# Lichen: the living world beneath every ambition Original mythology; ecological analogy. Lichen gives the founder’s mythology its ecological foundation. Liches concentrate resources and seek continuity; Leeches contribute to the imagined collective; Lichen is the moss-like consciousness power attributed to the entire living Earth. It encompasses animals, plants, fungi, algae, bacteria, archaea, and other organisms, with viruses included in the setting’s wider biological web. The term is an invented planetary archetype, not a claim that every organism has a demonstrated psychic ability. Canonical page: https://givegigs.com/wiki/necro-chapter-lichen-biosphere Last updated: 2026-11-09T18:58:11.921Z Parent topic: [necromancer-storyworld](https://givegigs.com/wiki/necromancer-storyworld) ## Contents - [Overview](#wiki-section-overview-1) - [Chapter notes](#wiki-section-chapter-notes-2) - [Dossier section](#wiki-section-dossier-link-3) ## Overview Original mythology; ecological analogy. This page expands the “Lichen: the living world beneath every ambition” chapter in the storyworld collection. ## Chapter notes Lichen gives the founder’s mythology its ecological foundation. Liches concentrate resources and seek continuity; Leeches contribute to the imagined collective; Lichen is the moss-like consciousness power attributed to the entire living Earth. It encompasses animals, plants, fungi, algae, bacteria, archaea, and other organisms, with viruses included in the setting’s wider biological web. The term is an invented planetary archetype, not a claim that every organism has a demonstrated psychic ability. The imagery is a living mantle rather than a throne: countless forms of existence collectively sustaining the conditions in which any individual can survive. Real lichens offer a useful image of association: they involve fungi and photosynthetic partners such as algae or cyanobacteria. They are distinct from mosses. The planetary Lichen metaphor borrows the image of interdependence without claiming that actual lichens constitute a planetary nervous system. The revised moral claim is that extending a human life while destroying its living world cannot count as a complete victory. The biosphere must not become raw material for either patrons or participants. Within the story, damage to Lichen weakens the whole collective; within the practical plan, the corresponding commitment is habitat protection, ecological accountability, and respect for nonhuman life. ## Dossier section [Open this exact section in the Necromancer dossier](/necromancer#lichen-biosphere). The original chapter status is “Original mythology; ecological analogy.” ## Sources - [Lichen biology: US Forest Service guide](https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5274996.pdf) --- This article is collaboratively maintained. Check the canonical page and cited sources for the latest context.