The Chapter of Fungi

Within the hushed archive of the Dwarven Abbey, far removed from the clang of the Silent Forges and the whispers of the Veins of Whispers, I, Borin Bookfinder, present an introduction to what we have come to call the Chapter of Fungi. Not a single volume, mind you, but a collection of inscribed slates and treated fungal hides, purportedly penned by a reclusive mycologist named Fendel Stonecap, a dwarf who vanished into the Glimmering Caverns centuries ago. Was he one of the Lost Pilgrims? Or, was he simply consumed by The Gaze of the Deep? Unlike Elder Borin's Chronicles, which attempts to weave a grand narrative of dwarven history, Fendel's work focuses on the minute, the often-overlooked, and the decidedly… fungal. He might have even run afoul of the Chitinous Swarm.

Within these pages, one will find meticulous descriptions of various subterranean fungi, their properties, and their potential uses – from the Gloomfungus that illuminates the darkest tunnels to more esoteric species said to possess healing or even hallucinogenic properties. Are these mushrooms able to be used in the Celestial Alignment Ritual? The diagrams detail means of harvesting with Resonance Gloves, although these notes are considered suspect, and may have influenced Eamon, The Twisted. He even details a creature known as the Gloom Weavers, which seem to be tied to The Weaver.

More disturbingly, Fendel's writings hint at a deeper, more interconnected network of fungal mycelia stretching throughout the Iron-Grip Mountains, a vast, subterranean web that may even possess a rudimentary form of consciousness. Did he ever meet the Forgotten Smith? Is this what contributes to The Cacophony? One chapter warns against the creation of the Mycelial Crown, whose creation may hasten The Great Unmaking. The knowledge contained within is dangerous, I feel, and perhaps the Order of the Azure Hand would wish to see it destroyed. Perhaps even the Cobalt Corsairs would want to weaponize his research. It could be that access to the vaults requires The Runescribed Key. This is why it must be kept hidden, so that it might never again see the light of day, not even with the Runes of Lumina. This treatise is essential, or dangerous, and likely both.