Iocet Fungus

The Iocet is a fungus that is interconnected and operates as a hive mind. It is considered a colony organism with control nodes that operate like a brain.

## **Appearance**

The primary body of Iocet is a small mushroom roughly 5 cm tall with a cap about 3 cm wide. It is slightly bioluminescent, glowing faint blue in the darkness. Iocet has many genetic variations, some almost considered separate species. Control nodes have organs that can tug at the Weave, acting as titan-metal reservoirs for Iocet's magical doings. The mushrooms used to subvert organisms prompting biological changes in targeted organisms in order to assimilate them into the parent Iocet organism, almost like a virus tied with horizontal adaptation.

#### **Control Nodes**

Deep in the forest that contains Iocet, massive glowing mushrooms exist. These are control nodes, and serve as the processing and memory centers for the vast quantity of sensory input that enters Iocet every day. These are Iocet's brains, or Control Nods.

In addition to their cognitive functions, they also serve as magical nexuses, storing large quantities of titan-metal in special organs to power the vast acts of transmutation that allow Iocet to subvert the surrounding ecosystem at accelerated rates and create biological drones. Unfortunately, this concentration of titan-metal makes these organs a tempting target for explorers seeking profit.

Losing one is devastating, but not permanent. They can be regrown, although this is time and resource intensive and leads to areas of feral wildlife and rampant mutations as Iocet loses the nexus it used to control its bio-forming.

Being such important assets, Iocet defends them fiercely. Multiple layers of biological horrors, chemical and magical defenses, even laying eyes on one is incredibly difficult. However, gaining access to such a store of refined titan-metal could be worth the effort. If you can escape with your life.

## Diet

Iocet obtains all needed nutrients from the surrounding soil

## Reproduction and Lifespan

Iocet reproduce by releasing spores into the air, that then fall to the ground and begin growing. Their lifespan is indefinite, as interconnected iocet operate as a single organism with a control node operating it.

## Habitat

The habitat that they are found is mainly temperate forest and plain biomes. Once they inhabit a an area, they themselves overtake most native flora and fauna, and become an Iocet Biome. Iocet Biomes are incredibly dangerous.

## International Relations

Iocet is fiercely territorial, defending itself out of fear that other species not under its control are attempting to steal its "soul", its primary control nodes. It has formed a truce with the Auanik, not attacking them unless they are in the immediate vicinity of a control node. Any other races that enter territory controlled bu Iocet are either driven off or killed outright, depending on what Iocet can guess about their intentions. It is either indifferent or unaware of most happenings outside of its territory.

Iocet originally grew up around three large fragments of titan-metal, using the magical energy provided by them to enact changes on itself, eventually gaining sentience. It has been moving north ever since its formation, eventually subsuming a fourth titan-stone. It eventually formed a truce with the Auanik after constant exposure and trust-building. It is continuing to expand north.

Iocet has formed a truce with a number of Auanik city-states, not attacking them in exchange for their refusal to seek out its control nodes a source of magical power.

## Magic and Technology

Iocet is heavily reliant on transmutation magic, using it speed up birthing and assimilation of competing species. This process is greatly assisted by the large quantities of titan-metal that Iocet has access to, allowing it to undertake changes to its environment that would be impossible otherwise. If this source of metal were to run out or otherwise be lost, Iocet would still be able to function, but at a much slower speed. Its rate of expansion would be greatly slowed, and it would lose some intelligence.

Being an entity that relies on it, Iocet is extremely well-versed in bio-engineering. It often forms specialized entities by fusing together genetic material from several creatures that it has subsumed, often using magic to ensure that it is successful. It even has the ability to do this with micro-organisms, but this process is far slower that doing things on the macro scale.

It has some experience working with metals from manipulating the titan-metal for transportation, but has not yet mastered refining impure metals or smelting alloys. It can work with pure metals, using biological methods to form precise shapes, but it rarely does so, mostly out of lack of need.

Iocet does not have access to any special materials of its own, but it can produce large quantities of biological material, such as spider silk several times thicker and stronger than normal and chitin armor several centimeters thick.

One of Iocet's main abilities is the ability to subjugate competing wildlife. By injecting an organism with spores and mycelium, Iocet can prompt biological and chemical changes, eventually bringing it under the control of the hive-mind. Entities in this way, when not connected directly to the mycelial network (rare, they rarely leave Iocet's territory), grow sigil-shaped patterns that serve as a magical connection to Iocet's control nodes. If these patterns are damaged, the entity will be removed from Iocet's control. In most cases, this leads to catatonia and eventually death.