Sozo and his mushrooms - you can’t separate those two. But what looks like merely an addiction at first glance, is way, way worse if you know what’s really going on here …

The thing on his head is not a funny red hat - it IS a mushroom. One that is growing directly out of Sozo’s brain, mind-controlling him and basically eating him alive from the inside.

Sounds freaky and made-up, right…?

Except there is such a fungus in real life. It is called Ophiocordyceps unilateralis or “Zombie-Ant Fungus” and it takes control of infected ants, forcing them to abandon their colony and seek out a place that’s beneficial for the fungus. Once the ant reaches the spot that the fungus finds comfy enough to bloom, the ant bites down into whatever it is standing on to hook itself in place. The fungus then spreads, kills the ant, and releases its spores.

Remember what happens if you finish Sozo’s quests…? Once you leave and return, he will be dead, lying on the ground with X-ed out eyes, and the mushroom on his head is split open and surrounded by a lot of smaller mushrooms growing out of his body and backpack …

It’s not exactly a mystery what happened here.

Kudos to the CotL team for researching this stuff and adding it to the game. ;)

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