Ooze
Oozes are blobs of corrosive goo with just enough awareness to move and eat. No one is sure where they came from, though the most common explanation is some mad alchemist created them, either to serve a purpose or as an accidental byproduct, and the first ooze managed to survive long enough to divide, leading to more and more oozes. Oozes grow by absorbing organic matter, and once they get big enough the ooze splits off its excess material, which forms into a new ooze. This ability to eat anything organic has led to their popular use as waste disposal in cities. They’re content to eat anything you throw them and dumb enough to keep contained with little effort. If they escape, things can be dangerous however. An ooze loose in the wilderness will eat everything and multiply rapidly, leading to the area becoming barren and lifeless as the ooze will strip away every piece of organic matter it can absorb, down to the last sprout and insect.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Oozes have no anatomy, they are simply globs of some sort of acidic goo. This makes their form extremely malleable, and allows them to flow through small spaces like a liquid.
Genetics and Reproduction
When an ooze eats, it turns the organic matter into more ooze. Once an ooze reaches a critical mass, it splits into two smaller oozes, which each go their own way. If a piece of ooze is carved off, there is a decent chance it will remain animate. Some pet shops sell these tiny slimes as pets, though their acid is often weakened so they can be handled without thick, heavy duty gloves.
Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Many cities use oozes as living garbage disposals, throwing any waste, food scraps, or other organic garbage into special pits where the oozes sit. Some create special sewers beneath the city where all the waste is funneled to the oozes, while others simply have a pit with an ooze at the bottom that they dump everything in. The oozes need occasional trimming to keep them from growing out of control, but
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
While they lack any sensory organs, or any organs at all for that matter, Oozes seem to have a rudimentary awareness of their surroundings. They can sense objects nearby and will move toward them. Scholars mostly agree this is a magical ability, but there remains some who believe it is a form of tremorsense where they move toward vibrations. Most agree that they can detect magic however, and will move toward concentrated sources of magic as that is most likely a creature. This can lead to problems, like an ooze trying to eat a mana crystal or standing in a wild magic nexus unaware they can't eat it.
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