Zuggtmoy

Zuggtmoy was the Demon Queen of Fungi,  but not considered a true patron of fungi. She was merely the embodiment of the death and virulence that fungi represented, and fully willing to subvert the natural order for her own ends. The Lady of Rot and Decay did not use decomposition for the higher purposes of renewal or rebirth, desiring destruction purely for its own sake. "Fear not for your future for now you must sleep In Zuggtmoy's Cradle your body shall steep. Your flesh a fine banquet of delicate food Your gift to the Lady shall nourish the brood. What births from your leavings and grows in her nave Shall feed from your ruins and fat from your grave."

- A traditional lullaby sung to those in Zuggtmoy's Cradle

Description
Zuggtmoy was utterly inhuman being, but could mold herself into roughly humanoid form. One often depicted form was a skeletally-thin humanoid draped and veiled in mycelium and lichen.

Personality
Despite technically engaging in the many facets of mortal life, much like her artificial form, this was a soulless parody of such existence. Zuggtmoy was alien in both body and mind, her only desire being to infect living creatures with her spores, turning them into her mindless slaves before they were reduced to naught but rotting and decomposing hosts for her fungi, mushrooms, and molds. Ultimately she sought to become the master of all life, the dominant mind of one great organism melded from all other living things.

Despite this simple objective, Zuggtmoy was not to be taken for a mindless mold, and in fact, she delighted in deception, treachery, and subversiveness. Befitting her nature as the Lady of Decay, she took glee in the slow rot of her foes from the inside out, being patient and subtle compared to her peers and delighted by the slow transformation of enemies into allies. She was desperate to avoid any setbacks in her quest for power and would go so far as to beg for mercy and offer to serve obviously more powerful foes, immediately and inevitably attempting to turn such a situation to her advantage and secretly wither the bonds of her opposition.

Realm
Zuggtmoy's lair was in Shedaklah, a massive palace of two dozen mushrooms, all interconnected with bridges and lined with countless chambers and tunnels. It was located on the same layer as Juiblex's Slime Pit. The Demon Queen of Fungi and the Faceless Lord were driven by their insatiable hunger to destroy and devour others.

Activities
Zuggtmoy was often content to let her fungal spawn tend to her every whim within her realm, turning her attention to the Prime Material Plane (which she also found an enjoyable place to visit) when bored with her idle playthings.

Servants
Zuggtmoy had a difficult time establishing effective cults in the Prime Material Plane, as worshiping fungi was not too appealing to the majority of humanoids. To counteract this, the Lady of Fungi was often worshiped through fake cults led by her few actual worshipers and manipulated in ways that supported her own initiatives.

Though small, there were some rare sects of devout fungi-worshipers, comprised mostly of misguided druids, clerics, and, to a lesser degree, maddened academics such as wizards. These insular collections often fantasized about the domination of fungi over their local surroundings.

In counterbalance to this, many more of her cultists followed her unwillingly and unknowingly, having somehow become infected with her spores, becoming either mind-controlled or transformed and serving as extensions of her will until they were utterly consumed. Like herself, they often exhibited only the illusion of normal sensibilities.

Zuggtmoy's influence extended most prominently with fungi themselves, with her ability to exert her will to demand their servitude and assistance. Alongside this, the demon lady, with the power of her status, could field powerful demons of varying strengths.

Enemies
With a vested interest in the Prime Material Plane Zuggtmoy often finds herself in conflict with other demon lords. The most notable of these clashes includes Lolth, who she competes with for control of the Underdark; though since Lolth's ascension as a deity this quarrel has tapered off to little more than the occasional skirmish between their respective cultists.

A more immediate rivalry, and one which has existed far longer than any other, would be Zuggtmoy's infamous war with Juiblex, with whom she shares her realm unwillingly.

History
In the late 15 century DR, Zuggtmoy found herself transported to Neverlight Grove in the Underdark, where she proceeded to enthrall the myconids Phylo and Yestabrod. After becoming aware of the being Araumycos, she began making plans to merge with the organism in a mock wedding.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Out of the Abyss