Talk:Glowing fungus

Exile I speaks of "sickly green light", not blue... ---Arancaytar --- That is not dead which can eternal lie... 21:31, 31 Aug 2005 (CEST)

Well, the ground in the Exile games in blue :P. Also, all of the trees in the Avernum games glow blue.

Is this really moss? It's almost always referred to as glowing fungus, including by all of the people who claim that Erika did or did not create it (and there are an annoying number of both). (Rentar-Ihrno also takes credit... it seems like the easiest way to resolve that would be to say that the Vahnatai created it, and it was in parts of Exile; Erika made some kind of modification to encourage its fast propagation throughout the rest of Exile.)

I looked through the game text and even talked to Jeff about this - the Vahnatai designed it and Erika really had nothing to do with it. As for moss vs. fungus, who knows. One should redirect to the other, though. --Drakey

Glowing moss is only mentioned *twice* (well, four times if you count Ex/Av duplication), once in E/A2 and once in E/A3. Every other occurance is glowing fungus. Erika and Patrick claim repeatedly (in Avernum, too) that she created it, and a slew of others credit the Tower. Strange that those never got changed. I suppose Avernum must be full of rumors! ---Slartucker 23:12, 28 January 2006 (CST)

Either innocent rumour or (sneering) human pride - I used to love the concepts of six- and four-man all-hum parties but these days my parties (II, III, BoE/A) are typically three sliths and a nephil. --Esseye 19:31, 2 February 2006 (CST) <- my bad

Erika and the fungus

Erika explicitly claims to have created the fungus, complaining that she is not credited with this invention. In the same game, Solberg contradicts this by saying she did not create the fungus.

Refer to these quotes provided by Kelandon in an archived topic in Avernum Trilogy:

Specifically, Erika in A1 says, "These passages wouldn't even be lit if I hadn't created the fungi that emit light, and I don't even get credit! And don't get me started on the mushrooms!" She adds, "The mushrooms down here? That are edible, nourishing, and grow with only the slightest light? I created them!"

However, Solberg says, "It was [Erika] that created the strain of mushrooms that grow quickly and are so nourishing, and other special plants as well," and adds, "Erika created the trees that grow in stone, so we could have a meager supply of wood. She summoned down several plants from above, and changed them so they'd grow down here. The one thing she didn't make was the glowing fungus on the cave ceilings. It's amazing, magical stuff, and was already here when the Empire found these caves."

This kind of obvious conflict would mandate at least some mention - it's more than "popular belief" if two archmages disagree on it, and even if we assume Erika is dishonest or mistaken (because, all things considered, she has more to gain from claiming credit than Solberg has to gain from denying it), this should be mentioned.

Personally, given this is such a clear-cut game canon issue that involves no fan-lore whatsoever, I'm all for asking Jeff himself. Arancaytar | Send Reply! --- That is not dead which can eternal lie... 02:44, 27 November 2006 (PST)

More evidence on both sides

In E2, Patrick says of the Vahnatai:

"It is their magic that created the glowing fungus that gives us light, and thus life."

In A2 he says "our" instead of "their" due to the insertion of a question talking about magic in general -- it is not actually asserting that Exile created the fungus.

Maxfield and X in A4 talk about refining the glowing fungus, but that doesn't mean much at all.

On the other hand, A4 also has an area description for the Tower remains that says "All of the plants that make life in the underworld livable, the glowing fungus, the trees, the giant, edible mushrooms, they were created here."

Also, early in the game: "Early in the history of Avernum, ingenious wizards created a fungus that glows with a soft green light. It spread, with help, to the ceilings and walls of every cavern in this land."

In ZKR, Seletine says: "Your way will be lit by glowing green fungus in the ceiling. This was created in the Tower of Magi." However, this is of questionable canonicity since Seletine also talks about the Tower of Magi having already been rebuilt, which it wasn't.

So we have, for the Vahnatai:

• E1 - Solberg
• A1 - Solberg
• E2 - Patrick

And for Avernum:

• E1 - Erika
• A1 - Erika
• A4 - Descriptions
• ZKR - Seletine (questionable)

---Slarty 07:54, 28 November 2006 (PST)