#nuppeppo

This is an entry I wasn't expecting to write, as I didn't even know about this species til recently! I happened to encounter it during my last research trip out east, and so I just have to write about it! I was walking at night with a few locals who had generously acted as hosts/guides for the time I was at their village. It was just a nice night time stroll, to take in the peace and quiet. But as we were walking past an old graveyard, I was suddenly hit with an utterly putrid smell! With how the others around me flinched, I could tell I wasn't the only one who got a whiff of that reek! I asked if some corpses had been dug up and left out to rot, as it sure did smell of foul meat. However, my friends just smiled and said that wasn't the case. With how they were acting all of a sudden, it got me real curious. Like they were hiding some sort of secret at my expense, having a good internal laugh about it. I pushed further, asking what the source was. Had the graveyard been turned into a dumping ground? Had some animal up and died on the road, perhaps hit by a cart? Were there marsh dryads in the area? They shot down every one of them, their only answer was that it was a "nuppeppo." Knowing my love for flora, fauna and fungi, they said that they could take me to go see it, but were worried if I could handle the smell. Me? Turned off by bad odor? Ha! I told them that it would take a whole lot more to keep ol Chlora Myron away from a neat critter! A reek like that was no big deal for me, I've come back from long expeditions smelling far worse than that! (That is not something you brag about, Chlora! What is wrong with you?! Get some soap and some dignity! - E.R.)

With my confirmation that I could handle any vile odor, we took a detour into the old graveyard, where this "nuppeppo" was said to be. With the lantern light being our guide, it added a proper spooky atmosphere to this little quest! As we got further in, the worse the smell got. No doubt we were getting close to the source! And what a shock I received when suddenly my lantern revealed something big and blobby shuffling towards us from the darkness! Nearly jumped out of my bark! After my friends got a good chuckle from that, they said there was nothing to fear. They demonstrated this by having us all stand aside, and simply watch as this odd pale gob of flesh just shambled by. It didn't stop, it didn't even look at us! How strange. Now that I saw it was harmless (but very stinky) we got up close to it for a better look. And no wonder it didn't acknowledge us, as it didn't have eyes, ears, nose or mouth! It didn't even have a brain! It wasn't an animal, it was a fungus!

The Nuppeppo, as it turns out, is a strange species of fungus that seems to grow in old forgotten places. Graveyards, abandoned temples and buildings, just dark corners where no one else seems to go. They start off small, growing in the soil, but then act much like a puffball where they swell to impressive sizes! They puff up into this roundish body, with loose growths and frills hanging off of it. The weird texture on their "skin" gives the vague impression of a human face. This alone would make one think it was more than just a fungus, but then these things walk! Well, in a way. When it comes time to spread their spores, they build up a large amount of foul gas inside them, and break loose from the soil, Minute movements of their body, with the light air inside holding them up, lets them sort of waddle. It isn't fast or graceful, but it helps this species spread its spores over a wider range! They release them from the top of their "heads" and their horrid smell of rotten meat draws in flies and other bugs to cover in spores. It is said that they will shuffle along in a (somewhat) straight line until their spores are gone and the deed is done. The Nuppeppo will deflate with one last gush of nauseating air, turning into a rotten pile of pale flesh.

This fungus species has its uses, but most folk don't want them anywhere near where they live. It is perhaps why it grows best in abandoned places, because once its reek starts bothering people, they are quick to remove them. Can't blame them, as it isn't a nice smell to deal with! Smells a whole lot like rotten meat, so maybe marsh dryads would appreciate their company! But despite their putrid smell, they do get harvested from time to time! Their flesh, when taken at the right stage, is said to make potent medicine, and some folk even eat it! Carve it up to get to the choice pieces and then lightly fry it to make a unique dish. Said to be good for the health while also imparting special blessings. Hmmmmm, not sure on that last part, I have to wonder if they are messing with me. But at the same time, I feel there has to be an incentive to eat something that smells so putrid! If they thought they were going to get a laugh from feeding me this idea, then I would get back at em by demanding to try some!

They made the observation that the one we saw was "good enough" to harvest, so I prodded them into cutting it up and eating it! You can't tell me about this super unique dish that locals enjoy(?) and not let me taste it! They let out a sigh, realizing what they walked into, but agreed to show me the process. Catching it was easy, as it is just a walking fungus. Grabbing it, however, was not a fun time since putting pressure on it caused more gas to shoot out. Yuck! We carried it to a spot where we could get proper light and a simple fire going. No one on the team was going to volunteer taking it to their house, that was for sure! When we started cutting into it, the smell! Oof! It got like twice as bad! And then we diced it into cubes, and it reeked even more! Oh, and when we tossed it in the pan, the heat....well, you know what? To save on words, let me just say that at no point in this process did the reek of the Nuppeppo ever get better. In fact, it just kept getting worse.

But eventually, our efforts paid off! Kinda. From the pan came the lightly fried Nuppeppo cubes, with no real seasoning or added flavors. Now it smelt like hot rotting meat, but I couldn't back down now! We all agreed to try a piece, and down the hatch it went! I will say, it smelled a whole lot worse than it tasted. The reek is the real put off, as the flavor isn't nearly as bad. That being said, still not great. Had a very earth and egg taste to it, with a potent fermented flavor. Can't really say I saw the appeal, or why anyone would go out of their way to eat it. But it still wasn't the worst! However, the bad breath that you get from that... It felt like it lasted for days, as I could see people I tried talking to recoil a bit when I approached. Well, recoil more than they already do when a chatty dryad suddenly descends upon them...

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

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"Nuppeppo"

THIS HALLOWEEN IM DRAWING CHICKEN NUGGETS!!!!

Nice Try...

So... I think I just found out what @bogleech’s Bwabwabwa character is.

Day 10: