The Night Lily
Lilium noctum

The Night Lily is one of the more common flowers of Enayra, due to cultural and religious beliefs, but it can be hard to find due to it’s particular method of growth and choice of habitat. It’s not impossible to find, but it is delicate, and only grows in very specific conditions.

It takes its name from the fact that the flower does not grow in sunlight. In fact, it often finds direct, and even indirect, sunlight harsh and detrimental to its well being. Instead, the Night Lily grows by the light of the moon–albeit a much more toned down amount of sunlight.

It grows mainly in the temperate middle regions of Enayra. It’s historical range previously spanned southern Altimara, in the swamps of that region, southern Asardaea, and northern Espias. Due to the desertification of Altimara, the flower can no longer be found there, however, it has recently taken purchase in the central deforested zone of Estion, where the trees are smaller, younger, and the moon’s light can reach the flower. Religious and cultural beliefs, combined with gardening practices, have sometimes seen this flower as far north as Malatrion, and as far south as Hosso when kept properly by a skilled hand, and as long as the flower’s specific conditions are met, and natural pests are kept away from the flower–such as the Enayra horned beetle, or the Asardaean giant mantis.

Found mostly at the base of large, old, trees, and–for some inexplicable reasons–in large graveyards, growing around gravestones, the Night Lily is oft considered one of the more beautiful flowers on the continent.

No one is quite sure why the flower prefers the moonlight to the sunlight, or why it enjoys growing atop burial sites, but it’s peculiar method of growth, and it’s beautiful grey dapple colouration have led to the flower’s popularity as a garden plant from the wealthiest Enayra’s to even those of humble means.

The flowers can survive transplanting surprisingly well, as long as they’re kept out of direct sunlight, and placed near a burial site, or at the base of another old tree–essentially, the same environment from where they were plucked. For this reason, many people will plant the lily over-top the site of graves of beloved pets, deceased farm animals, livestock, and even the graves of loved ones. It is not uncommon to see fields of this flower near or behind the homes and businesses of butchers and fishmongers.

This has led to the belief by many in Enayra that it is considered a proper burial practice and a sign of respect to always bury the body of anything that once drew breath with a scattering of Night Lily seeds, as both a sign of respect, and an extension of the belief that all souls, after death, become mana once passed, and return to the Earth Mother to help fuel the growth of new life in Enayra. By ensure the plants proliferate atop the bodies of the deceased, you are guaranteeing that both the soul and body are working towards the goal of rejuvenating the planet.