Fungal fabric

Some cultures developed from long periods underground. This includes food, waste management and clothing. The Nargoli found a large fungus known as the Artisan's fungus that had stretchy, lightweight material. The gills in particular have rather cloth-like material After extracting the spores and sufficient cleaning and drying, the Nargoli created clothing out of it.

Properties

Material Characteristics

Naturally colored material ranges from a pale green-yellow to a rich golden-brown, depending on the part of the fungus that was used. It feels like the wrong side of leather and stretches to 1.3 times its size, making it ideal for the tight-fitting but flexible clothing the Nargoli prefer.

Physical & Chemical Properties

It's stretchy, shrinks away from heat, and has similar chemical properties to other fungi. When exposed eo excessive heat and moistrue it becomes fragile and slippery. Thicker portions are lightweight but dense. It is often used in lieu of leather.

Compounds

The fungus thatthis fiber ismade from is edible. In emergency situations, some cut pieces of material off their clothing to cook and eat. Some even get a kick out of eating theclothing that others have worn.

Geology & Geography

This fiber is most effectively produced and manipulated in Kunth, but other areas have produced lower-quality imitations such as Hagaria and Naeghat.

Origin & Source

The Artisan's fungus lends this fiber to greatest effect but there are smaller but similarly tough fungi elsewhere thet are used for smaler items such as purses and briefcases. Though it is native to caverns of Kunth, this fungus has become an invasive species i Hagaria.

History & Usage

History

Kunthite fashion has developed as they discovered new natural resources for clothing. Most of their clothing had beeen bought from other creatures or made from animal hides until thhat point. The discovery of this fibrous cloth increased the range of colors used in fashion immensely. The most popular shades are the rich orange color of the outer cap and the palest green shades of the stalk. They were also able to change the shape of their clothes too, to fit tighter over their bodies.

Discovery

While scavenging for food and animal carcases, a Kunthite explorer came across a rat's nest made from a curious fiber which looked a lot like an edible fungus in the area. He decided to take a small sample for comparison. The elasticity of the materiaol far outmatched any material they had discovered u to that point. Thus, Kunthite fashion, medical care, and armor changed forever.

Everyday use

This fiber is commonly used in spelunking body suits as it is a flexible but strong material that resists tearing.

Cultural Significance and Usage

Kunthite fashion took advantage of the fiber and made hundreds of lightweight body suits and costumes out of it. They alwo used natural food dye to alter the color, though the golden color of the mushroom was hardest to replicate or alter. They also used it in medical dressings as the elasticity made it possible to stem blood flow without damaging existing clothing.

Industrial Use

Some material is used as ropes and biodegradeable machinery belts.

Refinement

The fibers must be cleaned of their spores, dried, and re-moisturised with oil to use as clothig. In its natual state, the material is quiteabsorbant and moisture-loving. It is easily bruised or damaged and designed to rot when the reproductive process ends.

Manufacturing & Products

Lightweight, stretchy fabric, lightweight but dense support or armor pieces, and heavy-duty rope.

Byproducts & Sideproducts

Kunthite people continued to use the cap of the mushroom as food, but its stalk was used for fiber. The spores are collected, dried and ground into a flamable powder used as kindling.The poorous flesh that is unuseable due to cracks or rot is often used in water-retention areas and waste disposal. The root-systems of the mushrooms that come off with the reproductive organ are pressed and re-integrated ino use as rope or string.

Hazards

If handled incorrectly,the spores could easily cause a dense cloud which can easily suffocate people caught in a poorly-ventilated area. The spores are also a mild laxative when ingested.

Environmental Impact

The mushrooms which the cloth comes from are carefully cultivated and harvested in caverns, but when some of the material was exported as a potential food for Hagarians, the spores of the fungus found their way into the Audritan jungle and spread rapidly.

Reusability & Recycling

This cloth is biodegradeable and temperature-sensitive if not treated properl. It can easily be repurposed as food or fertilizer in emergencies.

Distribution

Trade & Market

Thefiber itself is not traded widely because most surface-dwellers prefer the textures of their own clothes. They also dislike that the cloth must be used in sheets rather than strands. Properly dried material is traded as cheesecloth or filtration material that can be disposed of after use. It is a disposable alternative to cotton and wool which many who are allergic to such products use.

Storage

The raw fungus msut be dried and treated immediately after aquisition. It degrades very quickly if not treated in a mineral oil bath. The cloth itself can be stored fr up to thre years, but wears easily after the two-year point. It cannot be stored in warm, wet conditions as it may reabsorb water and reverse treatment. It also cannot be stored in cold, wet environments as the cloth may absorb water, freeze, and shatter.

Law & Regulation

Hagarians are commanded to wrap the cap of the mushroom, seal the wrapping to remove the cap, and carry the stalk separately with the cap and spores tightly sealled. The spores must be embedded in wax and burned in order t use them. The fungus is a highly invasive species, so any citizen who notices a growing shootmust pluck it out on sight. Kunthites do not regulate the farming of the fungus but they do restrict exporters to export cap material in sealed containers with warnings outlining the natural habitat of the spores and the precautions to take if the recipient is in a hospitable environment.

Type

Biomaterial

Value

Kunthite items, 200gp a yard. Hagarian cloth, 50 gp a yard. Hagarians produce lower--quality product in production.

Rarity

This fiber is rare among surface communities outside of Audrita.

Odor

The fabric on its own is odorless, but it smells like cooked Portabella when exposed to too much heat.

Taste

The taste of thee fiber when cooked is similar to Portabella mushrooms, but with a tangy flavor which is enjoyed by many tourists in Kunth.

Color

Ranging rom pale yellow-green to golden orange, this fiber has a number of natual colors that heavily ingluences Kunthite fasion.

Boiling / Condensation Point

Te mfibers begin to cook at 160* Farenheit and burns at 280* Farenheit.

Related Species

• Nargol