There needs to be some fungus among us because fungi are really goddamn cool and I don't think their true potential is being harvested for fantasy purposes.
Warning: Incoming mushroom nerd babble
I know
TLOU did the cordyceps fungi but that's only one type in an entire universe of diverse fungi. The ones I want to focus on for the purpose of this fantasy world are the various types that form mycorrhizal associations with plant materials, e.g. fly amanita a.k.a. the Super Mario mushroom.
To summarize, a mycorrhizal association is when a fungus colonizes the root system of a plant, not to hurt it but to engage in mutually beneficial nutrient exchange and soil conditioning. Plants that partake in this association are healthier than their non-colonized peers because they have access to nutrients that their root systems would normally be too large and inefficient to reach. Fungi, on the other hand, have thin, hair-like root equivalents that can reach these nutrient sources and will trade them to its plant host for the nutrients the fungus lacks.
In old growth forests, these mycorrhizal systems can span for miles. Mycorrhiza from different tree root system mingle and connect, creating multi-tree networks where susbstances like nutients, chemical messages, and even toxins are sent to and fro. Two really interesting examples come from the book
The Hidden Life of Trees: one invloves a stump that remained alive due to the nutrient transfers coming in from its neighbors; the other involves a healthy but invasive tree that slowly withered away due to the native trees bombing it with toxins through the fungal network.
Trees be having drama.
So how does this fit into the fantasy world?
Since we already have a race of artificial wood golems, there are a few options:
- A intentionally installed, region wide fungal network that Holzlings can connect to and disconnect from at will, discovered by human botanists and utilized by the masses. Anything chemical can be transmitted, including messages that only the Holzlings understand (it's not like the messages are being transmitted in any humanoid language). A Holzling that is in contact with soil can send warning messages to any other connected Holzling. If someone decides to cause trouble in one area of the region, running to another part is not a guarantee of safety. The Holzling borg already knows what you look like, what you did and are going to tell their human masters about it.
- An unintentially installed fungal network by either a third-party or a sapient fungal race without human knowledge or consent. Holzlings can be hijacked during their resting period due to their immobility. A hijacked Holzling can act as a spy, thief, assassin, etc depending on the intentions of the third-party/fungal creature.
- Cross-species fungal network: the fungus can colonize living beings as well as artificial constructs made of natural materials (FYI, around 50 percent of the human population has fungi colonizing their lower intestines: the Candida albicans). The fungal network allows communication between species at distances that are normally prohibitive but this is considered a highly controversial method of interaction. Although the fungus is harmless and actually benefits its hosts, their is a lot of public anxiety over the thought of having one's body "invaded" by another species.
I could come up with more stuff but this post is already too long. Feedback is appreciated.
