Inktober XVII: Fungus

Sheepstongue is a mold that gets its name from the main location it grows. Though it also occurs on the tongues of other beasts, including sapient races, it seems to favor sheep much more.

Appearance

Sheepstongue appears as a mottled purple-pink growth, typically near the back of the affected animal's tongue or throat. As it grows, its coloration will become much brighter as it piles on top of other older growths. In Laccora, the most prevalent strain is black and dark red, though it grows in the same style.

Uses

Though it can be difficult to extract the fungus due to its clingy quality, sheepstongue can serve a variety of purposes. It can be used to defend against predators by leaving a corpse affected with sheepstongue near a town or farm's border, causing anything that may harm people or livestock to acquire the mold and eventually die from it. Additionally, the frying or boiling of the fungus produces a smoke that, if inhaled, works well when combating illnesses such as sonophism or halitosis. Sheepstongue can be harvested and fully functional even after the host has died.

Distribution

Sheepstongue is commonly found in grazing animals around western Endhaven, especially in the plains near villages like Celcus and Scappe.
It is also found in Laccora, though it is more predominant in the region among primary and secondary predators. Researchers are unsure of what the cause of the differences between the strains are, or why the affected locations are so far apart, though it is currently being investigated.