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Underdark 2650 2

A denizen of the Underdark gazes at a variety of fungi.

A fungus (plfungi) was a type of vegetation that included mushrooms, toadstools, and molds.

Description[]

Some species of fungi were bioluminescent, but these were rather rare.[1] They were more common in the Upperdark than the Middledark.[2]

Habitats[]

Fungi were most abundant in Toril's Underdark,[3] where they and other vegetation received nourishment from the ambient faerzress.[4] Areas particularly diverse in fungi included Fluvenilstra[5] and Gduar's Garden.[6]

History[]

The year 238 DR was known as the "Year of Many Mushrooms." During this time, prevalent damp weather and rotting diseases all across northern Faerûn promoted rampant growth of mushrooms. Trade in harvested mushrooms and mushroom-related products (especially fried ones in salted gravy) became prevalent. And reports of myconid sightings became more common.[7]

Varieties[]

Fungi

A few fungi.

Thousands of species of fungi existed on Toril.[8] Some of the known fungi on the planet included the following:

Acorn truffle
A species of edible fungus found along forest beds and favored by many wild beasts.[9]
Ascomoid
A very large, spherical fungus that typically rolled around and tried to crush its prey while spewing streams of spores out from its orifices.[10]
Araumycos
A very large fungal growth that lived in the Upper Northdark.[11]
Barrelstalk
A barrel-shaped fungus that usually held potable water but turned poisonous at maturity.[4]
Bluecap
Common in the Underdark. It could be ground into flour and baked into sporebread.[4]
Blushcap
A red and white mushrooms made famous by nursery rhymes.[9]
Bonecap
A species of foul and acidic mushrooms that fed on grave rot.[9]
Browncap
An edible wild mushroom, staple of dwarven cuisine.[12][13]
Brownflower
A species of edible mushrooms, Amnian delicacy.[14]
Bullywug trumpet
A sour-tasting edible mushroom that flourished in dark and damp places.[9]
Cloudspore mushrooms
A species of mushroom that unleashed thick clouds of spores when disturbed.[15]
Crag mushroom
A fleshy edible mushroom with healing properties.[16]
Deathcap mushroom
Delicious but deadly poisonous fungi from Northwest Faerûn.[17]
Deathsbreath mushroom
A delicacy for goblinoids from the High Moor.[18]
Dragon egg
A medicinal subterranean mushroom.[9]
Funguswood
A common mushroom used as a wood substitute and sometimes as a savory spice.[19]
Frosted mushroom
A species of frost-covered fungus that released icy cold spores in a burst when squeezed.[16]
Gas spore
A balloon-like, toxic fungus that bore a resemblance to beholders.[20]
Glowcap
A easy glowing mushroom from underdark, and a valuable trade commodity.[21][9]
Greensleep
A poisonous fungus found in the Moonsea area.[22]
Khondyn
A plate-like brown edible mushroom found near Blustich in Cormyr.[23]
Morel
A species of edible fungus popular in Cormyr.[24]
Nightlight
A naturally bio-luminecent fungus that grew in Underdark and could be used as a temporary source of light by travelers.[25]
Nimergan
A mushroom beloved by duergar who fermented it into alcohol of the same name.[26]
Phantom fungus
A type of fungal predator with innate invisibility.[27]
Phycomid
A type of fungus that reproduced by infecting other organisms with their spores and gradually overtaking their bodies.[10]
Pygmywort
A duergar fungus from Gracklstugh.[28]
Rogue's morsel
A species of edible forest mushrooms from the Western Heartlands.[9]
Swarming toadstool
A species of clustering parasitic mushrooms often found swarming bigger fungi.[9]
Tessadyle
A stringy fungus common near mind flayer colonies. Primarily used for clothing.[29]
Thoud
An odd-looking edible mushroom found near Blustich in Cormyr.[23]
Timmask
A hallucinogenic giant mushroom also known as the devil's mushroom that grew in Underdark.[25]
Torchstalk
A torchstalk was a fungus that grew in the Underdark which had a flammable, gas-filled orange round cap.[2]
Uttercap
An edible mushroom cluster found near Blustich in Cormyr.[23]
Violet fungus
A fungus typically used by treants for protection,[30] they could grow to the size of a human.[31]
Zabou mushroom
A species of Chultan mushrooms with poisonous spores that caused severe itching.[32]
Zurkhwood
A tall mushroom with edible spores and wood-like stems used for building materials in the Underdark.[25]
Zygom
A semi-parasitic fungus that preferred inhabiting and feeding on living creatures.[33]

Usages[]

  • Some bioluminescent fungi that grew in the Underdark were quite prized by alchemists on the surface.[34]
  • Mushrooms made up the bulk of the diet of the inhabitants of Skullport. These mushrooms were sourced from mushrooms farms in small outlying caverns and other levels of Undermountain.[35]
  • Fungi, especially those purposely planted as beds or forests, had a wide variety of uses for drow depending upon their species. Being used as a source of light, food, fiber for weaving, various medicines and oils, or a combination of these.[8]
  • Some drow communities planted beds or even forests of fungi to dispose of their offal and sewage at. Some of these had the waste carted to them, others were at the ends of minute sewers, or were planted downriver along a riverbank. The last type were tended to by drow being punished, slaves, and sometimes even driders.[8]
  • Some master winemakers believed that stomping grapes barefoot was beneficial and even an intricate part of winemaking. Various funguses that grew on humanoid feet aided the fermentation process.[36]

Appendix[]

Gallery[]

External Links[]

References[]

  1. Bruce R. Cordell, Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, Jeff Quick (October 2003). Underdark. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 106. ISBN 0-7869-3053-5.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Bruce R. Cordell, Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, Jeff Quick (October 2003). Underdark. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 108. ISBN 0-7869-3053-5.
  3. Bruce R. Cordell, Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, Jeff Quick (October 2003). Underdark. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 110. ISBN 0-7869-3053-5.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Bruce R. Cordell, Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, Jeff Quick (October 2003). Underdark. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 108. ISBN 0-7869-3053-5.
  5. Bruce R. Cordell, Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, Jeff Quick (October 2003). Underdark. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 149. ISBN 0-7869-3053-5.
  6. Bruce R. Cordell, Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, Jeff Quick (October 2003). Underdark. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 189. ISBN 0-7869-3053-5.
  7. Ed Greenwood (April 1996). “The Athalantan Campaign”. In Pierce Watters ed. Dragon #228 (TSR, Inc.), p. 34.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Ed Greenwood, The Hooded One (2011-09-07). Questions for Ed Greenwood (2011). Candlekeep Forum. Retrieved on 2021-07-28.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 Larian Studios (October 2020). Designed by Swen Vincke, et al. Baldur's Gate III. Larian Studios.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Doug Stewart (June 1993). Monstrous Manual. (TSR, Inc), pp. 120–121. ISBN 1-5607-6619-0.
  11. Eric L. Boyd (November 1999). Drizzt Do'Urden's Guide to the Underdark. Edited by Jeff Quick. (TSR, Inc.), p. 54. ISBN 0-7869-1509-9.
  12. Ed Greenwood (2022-11-03). “Dwarven Cuisine” (Tweet). theedverse. Twitter. Archived from the original on 2022-11-03. Retrieved on 2022-11-03.
  13. Ed Greenwood (November 2000). “The New Adventures of Volo: Dragonwing Stew”. In Dave Gross ed. Dragon #277 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 93.
  14. Ed Greenwood (January 2000). Secrets of the Magister. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 77. ISBN 978-0786914302.
  15. Jeff Hertel (November 2008). Taking Stock of the Situation (TYMA1-2). Living Forgotten Realms (RPGA), p. 25.
  16. 16.0 16.1 Liquid Entertainment (2011). Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of Neverwinter. Facebook.
  17. n-Space (October 2015). Designed by Dan Tudge, et al. Sword Coast Legends. Digital Extremes.
  18. Stephen Radney-MacFarland (2003). Legacy of the Green Regent: Extermination. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 11.
  19. Beamdog (November 2013). Designed by Philip Daigle, et al. Baldur's Gate II: The Black Pits II – Gladiators of Thay. Beamdog.
  20. Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 137–138. ISBN 978-0786965614.
  21. Ed Greenwood (January 2005). “No More in Armor for My Sake”. Silverfall (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 40, 42. ISBN 0-7869-3572-3.
  22. Greg Marks (2014-09-01). Shadows over the Moonsea (DDEX1-03) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Tyranny of Dragons (Wizards of the Coast), p. 17.
  23. 23.0 23.1 23.2 Ed Greenwood (2020-10-03). Mushrooms of Blustich (Tweet). theedverse. Twitter. Retrieved on 2023-05-24.
  24. Ed Greenwood (July 1995). Volo's Guide to Cormyr. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 170. ISBN 0-7869-0151-9.
  25. 25.0 25.1 25.2 Christopher Perkins, Adam Lee, Richard Whitters (September 1, 2015). Out of the Abyss. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 23. ISBN 978-0-7869-6581-6.
  26. Chris Perry (November 1994). “Fungi of the Underdark”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #211 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 25–26.
  27. Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 207. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
  28. Christopher Perkins, Adam Lee, Richard Whitters (September 1, 2015). Out of the Abyss. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 67. ISBN 978-0-7869-6581-6.
  29. Christopher M. Schwartz (January 1999). “The New Illithid Arsenal”. In Bill Slavicsek ed. Dragon #255 (TSR, Inc.), p. 29.
  30. James Butler, Elizabeth T. Danforth, Jean Rabe (September 1994). “Cormanthor”. In Karen S. Boomgarden ed. Elminster's Ecologies (TSR, Inc), p. 27. ISBN 1-5607-6917-3.
  31. Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 113. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
  32. BKOM Studios (2017). Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation.
  33. Douglas Niles and Michael Dobson (1988). The Throne of Bloodstone. (TSR, Inc), p. 41. ISBN 0-8803-8560-X.
  34. Ed Greenwood (October 1998). The City of Ravens Bluff. Edited by John D. Rateliff. (TSR, Inc.), p. 62. ISBN 0-7869-1195-6.
  35. Joseph C. Wolf (1999). Skullport. (TSR, Inc), p. 13. ISBN 0-7869-1348-7.
  36. Rick Brill (June 1999). Before Its Time. Living City (RPGA), p. 14.
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