Boomshroom
Ah yes, the Boomshroom. This devilish flora, condecending its highly unstable nature, has lots of uses in cooking, alchemy or the military. Yes, the military. The Boomshroom is not only explosively tasty, but also blows you off your feet, quite literally
Basic Information
Deadly Delicacy
The Boomshrooms is a pitch black fungi with flaming red spots over its cap and a web of black mycel connecting the stem and the ground it grows on. It is a highly explosive and unstable mushroom that can only be harvested when carving out the entire ground it grows on. It can only be removed from their spot after the nutrients supplying the fungi have depleted and the hyphae forming the mycel have died off.The Boom in the Shroom
This fungi has a love/hate relationship with water. It needs water to grow, but will only take moisture in over its mycel. Any direct contact with water will cause the shroom to fully explode and take anything in its way with it.Explosive Reproduction
When grown Boomshrooms explode, they explode big. In conditions with almost no resistance, the fungis blast radius can be up to 2m. Its spores will travel with the wind and wherever they land, a new shroom will grow. In the early stages of this fungis life, direct contact with water will cause it to just die off with a small peng sound.Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
The Boomshrooms are used in a variety of ways.
Militarian and Alchemical
Currently it is most commonly used for militarian purposes. Not too long ago, in the The Zvaarian Revolt, the forces of Sir Illunpyuh Zvaaria used alchemically reinforced Boomshrooms as long range ammunition against the kings military. These unusual projectiles, called Boombullets are timebombs that start ticking after being shot by a crossbow. They were reinforced to not blow instantly, and instead delay the explosion for a few seconds.Miscellaneous
Boomshrooms, one of the most unstable and unusable types of flora, are indeed used in cooking.The Process of Cooking
When carefully handling them in dry environments, they can be gently cut into smaller pieces. The hardened spores under the caps can be scraped off, removing a lot of the initial explosiveness. Now, the fungi can be cut into small flocks which may be safely thrown into boiling water. Aside from a small fountain of water, no real explosive reaction will follow.The Dish
One of the most famous dishes using these mindblowing Boomshrooms is the Aughirondrs Spice Bowl.Geographic Origin and Distribution
The Boomshrooms bloom mostly in dry flatlands where they can soak in tiny bits of moisture from the surrounding life to survive. Due to their need for water, yet their highly unstable nature when coming into contact with it, the shrooms will most commonly grow in dry holes, sheltered from disturbances.
Scientific Name
Fungus
Average Height
8-11cm
Geographic Distribution
Mom? Where is my treehouse? It was here yesterday...
Boomshroom by ecl1psed
This has been a very enjoyable article to read. I like your use of quotes and the explosive reproduction part is quite interesting. If they grow in dry holes in arid regions where they are safe from water, will the explosions they make to spread the spores around cause small craters to form or at least a lot of extra holes. If so I can imagine that the regions that have them have quite the distinct landscape. I'm also curious who the insane first person was who thought that cooking a pitch black fungi with flaming red spots was a good idea and how much trial, error, and death it took to figure out the proper way of preparing it. Keep up with the good work :D
Maker of Maps
Thanks for the kind words Dhelian! You are right. The Bloomshrooms need a very specific environment to grow. They are mostly found in ditches next to trees, old holes built by animals or small caves next to the base of mountains or hills. The terrain does look very roughed up from the explosions, but the most interesting areas will form when multiple shrooms explode inside a cave. Now that you mention the cooking history, you got me thinking... Maybe I'll add to it some other time :D