Amanita Oraculata - The Mushroom of the Oracles

Prayer and good works are one path to holiness, but ingesting this multicolored, softly luminous myconid is a quicker work-around for penitents and would-be-prophets seeking to contact their gods. It can be found in cool, wet and dark places in temperate zones from northern Khazig though the continent west to the Welkin Sea, and south to nearly the edge of the Pronoan Ocean in southern Minon - but usually only in small amounts. Techniques for cultivating it are closely guarded secrets giving more than one wild-eyed cult a great deal of power and mystique, as well as a side income dealing in hallucinogenic drugs should they be willing to part with any of it.

Basic Information

Anatomy

A lumpen, somewhat misshapen and small mushroom with a generally asymmetrical, narrow cap, small gills, and immediately noticeable green, yellow or blue bioluminosity. Purple bioluminosity is also possible but very rarely seen, and considered the most potent. The curve of the stem in relation to the shape of the cap and the general proportions have suggestive sexual connotations as well, though the fungus is much too crumbly to be put to any sort of carnal use.

Genetics and Reproduction

The stems grow vigorously for several weeks, then shrivel rapidly over the course of a few days after releasing their ripe spores, which need moisture to germinate as well as distance from the parent plant, which also exudes an endocrine vapor along with the spores that disperses only with distance, smothering spores that take root too closely to the original.

Growth Rate & Stages

The fungus is generally seasonal though it prefers soft, dark organic matter far from the presence of any direct sunlight or indicators of the season such as changes in temperature or moisture. It remains a near-invisible spore for a full six months, then completes its life cycle from growth to spore cloud in another six months. Drying the spores will permit them to survive another twelve months, after which time they lose 50% fertility each month. Knowledge of this feature means that the actual timing of the cycle can be forced to any month of the year, and over time many colonies of mushroom have grown out of sync, which also accounts for their apparent rarity. They can all be on their own life cycle timed independently of the others, so only a few are available at any one time, but a few are available at all times.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

After 1d4x10 minutes have passed after the consumption of a single bite, a strong hallucinogenic effect will take over the sensory cortex of the user, who will literally be so attuned to the spirit that he or she may see and interact with celestial forms that are either latent to the location or drawn by prayer - or possibly are completely made-up hallucinations, who can tell? Each person ingesting the mushroom will see a separate and unique vision, even if they are in a group, not the same deities and celestial forms, suggesting it might all be in the mind, or that the gods interact with individuals and not town hall meetings.

Scientific Name

Amanita Oraculata

Origin/Ancestry

Related to non-hallucinogenic, entirely poisonous luminous fungi notable for their thick, soft bodies and small undergills.

Conservation Status

Rare in the wild, mostly due to its evolutionary efforts to ensure the spores only thrive well away from the parent. Over-harvesting may occur, but the similarities between this variety and other more virulently toxic forms manages to keep would-be harvesters to a minimum, and to kill a fair number of overconfident naturalists each year. It is cultivated mostly by various heretical sects, as those faiths that see themselves as the true receivers of divine knowledge prefer not to appear weak or ignorant in seeking after the words of their gods; they already know them, and are worthy of them, because a few trippy chemicals help them reach immediate communion with the divine. The cults particularly have various ritual uses for the fungus and also make needed funds by cultivating and teaching the cultivation of the fungus. Only druids of the circle of spores appear to be highly proficient at the practice, though other druids and rangers may see some success - primarily the gloomstalker, underdark rangers more than the bright fields and open spaces sorts of rangers.