Trigger Warning: Body Horror
The Horror of the Kino-Kiid
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| They're so cute don't u just wanna EAT THEM UP (source) |
Also called "Myconids", Kino-kiid are strange mushroom-folk native to the dark swamps and caves of Centras.
Unlike other sentient species, they are singular in their purpose, which is to BE EATEN. They are born with the knowledge that in order to go to Mushroom-Heaven, they must be CONSUMED. Every action they take is therefore in pursuit of this goal, and this single-mindedness makes them easy to manipulate as slaves and as a food-source.
However, those who would comply with their request to be eaten must deal with a strange quirk of the species- any individual kino-kiid has a random chance of being extremely poisonous and/or hallucinogenic. It is especially unhelpful that all kino-kiid taste the same and that the effect and onset time of their mycotoxins can vary wildly from gastrointestinal upset to liver failure to ergotism to coprinus syndrome. The kino-kiid are incapable of understanding this possibility of harm.
ORIGIN
Kino-kiid are a very obvious and embarrassing mistake of whichever deity created them. Clerics of nearly all religions have an embarrassing creation story for Kino-kiid involving the stupid mistake of a rival deity attempting to answer the prayers of some starving nation or population. Even powerful divine petitions and divination spells have yielded conflicting answers to the question of their creation, further adding to what academics call the "mushroom conspiracy"- a series of wild theories about Kino-kiid origins and the implications of their existence.
EFFECT OF CONSUMPTION
Kino-kiid always taste like a delicious mushroom. However, consumption outside of a controlled environment is typically avoided by anyone who knows about the dangers of consuming these creatures. Animals will actively avoid consuming kino-kiid, and so kino-kiid will typically seek out sentient beings that they can trick or bargain into eating them. The most common dangers of consumption are as follows:
- No Effect- The kino-kiid is delicious, though the eating experience can be disturbing to those unused to the loud cries of rapturous glee that emanate from the kino-kiid as it is chewed
- Hallucinations- Kino-kiid are sometimes psychotropic hallucinogens that cause the consumer to have vivid hallucinations with varying degrees of pleasantness. Kino-kiid hallucinations are sometimes addictive and may be specifically sought out by wizards or philosphers who wish to expand their consciousness to learn the secrets of the universe. Some hallucinations may cause permanent shifts in personality or artistic creativity, resulting in what some religions call Soul Death
- Gastrointestinal Upset- Severity varies but is only rarely life threatening by itself.
- Coprinus Syndrome - Effects only take place after the consumption of alcohol within a week period. Severity is proportionate to the amount of alcohol consumed, but ranges from extreme malaise to death
- Death - Typically by toxic shock. Can be immediate or days later, exact causes ranging from brain death to heart or kidney failure
- Death, but worse - Cordyceps grow into your brain and kill you slowly. Rise as a semi-conscious mushroom zombie.
MUSHROOM HEAVEN/HELL
Planeswalkers and powerful wizards have confirmed that Mushroom-Heaven is, indeed, a very real and terrifying place. It is dark, damp, and filled with the screams of the damned as they are devoured by colossal mushroom aberrants. It is theorized that kino-kiid souls are in constant ecstasy as their spores spread and they are given the chance to CONSUME instead of being consumed. Mushroom-Heaven doubles as one of the many Hells for religious creatures- the gods can be efficient when they wish to be.
Author's Note: It has been observed by these same planeswalkers that the realm of Mushroom-Heaven is expanding at a slow but steady rate, and if trends continue then Mushroom-Heaven may begin to collide with regular-old Heaven which may end quite poorly for everyone involved.
If you somehow completely destroy a Kino-kiid (a rather difficult prospect without fire or acid as their souls can inhabit even a single one of their spores) then it goes to Mushroom-Hell. Unlike Mushroom-Heaven, no Planeswalker has actually been to Mushroom-Hell. It is known that killing a kino-kiid may cause it to haunt it's killer, who will forever be victim to a never-ending mandrake-like scream until they end their own life.
WHY HAVEN'T THEY BEEN EXTERMINATED
- Location
Thankfully, most kino-kiid populations are kept in check by the lack of available things to be CONSUMED by. Their natural habitats are limited to swamps and caves and other places without much sunlight, though if the species ever adapted to more arid climates then nearly all species on Centras would be at risk.
- Spells
Kino-kiid shamans have unique spells and will trade them in order to be consumed. Wizards and witches alike are unsure exactly how kino-kiid obtain these spells, as kino-kiid don't have the strength or organization for traditional ley-line mining nor do they have the spirit needed to petition the land for these spells directly.
The spells don't seem to care and show up anyway.
Kino-kiid illusion spells of all types are hallucinogenic. They seem tactile and will work on the blind and visually impaired, a feature not present in more traditional wizard-college bred illusion spells.
Kino-kiid necromancy spells are never able to raise the dead, but can always commune with them (no chance of spell failure or spirit rejection). Some of their necromancy spells are quite good at rotting flesh as well.
Finally, all kino-kiid shaman have at least one spell that causes gastrointestinal discomfort for the target.
- Farms
Kino-kiid are efficient workers who are easy to deceive. Occasionally, societies and cultures who coexist in their native habitats will take advantage of this fact to "farm" Kino-kiid as both a food-source and a work-force.
- Warning: Rebellion
Mold Toes Law- If enough kino-kiid in close proximity remain uneaten for a certain period of time, they will eventually rebel
The closest thing to a kino-kiid rebellion would be a plague of semi-sentient locust. They will force themselves down the throat of any species, and though they are not individually very strong their sheer numbers and endurance can wear down even the burliest of cave-lords. In their rebellion state, kino-kiid also seem less able to tell the difference between a mouth and other orifices on a humanoid body and will force themselves into a host by whatever means they can, including carving new holes directly into a creatures stomach.
The result of kino-kiid rebellion is always the same, a tidal wave of destruction that wipes out any creatures in it's path, leaving only corpses and the shrieks of pleas to "EAT USS" echoing against cave walls and dark trees.
BASIC INFORMATION
Anatomy & Morphology
Kino-kiid resemble a mushroom with at least two arms and legs that allow for awkward locomotion and the manipulation of objects. They rarely live longer than a single year and grow up to child-size. They have no teeth or mouth but usually have creases that vaguely resemble "eyes". They produce verbal sounds by vibrating their soul-essence which allows them to be universally understood by creatures with language.Genetics and Reproduction
Kino-kiid reproduce after being digested. Dung or corpses containing traces of kino-kiid will grow 3-5 new kino-kiid as long as appropriate amounts of darkness and moisture are met.Growth Rate & Stages
Kino-kiid pods resemble normal mushrooms but eventually grow faces and limbs, gaining sentience and breaking off from their birthing place after around 10 days of expulsion or death of the host.Ecology and Habitats
Kino-kiid thrive in and prefer locations with plenty of darkness and moisture.ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Social Structures
They don't understand the idea of a permanent social structure, but will organize into "swarms" if they understand they have the chance to overwhelm a potential consumer. Additionally, 1-in-12 kino-kiid are born as what others call "shamans" though this is a phrase that is criticized for it's anthropomorphism. "Shaman" Kino-kiid have the ability to cast spells and can sometimes show a knack for tactics and long-term planning, though their thought processes are still alien compared to any fully sentient creature.Uses, Products & Exploitation
- Food Source
For the rare cave-civilization or swamp-metropolis, kino-kiid farms are a disturbing fact of life. While those in power will always use servants as food tasters to test the effect of a particular kino-kiid and avoid poisoning themselves, those in poverty often simply have to risk death by mycotoxin if they wish to avoid certain death by starvation.
- Workers
Kino-kiid can be exploited for labor, as they are easily deceived and will almost always perform tasks for anyone who promise to eat them at the tasks end. Though not particularly strong, they don't tire easily and thus can be used to plow fields, pick crops, or tend to kino-kiid farms.
- Average Intelligence
Child-like. However, due in part to their single-minded drive to be CONSUMED, Kino-kiid are unable to understand certain basic societal ideas such as empathy, suffering, shame, freedom, or that their actions can cause harm or pain.
- Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Kino-kiid have no eyes but can sense atmospheric disturbances in a 30 foot radius around their being and can commune with other kino-kiid up to a mile away to share information seamlessly.
- WARNING: Parasitic organisms
Due to the combination of their desire to be CONSUMED, the possibility of death or harm to the consumer, and the rapid speed at which they can procreate, kino-kiid are typically considered a parasitic species.
CIVILIZATION AND CULTURE
Naming Traditions
They have no concept of individualism or names, though their Shamans are sometimes given names by others. Some relatively famous shamans include "Rotting Staff" or "Moldy Shoe".Taboos
They consider it unforgivable for you to not have already eaten them, but will forgive you if you begin to do so. Expect proclamations of glee, worship, and ecstasy from the moment you cook them to when they are finally swallowed and go silent.Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Difficult. They just want to be eaten and don't care what they have to do to get you or anything else to eat them.Running Them In Your RPG Of Choice
Kino-kiid are purposefully disturbing and probably aren't for everyone's table, but for those who might enjoy putting them in their RPG game of choice I wanted to add some notes.
Kino-kiid are basically reverse-"Mr. Meseeks". Their existence is singular and painful and they want to end it as soon as possible. When they speak, their voices are grating and annoying and repetitive, switching between either constant cries to be eaten or shrieks of glee.
Their existence rides a line between being extremely dangerous and potentially useful. A cunning adventuring party could potentially turn them into a powerful weapon capable of wiping out entire cities- they just have to be far away when the rebellion finally happens.
The first time the party encounters one it should be trying to force open one of the character's jaws in their sleep (they don't understand that creatures might suffocate before swallowing them and that they wouldn't get to go to mushroom-heaven). If captured it will obey orders faithfully, as long as it's given a promise to be eaten once it's task is completed (they will typically perform tasks faithfully for up to one month before wandering off or growing enraged, pouting like a toddler and refusing to do more tasks unless you start eating them NOW) As an enemy, they have the same stats as regular myconids, but they are always easy to deceive and untiring. If you cut one in half it'll still crawl around and try to convince you to eat it, though the immediate threat might be gone. They also tend to make tons of noise and thus make good "guards" for organizations or hideouts.
If you try and use them to make rations, the rations will still speak to you and get progressively louder until you finally eat them. They don't make good companions for anyone wanting to be stealthy but can make good distractions.
Quest Hooks: Their spells might be useful to overcome a specific obstacle, and the hallucinogenic ones are worth alot of gold to addicts, wizards, and philosophers.
