The Fungest

**The Fungest** is a forested region of Northern Giantstep, inhabited by the diminutive fey known as the **mushroomites**. These tiny beings guard the region’s many edible mushrooms from all who wish to eat them. The region is divided into three separate realms, depending on the nature of the mushroomites living there: the Culinary Fungest, the Mixed Fungest and the Toxic Fungest.

## History

The region known now as The Fungest was first discovered by the khenomeri explorer Jaalibali. In the year 200 BBE, Jaalibali was working for the khenomeric authorities exploring the coasts of the Cogollo Gulf and the Sea of the Lamb, in an attempt to find a way to circumvent the seemingly endless swamps of the northern side of the continent. Sailing from the province of Mareador (nowadays lost to the Forest of Getting Lost), they were expected to reach the Swamp of Sadness and walk around the edges until they could calculate the size and reach of the bogs and marshes. Instead, a storm send him and his crew were buffeted by a storm, running aground in the now Jaalibaly Cape, in what is now known as the Culinary Fungest.

Around fifty men, Jaalibali included, were able to survive the accident. They began setting up a base of operations in the coast, and once they were ready, they began their march back home. They had no means of building another ship, and theirs had become too damaged to repair it. They repurposed as much of their ship as they could and they followed the coastline back to khenomeric territory. During their travels, they found the mushroomites, diminutive sentient mushrooms that protect the lands from any invasion. Once the explorers managed to communicate with the mushroomites that they weren’t there to stay in the region, the local sprites accompanied them along their journey, showing them areas where they could find food and refuge, as well as areas they should avoid if they all wanted to live. During the four years it took the Jaalibali crew to go back home, they wrote about their experiences in the area, the different kinds of mushroomites, their culture and they even drew some maps of the region. Their voyage ended when a fishing boat saw them while fishing in the Cogollo Gulf, near the border between the Swamp of Sadness and the Toxic Fungest. They were rescued and brought to the khenomeric court in Khoraqualumum, to relay the information gathered and their tales. They even brought some of the mushroomites with them, to show the veracity of the stories. Unfortunately for them, while these stories amazed the population and the royal family, at that point in time the Magoclergy ruled the empire, and they saw the tale of the Mushroomites and the lost explorers as something quaint and far from their interests. Ironically enough, this would save the lands of the Fungest, since many experts would argue that, if the Magoclergy knew more about the magical wealth and the miraculous mushrooms within the forests, they would have been invaded by force.

As it was, the khenomeric authorities limited themselves to make a couple of coastal outputs and some inland expeditions to explore the inner regions, in which the root dwarves were discovered. These outposts lasted until the year 121 ABE, when they separated from the Khenomeric Empire due to trade and government disagreements. The Severe Republic of the Fungest lasted for around 200 years, trading with the mushroomites within the forests, the Khenomeric Empire and the cities in Western Littlestep, but it eventually crumbled, and nowadays the human cities in the coast of the Fungest are independent from each other. Many of them have adopted a lot of things from the root dwarves groups, which were attracted by the trade from the human cities and began creating routes through the forest to connect their lands with the outside world.

The region would also end up under the siege by the Ogre Kingdoms. Between 2.228 ABE and 2.426 ABE, the ogres from the swamps to the southwest unified into a singular nation, and seeing the Fungest as an easy target, launched many raids with the intent of both raiding the land’s riches and expanding their domains. This threat would see all inhabitants of the Fungest join together in a combined effort to stop the ogres. All human cities, dwarven holds and mushroomite mycotribes reunited in the human city of Nonokoset in 2.233 ABE, and in a great council they joined forces to fortify the borders of the forest. To that end, they set up a series of fortifications in some of the areas the ogres used to cross to the region. These fortification, part dwarven engineering, part human architecture and part living mushroom grown by the mycodruids, these fortresses managed to slow down the ogre assaults quite effectively, mostly due to how well they managed to funnel the ogre raids into kill zones, relatively easy to handle. The other areas of the border were seeded with a mix of fungi species, specialized in emitting clouds of toxic gasses, concocted by the mycotribes of toxic mushroomites. This reduced the size and frequency of ogre raids that crossed the borders of the forest outside of the protection of the fortresses, and with the efficient net of communications set up by the mushroomites, they could be easily countered by quick reaction units of human and dwarven guerrillas based in the dwarven holds. The quick fall of the Ogre Kingdoms at the hands of the Bog Witch meant the end of the ogre raids, but that does not mean the land is completely safe, since monsters still attack the borders from time to time. Meanwhile in the north, the witches of Zyla Gora raid from time to time the lands of the Culinary Fungest.

## The Mushroomites

The **Mushroomites** are a species of diminutive sentient mushroom creatures. They are considered a type of sprites, part of the great family of fey in the world of Giantstep. They are around the size of a human hand, but its size and shape vary wildly, having been identified hundreds of different types of mushroomite types, all grouped within their own mycotribe. The khenomeri explorer Jaalibali first described them as “mushrooms with arms and legs”, and many agree this is a very apt description. Their proportions vary a lot, but in general they have short legs with one toed feet and small arms with three digits. They do not have a face: they show no mouth, eyes, ears or nose. The way they perceive the world is wildly discussed by experts, and mushroomites themselves do not know exactly how they do it either, but analysis have shown that they can perceive the world around them just as well as a human being.

Their internal organs are also strange. If you were to find a mushroomite cut in half, you would immediately see that there is not distinguishable organ inside, only a mass of root-like structures known as hyphae. This structure works as the mushroomites’ entire set of organs: it distributes energy and nutrients throughout the body, provides integrity and structure and works as its locomotive system, as well as its respiratory system. All of these functions are shared evenly throughout the mushroomites’ body, with the exception of the brain functions, which are exclusively stored in the cap. At the top of their body, they have a cap similar to that of a mushroom. Each mushroomite has a different cap, and no two individuals share the same form and coloring. Under the cap, there are thousands of small gills. These gills are used both as a way to speak and to reproduce. Every time a mushroomite talks, it releases spores into the air. Most of them will grow regular mushrooms, which type depending on the mushrooms they are surrounded with, but some of them will grow into mushroomites. Mushroomites cannot speak in the ways species with lungs can. Mushroomites emit whistle-like sounds at very different frequencies, and they use them to form a very simplistic speech system.

Mushroomites have a very short lifespan, around 20 years at most. Mushroomites grow very fast, and after a couple of months absorbing nutrients from the ground, a mushroomite will grow from a fruit-body spawn into an adult mushroomite in a matter of days. As such, mushroomites reproduce at an astonishing speed, being able to create entire mycotribes of hundreds of mushroomites from a single individual in the span of a year.

Mushroomites need a lot of water to survive. The frequent levels of rains and limited drainage of the soil means that water can pool easily, either at the surface of the earth or slightly below it. As such, the high levels of moist are perfect for the mushroom ecosystem, as well as for the mushroomites. To feed, mushroomites will put their hands and feet on whatever they want to consume and release mycelium roots from their extremities, absorbing the nutrients directly from the food. They are highly efficient eaters, and can eat near every organic matter around.

Mushroomite society is very simplistic. All mushroomites know instinctively to follow the eldest mushroomite, which becomes a mycodruid, and defend the mushroom forest of the Fungest with simplistic tools like small spears and stone daggers. Their more deadly tools are usually organically grown from them, either poisons or hallucinogenic smokes. Despite their unassuming appearance, they can be deadly if fought in big enough numbers. They are surprisingly agile despite their stubby limbs, being able to jump many times their size and climb vertically surfaces with ease. This can turn the tides in favor of the mushroomites pretty quickly, overwhelming their opponents from all directions with sheer numbers, literally drowning them in numbers. Still, most of the time, the mushroomites are in groups of 4-5. Once a particularly big threat is detected, they will emit danger sounds that will be heard all around, bringing many mushroomites to the area. At the same time, those mushroomites will also emit sounds that attract even further mushroomites, and so on. This means the number of mushroomites in an area can explode in a matter of minutes.

Mushroomites have an instinctive desire to protect the forest of the Fungest. Many experts have wondered if this could be translated into religious worship of the forest or just a natural impulse, but whatever the case, they spend their days keeping and helping the fungi of the forest grow healthy. Some have even proposed that the entire mushroomite race is just a singular super organism, but the individual personalities and mischievous tensions between the different mycotribes says otherwise.

## Culinary Fungest

The Culinary Fungest is one of the three great regions described by Jaalibali during his travels through the Fungest. This was the place where they ran aground, and they thus recorded quite a lot of it, since everything there was new for them. Over the years, explorers and traders have expanded this knowledge, and ties between the humans and the local populations of mushroomites and root dwarves have been established.

The region is the most fertile part of the entire Fungest, sporting the highest density of fungal forests in the north of Giantstep. Some areas even have near daily rains, forming the perfect conditions for mushroom growth. The biggest mushrooms can reach around a dozen meters of height, usually in symbiosis with lichens, and under their shadow, a plethora of smaller mushrooms can grow, taking advantage of the cold and humid breeze. Some use the great trunks of the lychen-mushroom hybrids as a platform to grow; others are parasites, eating some of the nutrients obtained by the forest giants; others grow in the ground, in between the lychen-mushrooms; and others prefer to expand underground, only having tiny stem and cap, but with a mycelium expanding for kilometers. This incredible diversity maintains hundreds of different species, many of which are edible. The mushroomites defend the forest both from the natural predators and from the outsider threats.

The coast of the Culinary Fungest has the most amount of human cities of any of the regions of the Fungest. Since the region can produce a staggering amount of edible mushrooms, it was perfect for the early settlers, and the humans from the cities have established many routes through the forest to reach some of the hidden caches of mushrooms. This has caused quite a lot of conflict with the mushroomites, so the human gatherers have to be very careful so as to only pick those mushrooms allowed by the mushroomites. What criteria the wardens of the fungi use to decide which ones are to be taken and which ones are to be left alone is something only the mushroomites know. The amount of shipments from the depths of the forest have caused to form many routes to the cities. The most important of all, the “*Chanterelle Hohlway*” Road, goes from the city of Nonokoset to the furthest depths of the Fungest, and connects dozens of small roads into it, becoming a vital part of the economy of the human cities. The runway need constant maintenance, since it will be pulled apart and swallowed by the forest if given the chance, either sank in the mud due to the frequent rains or swallowed by the fungi forest. This roadway also connects with some of the root dwarven holds, both those in the surface and those underground, working in the massive truffle mines and gardens.

## Mixed Fungest

In the center of the Fungest, we can find the region that called the Fungal Plains by Jaalibali during his travels through the Fungest. Later, when the region was further explored, it gained the name of the Mixed Fungest, as more information about the area became known. It is the area where the fungal forest is at its thinnest, and many patches of land take the form of fungal prairies.

The region does not receive the same amount of rain as the other two, and the presence of easier terrain to navigate has led many creatures from the bogs to the west enter and damage the fungal forests. Many of the gigantic lychen-mushrooms cannot grow there at all, and thus the forests’ height is much more modest, limiting the amount of shade created. This makes the density of the forest much thinner, and there even areas with regular patches of grassland. In these prairies grow the Sunflower Mushroom, a mushroom the size of a wattle tree. It is much more resistant to sunlight than other kinds of fungi, and its underground mycelium grows in such a way to block the development of any spores in an extended area near it. This causes that the Sunflower Mushroom grows alone, its spores only moved by the local moths, which feed of the nutrients within the mushrooms’ gills, all the while being poured with spores. These spores begin falling to the ground once the moths fly away. The mycelium beneath is apparently parasitized by a species of sunflower, which grows in great patches around the mushroom, hence the name Sunflower Mushroom.

In these areas, the mushroomites are more violent than in the other two regions. Since the fungal forest is frailer here, they have to defend it from the threats that could destroy it. They travel the patches of grassland and sunflowers in great groups, bringing patches of spores wherever they go to try to expand the edges of the forest. And since the fungal forest aren’t as tall or dense, they have to fight in the ground. At first, the mushroomites fought in disorganized hordes, trying to intimidate their enemies into fleeing through sheer numbers, something not particularly effective against ogres or some of the more dangerous monsters from the bogs. This all changed when the humans arrived, since they bargained the creation of military outposts and fortresses to watch over some of the more troublesome spots. This helped the mushroomites immensely with their duties, and as a show of gratitude, they left the humans to use most of the grasslands as farmland, essential to feed the cities. These fortifications were doubled during the wars against the Ogre Kingdoms, and improved with the malicious arts of the poisonous mushroomites living in the south.

## Toxic Fungest

In the southernmost part of the Fungest we can find the Toxic Fungest, the last of the three regions of the Fungest described by Jaalibali during his travels. Its particularly intense downpours and its closeness to the dark bogs have affected its environment and its inhabitants, though it is still recognizable as part of the Fungest through and through.

The lands of the Toxic Fungest are the most dangerous areas in the entire region. Highly influenced by the corruption emitted from the swamps of the Bog Witch, it apparently was once beneath her grasp. The effects of the magic from the neighboring regions have altered the flora of the region considerably. The mushrooms grow irregularly, twisting and turning, having multiple caps and even spawning spikes and thorns. All mushrooms from the Toxic Fungest have some sort of chemical defense, either poisons or psychedelics, emitted by the fungi in cloudy bursts. This can coalesce in clouds of dense chemical mixture, and this can mix with the morning fogs during winter to create a deadly mist that covers the region.

The effect of her cursed magic was the birth of a different class of mushroomites, the **Muscarin**. Muscarins are very similar to regular mushroomites, but with a darker nature and a thinner, lankier and more irregular form. They usually show plenty of appendages, from arms to tentacles. Their behavior is darker than the mushroomites’, and they can enjoy playing with their captives and their intruders instead of just dealing with them. This can range from malicious enjoyment of their suffering to outright torture, and considering the wealth of knowledge of poisons of the muscarins, this can be quite a terrible experience. However, muscarins are still mushroomites deep down, and their priority is first and foremost the defense of their portion of their fungal forests. Forests which themselves look quite twisted and corrupted. Muscarins are shown to be quite aggressive against the creatures from the swamps of the Bog Witch, which has led some to theorize that there is still some lingering fear of the mysterious entity.

The relations between the muscarins and the other local species are complicated. If the muscarins do not consider them a threat, they will at most harass and annoy them, impishly chasing them until they are gone or until they get bored. If they consider them a threat, the muscarins will harass them with poisons until they are too weak to defend themselves, and then will take them down with prejudice, using the carcasses to feed their mushrooms. No matter if you’re human, dwarf or fellow mushroomite, once the muscarins have judge you a threat, you won’t be able to reason with them. And yet, when the Ogre Kingdoms attacked the region, they were some of the first and most dedicated mushroomite mycotribes in the defense of the region, sharing many of their toxic knowledge to defend the land. They also interact quite closely with the human cities, having become a common sight in the streets and markets of the coastal towns, and they even partake in some voyages outside of the Fungest along human traders and merchants, something unheard of in the other mushroomites.

## The Root Dwarven Holds

Root Dwarves have been in the Fungest for a long time. By the time the first humans discovered the region, the Root Dwarves already boasted of great underground holds spanning centuries of history. According to their registers, the first tribes of root dwarves were dwarven sailors who lived in an unspecified area of what is now called the continent of Zemyland. After fighting with the human tribes of the north, some of the dwarven tribes decided to take their chances at the sea. However, the Sea of Wraiths is nothing if not treacherous and filled with monsters, and after a couple of encounters with sea beasts and the storms, they ended up at the mercy of the sea, their ships at the brink of sinking. However, they were apparently saved by the Culinary God, who had taken pity on them. The dwarves were thankful to the deity, and spent some time in the Glutton Island, until they were recovered enough to continue their travels. It is said that the Culinary God sent them in a floating hamburger to the lands to the south, arriving to the Fungest. To this day, the Root Dwarves worship the Culinary God, having built temples both in the underground and in the surface.

Root Dwarven are expert chefs. Following the typical dwarven perfectionism and love for creation, Root Dwarven excel at creating some of the most delicate cuisine in the entire Giantstep, seeing the act of cooking as a personal challenge to their skills and a way to worship the Culinary God. And their home in the Fungest works as the perfect place to find some of the finest ingredients, and as such, there are more holds in the Culinary Fungest than in the other two regions combined. This eternal search for the perfect dish has caused them troubles with the mushroomites. The mushroomites will keep the root dwarves from taking too many mushrooms, and will block them from the fungi altogether if they have been consumed more than what the mushroomites consider adequate. In the Culinary Fungest and the Mixed Fungest, this translates into the mushroomites reuniting and creating a lot of noise around the dwarves until they get the hint and leave, since they prefer being friendly with the fungal creatures. In the Toxic Fungest, the muscarin will straight up poison the dwarves into a deep sleep for many hours, paint unseemly drawings on their face while asleep, and just left them at the doors of their holds, giggling all the way. The holds organize a couple of guard units to receive the drugged up dwarves and wake up while the muscarin go back into the forest.

The Root Dwarves live in their holds, near the deepest parts of the Fungest, where the humidity and darkness has created many caverns filled of edible fungi, especially truffles. The Root Dwarves grow and harvest this truffle, used for both consuming themselves and for feeding their farm animals. They can also brew a great alcoholic beverage from it, which sells very well in the human cities.

## Root Dwarven Holds in the Fungest

### Dwarven Holds in the Culinary Forest

#### Krumiggs Brasfsoom

The hold of Krumiggs Brasfsoom is built near the Amanita River, between a series of hills. Due to this position, the frequent rains need to be constantly drained out of the hold, canalizing it back into the river through ditches and underground water pipes. The hold itself is both deep and vast, with underground channels and waterfalls, and the dwarves move around in underground gondolas made from mushroom fibers. The dwarves work tirelessly expanding the hold and exploring the cavernous interior, building massive pillars, arches and vaults, decorated with inscriptions in honor of the Culinary God. These also record some of the most prestigious chefs in the hold’s history, as well as their recipes, engraved in stone for all to see.

#### Gertrumum

The hold of Gertrumum was built through a massive mineral coal mine, so deep the experts cannot get a grasp of how much coal can actually contain. Luckily for the dwarves and the fungal forest, the high humidity makes a fire within very unlikely, as the coal needs to be completely dry to be used. The dwarves use this coal for trade, as it is one of the best sources of heat needed for cooking and for the cold and humid nights of the Fungest. However, the closeness of the Zyla Gora and the swamps of the Bog Witch has forced the dwarves to build great stone fortifications around all the entrances to the hold.

#### Brumins

The hold of Brumis was build in an area of frequent fogs and mists. Due to this, the dwarves have built many high towers lighting up the paths to reach the area. These towers are massive pillars of marble, carefully crafted with icons and praises to the Culinary God. Each family is in charge of caring for one of the towers, keeping the inscriptions clean and free from erosion, while also making sure the towers do not impede the growth of the fungal forest around them. The artisans of Brumins are highly competitive with each other, and the production of marble from below the earth serve to produce underground architectonic marvels. This marble is also exported to the rest of the Fungest as a building material.

### Dwarven Holds in the Mixed Forest

#### Rockpass

The dwarven hold of Rockpass is one of the most well defended and bellicose in the entire Fungest. Due to the geography of the region, crossing from the swamps of the Bog Witch to the rest of the Mixed Fungest is difficult, as the terrain is covered in dense fungal forest and swamps, with the fastest road being through Rockpass. As such, both dwarves, mushroomites and humans have helped fortify the region as much as possible. The great gates to Rockpass block a narrow pass, surrounded by sharp mountains. The walls are covered by windows from which dwarf ballistas point out at whatever dares to enter. The monsters and raiders spawned from the Bog Witch domains attack frequently, though they have little chance of crossing, as the massive granite doors can only be open from the inside.

#### Hjulkfor

The dwarven hold of Hjulkfor is completely isolated from the surface, as a series of earthquakes brought down the mountains above the hold, blocking all roads while the dwarven groundworks managed to keep the underground mostly intact. Due to this, Hjulkfor has developed kilometers of underground roads, exiting back into the Mixed Fungest. It is through these roads they can interact with the outside world, and the mushroomites need to keep an eye on these tunnels, least the mushrooms grow so tall and thick they end up blocking the passes.

### Dwarven Holds in the Toxic Forest

#### Deadshroom

The twisted and warped fungal forest of the Toxic Fungest do not seem a great place to found a dwarven hold. However, the discovery of thermal waters in the region made dwarven explorers to go deep into the forest. The result was the underground caves that led into the depths of the earth, where the source of the thermal waters lay. This made many dwarves move to the region, naming it Bakbrooks. However, after a particularly brutal ogre assault during the days of the Ogre Kingdoms, most of the hold perished in the defense, and the entire population had to be abandoned, moving temporarily to the human cities in the coast. After the return of the Bog Witch, the fall of the Ogre Kingdoms allowed a coalition of dwarves, humans and muscarin to take back the hold, albeit with severe casualties. Nowadays, the sheer destruction is still visible, as the dwarves decided to leave the scars of the war to never forget the bloodshed. The few dwarves who still live there barely use the old name of Bakbrooks, instead calling the hold Deadshroom.

## The Human Cities

The human cities were established in the coast of the Fungest after the return of Jaalibali the explorer back to the Khenomeric Empire. They were a project apart from the khenomeric administration, since at the time, they were much more interested in other areas, more in tune with the Magoclergy’s goals. As such, most of the inhabitants of the new cities were people from the north of the empire, usually of lowly origins, from the now lost provinces of Mareador and Aidor, now swallowed by the Forest of Getting Lost. They were nothing more than small fishing towns which trade in occasion with the mushroomites and the root dwarves for extra profit. The cities grew considerably once the Forest of Getting Lost began reaching the coast of Mareador and Aidor, driving the population into the sea. This doubled the size of the cities overnight, and the chaos that ensued and the lack of support from Khoraqualumum made them reject the central authority of the Khenomeric Empire. Their geographical location, once the Forest of Getting Lost reached the coast of the Cogollo Gulf, meant that the Khenomeric Empire couldn’t really reach the cities anymore, and thus they declared independence rather safely.

The cities decided to form a coalition called the **Severe Republic of the Fungest**, with its capital in Nonokoset. It lasted until 323 ABE, when discrepancies on law and trade taxation made the cities decide to break peacefully with each other, though they remained friendly with each other due to their cultural and blood ties. They reinstituted the alliance in 2.233 ABE, when a great council was held in the city of Nonokoset to deal with the ogre threat. This alliance included all human cities, as well as all dwarven holds and representatives of hundreds of mushroomite mycotribes. The humans help with the construction of many of the fortresses in the border lands, as well as sending weapons and men to guard them. Once the threat of the Ogre Kingdoms disappeared, the alliance disintegrated once again, and the cities have remained independent ever since.

The cities were built in the areas near the coast, with only a few spaces capable of maintaining regular agriculture. The only places that do practice a more typical agriculture are the cities in the Mixed Fungest, where the grasslands can actually allow cereals and legumes to grow. The bulk of the food comes from the fungal forests, and the cities themselves have become quite skilled in growing mushrooms themselves. Due to the many techniques taught by the mushroomites, the human cities have developed very deep undergrounds, filled with areas full of edible fungi, which grows very fast and is very nutritious. They are also very prolific fishermen, controlling most of the fishing in the Cogollo Bay. They have very little husbandry, with only enclosed animals such as pigs and chicken, fed on a mushroom diet.

The architecture of the cities is pretty advanced. From very early on, the lack of wood in the area became an evident hurdle, and the mushroomites would not allow chopping the tall lychen-mushrooms of the forests (and even if they did, mushrooms aren’t good building material). And importing all the wood the cities would need was simply impossible. Luckily, the areas near the coast in the Fungest are filled to the brim with high quality clays. The bogs filled with red muck turned out to be the perfect spot to obtain tons and tons of clay, which they used to create red bricks. They also use a special kind of mortar that dries very quickly, created by mixing the mortar with a special kind of fungus dust. In between the walls and the inner rooms, they cover the walls with a mixture of mushroom dust and dust that prevents fungi to grow. To avoid the humidity, the locals have designed pretty complex systems of ventilation, as well as use water-absorbing charcoals, draining the moisture from the air and keeping the insides dry. This is essential to combat the ever-present humidity of the region, and has allowed to create very tall and resistant buildings.

The lack of wood in the region means that they have to buy all of the wood from outside, which poses a problem for their fishing industry. In general, their ships are quite small and very few are designed to travel outside of the Cogollo Gulf. Those who are mostly come from the outside, bought to the shipbuilders in the Orange Marquisates.

## Human Cities in the Fungest

### Cities in the Culinary Fungest

#### Chanterelle

Chantarelle is a city near the Amanita River. The silt that the river deposits along the banks is a very important material for the cities of the Fungest, as it is one of the main components for the fabrication of bricks and mortar. Since the region of the Fungest lacks wood, the cities and towns of the region need this material for any kind of construction, and the region alongside the river is the area with the biggest amount of silt in the region. This makes it a center of crafts and production, and while most cities and towns have local centers of brick production, they often need to buy from Chanterelle to meet the demands. However, Chanterelle is too close to comfort to the witches of Zyla Gora, and they, alongside many mushroomite mycotrives, have fortified the norther bank of the river, in case of night attacks. The Chanterelle lighthouses also keep the waters illuminated, both to guide ships to the dock and to warn people about witch attacks through the coast.

#### Amanita

The city of Amanita was an early military outpost of the Khenomeric Empire, who saw fit to create a fortress-city at what was, at the time, the border of the empire. It was also the exploration projects from the cities that discover the Amanita river, and they gave it the name of the city in their honor. The eventual founding of the city of Chanterelle and their growing fortification left Amanita’s role redundant, losing quite a lot of importance and population in the process.

#### Cantharellus

Cantharellus is the oldest human settlement in the Fungest. Legends tell that it was here where Jaalibali “the explorer” became stranded after the storm, starting his journey south back to the Khenomeric Empire. While it was on its way to become the biggest human settlement in the region, Cantharellus’ lack of arable terrain around it limits the food it can access, depending quite a lot from their fishing fleet and the mushroom forest. Cantharellus has many customs and traditions revolving around Jaalibali and his journey, the biggest of which is the Route of Jaalibali. The young men and women in the town, the year they become of age, are allowed to recreate the travel of Jaalibali, walking on their own through the forest and the coast, though this journey often ends at the beginning of the Mixed Fungest. Very few actually decide to take the full travel to the border between the Swamp of Sadness and the Toxic Fungest. At the center of the city, there lies a massive statue of Jaalibali, made out of marble. However, the statue is often covered in different types of mushrooms, which are taken care of by the mushroomites.

#### Perretxico

The city of Perretxico was a project of a young khenomeric noble who, during the expansion of the Forest of Getting Lost and his run from Mareador, decided to create his own center of power, with the eventual intention of leading a nation of his own. However, his ambition led him to chopping up a portion of the fungal forest to give way to buildings and farmland. The resulting invasion of the stillborn outpost by thousands of mycotribes was the biggest registered coordinated mushroomite attack registered before the invasion of the Ogre Kingdoms. The mushroomite swarm was so that the population itself stormed the still unfinished castle and took the noble hostage, to be given to the mushroomites. Many decades after the event, the city began being repopulated, this time keeping their distances with the forest.

#### Hyndum

The city of Hyndum was born as a fishing town, as the local currents bring many different types of sea life to the waters near the shore. The need for wood forces the local fishermen to operate in small vessels, as maintaining big ships is quite onerous. Many of the houses are decorated with things such as conch shells and whale bones, which are overgrown by fungi. Hyndum is famous for their great lighthouse, as it was built over a particularly tall giant mushroom.

#### Pinetell

The city of Pinetell was founded by settlers by the Orange Marquissates. In particular, a group of minor nobles who were too far from the inheritance line decided to move south to the Fungest, to create their own dominion. However, unlike the case of Perretxico, these nobles were well aware of the dangers that threatening the fungal forest posed. As such, Pinetell was free from mushroomite attacks. However, Pinetell established a system of government similar to the old marquisates ruled by healthy nobility, something that does not attract that much population.

#### Agaricus

The city of Agaricus is particular for being the only major settlement in the Culinary Fungest that is not located in the coast. Instead, the city was founded in an area where the fungal forest clears somewhat. Prospections to the area discovered veins of iron and silver, which attracted a lot of people to the region. Mining in the area, however, is a daunting task, due to the fact that the underground is often flooded. The frequent rains makes attempting to reach the lower levels quite dangerous, as they can become inundated quite fast, and draining is a slow and monotonous process. Fortunately, the area’s lower mushroom density means that the mushroomites in the area do not mind the humans digging for shinning rocks.

#### Nonokoset

The city of Nonokoset is the second oldest human settlement in the Fungest. It was founded with the intention of controlling the Cogollo Gulf, alongside the cities of the old khenomeric province of Mareador, and it quickly grew to become the biggest and most important human settlement in the entire Fungest. It is also the most populated human city by far. It would be from here that the “*Chanterelle Hohlway”* was established, which follows all the coast of the Fungest and goes deep into the jungle, reaching all the way to the Amanita River and the dwarven cities. Nonokoset is a big trading port, receiving merchant ships from many areas of the world who seek the strange and exotic mushrooms from the region. During the period of time when it was the capital of the Severe Republic of the Fungest, Nonokoset was heavily fortified, particularly against piratic attacks, having very important sea fortresses covering their ports. Like many of the human cities in the Fungest, Nonokoset was built alongside the coast, trying to inflict as little harm as possible to the fungal forest. Due to the size of the city, it has had to develop a very complex draining system, as the frequent rains and quick fungal growths can result in some areas inundating with little warning. Due to this, multiple mushroomite mycotribes constantly toil in the sewers, cleaning them from any blockage.

#### Girgola

The city of Girgola is a very recent founding, barely 200 years old by current year. It was originally thought out by a group of merchants that, seeking to increase their mushroom exports, sought to artificially farm them. To this, they chose an area of the Culinary Fungest that allowed them the conditions for quick mushroom growth, but without the torrential downpours that afflict many of the cities to the north. Taking advantage of a landslide that had erased part of the forest in the area, the merchants made a deal with the mushroomites to build massive dam-like structures and water ditches to slow down the erosion of the region, as well as building terraces that would preserve the as much land as possible. In exchange, the mushroomites allowed to settle in, as well as helping with the growth of some of the more valuable mushrooms in these terraces.

### Cities in the Mixed Fungest

#### Djondjon

The city of Djondjon was founded by the refugees of the Forest of Getting Lost’s advance. In particular, these settlers were part of the cult of the Goddess of Harmony, and nowadays, the inhabitants of Djondjon still follow its guidance. The Temple of Djondjon is a cathedral that follows a similar architecture to the great buildings in the domains of the Goddess of Harmony, but in a smaller scale. It is also covered by mushrooms, and the towers of the building are fashioned in the shape of pyramidal shrooms. The temple also serves as an apiculture center, taking care of the bees in the name of the goddess. These bees are not native, but have adapted to drink from the nectar of certain species of mushrooms, giving their honey a particularly bitter taste.

#### Port Mycena

The city port of Mycena holds the main harbors of the Mixed Fungest, something key to the region. Due to the Mixed Fungest’s lesser density of fungi, the humans in the region can actually develop an active agriculture, and the produce of wheat, barley, cereals and sunflower seeds is vital to feed the other human cities in the Fungest, particularly those in the Toxic Fungest. And due to its position, most of the produce generated in the Fungest goes through their shipyards. This makes Port Mycena one of the richest cities in the Fungest, with many of the merchant houses in it owning great amounts of arable land around the city.

#### Laccaria

The city of Laccaria was founded during the original khenomeri settlers in the region. It was originally intended to be the focal point of the human cities in the Mixed Fungest, seeing as Jaalibali’s tales described the region as more apt for farming than the jungles of the north and the south. It grew quite a lot in population, but its riches attracted the eyes of the swam ogres and their raids. Thus, from very early on, Laccaria established many fortresses and defense towers around the land, meant to watch over a possible ogre raid. The city itself was considerably fortified, but a major attack during the days of the Ogre Kingdoms left is severely damaged, even though Laccaria survived the siege. Despite this, the needed reconstruction made many flee to other cities, especially the threat of the ogres was better handled and further settlements were established inland.

#### North Boletus

The city of North Boletus was founded after the discovery of the Gardening Lake. As one of the first settlements in the area, North Boletus attracted quite a lot of population seeking to farm the land. However, it is because of this that the actual city of North Boletus is has comparative little population, since most of the people in the region live in either small rural towns or familiar houses, spread around the territory.

#### Pterula

The city of Pterula was founded after the discovery of the Gardening Lake. The human explorers, guided by the region’s mushroomites, went inland in search for arable land to feed the growing cities, which led to the discovery of the great lake at the heart of the Mixed Fungest. While the eastern shore of the lake was taken over by a dense mushroom savannah, the mushroomites allowed the humans to settle on the other sides of the lake, which turned out to be a godsend. The fertile lakes of the Mixed Fungest allowed the humans to obtain plentiful harvests, while the mushroomites gained the help of the humans to fight the ogre raids and the attacks from the Bog Witch’s lands. Out of all the agricultural centers in the region, Pterula became the most important of all, due to them also becoming adept at breeding working horses for the farm labor. Their horses are also used by the mushroomites, with dozens of them riding on a horse, holding on by special harnesses designed specifically for mushroomites. It has been recorded that the mushroomites thoroughly enjoy traveling around on horse.

#### South Boletus

The city of South Boletus was founded after the discovery of the Gardening Lake. In particular, it was founded by the same group of settlers that created North Boletus, hence the shared name. However, whereas North Boletus focused on agricultural endeavors, South Boletus had their eyes on the lake itself. The Gardening Lake is an isolated body of water, which has a habitat of fungal mangroves, giant mushrooms that take the role of mangroves in the area. The area is ripe with birds and fish, which allowed the region to develop a very active hunting and fishing culture, while also partaking in the vast agricultural endeavors around the Gardening Lake. South Boletus also builds small canoes to fish in the area, but the need to import wood from the outside makes these quite expensive, and thus these canoes are passed on from parents to their children.

### Cities in the Toxic Fungest

#### Cogomasa

The city of Cogomasa was built upon a particularly dense area of the forest, which grew directly alongside the coast, leaving no space between the jungle and the sea. The density of the mushroom forest was such that the population used it as a defense as the attacks from the ogres and the creatures from the swamps of the Bog Witch. Some of the most famous buildings in Cogomasa were directly built on top of the giant mushrooms,  and the general height of the city is such that the entire city is connected with clinging bridges all around.

#### Hifolomus

The city of Hifolomus is one of the few human populations in the Toxic Fungest, and by far the biggest. The colonies in the Toxic Fungest have been gradually losing population to the Mixed Fungest, due to the violent rains and threats from the swamps of the Bog Witch. Hilofomus was a small town back in the day, but the frequent attacks from the Ogre Kingdoms forced many refugees to the walls of Hifolomus. Due to this growth, Hifolomus has multiple layers of walls, but most of them are barely inhabited nowadays, and have been taken over by mushroom farms run by the muscarin. Hifolomus also has the most important docks in all of the Toxic Fungest, something essential for them, as the region cannot produce enough food to sustain itself regularly.

#### Ivory Funnel

The city of Ivory Funnel was built upon a natural fairy ring, a natural circular arc of giant mushrooms that served as protection from the attacks. The muscarin mushroomites guided many of the human inhabitants of the Toxic Fungest to this area, and between the two groups, they turned the ring of giant mushrooms into a powerful fortress, though its limited size hampers its growth.