Mushroom Hunter
One of the many specialized professions found nowhere else but Greymantle Marsh is the Greymantle mushroom hunter. Recognizable by their wide-brimmed hats, stark white and black sleeves, and the large crabs tethered to their belt, they are an iconic sight out in the lonely swamps.
Moving with a slowness and patience that has been trained over many years, mushroom hunters methodically pick their way through the undergrowth, or coast along on lumbering rafts. Long leashes connect to crabs marked with colorful paint--watched by the hunter as they use their finely-honed senses to sniff out treasures hiding in the wild land around them.
Career
Qualifications
The career and lifestyle of serious mushroom hunting is usually passed down through family lines, but every once in a while, guild or collective forms in a village and takes on the training of young learners looking for a craft.
Casual hunters or hobbyists might forage with one or two crabs or other animals, but a career hunter keeps a carefully-managed herd of crabs and spends a truly impressive amount of time out in the wild swamp. Dedication and absolute patience are the most vital traits that a professional hunter must possess, and have just as much interest in their hunting crabs as they have in the precious fungi they are seeking. Mushroom hunters must also have meticulous habits and a mind that is keen on remembering a whole library's worth of information to properly identify and harvest the various species of mushroom they are hunting.
Career Progression
Almost always, training to become a professional mushroom hunter begins in a hunter's youth, memorizing scores of information and tricks of the trade from a dedicated mentor. Young mushroom hunters often keep pet crabs and only venture out in the swamp when accompanied by their mentor, eventually graduating up to owning their first specifcally-trained crab and beginning to hunt only one or two "easy" species of mushroom on solo ventures into the wilderness. From there, they continue to split their time between following their mentor and practicing their hunting skills on their own, gradually becoming more independant as their wealth of skills and knowledge grows.
Payment & Reimbursement
How much a mushroom hunter earns at market entirely depends on the species of mushroom they are harvesting and their dedication to the craft. Hunting ranges from low-risk lifestyles where the hunter harvests large quantities of common fungi used for basic sustenance and medicinal needs, to the high-risk lifestyles harvesting small quantities of species that are rare or very difficult to harvest. As the specific crabs and skills needed to harvest vary widely between mushroom species, every hunter finds their own niche that fits their lifestyle.
Other Benefits
Mushroom hunting is a very humble profession, but especially-skilled hunters become well-known and respected in their communities. Occasionally, elder mushroom hunters are consulted for their knowledge of herbalism, wilderness and resource management, and marshland survival. In communities where collectives of mushroom hunters have formed, it is not uncommon to find a famous mushroom hunter sitting on an advisory council or doubling as a respected herbalist, healer, or guide.
Perception
Purpose
With the seemingly endless types of fungi that can be found in Greymantle Marsh, experts who know how to navigate the wilds and find these treasures, (and know how not to confuse those that are beneficial with those that are deadly,) are always needed. In these wetlands, mushrooms are utilized in food, medicine, poison, dyes, crafting, and even in construction. Though several types of animal are tamed and used in hunting mushrooms, the dedicated career mushroom hunter uses a herd of trained crabs to help locate the varieties they seek in the inhospitable wetland. Each species of crab prefers and is geared toward locating different types of fungi, so each mushroom hunter hones their skills and their herd toward filling different niches. Once harvested, sorted, cleaned, and prepared for sale, the mushroom hunter then sells their wares in local markets.
Social Status
Mushroom hunting is considered difficult, tedious, and dirty work, and mushroom hunters are viewed as rather humble and isolated individuals, spending so much time in the wilderness with only crabs for company. However, in the market, those who bring in rare and highly-valued specimens for sale develop a sort of noteriety that can turn them into something of local celebrities, whose work is very much sought after.
Demographics
Because career mushroom hunters who are dedicated to the traditional ways of foraging are found in the smaller villages around Greymantle, they are most often of Halfling, Lizardfolk, Tortle, Dwarven, and Tiefling descent, though those who are at least half Human or Elven are not uncommon.
History
In the early settlements of Greymantle, several skills and traditions combined to form what is now recognized as traditional mushroom hunting. The talents of Lizardfolk crab-herding met with the skillful foraging of Riverine Halflings, and then further borrowed knowledge from wetland Elves and the Fenborn Dwarves, to become the highly-specialized profession that it is today.
Operations
Tools
- Trained mushroom crabs
- Rafts
- Stilts
- Spore sleeves
- Harvest baskets
- Crab frames
- Magnifying and viewing lenses
- Prodding and paddling pole
- Chosen weapons and repellants
- Various brushes, knives, and trowels
Dangers & Hazards
Like most professions that are centered in the wild swampland, mushroom hunting is very dangerous work. It takes a mushroom hunter just as much training to avoid and defend against hazards as it does to train crabs and identify cryptic fungi.
The swamp landscape itself provides many hazards, which each mushroom hunter navigates with their preferred combination of rafts, stilts, protective clothing. To avoid the many dangerous creatures living in the swamp, mushroom hunters rely on the use of camouflage, repellants, and stealthy habits, as well as being trained in self-defense. And finally, the fungi themselves can pose significant risk to even the most knowledgable hunter. Many mushroom hunters wear bandanas or other protective gear over their faces to protect against poisonous spores and other natural defense mechanisms, and wear the black and white sleeves and wide-brimmed hat that is familiar to their profession. The hat helps shield the hunter's eyes to keep their vision sharp, and they place mushrooms that need further identification on their black and white sleeves so that their spore prints may be examined.
Alternative Names
Crabkeeper
Type
Agricultural / Fishing / Forestry
Demand
High demand due to challenging work.
Related Locations