“The valley gives plenty; the price is in your lungs” ~ O.P.A. crew lead
Myco Valley is a foothill cleft that traps moist air and turns it into a fungal forest. Broad caps layer the slope like shingles. Stems rise taller than houses. In the dry months the undergrowth stays springy underfoot; after rain the air goes sweet and heavy and a fine dust hangs in the light. Foragers wear cloth over their mouths and tap caps with sticks to shed what they can before passing. At night some of the stalks glow pale green along the streams.
Greenhands mycologists study rare spores here and issue guidelines for safe gathering.
The western end of the valley has seen an influx of Fungril settlers. Many take issue with what they call excessive O.P.A. harvesting.
Valley Resources
O.P.A. crews risk the sporefall to reap a variety of fungal riches:
Resource | Examples & uses |
|---|---|
Edible caps | Bread caps (dry well), sour-gills (pickling), meatcaps (fry like tough pork) |
Medicinals | Willow mold (fever), amber tuft (cough), bitter shelf (poultice) |
Glow scrapings | Lampmoss & ghostfilm for low-light markers, map ink, night fishing |
Tinder & smokes | Horseshoe bracket, embersponge; take a spark when damp, slow smokes repel insects |
Dyes | Russet/ochre/slate from cap skins |
Cordage & mats | Hyphae-rope strands; pressed mycelium for padding & insulation |
Spore-sacs | Sealed puffs for signaling powder, granary pest control, stunning vermin (handle carefully) |
Tanning aids | Enzyme slurries to soften hides and speed curing |
Brew starters | Wild yeasts from cap undersides for beer and sour breads |