Ariac Fruit

The Ariac Fruit grows only in one place on Jiazera. High in the mountains there is a large lake. This lake is fed by glacier runoff and a hot springs. Where the water mixes between the hot spring and glacier runoff grows a very unlikely fruit, the Ariac. The Ariac has its roots along the bank and shallows of the lake, close to the hot springs. The vines of the Ariac float across the water reaching far out into the lake. The scientist have learned that there are 7 hot springs that feed this lake along with the glacier runoff. They know this because the Ariac vines create an outline of where each hot springs.

Along the thick buoyant vines grow gigantic dark green rounded heart shaped leaves. Towards the end of spring and beginning of summer large seven petaled flowers grow. They come in three colors, red, purple and blue. The vine continues to flower until the first snowfall. That’s when the petals wilt and one can see the Ariac fruit underneath. A week later the fruit is ready to harvest. Harvesting is done by people being on the shore or boats depending where in the lake they are. They grab the vines and pull them in picking the fruit as they come across them.

Ariac fruit is expensive and hard to keep fresh so only the elite usually get fresh. Which is reported to taste sweet, with a bit of a spicy kick at the end. Most people only get the dried or powdered form of Ariac fruit which is used more as a spice than a fruit. As when it is dried or ground up it loses the sweet taste. Another form it comes in is as a flavoring, which retains the sweet with a very mild spice kick to it. Because of the unlikely place that the Ariac grows. Most people have only heard of it not ever seen or tasted one.

At this time there is only one known lake that the Ariac fruit grows. Any and all attempts to cultivate it have failed. So, Ariac fruit is rare and hard to get.