Sporeling

Sporelings are a mostly peaceful race of diminutive mushroom-men native to Outland, formerly Draenor. Their capital, Sporeggar, is located in the southern bogs of Zangarmarsh.

While fearful of travelers (especially those significantly larger than them), the sporelings are quick to welcome anyone to help them. They are beset by many enemies, including the fungal giants, spore walkers, marsh beasts and more recently the naga, leading them to ask for aid from passing adventurers.

Background and culture
In the aftermath of Botaan's destruction, spores from the Sporemound's corpse settled in the wilds, giving sentience to existing forms of plants. The jungles stirred as new beings took shape and walked the land, among which were the small and simpleminded podlings and sporelings. The sporelings of Sporeggar were not always made of mushroom.

Brann Bronzebeard claims that the sporelings would be cute if they didn't smell so bad.

Sporeling young emerge from spore sacs at the Spawning Glen. The spore sacs start out large and become smaller as the air inside them is depleted.

Rather than using shiny round pieces of metal as currency, sporelings use shiny round mushrooms called glowcaps, which grow everywhere in Zangarmarsh. Glowcaps are also the favorite snack of young sporelings. Tallstalks are incredibly useful mushrooms, and being able to grow them allows the sporelings to do many things with them. The tallstalks are vital to rebuilding Sporeggar, but due to the sporelings' short stature, their options for gathering tallstalk spores are limited and they are instead forced to ask adventurers to gather the spores from the appendages of wandering sporebats and marsh walkers. Sporelings also use the sanguine hibiscus shrub for a number of purposes.

There is a sporeling saying that all is fair in mushrooms and war.

Fireflies are commonly used by sporelings as a light source as they navigate the waterways of Zangarmarsh. The luminescent insects help them avoid the dangerous bogflare needlers.

Relations
Msshi'fn, the elder of Sporeggar, mentions trading with other sporelings for food and supplies. The sporeloks are a sporeling group that dwell in Funggor Cavern. Their home has recently been invaded by marsh beasts, leading the Cenarion Expedition to send adventurers to intervene.

While the sporelings are a peaceful people, they are at war with the fungal giants, whether they like it or not. The two races have never gotten along well, but in the past the sporelings have managed to keep the giants at bay with spears and stones. Lately, however, the giants seem to have become more aggressive (or desperate) and no longer fear the sporelings or their weapons. Due to the threat of starvation, the fungal giants of Quagg Ridge have begun venturing into the Spawning Glen and devouring the sporelings' pods, threatening to wipe out the entire race. A notable exception to this rivalry is Fhwoor, a friendly fungal giant who was saved from the naga and has stayed in Sporeggar helping with things ever since.

The spore walkers are ancient enemies of the sporelings. According to T'shu, while the spore giants may be attacking the sporelings in the present day, the marsh walkers have taken more innocent lives than any creature that he has ever seen, and the Black Stalker and her brood have put the sporelings through unspeakable pain over the centuries.

The Bloodscale naga have recently begun killing the people of Sporeggar, even though the sporelings only wish to be left in peace.

Alternate Draenor
On the, sporelings can be found in Gloomshade Grove along the northern coast of. They are, however, easily missed due to their very small size. They tend to follow the other much larger fungal creatures around, and can also be found gathered about near several rocky outcroppings and fungal growths near the waterline.

In Gloomshade Grove, a group of podlings can be seen dancing around images of sporelings projected on top of a mushroom by Leaf-Reader Kurri, who claims to have been shown visions of the future by the mushroom. Kurri also speaks of "power in mushrooms" and urges his followers to "wash in holy spores [and] feel might of mushroom". He also drops an item called the Mushroom of Destiny.

Several deceased captured sporeling miners can be found in the Bloodmaul Slag Mines and in Ashran.

As a companion pet
Sporeling Sprouts can be captured in pet battles around Sporeggar in Zangarmarsh.

Speculation
The Leaf-Reader Kurri vignette, noted above, seems to imply that the podlings are destined to eventually transform into sporelings, likely due to being infected by the Zangar encroachment, which seems to be supported by the statement that the Sporeggar were not always made of mushroom. This notion is somewhat contradicted by the revelation in Chronicle Volume 2 that the podlings evolved alongside sporelings, but it can be speculated that some groups of sporelings were always sporelings, while others were originally podlings that were transformed by the Zangar encroachment.