Hooded Thicket

2022 Location Lore Event Entry
Author: Aylabug

The Tropical Islands of Shengdao grow multitudes of plants and house several species, some still unknown to the shiji, that are unique to its ecosystem. The Islands are home to one of the most diverse temperate locations in the region, giving birth to special life all around its coast. It is bordered by the ocean, the cold winds from the sea mixing with the hot, thick air surrounding its base. In some parts, the moisture and water collects so much that it drowns out other native plant life, giving the opportunity for plenty of fungi to thrive. They break down the rotting wood from soaked trees and build new life atop of it, breathing their spores into the air. This phenomenon has opened the area to be named, the Mushroom Depths. The area is blanketed with mushrooms, their flat tops copying that of a forest floor, moss and bugs thriving on their caps.

The area itself is vast, covering a large portion of the Tropical Islands. The mushrooms and fungi swallow anything that tries to grow, and animals often do not visit as the air surrounding in and outside of the Depths is thick with spores. In the center of this area, however, grows a mighty tower that reaches high above the rest. An even larger mushroom, that of unknown origin, claws its way above the top canopy of trees and into the sunlight, drinking in its nutrients and the light spray from the ocean waves. The trunk of this mushroom is thick and fibrous, leaving anything to attempt to severe it unlikely to do so. It rises several hundred feet into the air, stealing away the sunlight from its other competitors. Along its trunk, smaller mushrooms have begun to branch off and thrive of their own, becoming their own small umbrellas doing what they can to leech off of the surrounding trees. They droop down to the forest floor, becoming small canopies to house winged beasts and bugs alike. They hide in the solitary confines of the mushrooms, welcoming its moise interior and dark spaces. At the peak of this mighty mushroom, the biggest umbrella shroom of them all hangs above it, collecting the moisture from the air and sending it dripping down below. The caps of the mushrooms do not retain moisture, and it drips from those under it as well. A constant rain falling from its caps, making the air thick, humid, and difficult to breathe. Massive veins snake and thread around the trunk of the mushroom, sucking the nutrients from the earth in order to survive such a massive existence. Against all odds this has survived, and because of it, has housed many interesting species of animals and plants alike.

Those that would stumble upon this monstrosity must be weary of the thick spores clouding the air. One could even find solace here, as the caps of the mushrooms and thick fog do well to hide any noise. There is the occasional chirping of birds, and the drowned out sound of the waves hitting the island banks. The ecosystem here is unique, and untamed, begging for someone to find its hidden secrets.