| Class: | Plant, basic (sessile) or Animate |
| Hab: | Any arid region |
| Fre: | Sessile: common; mobile: somewhat rare |
| Num: | 1-20 adjoining patches, or as cultivated |
| Lair: | Sessile: 100% / mobile: 80% |
| Size: | 15-25' tall |
| Move: | Sessile: none, mobile: steady shuffle |
| Def: | Very tough, springy, spine-armored, no vitals |
| Att: | Spine-studded entangling branches |
| Int: | Sessile: none, mobile: basic beast |
| Spec: | Incapacitating venom; mobile make shifting mazes |
| Posns: | Incidental, possibly domesticable |
Martyrs' wall grows to form barriers around precious sources of water in the deep desert. This water may be deep in the ground, and thinly dispersed, but it is sufficient for the cactus - barely.
Trying to force one's way through a martyrs' wall is like climbing through a nest of swords. Worse yet, the thorn-blades are primed with an extremely potent and painful toxin. This does no actual damage, but is so painful that each strike requires an additional willpower check, at an additional negative, to prevent retreat. As every round brings multiple cuts, and each round of time brings only a chance of making a single foot of progress, and the walls may grow many foot thick, their barrier is very effective. (The chance for making a single foot of progress per round spent working one's way forward - not fighting or otherwise distracted - is a % equal to one's strength + dexterity or agility.)
Martyrs' wall may be cultivated as a living fence by desert communities. Constant pruning with long-handled loppers is required to keep the wall of cactus from spreading overmuch. Natural rings of martyrs' wall are frequently used to contain herds; they are equally effective in restraining cattle and people.
The unscrupulous may also use martyrs' wall for torture purposes. Luckily, the extremely complex herbalist alchemy required to stabilize the toxin make it too expensive for most markets. A weapon envenomed with martyr resin will cause those struck to be, at the very least, distracted. This reduces their "to hit" by 1 per envenomed strike until the wounds are cleaned. Martyr resin can be washed off with strong alcohol, although this is not effective when the living plants are oozing fresh venom.
The rarer mobile form enjoys making shifting mazes in which to trap prey. It is very good and developing cooperative tactics with other desert denizens whose lairs the shifting cacti shelters. Those with appropriate skills claim that these cacti can be domesticated.
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