Yellow Cushion

With Maineiac Water Table being situated on a volcanic island and being located under most of its surface, it is only inevitable for parts of the water table to come close enough to the island's magma chamber for the two to interact. This boundary between the two subterranean cavities creates a peculiar environment where magma sometimes erupts from the cavern walls and volcanic gases seep from smokers like those in deep sea vents. Such environment would be inhospitable to most. However, life always finds a way. The table cushion's rapid reproduction and resilient spores made it easy to colonize the outskirts of these volcanic caverns. Soon enough, this rogue population would accumulate enough adaptations to press further into the hot, sulfuric waters that border the water table and the magma chamber.

The yellow cushion is derived from a population of table cushions that accidentally incorporated octhermas into their bodies after failing to digest them and their tough cell walls. These octhermas provide an additional food source for the yellow cushion and allows them to derive energy from sulfur compounds. The yellow cushion's sulfurous waste products give them their yellow color. In addition to this, the yellow cushion is covered in fleshy projections that increase its surface area, allowing it to consume more free-floating microbes than its ancestor. This increased surface area also allows it to radiate more heat, allowing it to live far into the volcanic fringes of the water table. However, despite their increased tolerance to high temperatures, they still cannot survive directly next to volcanic vents and are often killed off by pillow lava. However, their rapid reproduction ensures that they can recolonize any surface that has been smothered by the molten rock.