forgotten, it summoned as many vines and pods as it could to finish off its prey. However, a swift stab in the eye from Kagami put an end to the vampiric creature once and for all. Though the way was blocked still by the dead remains of Sanguarbo, the voyagers managed to escape by climbing out through a hole in the ceiling.

### Legacy

Sanguarbo's remains were scavenged by the voyagers. Among the remains were some Evergarden Blooms, a chunk of petrified wood and a seed. The seed and blooms were taken by Pandora, who was looking to improve her skills as an alchemist. It is unclear if the death of Sanguarbo would result in the extinction of the Evergarden Blooms, as they were created as a byproduct of its biological processes.

## Powers and Abilities

### General Abilities

* **Vampiric Feeding:** Sanguarbo was able to inset its vines into living creatures and drain their blood and organs from them. The blood would feed Sanguarbo and mix with its sap, allowing to continue growing independent of sunlight.
* **Earthshaper:** Sanguarbo's true body encompassed the entire extent of the cave it lived in. As such, it could use its vines and roots to shape the earth around it to its liking, causing cave-ins and opening passageways.
* **Petrification:** Sanguarbo could petrify its victims in a hard wood. The means by which it achieves this is unknown.
* **Evergarden Bloom Progenitor:** Sanguarbo is the source of the Evergarden Blooms, a unique flower found only in the Evergarden of Northern Ishtar. The blooms are created as a byproduct of Sanguarbo's feeding and have exceptional healing properties.

## Etymology

Sanguarbo appears to be an original name made for the Ioverse setting. It is possible that the name is partially derived from "*sang*", the French word for "blood".

## Trivia

* Sanguarbo's boss fight was inspired by similar enemies in JRPGs, such as Demon Walls from the Final Fantasy series. Enemies like this ambush players in corridors and slowly approach while attacking, forcing the player to fell the creature before it crushes them against another wall.

## Images

### Official art

One of Sanguarbo's vines.One of Sanguarbo's seed pods.One of Sanguarbo's "children", a petrified corpse being drained of its blood.