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A fantasy world is not utterly devoid of life. Besides sentient beings like humans and animals, there is another whole group of life forms, one that shapes the world in ways the other two don’t. In order to truly understand plants and trees, the fantasy botanist spends time studying them.
The botanist doesn’t while away the hours of the day examining the flora and fauna because he has to. He does so because he has a love and deep reverence for them. He wants to learn as much as he can about them and how they can prove useful to people or at least, discover which ones are to be avoided at all costs.
With all of the plants out there, it can be difficult for the fantasy botanist to keep track of which ones are which. It is precisely for this reason that he meticulously catalogues them in an extensive book or a series of books. He documents everything he learns about them so that other people can know more about them.
Plants offer a sort of mystical power that cannot be found anywhere else and the botanist’s role is to help other people learn more about them so that they can live with them in peace. Another purpose is to see which ones offer medicinal properties or other kinds that can help people thrive and flourish. While many are easy to work with, there are some that won’t give up their secrets so easily and will deploy whatever self-defense mechanisms they have to prevent that from happening.
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When he wakes up for the day, the botanist is eager to spend time with the flora and fauna of the planet. Whether it’s at home or at work, he cannot wait to see what new things he’ll learn from the ones he’s working with at the moment. Whenever he’s interacting with them, he handles them with a gentle touch and speaks to them as if they were friends.
The fantasy botanist knows that plants are essential to the world’s ecosystem and he just wants to know all about them. Whether it’s in the lab or outside, he strives to study them in their natural habitat, seeing how they interact with the other life forms of the world. When he learns something new, he gets excited and can’t wait until the next time he discovers something he didn’t know beforehand.
He loves everything about plants, from their stems to their leaves and petals. He discusses them with anyone who’s willing to listen and he lists off everything he knows about them, beginning with their genus name. He just wants to share his knowledge about all things plants with the world and he has a great time when he is with his fellow botanists where they talk about them all day long.
Though he has a love of plants, the fantasy botanist knows that they can prove useful to civilization. That is, there are things that people can use them for besides eating. For instance, some plants such as aloe have healing properties so he works to learn about them in order to see which ones can be helpful as well as those that are not to be trifled with. Whenever he comes across an unfamiliar species, he carefully studies them and conducts a series of various experiments to see if they contain poison or any other harmful chemicals to people before handling it with his bare hands.
Many plants are friendly to people and the botanist serves as a bridge in which to connect the two groups. He lets people know which ones are okay and which ones are toxic or have the potential to hurt people if not handled correctly. He also cautions people to not over-harvest them since they need time to continue growing and thriving.
Between the trees and plants, it is difficult to keep track of how many there are. That’s where the botanist comes in. One of the parts of this profession is to catalogue and document all of the various flora and fauna that dwell in the four corners of the planet which he does so to great aplomb.
When studying a plant, he observes it in its natural habitat and sees how it withstands the elements. Does it absorb water after a rainstorm well or how cold does it have to be before it goes dormant for the winter? He also documents its physical appearance and feels its texture, provided he’s concluded that it’s safe to touch.
The fantasy botanist also monitors its growth cycle. He does so to see how rapidly or slowly it grows which will be useful for everyone to know since all plants grow at different rates. Additionally, he sees what wildlife it attracts since some plants are a prime magnet for some creatures whereas others get little to no visitors at all.
Every single thing the botanist learns through his observations are jotted down in a text or large book. He keeps an extensive record of every plant he’s studied throughout his career and adds more info to it whenever the need arises. It’s also his go-to book whenever he needs to find something about a particular plant.
All the information the fantasy botanist gathers and compiles into one or more books serves a purpose. It is to help educate the general public about all the plant life forms of the world, what they look like and what they can be used for. This helps people learn more about the world around them.
The trees and plants of the world come with their own mysteries that require someone with an innate curiosity to unlock them and that would be the botanist. He endeavors to unearth as many of their secrets as he can using the tools and technology of the time. Why would he do this if it wasn’t for his desire to learn all about them?
On the world stage, the fantasy botanist plays an integral role, using the knowledge he’s gathered through studious observation and experiments to showcase what the flora and fauna is capable of. That is, they can make life better for many people — and worse for those who use them in the wrong way. His work marks the formal process of using what they offer to make people better.
Some plants are great in terms of medicine. They contain ingredients and chemicals that can help ease pain and cure sores and wounds. Aloe is one such and is used in many healing salves and ointments and reducing the length of time it takes for sores to go away makes people happy.
For issues that run deeper than the skin, the work the fantasy botanist does can do wonders for people who suffer from various ailments such as headaches or stomachaches. He’s identified plants who possess the necessary ingredients that help make them go away which are used by scientists to create pills or apothecarists to brew potions that do the same thing.
Besides using his horticultural knowledge to help people recover, the botanist also knows which plants are edible and which ones are not. This leads people to incorporate them in their diet, using them in a wide variety of dishes. Berries, other fruits, and vegetables help people eat better which in turn makes them healthier and more capable of leading happy and fulfilling lives.
The fantasy botanist is more important to the world than you think it is. The extensive knowledge he amasses from his exhaustive work with plants pays off in many ways. People are able to harvest them to for a myriad of reasons, chiefly for medicine and for eating, allowing them to live longer and more satisfying lives.
It all starts when the botanist whiles away hours everyday watching and seeing the different types of plants he’s studying at the time. He does it because he loves them and being surrounded by them makes him happy and content. He is curious to unlock their secrets and conducts various experiments to find out what they are.
The fantasy botanist writes down everything the plants he’s working with in a text or book. He documents things like their physical appearance, their habitat, what type of creatures they attract, and so on. The information he gathers is used to educate the public about them so that people are more acclimated to them and see the benefits of using them.
The world is a better place because of the botanist. Advancements in medicine and food wouldn’t be possible without his lengthy research on plants which lead to people having more variety in their diet as well as cures for common ailments, both on the outside and the inside. People become more capable of living longer and happier lives.
While the botanist might not garner as much attention as the swordsman or king, he contributes to the world in a different way which is why he is important when it comes to worldbuilding. How else could the characters of the world your story takes place in know which plants are good to use and which ones to avoid?
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