Ordoalea Publishing 🇭🇷May 2, 2023

#FallingStarIsles #ttrpg #worldbuilding

Soo... this will be an "introductionary" toot. Mainly so that y'all know what you're getting into while reading this.

This will be a Falling Star Isles worldbuilding and it WILL be weird.

Falling Star Isles is already a xenofiction game, but with the introduction of the Mycelic and Foreign graft branches on the tree of life in the Isles... It gets weird and creepy. I will now talk about the Foreign strain. Hope you stick with me!

Show threadOrdoalea Publishing 🇭🇷May 2, 2023
So why the Grafted part? Well, these creatures ARE NOT a part of the "natural" order of things. Both of these "branches" are there and they are "integrated", but they aren't exactly something you'd encounter normally. Both of these branches need a bit of "putty" to stick. Mycelics are connected with their spores they make their homes within damp and dark places. Mostly underground or in the undergrowth. They are grafted onto the world by the atmosphere they create.
Show threadOrdoalea Publishing 🇭🇷May 2, 2023

Mycelic life comes in 3 "stages":

  • Sporebulb
  • Sporeleaf
  • Sporeling

    • Each of these is in fact the "evolution" of the same creature type. Basically defying the normal standards of life within the Falling Star Isles where creatures are a part of the ecosystem but do NOT make the whole ecosystem on their own. Mycelics do that.

    Show threadOrdoalea Publishing 🇭🇷May 2, 2023

    So let's start with the Sporebulb, it IS the basis of all Mycelic life after all.

    Some spores stick to a surface with high air humidity and without any kind of airflow. This creates a small bulb of it's base material, which we will call Mycelic Flesh for now, It's about 0.5m in diameter when fully grown. Generally several of these bulbs grow in close-ish proximity. Generally they are spread in about 0.5m-2m in distance.

    Show threadOrdoalea Publishing 🇭🇷May 2, 2023
    The fun part begins when Sporebulbs "ripen" in close proximity. Now one of two things happens then. If the proximity is within 2m and MORE than 0.6m they start branching out their tendrilous bases and reaching out to each other. Creating a connected network. As more bulbs join in on this network the thicker the tendrils become. When the tendrils are about 20cm in diameter they start to "bud" themselves.
    Show threadOrdoalea Publishing 🇭🇷May 2, 2023
    These new "buds" create long tendrils that slither across the ground slowly, rooting themselves as they go along, ideally over some biological or semi-biological matter. Absorbing nutrients from the ground. As they absorb more nutrients and syphon them back to the network of bulbs, sometimes (and specially when finding a larger biological mass to crawl over), the tendrils will bulb themselves and create a 15cm-50cm bulb that slowly grows like a branch.
    Show threadOrdoalea Publishing 🇭🇷May 2, 2023
    These "branches" then "bloom" into the Sporeleaf, a leaf like protrusion with perforations that are used to spread more spores around. This makes the atmosphere heavier and more dangerous to native life. Further "grafting" the Mycelic life onto the Isles. As more spores get released, there are more chances that Sporebulbs will grow so close that once they start ripening they start touching.
    Show threadOrdoalea Publishing 🇭🇷
    We're getting to the 3rd stage of Mycelic life here. When at least three bulbs touch and start to ripen, they fuse and become a 1.5m large multibulbous mass. This mass starts to create a Mycelic chitin to cover the mass. Making it look like an overgrown egg. After a period of gestation, a Sporeling "hatches". These Mycelic creatures are fully mobile and have a 3 point radial symmetry. Cue the needed 3 bulbs.
    May 2, 2023 at 11:57amWeb
    Show threadOrdoalea Publishing 🇭🇷May 2, 2023
    Sporelings are intelligent creatures, and weirdly, they are fully connected to the whole Mycelic system via the spores. Once Sporelings "hatch", the Sporeleaf buds start to produce a different type of spores. Almost like they are intended to help the Sporelings. Now, due to the density of the spores the whole air is "tinted" in some warm spectrum colour. These new "heavier" spores are used by Sporelings to communicate "wirelessly".
    Show threadOrdoalea Publishing 🇭🇷May 2, 2023
    Sporeling caps on the other hand are used to "seed" and they constantly shed spores that have the option to produce a Sporebulb meaning that as a Sporeling buisyworks around, creating tools, reinforcing their "home", or extending the reach of their home by brining in biological matter that the Sporeleaf can be transmitted to... They are creating new Sporebulbs along the way, hastening the creation of new Sporeleafs and in turn new Sporelings.
    Show threadOrdoalea Publishing 🇭🇷May 2, 2023
    When the "colony" reaches about 10 Sporelings they will start to actively act dominant and to move out and try to forcefully increase the reach of their "colony". Using crafted weapons they hunt bigger and bigger creatures and use newly created tools to create a shade and "hermetically" seal their dwellings. Slowly making something akin to a "hive".