Rot Jungle

The Rot Jungle, also known as the Toxic Forest, is a collection of fungal lifeforms located near and in Flop's Hold.

## Introduction

The Rot Jungle is a collection of extradimensional fungal lifeforms. Each fungus appears to serve a different purpose, dull lilac mycelium acting as grass for larger lifeforms to grow, macroscopic molds spreading spores, chimney-like smokers spewing black smog into the sky, bioluminescent gelatin capped Jelly Mushrooms illuminating the envrionment for the eye vines to spot intruders. Nothing is unintentional, and nothing does not want to kill you.

The Rot Jungle terraforms the very ground for it's own survival via dull lilac mycelium, which then sprouts foot-sized spore launching molds clusters which stimulate the growth of larger fungal organisms. This is the cycle of growth, and it does not stop.

The jungle's vulnerabilities are scarce, their home dimension's hostile environment makes them immune to fire and magma and in fact propser in it. While waving an axe and felling their great fungal stalks can cause some damage, it is by no means permanant and the only way to truly counter it is by limited its growth rate.

The jungle appears to have far more diverse flora near water, which puts into question why it is spreading inwards instead of across the coast, indeed, the jungle's motives are alien and unknown to all beings. Ironically, the fungus cannot grow in water and burns when touching it.

## History

In late 2021, the organisms broke out from another dimension, and started spreading rapidly by releasing spores in the surrounding air. They destroyed Flop's Hold, and used its wooden walls as bio-mass to continue to grow at even higher speeds. At the moment, they occupy the desert, and are spreading outwards.

Attempts were made to stop them by creating a wall around the forest. As of 1/2/2022 the wall has been proven unsuccessful, and the Rot Jungle has continued to spread across into the nearby mesa and the shore near the river, creating the Decaying Shore and the Festering Mesas respectively.

Currently, a new wall is being constructed using coal blocks and stone in an attempt to absorb the jungle's corruption. Just a few hours later, the new wall, known as the Final Barrier was bypassed, the Jungle going through and around the unfinished portions. It has taken over the city and area sorrounding it, creating the Capital of Decay. The Rot Jungle has succeeded in destroying all that heeded it's spread. As of 1/3/2022, Anturalis has destroyed fungal stalks in the city, heeding the Capital of Decay's spread. Hours later the Old Capital was abandoned and the city was overtaken once again, now, a lab is set up to study the Rot Jungle in the old city's place.

As of 1/7/2022 new growths in the Jungle have caused it to be discovered that the Jungle is actaully benevolent, or at the least not malicious. The Capital of Decay, being the home of these new more majestic growths has been renamed to the Illuminant Woodlands, and the Jungle has become a nature reserve.

## Biology

### Mycology

The Rot Jungle consists primarily of fungus, all of which are different species, and are not related genetically. Each fungus has a purpose in the Jungle, similar to the castes of an ant colony. While most funguses lack a purpose other than communication nodes, there a few notable fungi which serve an important purpose:

* Blue Fir Fungi: Seen in the background of the image above, they relay commands to the main hive via blue mycelium and also are important in the fungus's decompisition process and turning bio-mass into usable sustenance.
* Giant Molds: Seen in the foreground of the image above, they act as scouts, growing first and foremost, and spreading spores and mycelium in new Jungle territory.
* Jellyfish Mushrooms: These mushrooms are more euclidean in appearance, resembling normal mushrooms. They are around has tall has a person with a thin white stem and a bioluminescent gelatinous cap of myriad color. These mushrooms act as the primary communication nodes for the Rot.
* Smokers: Smokers are extremely strange, being tall, thing, and gnarly with glowing red bulbs. At the tip of the stem is a large chimeny-like orifice with bellows out a black smog. This smog is not organic, and the smoker appears to burn the matter below itself into the smoke to spew out into the atmosphere. Their purpose is unknown, however it is theorized that they play a part in terraforming the atmosphere into the Jungle's preferred environment.
* Red Mold: Red Mold is small, consisting of tripartite red fungal sprouts, the roots around it are covered in grey fur. Red Mold releases **hostile** spores not designed to spread, but to conquer and infest.

## Geography

The Rot Jungle is separated into sub-areas, currently, these include: the Outer Jungle, the Decaying Shore, the Festering Mesas, the Illuminant Woodlands, the Deeper Fleshjungle, Flop's Hold, Advance of Decay, and more.

### Flop's Hold, Advance of Decay

Flop's Hold is ground zero for the Rot Jungle, where it all started. From its defiled wooden walls, spreads the most dangerous threat to all of Flopcraft's native life. Here the bio-diversity of the jungle is at it's peak, and here the thickness of the spores is intoxicating. This is Flop's Hold, the fungal husk of a once great fortress.

### The Deeper Fleshjungle

Primarily consisting of molds and fungal growth, the Deepr Fleshjungle is a large ring around the inner heart of the Rot. Covered in poisonous plants and thorny cactuses, it will not let you enter, and it will not let you leave.

### The Decaying Shore

The Decaying Shore is well, a shore, it was the first of the many shorelines to be infested, and harboured the corruption of the once beautiful Festering Mesas.

### The Festering Mesas

Once the home of the Riding Lizards, these mesas have been totally infested by toxic fungal masses and is now the home of the most deadly lifeforms the jungle has to offer.

### The Outer Jungle

The Outer Jungle is the largest part of the Jungle, it consists of any section of the jungle that isn't part of an existing section that is over at least half a mile away from the inner jungle. Because how large it is, it is often confused with other biomes, or vice versa.

### The Underroots

The Underroots are made up of anchor trees and their large roots, using these roots, the Jungle feeds on the stone and water below, and uses it to fuel it's ravenous growth.

### The Illuminant Woodlands

One of the more recently created locations (as of 1/7/2022), the Illuminant Woodlands consists of a sprawling forest of beautiful trees and foliage. It is the only non-hostile area of the Rot Jungle, and rightfully so. The mere existence of this location caused the Jungle to become a nature reserve as to preserve the beauty of this area, and this area alone.