Usnea

FungalWing, she/they

A hobbit/desolate lady who lives in the very bottoms of a cave, down where quiet ponds and waterfalls are hidden from view. They live in a cave more north but still considered part of the South Mycelinae, tucked near a mountain and just shy of the thick foliage. She only comes out for a few hours in a day to sell her goods, being primarily a mixture of fish and the decorative glowing fungi and lichen found in her caves that are multi-purpose. She doesn’t let anyone near her cave though or near her stashes, very territorial and competitive. Her cave isn’t far enough down to disturb the ruins, but there’s some occasions where she’ll get an odd vertigo feeling and have to go to higher ledges in the cave to calm down. Even though she’s blind due to her lichen growth, she’s been in her cave for a long time and knows the in and out like the tracings of her claws; she moves around confidently and doesn’t let it phase her.

One of her favorite things, however, is to wash herself in the small waterfalls and a hidden pond room she found, enjoying the water running over her. She’s primarily secluded with no friends, but has become too territorial and protective to really make any friends unless they’re at the surface, which is still a little unlikely. One of her favorite things as well is to get books from one of her reliable clients, an old FungalWing giving her books speaking of tales of the ruins she’s sort of near. She reads them with her talons and dreams of going to them one day, but never has and stays in her cave mostly to gather and explore since she knows it would be a bad idea in her case.

Her favorite food/dish is her moss soup, one she naturally makes from her caves using the lake water, the moss, and fish tails from the fish down below. Sometimes she’ll had a berry or two in there for extra sweetness. Her favorite kind of tea is green tea, using speckles of moss and foliage from down in her caves to make it. She calls it her “cave tea”. She also makes a signature "cave soup", something she uses to encourage visitors to leave her caves- and not return. Though some travelers have admittedly "stumbled" into her caves to have it a second time with how good it is, so as some travelers say. But she coaxes them out enough, offering some threats of using FungalWings in her recipes if they do return. No one knows how true these rumors are or not.

MAIN LORE

BACKSTORY: Usnea doesn't remember too much from her childhood; she finds it harder to recollect, especially since she was blind. The earliest memory she has is of falling into the caves, and no one coming to save her. Her parents didn't seem to be around much anyways, but she does remember warm feelings of the whole group she had been raised in, still not having much memory though of where exactly she was from. She had to learn to take care of herself from a young age, but even as a dragonet she couldn't entirely prevent what's happened to her. Case in point- meeting a Colossal Guardian right underneath her in the caves, hearing him crawl around and the loud scraping noise he dragged. She may not have been able to see him, but she knew that he was aware of her presence. She's still not sure how she got out as a dragonet, but she's grateful she did. She spent her time trying to make notes on what she heard, as well as making a life out of the cave system. For years, that's what she did; creating maps, creating living spaces, traveling the cave systems, and taking very small peaks into the underground ruins below her with the Guardian. She found a purpose with it, and enjoyed traveling in her cave system. However, she vehemently denies anyone else entry and does her best to keep everyone out, offering a very well-crafted soup and sending them on their way. Some, unfortunately, are a little too adventurous and get a bit too unlucky- perhaps Usnea sends them to their death by shoving them into the ruins. But no one is around to accuse her of such.

CAVERNS BELOW: Usnea continues living her life in her caves, marking new locations and becoming an expert now as an adult of her cave system. She keeps her pattern and doesn't change much- until another dragon happens to fall in her cave, this one much too sweet and curious to fully leave. She introduces herself as Muu, a member of the Cheesemonger Guild and living up in the mountains nearby for the auroches and goats they raise. Usnea doesn't take a liking to her, trying to get her out as much as the other, but she remains stubborn and returns when Asper, a scientist FungalWing studying Miasma, falls down her caves as well. Muu begs to learn more about the caves, Usnea begrudgingly showing them around. She doesn't take them too far, however, quickly ushering them back up and insisting they leave. However, Muu does something others hadn't done- she invites Usnea to see more of the world (not actually seeing, but traveling more). Usnea firmly denies it, but Muu insists and wants Asper to join them, despite his hesitance. Usnea finally begrudgingly agrees, and they head out to one of the towns in the South Mycelinae Forest. They run into Woods and Ghaster, Woods showing them around a fancy club of his and Usnea immediately being pissed off with him and his idea of manipulating fungi and injecting them with artifical material so they can glow brighter. Woods hears her cave system and offers his business, but she firmly denies it and leaves, heading back to her caves upset. Muu and Asper join back with her again, trying to talk to her, but Usnea snaps at them and heads down into her caves. Muu follows, Asper tagging along, but they all unfortunately run into Stronghold, the Colossal Guardian parading the ruins below. They narrowly escape, Asper very upset about Usnea lying to them and not telling them about it all. She argues back, both of them getting heated until Asper leaves, still very upset. Muu hesitantly follows him, mostly sad about how things have gone as she leaves the cave systems for Usnea's request.

WITHER'S REQUIEM: TBA