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The Isles of Student Loan Debt.
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Carner Institute Entry: Neikirlana - Flower Bell of Bated Breath
The neikirlana, translated to "Flower Bell of Bated Breath" is a flower native to the Debtian Isles. Neikirlana are often found around larger human settlements but have also been found among Debtian otter populations and a variety of other animal species. An average sized flowering plant, it grows as a single stem with a few leaves on top and is a fuzzy little thing. It's one flower is shaped as a bell and hangs over the side facing downward, often purple but has been found to vary in color.
The neikirlana's specialness is found in the requirements it needs to fully bloom, that being death. It's flower is unable to fully bloom unless it is near someone who has died. It does not feed on decaying organic material like a fungus as the plant photosynthesizes. However, the flower itself will not bloom unless it can tell that someone has died next to it. The petals will start unfurling within a minute of the death and will take between 30 and 50 minutes to fully open.
After the petals have started to unfurl, the rest of the plant will begin a process of hardening and becoming stiff and brittle, the green becoming a brown as it slowly decays into a structure to hold the flower up. The flower itself will begin decaying after about 9 days of being fully bloomed regardless of whether or not it has water or sunlight.
What causes the flower bloom is a complicated topic for many. All recognize that it requires a death for it to bloom, but why specifically is debated. Some believe that the post-mortem echo we leave behind fertilizes the flower. Some believe that the PME reside within the flower. Some believe that the flower is the PME. While studies have been done to see if chemicals released in decay or even pheremones released at death are involved in the process of a neikirlana bloom, study after study cannot find a link between these but have found a variety of links between the plant and the PME.
The neikirlana is a cultivated plant and usually found within hospitals. Unlike other flowers that may be present for a lively atmosphere, the neikirlana is a gloom bloom and used more for additional confirmation as to whether a patient has died or not. However, this is useful in helping to prevent misinterpretation of someone as being dead and having prevented a lot of accidental live burials as the neikirlana is a very accurate signal. In it's time, it has become a cultural symbol associated with death and occassionally finds its way into the religions of the Isles.
The extent of the flower is usually fairly uniform but can vary at times. On average, between 18 and 22 neikirlana are able to bloom flowers from one death and the max range in which a neikirlana can detect a PME varies between 19.5 and 30.8 meters. When it comes to soil type, it's not very picky but does enjoy peat soil the best.
