Around the village of Mycotta in a ring of about 2 miles in radius, there is a peculiar section of forest where giant mushrooms and other exotic fungi carpet the ground. The villagers call this region the Fairy Ring, and try to avoid it - not because the fungus is dangerous (which it is), but rather because of the zombies that lurk on the other side. The undead are unable to cross the Ring without collapsing into a fuzzy white pile of nutrients, so it is much safer to simply stay on the inside.

As strange as this zone is, stranger yet is the young girl who lives within the Fairy Ring itself - Miucina, the Warden of the Ring. She lives within a giant mushroom house, but suffers no ill effects from prolongued exposure to the fungus (some speculate that she may in fact be a type of mushroom herself). She appeared roughly around the same time the Ring did, and is even believed to be the source of it. In any case, she spends a good deal of time walking through it, harvesting mushrooms and raking zombie mash across it for more even distribution.

On occassion she will venture into the village with a wheelbarrow full of mushrooms for bartering. This event usually stirs up the local vendors, as she often trades rare delicacies for foods that are about to spoil (she rejects food that's already growing stuff, though). When she's completed her trades, she'll swing by the carpenter to fill her barrow with sawdust and wood chips. After that, she's gone.

No one has ever heard her speak, though she seems capable of understanding what others are saying, and at times will write out words if gestures and facial expressions don't do the trick (She keeps a writing tablet in her pouch for this purpose). Some of the kids have teased her for her odd behavior, but the adults (who are cautiously superstitious) have warned the children not to pull that kind of shit.

One time she showed up with a walking mushroom by accident. It made everybody nervous, so she made it go back.

---

(Character design notes posted here: Miucina Design Process by JohnSu)

Made in Clip Studio Paint EX