Be wary of strange circles where the grass turns from green to grey. Be especially wary in the hours of twilight.
For countless Ages, mysterious rings of fungal growths and discoloration have been observed in clear patches of woodland floor, in fields of grass, and in patches of highland moss and heath. Most of these mushroom circles are simply that, simple mushroom circles, where a fungal colony radiates out from a central point of origin. However, some of these are different. Commonly known as Wyrdrings, these mushroom circles are strongly associated with something far more unnatural and otherworldly...
It can be hard to tell apart a Wyrdring from its more mundane cousin at a glance. The fungi themselves are all of species that are common to the area. Reported signs of a Wyrdring vary with stories and traditions recorded throughout the ages, but a few common themes can be found. The air inside a Wydring is reported as being still and calm even on a windy day, and having a constant, slightly chill feel to it even during the hottest summers and coldest winters. Objects and grass inside and seen through a Wyrdring appear slightly hazy and colours are oddly desaturated. They remain clear of snow, ice, and other debris all year round, and items left inside them at around dusk and dawn occasionally seem to disappear without a trace.
Gateways to the Otherwyrd
Wyrdrings are heavily associated with the obscure and mysterious realm of
Ysgarth, the domain of the Greymen, a realm that seems to exist parallel to Prismaria where the sacred light of
Lux has never touched.
Wyrdrings are said to act as a sort of gateway or portal to this "Otherwyrd". During the twilit hours of dusk and dawn, it is believed that the realms of Prismaria and Ysgarth are drawn close together and intersect during these hours. During these short time windows, it is possible to step between worlds through these mystical mushroom rings. Nobody is quite sure how or why this is possible, and it does not always seem to work.
Legends of Artwyn
The earliest recordings of Wyrdrings occurs in the ancient Legends of Artwyn, dating back at least eleven Ages. Whilst primarily an oral tradition open to interpretation and mutation as it is told and retold, a series of clay tablets have been discovered that tells the story in poetic detail.
The Legends describe a young man by the name of
Artwyn and his experience with a Wyrdring and a place described as the "Otherwyrd".
[1 ]Artwyn the youth looked up from his flock. A mote of green light hung in the air before him.
[2] The light began moving, and Artwyn followed.
[3] The green mote led Artwyn astray from his duty and he followed it across the brook.
[4] A wide arc of red caps grew in the meadow across the brook. Artwyn followed the green mote but when he stepped into the arc the mote was gone.
[5] Artwyn stood where he was as he looked around him for the mote but saw nothing.
[6] And then twilight fell. And Artwyn knew that the green mote had betrayed him.— translated passage from the Legend of Artwyn
The text on the tablets references at various times "Arcs of red caps", referring to a Wyrdring in the form of an incomplete circle of fungi that have red caps.
The text also has various references to a "Mote of green light" that seems to hang in the air and is able to move by itself. Whenever these "motes" are mentioned, they appear in the twilight just before dusk, and lead people towards a nearby Wyrdring. Later scholars have theorized that
Otherkin use these green light "motes" as beacons to guide them back to the nearest Wyrdring before they can become trapped on Prismaria overnight. Numerous folk legends make mention of similar mysterious lights, and describe them as lures in much the same way a fisherman uses a shiny bauble to attract fish to bite a hook. However, multiple sources that were recorded much later do not mention these "motes" at all.
Iron Jack
Iron Jack is a figure that appears in various folk legends. He is described as a mischievous trickster, who would travel from village to village before he was himself tricked by an Otherkin. The details vary, but the common theme is that Jack was lured by the Otherkin into a Wyrdring at dusk (or dawn), but was unable to pass through because he was holding an object made from
Cold Iron. When the Otherkin panicked and ran off, Jack realized what had happened, and planted the cold iron item into the middle of the Wyrdring, which then caused the mushrooms to wither and die. Taking on the nickname "Iron Jack", he then made it his mission to wander Prismaira, destroying any Wyrdrings he came across so that nobody else would be tricked by an Otherkin ever again.
The tradition is widely misunderstood, but self-proclaimed
Ironjacks are the modern experts at identifying, and destroying Wyrdrings. Planting a rod of
Cold Iron in the center of a Wyrdring will instantly halt its growth and inhibit its mysterious properties. Over the course of time, typically a month, but sometimes up to a decade, the inhibiting nature of cold iron will cause a Wyrdring to wither and die off. Cold iron has no known effect on normal fungal rings.
Modern Day
Recorded sightings of Wyrdrings have been becoming increasingly rare and scarce over the last couple of Ages. While normal mushroom rings are as common as ever, fewer and fewer actual Wyrdrings are recorded every year, and it seems that they may be dying off.
Many cultures no longer believe that Wyrdrings exist at all, treating mentions of them as being old folk tales and relegating them to children's stories. Outsiders who
become stranded on Prismaria frequently believe tales of Wyrdrings to be mere local superstitions and treat Wyrdrings as mere mushroom rings.
And yet, children and livestock continue to go missing around mushroom circles in the hours around dusk and dawn...
Creepy mushroom circle! This is really cool and you make it sounds very eerie in this article :D Is there like an obligation for people to report circles and/or plant a rod of iron inside of them? Also you don't really talk about it apart from the initial quote implying it, but do a lot of people disappear through the circles?
Thank you! Everything is still very much a work in progress. There's a lot I need to work on and think through before I can come up with any solid answers.