Species*: Shuroom
This is a species of fungus based creatures known as Shurooms that used to inhabit the world of Coresil in a separate reality.
This species is a close relative to many species of more benign mushrooms however despite their similarities there are a number of major differences that set this particular type of mushroom apart from the rest. The main difference is that Shurooms are fully capable of moving an performing actions within the same level of capability as most humanoids. Shurooms are also different in that they are capable of absorbing magic, a force which bleeds into many different realms including Coresil. As Shurooms absorb magic they grow in size, not terrifyingly fast mind you but without an upper limit.
Another difference of Shurooms is that they are a very rapidly growing and invasive species. They can emit up to six spores every month which will each grow into a full Shuroom in under twenty four hours. While not the fastest spawning fungus it can fight for resources to grow in a very literal fashion. Shurooms have been known to spread far due to their ability to walk about and have destroyed many ecosystems worth of flora by leeching nutrients away from the land.
Ever since their predecessors were subject to residual magic auras which caused them to mutate into this new species they had left their caverns which used to house their kind and roamed the land, simply existing and expanding wherever they went. When dangers arose that one of them couldn't handle then they would band together to defeat the obstruction. This element of cooperation soon lead to them developing their own form of communication, growing more advanced as a primitive civilization. This method of communication was a series of light flashes from their glowing cores not too dissimilar to morse code but combined with shifting colors and hues to create an intricate pattern that formed precise messages.
Of course when they discovered they had a taste for magic they started seeking out magical items, locations and creatures to drain. This put a number of native species to extinction since they would grow larger as they absorbed more magic. Naturally the wizards who inhabited the land were most concerned as they discovered this highly destructive fungi.
The major race that inhabited the land were elves, humanoids who are slightly taller than humans and possess far greater reflexes coupled with an innate magical talent. The elves realized far too late that this species was a threat to their collective safety and before too long 'The Spore War' took place. It was a violent and bloody battle, much elven blood was spilt in their struggle to fight the Shurooms back. Ultimately humans intervened and helped them drive this species nearly to extinction like the Shuroom have done to many others.
Violet is the last Shuroom.
Shuroom Language: (Under constant update)
- Cautious greeting
Orange glow; one short flash; two long flashes.
- "I'm wary of you but I don't want to fight"
Orange & yellow glow; one short flash; two long flashes; one short flash.
Appearance:
Sex: Asexual
Abilities**:
Size:
Shurooms can grow to about any size. Starting their lives at about roughly the size of a small house cat this species of fungi can grow without any size limit to just how large it can be. The only limitation that inhibits their growth is how much magic they absorb. This growth much unlike their natural growth to adulthood is very slow, often taking months before any noticeable difference of size can be observed but the maximum height and weight a Shuroom can obtain is practically unlimited, save for environmental limitations such as walls or the sky.
Though it is not commonly practiced amongst Shurooms if they need to reduce their size for practical needs they can release the magic stored within them in a cloud of inert spores which soak up the magic inside them before being expelled and wafting throughout the air. These spores do tend to stick to mucous membranes and expand in moist environments. These spore's mildly adhesive quality has led many living creatures to suffocate upon inhaling these spores as they stick to the inside of the lung and expand to the size of peas, filling up the lungs and asphyxiating the recipient.
After releasing their magic via a cloud of magically charged spores they will shrink down at about the same speed they grow. It should be noted that Shurooms cannot absorb magic back from these spores as the spores act a lot like they do, absorbing the magic and trapping it within to fuel their expansion. Unlike a fertile Shuroom spore however these inert spores will never mature into Shurooms.
At the point at which this story takes place Violet is about ten feet tall and weighs roughly a thousand pounds.
Strength:
The composition of their bodies make them very fibrous and hard resulting in tremendously powerful limbs. A Shuroom can lift up to twenty times it's own weight though such strength varies between them. At Violet's own strength it can lift eight times it's own weight. It isn't particularly strong for it's kind.
Regrowth:
A Shuroom can grow back from the largest remaining section of their form no matter how small the piece left behind might be. It takes a Shuroom roughly twenty four hours to regrow from a piece of itself no larger than a human's thumb. There are a number of limitations to this particular ability of theirs however.
They only grow back from the largest remaining piece of them while the other sections simply rot away unless they are reconnected to their proper position in a timely manner. A Shuroom will only grow back to it's currently determined size, never larger. If the core, the nervous center through within which it's mind resides, is destroyed then the Shuroom will simply fall inactive until the core regrows.
Magical Absorbtion:
The trait which earned the most ire from the inhabitants of Coresil, the Shurooms can all absorb magical energy from any source whether it be spells, items or even living beings. All varieties of magic can serve as sustenance for a Shuroom, regardless of it's nature. Even fire magic can be absorbed by them with little harm to them. Supernatural powers that run off a magical source are also available for absorption. When absorbed the magic is stored in it's core where it is harmless. The magical energy is used to fuel their growth, allowing these normally fast growing fungi to slowly increase their preset growth limit so they can become bigger than their bodies would allow otherwise.
While they do have apertures that resemble toothless mouths along the rim of their caps these mouth's purposes are not for communicating nor for consuming nutrients. These mouth's are for swallowing smaller magical items so they can be stored in a chamber within the cap where they are bathed in a bluish saplike fluids that help suppress the item's more dangerous qualities while helping absorb the magic from aforementioned items.
Unique Senses:
The species of Shurooms's senses have evolved to best suit their particular environment which were dark caves for many years. Their senses are all quite keen, the sharpest amongst them being sight and smell. They are very sensitive to light which allows them to identify even the faintest glow while in absolute darkness. As they filter air through themselves they are very sensitive to chemicals present in the air they breath, allowing them to pick up very faint scents.
Their sense of touch is quite dull throughout a Shuroom's body with the exception of their hands and feet. Seeing as their hands and feet are roots they serve as both limbs and methods of extracting nutrients from soil. As such, the finger and toe roots of a Shuroom are very sensitive while possessing a keen sense of taste as well. As sensitive as their limbs are they can feel the vibrations of sound through the surfaces they touch, allowing them to interpret sound through them.
Weaknesses**:
Natural Fire:
Fire, the great equalizer for most plant life. Fire is one of the few elements which can destroy them completely, leaving nothing behind to grow back from. Only natural fire will do however as Shurooms are quite capable of draining the magic from magical fire, thus extinguishing it.
Psychic/Chi Powers & Natural Abilities:
Psionic energies as well as Chi are forces that are born within the being that possesses them. While most magic, even inherent magic, have an outside source which Shurooms have adapted to absorb energies drawn from psychics or chi drawn upon by martial artists are foreign to the Shurooms and thus aren't consumable. Natural abilities that don't use any form of magic or supernatural force are also exempt from absorption.
It's Fingers/Toes:
While most of it's body only feels a very dull sense of pain the ends of it's roots are more sensitive and thus experience pain more keenly than the rest of it. Having it's fingers and toes damaged is a very unpleasant experience for it.
It's Core
It's core is relatively well protected given it's position but if damaged sufficiently the whole Shuroom would simply collapse, unable to think until the core grows back again.
Background:
Violet is a young Shuroom. It was born roughly during the latter half of The Spore War. It carried memories of armies marching over elven cities. Towering Shurooms crushing fluted towers of golden metal, hordes of Shurooms trampling terraces and carpets of little Shurooms like itself simply scurrying out of the way trying not to get stomped down by the feet of their larger kin.
It remembered the first magical item it ate. It was a beautiful scepter crafted from sleek metals that were smooth to the touch seemingly woven over a haft of wood that didn't appear worked. It was as though the wood was magically morphed into a perfectly straight rod. Mounted at the very end was a lustrous red gem that was perfectly cut, the light dancing across it's facets every time it hit a ray from the sun that poured in from the shutters of the room it was in. The scepter was extremely rich tasting, an exquisite flavor without compare. Unlike many of it's fellow sporelings it would grow and soon join the Shurooms that walked above the elves rather than below.
It could recall the event in which the highest of elven magi banded together to try and stop their forces. They formed a circle and the earth shook violently as though it were going to break apart beneath them. In response their largest Shurooms dug their roots in and formed a tight net throughout the ground that held the earth firm. Despite the power of their magic the volcano these elves had attempted to summon never came to be and better yet the Shuroom giants had absorbed the magic from the very spell, becoming even larger.
Violet itself had even participated in some of the combat that took place. An elven warrior with centuries of practice to draw upon slashed furiously at it's tough cap only to watch with growing horror as his sword, the tool which had served him so faithfully over countless years, lost all of it's magic within the first three or so strikes. At that point he continued to fight but it was a fight he was going to lose. The small gashed his now lifeless weapon carved were beginning to close before his very eyes and even though he could dodge it's unskilled swipes he was losing hope of ever winning this battle. No matter what direction he went there were more Shurooms and if he ran they would only continue until they finally got what they came for. In the end he managed to bury the blade into Violet's cap down to the hilt before getting caught caught with a slap. He was driven to the ground by the force of the blow before Violet hammered him flat with it's bare fists. The sword was stuck in it for a whole day before it's body pushed the weapon out and sealed the wound.
The elves had little choice in the matter. A civilization which had ruled the land was now at it's mercy. Millions of lives dwindled to thousands and then to hundreds. Burying their pride they begged the human kingdoms to assist them in their darkest hour. With the remainder of the elven kingdom in debt to them the humans agreed and came to fight the Shuroom menace.
The humans brought with them fire. A sea of red flames danced as they brought torches to burn the infestation away. Large vehicles of wood and metal launched rocks wreathed in flames into their ranks. Violet remembered the devastation mankind not only to them but the forest in general. All the humans left in their path were ashes. Nature suffered with every step the humans took into the elven forest.
Thus the Shuroom horde was slowly but surely destroyed, their largest Shurooms reduced to burning heaps by clouds of burning arrows interspersed with fiery rocks. Violet saw the shear volume of death the fire brought and felt a gripping fear deep within. It ran as the last remaining cluster of Shurooms were put to the torch.
In it's misfortune it was caught by the elves that were left. Despite the fierce animosity they felt towards the Shuroom their strong tie to nature won over, staying their hand from extinguishing the last remaining member of their race. Instead they chose to imprison Violet in another dimension where it would harm their world no longer.
In this prison Violet was forced to stay for some years. It was kept malnourished so it was always too weak to try and break free. Whenever it came time to release it's spores the guards would always gather them up before they've fully grown and destroyed them each time. Violet was distraught by the treatment it was subjected to. It tried to understand but it simply couldn't conceive of what it had done to deserve this kind of abuse.
In it's stay it learned much about them however. While it did not understand the guard's language it could tell how they interacted, how they acted. It developed a rudimentary understanding of the smaller humanoids over the time it had spent amongst them.
Then the guards disappeared. At first Violet was confused. The guards never fed it very well but it's meals always came in routinely. When no food came it eventually grew more and more desperate. It needed to eat. In peril of dying out of starvation Violet hit at it's massive metal door. Though as weak as it was it managed to break free after enough strikes. We begin our story here as Violet escapes it's cell.