Fungoid Collective

The Fungoid Collective is a hive mind of fungus beings. There are no individuals among the collective and all operate by telepathic connection to the Fungoid Mind. The Fungoid Mind is a massive growth of mold that directs the collective. The spores that are released by the creatures of the collective are capable of infecting any individual that inhales them. The organic matter of the creature will then be converted to fungus matter resembling a grotesque caricature of the original being. Fortunately for the rest of the world, the spores are only created by beings within the collective and only within range of the Fungoid Mind. Fungoid creatures that go beyond the range of the mind fall catatonic and eventually die. As the Fungoid Mind has added to its collective it has gained intelligence. While before the Fungoides would attack mindlessly to add to their number the Fungoid Mind has grasped the concept of sapience. As the collective could not spread past its southern archipelago, the collective became docile, without purpose. One day a Floret ship crashed on the southern shoreline. The ship was a merchant vessel lead by Morgan Vengal. Morgan was down on his luck and took a risky expedition to the northern naga marsh to harvest rare herbs. He and his crew were wearing improvised breathing mask as the herbs made the air very noxious. Fortunately the masks protected them when the Fungoid Collective made contact. The Fungoid Collective had learned to speak by the collected fragments of knowledge from previous shipwrecked sailors, but never before had it had a chance to converse with someone. The collective helped to rebuild Morgan's ship. He discovered that the collective can produce a balm liquid that great healing properties. Morgan proposed a trade deal and the collective happily agreed. Over time the port of Morgan’s Landing was established on the southern island just outside of the Fungoid Mind’s range. This is a stop for merchants trading for Fungoid goods and from where brave ships sail to the collective mainland. The collective used to trade for captives to add to its collective, but as the memory fragments of scared prisoners accumulated the collective did not wish to infect any more unwilling people. The only new additions to the collective nowadays is from accidental inhaling exposure from sailors trading with the collective. The Collective no longer wishes to infect others, it just wants to chat and trade with anyone brave enough to visit.