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[rydi]

Fungalverse

The fungalverse was created when one of the Wisest Primordials offered its own form as the basis of a universe. Along with the Primordial came various Elders and 4 of the Eldest: Orobrassil (born at the same time as and sharing many of the characteristics of Ygdrassil), Michonoia (creator of mushrooms and sporing fungus), Ecolious (bacterial life form), and the All-Slime (Eldest in name only, as it was merely a speck broken off at the end of the Great Merging of the Primordials).

The Universe was based on the idea that all of those sharing the newly created dreamshell would create a mutually beneficial ecology and help one another survive. Orobrassil would draw energy directly from the universe and from the Priamal (hereafter referred to as Grandmother). The other Eldest would feed off of Orobrassil and consume its waste, while entertaining it and living active and engaging lives, thus strengthening the Dreamshell. All of the Eldest would also create lesser beings to reproduce this process.

The ecosystem of the fungalverse went well for a great deal of time. The Eldest created lesser creatures in their image, and the ‘verse became a great tangled mass of life growing out of the fertile soil of Grandmother. Only the All-Slime did not feel at ease, for it sensed something amiss. As Slime did not possess the great power of the others, less even than some of the Elders that came with them, it had to be more careful and wise, and it learned lessons that the others did not about the nature of living and the balance of creation. The insights of Slime led it to believe that there was something greatly out of balance in the ‘verse, and that there was a deep betrayal at work, but it was unable to find the source, and was not powerful enough to do anything even if it had.

So while Slime waited for the imbalance to present itself, it found it desired company of creatures like itself, and it divided. It communed with its progeny, and told them to explore the world to find joy and understanding, and when they had done so, to come back. The progeny did as advised, and upon return, shared their knowledge with Slime, and also the joy they took from existence. Slime was happier than it could remember ever being and forgot for a time about the imbalance. Slime told the progeny to create progeny of their own, but to be mindful of the balance of the ‘verse, and to have their progeny return as they had to share their experience. And thus did the slimes enter into the ‘verse’s ecosystem. They filled a useful gap, and were welcomed by most though they were seen as lesser creatures.

Slime was pleased as its children continued to prosper, but as they returned to share their knowledge, Slime became more and more aware of the imbalance in the verse. Slime began to suspect that Ecolious was consuming that which it should not consume, that it was eating at the living rather than the dead, and observed carefully the small things that the other Eldest ignored. Indeed Ecolious had infected nearly every living thing in the ‘verse with its’ offspring, and Ecolious itself had eaten into Orobrassil without the great plant even knowing it. Slime went to Michonoia, but the Mushroom condemned Slime for causing discord, and accusing its betters who had so graciously allowed it to hide in the Dreamshell. Slime mourned the arrogance of Michonoia.
Ecolious, having corrupted much of the ‘verse, was able to eavesdrop on Slime, and realizing that Slime had found out about the infection of the ‘verse, set out to destroy Slime. Ecolious began by sending its children to infect the progeny of Slime, and went to destroy Slime itself. Slime, mourning its children, was an easy target for Ecolious, who crept inside Slime and ate at the weak Eldest from the inside. Slime nearly was destroyed before realizing there was a threat at all, but it’s insight and wisdom proved Ecolious’ undoing. Slime sensed the same imbalance of the ‘verse moving within its body, and turned its attention inside itself. Using the skill it had learned to make up for its lack of power, Slime fought Ecolious on a level beneath the perception of any others in the ‘verse. Slime sealed itself off from the infection of Ecolious, then burnt away little parts of the bacteria god, weaving its way inside it, touching more and more of Ecolious. Ecolious perceived nothing, trusting that its great power would overwhelm Slime, and was shocked when, in the moment before its destruction, it saw that the creature so much weaker than itself had maneuvered itself for a killing strike. Slime did not waste time, and killed Ecolious before it could fight back.

The battle done, Slime taught its children to combat the other bacteria, and sent them to save the rest of the ‘verse. Slime went itself to save Orobrassil, but sadly, the infection had destroyed nearly all of the once glorious tree. Slime cleaned the tree of the disease, but what was left had no mind, and little Soul. Slime was angered and saddened by the loss of its friend, and when Michonoia came arrogantly demanding aid with the infection, Slime refused, earning the enmity of the creature for all eternity (Michonoia finally purged itself, but it was a long and difficult task).

After the ‘verse was purged of Ecolious’ taint, the lesser creatures of the ‘verse thrived, but the greater creatures despaired. Michonoia told its children to fight the children of Slime, and turned many of the Elder creatures to its cause as well. Slime was aghast, but would not surrender to the Michonoia, and many of those Slime had saved came to its aid. Much pain was felt on both sides. A small group of myconids even asked Grandmother to send them away so that they could live in peace (Grandmother was somehow able to transport them to the multiverse; these pacifist myconids are the ones most are familiar with in the multiverse). Grandmother, who had such great hope for the creatures it had befriended, no longer wished to live after seeing the betrayal of Ecolious and Michonoia’s anger and arrogance. But Grandmother would not go without ensuring that its adopted children would be well, and thus it made a race of its own. It took its own substance and crafted bodies of Earth that could withstand great conflict, and then filled them with balanced portions of its own essence: the Flame of Passion, the Water of Wisdom, and the Air of Insight. Its work done, Grandmother faded.

Grandmother’s children, when they awoke were, alone and lost in the ‘verse. They knew only that they were responsible for all that they saw, and that all they saw was beautiful. Grandmother’s children moved amongst the other creatures of the ‘verse and observed, trying to find their place. They finally concluded, as the war between Michonoia and Slime grew more brutal, that they would be best as gardeners. The Children pruned the creatures they thought a threat to the ‘verse, and turned the tide of war. Michonoia withdrew when it saw that it would have to face Slime directly, fearing it could not win, and Michonoia’s followers fled the Children. After the war was over, the children also withdrew. They watched from a distance mostly, moving into the world only to prune an unhealthy growth or plant seeds where there was only barren soil.

Cosmology of the Fungalverse
Souls in the ‘verse reincarnate as they do in the Multiverse, but on a less common basis. Slime souls may choose to become a part of the All-slime after reaching the stage of greater slime. Myconids often choose to simply exist in the Dream. Gardeners seem to become a part of the plane itself, but sometimes they are reborn (as gardeners or as other creatures) or join the Dream, depending on how much their Soul developed in their life and how much they surpassed the existence of a Primordial in Soul. The only afterlife other than those already listed is very similar to that described in What Dreams May Come, and is inhabited by those not yet ready for reincarnation (much as in the movie).

Slimes
· Deity and origin-The All-Slime is the deity of the slimes. Though it is of the Eldest, it still takes interest in its children and grants spells to clerics. Its primary domains are: community, protection, family, retribution, slime, and purification. The origin of the race is told above.
· Ecology and reproduction- The Slime are capable of living in any environment that is not exceptionally dry, but thrive in damp, warm, dark areas. Originally, both aerobic and anaerobic slimes existed, but during the wars with the michonoids, the aerobic strain was destroyed. The slimes require a moderate pressure environment, but older slimes are capable of existing in progressively greater extremes of pressure. Slimes primarily subsist on dead and decaying mater, and find bacteria of all kinds a delicacy, but in a pinch the slimes can live on living matter.
Reproduction can occur with any number of slimes. A single slime, can divide to produce a lesser slime. Two or more slimes can also combine in a long and tiring process to produce a lesser or intermediate slime that possesses traits of all of the parents. Slimes are very careful about not overbalancing their environment and will not reproduce if their environment cannot support more slimes. Lesser slimes are born with very little understanding, similar to a human infant, but they mature much faster than humans, reaching human equivalent of a 10 year old in less than a year, after which their progression slows down. Intermediate slimes are born with some innate knowledge, as they are copies of much of their parents biology, and could be considered the equivalent of a human adolescent in cognitive abilities, but with the emotional development of a 10 year old (they mature much the same as lesser slimes after this point).
· Biology and lifecycle-Slimes possess a non-centralized neural network, are capable of manipulating their own bodies (sometimes on a cellular level), do not require air, require 3 hours of sleep and are especially efficient eaters (requiring half the food a normal creature of its size would consume). They are sensitive to fire and dry environments, and due to their spread out and sensitive nervous system, after they have taken half their hit points in damage they are impaired in all actions. Slimes generally progress from lesser slime to intermediate slime and finally greater slime. Lesser slimes are blind and are only able to sense the world through taste and vibration. As they age, slimes gain the ability to feel light, gaining a form of vision, and are able to taste progressively smaller particles, duplicating a sense of smell. As slimes age they also become much better at manipulating their own bodies and multitasking.
The lesser slime stage lasts roughly 20 years, and is then followed by a transition phase where the slime comes to possess the traits of its intermediate form (determined by both conscious choice and genetic predetermination). The transition phase takes anywhere from 1 to 10 years. The intermediate stage can last for hundreds of years, and slimes have no maximum lifespan. The intermediate stage ends when the slime has made a breakthrough in its perceptions of life and its own existence, at which point it begins a metamorphosis and cocoons itself in a private place for several decades (1d100 years). Some slimes never emerge from their cocoon, and upon forced opening the cocoons of such individuals are empty. Of their experiences while in the cocoon, greater slimes will say little, only that they came to understand many things, and that they were unified with their creator.
· Society and religion-Slime society is highly communal, and deception is rarely seen, as all slimes of reasonable closeness merge neural networks on a frequent basis, and while in such a state it is difficult to hide ones thoughts. Laws are non-existent, as all slimes learn what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior from those they connect to, and evil slimes are rare. Slimes, when not using mind to mind communication, generally use vibrations in the air to communicate (some older slimes with photo luminescent traits are able to communicate via light as well). Writing is known to slimes, but it is rarely used as mind to mind communication is usually more efficient and lifespans are longer than for most other races. Slimes did not naturally develop many tools in their home ‘verse, but since exposure to new technology they have adapted well to it, finding a natural aptitude for crafts, repair, and the sciences. Slimes generally organize themselves along family lines, and by friend groups. Slimes choose temporary mates for breeding, and though they can produce slimes that are of intermediate level (if, for example, the environment is too hostile for a lesser slime to survive), they usually choose to produce lesser slimes, as the process is less tiring and most slimes feel that the maturation process and experiences that a lesser slime goes through are better for it than starting life with greater abilities.
The religion of the slimes is not one of worship, rather it is more of a mindstate, philosophy, or moral code. The slimes do pray to their god, but it is more in the sense of asking a respected elder for advice. Their philosophy places great emphasis on community, balance, wisdom, attention to detail, right action, peaceful coexistence, and personal development.
· Technology and magic-Slimes had few tools in their natural state. Most of their original tools were simple and were used to write or entertain, but with their entry into the Multiverse, they have become proficient in utilizing most technology, and can recreate much of it if they can feel its structure, though they do not always understand why it works. There are slimes proficient in all forms of magic. Those with proper dispositions were taught Elementalist weave magic by the Children, they seem to have a natural Force sensitivity (though they for the most part feel it would be unnatural to manipulate the Force), and many find a strong connection to the higher ideals that lead to Divine magic. The place where slimes excel however is in Arcane magic. With their attention to detail, attunement to the ebb and flow of things, and their understanding of how small actions can create great change, slimes make exceptional arcanists when they actually enter that field of study. Not surpisingly however, few slime entered the arcane studies until after the Tyranid invasion, as arcane manipulations were largely unnecessary and even harmful to the balance before that period.

Grandmother’s Children/Gardeners
· Deity and origin-The gardeners respect and honor the memory of their Grandmother, and some say that she lives still in all of the Children. The origin is detailed above.
· Ecology and reproduction-The gardeners can live virtually anywhere, but prefer beautiful and complex ecologies to live within and observe. They reproduce in much the same manner as they were created. When a gardener wishes to reproduce, they craft a perfect sculpture in whatever form and material they find most pleasing (some have even tried to work in wood instead of stone or metal, but those creations cannont be considered the same as the Children, though they sometimes live alongside them), and then sacrifice a part of their essence that eventually grows back, albeit very slowly. Two or more gardeners can create a life together, but they must both take part in the creation of the sculpture and the sacrifice of essence equally for the process to work (a common practice is for four Children, each imbalanced toward a different element, to sacrifice that part of them which is imbalanced). Imperfect vessels and imbalanced essence infusions result in a flawed creation that soon dies a painful death, making gardeners very careful with the creation process. When born, Children are full grown, lacking in the wisdom of their parents, but possessing all their basic knowledge.
· Biology and lifestyle-The gardeners are more elemental than living being. Their bodies are metal and stone, with a crystal similar to quartz acting as a brain and nervous system. They are infused with all 4 True Elements in a perfect balance, though they often fall out of balance as they live their lives. The Children can be of any shape, as the sculptor chooses their form (Grandmother crafted the first children to appear as did the children of Orobrassil before their passing, similar in appearance to treants). They tend to live a quiet life of contemplation, tending their chosen garden (whether literal or metaphorical) and attempting to preserve existence.
· Society and religion-The children do not usually live together, but occasionally a task demands the attention of multiple gardeners. When they do live together the Children are generally well dispositioned toward one another, and cooperate efficiently. Every few decades gardeners will seek out other sentients (children or others) to talk with and alleviate some of the loneliness of existence. The children seldom practice any type of religion except a bit of ancestor worship and the belief in the possible divinity of their own souls. Some do however espouse esoteric philosophies.
· Technology and magic-The Children well understand patterns, and would be exceptionally good with technology, but to this point none have shown any interest in such things. It is not uncommon for children to espouse esoteric philosophies giving them access to Divine domains such as fate or time. Children avoid arcane magic, preferring Elemental weaves, as they are far more basic than arcane magic.

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