Lichencrest Horns

These conical horns are almost entirely encrusted in thick, rough layers of vibrant orange lichen. The growth is dry and brittle to the touch, with jagged textures that flake slightly at the edges, like stone left too long in the sun. The original ridges of the horns lie mostly hidden beneath the hardened fungal crust, glimpsed only in rare patches where the lichen thins. The surface crackles faintly when handled, shedding tiny chips like dried bark. A sharp, earthy scent clings to them; mineral-rich and faintly acrid, like scorched soil after lightning.

Some say the lichen isn't a growth at all, but a transformation in progress; one that has not yet finished claiming its host.