Putrid Sprout

An oddity found in an already strange environment. The putrid sprouts are tree-sized fungi whose life cycle depends on the survival of the apex predators in the ecosystem, whose own life cycle is eldritch and annoyingly bizarre on its own. As one of only two plants in the ecosystem, a substantial amount of the ecosystem depends on its survival, although definitely not as much as the rotbloom.

Basic Information

Growth Rate & Stages

The sprouts themselves reach full maturity in about three years, but to actually reproduce they require assistance from another creature, which carries a parasitic being similar in appearance to a barnacle from birth. This parasite is actually the "male" sprout, while the tree is the "female". The sprout life cycle occurs in stages for either "gender": The "female" life cycle: The Sprout Stage - At present, this is one of the most common stages. The entire organism resembles a stinkhorn fungus from the days of Old Arcea, with some rivaling some of the older duskwood trees in size. To reach the next stage, the fungus must first reach full maturity and then must come in contact with a Delusor ready to pupate. The Chrysalis Stage - In this stage, the Delusor-sprout hybrid organism resembles a massive egg (or multiple, if the sprout is old enough), where the "branches" of the fungus furl in around the Delusor, which looks like a shriveled fruit in the center. It is during this stage that the sprout actually reproduces, but the "seeds" of the sprout are spread in its "fruiting" stage. This remains this way for anywhere from almost two months to nine weeks, at which point the Delusor hatches into its next stage, releasing one form of the sprout's "seeds" with it from its cocoon in the form of primarily "female" infantile sprouts distributed through the fluid from the cocoon. The remnants of this stage hang on the sprout for a time, giving the branches a webbed appearance. The "Fruiting" Stage - At the start of this stage, odd growths begin to appear across the fungus's "branches". These growths are eaten primarily by the skysails and, ironically, the roteaters. In these fruits is a mix between seeds for the "female" sprout, which the animals disperse through their dung, and the "male" barnacle, which arrive eventually back at the Delusors. On a biannual cycle, this stage loops back to the sprout stage. The Kindling Stage - When the sprouter reaches a point of infertility (mostly due to overzealous skysails), the sprouter curls its “branches” back into itself and shrivels. Eventually the sprout ignites, seemingly without any outside influence. When it does so, it leaves behind an Arcean Rotbloom in its plant stage. It is unknown why this happens. The "male" life cycle: The Deep Root Stage - When a "male" seed is ingested by a skysail or a roteater, it begins to unfurl slightly and send out roots that seem to serve a similar function to ancient mycelium. If the individual who ingests this "seed" is also infected with the viral Rotbloom, the roots of this organism connect with the mycelium network of the rotbloom, but the reason for this is again unknown. The "Barnacle" Stage - When its host is eaten by a Delusor, the roots unfurl further, stretching to most corners of its new host's body in seconds. From there, a growth emerges on the back of the Delusor's neck, which hardens and becomes the prominent "barnacle" that distinguishes the Delusors from the roteaters. This remains until the Delusor enters its chrysalis stage, where the "male" dies.

Conservation Status

The lack of human society in the Wastes means that these vile abominations are dying out rather quickly.

Geographic Distribution