Fungal Dragons

Sometimes known as Deep Dragons, Spore Dragons, or Slate Dragons, Fungal Dragons are quadrupedal Dragonkin that are native to the Underdark and the Feydark that have a strange symbiotic relationship with a species of fungus.

Fungal Dragons grow to their full size, about the size of an adult Dragon, in a little less than a century. They have short legs, with their body close to the ground, and they are commonly grey in colour, with scales that resemble sheer slate. They have large white pupiless eyes, small wings, and are almost completely covered in large colonies of a symbiotic fungus.

Underdark Predators

First discovered during the Bronze Age, and studied intentionally during the Age of Arcanum by Professor Igor Montgomery of Vir’thelgos, Fungal Dragons are solitary creatures, living in deep dark caves and crevices. They traverse the Underdark using their impeccable climbing ability, forgoing the use of their wings, which can barely hold their bodyweight and are largely ineffective in the cramped environment of the underground.

Fungal Dragons are ambush predators, they lie in wait, motionless, using their camouflage to resemble rock walls and mushroom clusters. The Dragon waits until a creature comes close, where it will lunge, grappling and killing its prey, before swallowing it whole. The creature is then slowly digested over the course of weeks. Fungal Dragons have been known to prey on almost every type of creature in the Underdark, from humanoids to Myconids, so be wary not to get too close.

Fungal Symbiosis

While Fungal Dragons resemble True Dragons more so than other Dragonkin, they have a very basic, primal intelligence, and lack the unique draconic stages of growth of True Dragons. Fungal Dragons are also incapable of humanoid speech, but they do have some form of spore based telepathy through the fungus.

It is unknown the full extent of the relationship between Dragon and fungus, but the infection seems to have consumed them, reducing the Dragon to a mere vessel for the fungus. The fungus is so intertwined with the hosts, the infection begins while in the egg stage, and if removed, the Dragon struggles to feed or defend itself, and dies soon after.

Fungal Dragons share some qualities with Earth Dragons, with some stories claiming that Fungal Dragons were once Earth Dragons that slept deep beneath the earth, and did not stir as the influence of Zuggtmoy, the Queen of Rot, consumed their mind and made them her minion. The accuracy of this story is unknown.