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Ooblets, Ooblings, and the Oobled Mass: A Game of Volume
🕑 Added 2023-04-12 01:33:56 +0000 UTC" Little is truly known about the Oob, hailing from deep within terra firma where the Wild Auo'rha is most potent. Relatively new to the Shatter as far as the history of our world is concerned, the natural habitat of the Oob is.. for lack of a better description, Oob. The Oob is not a creature, or a race, but a singular entity- a gelatinous, living material, highly absorbent of auo'rha yet lacking an Auo itself. In the deepest recesses of the caverns that spawn it, witnesses report entire ecosystems comprised entirely of moving bodies of Oob, the very stone absorbed into the purplish mass and transformed to black glass. One thing is without a doubt in regards to the Oob- it is intelligent, and always hungry for more auo'rha.
The Ooblets
The smallest of forms that the Oob can take, Ooblets are comprised of a singular Oob pearl surrounded by a small gob of Oob Jelly. The jelly by itself is relatively harmless, just a gelatinous purple substance comprised of organic substance- you can even eat it safely. Allow Oob Jelly to come in contact with an Oob Pearl, however, and the substance springs into motion. It seems that the Pearls function as the brains and core of the Ooblet, and destroying or otherwise removing the pearl within renders an Ooblet inert. When left to themselves, Ooblets move in a rolling, flowing manner, with the gelatinous Oob jelly that comprises their form demonstrating an incredible ability to shape itself into a variety of stretchy, sticky, or skinny appendages to aid in their movement. Jumping from hiding places or crawling up your leg, Ooblets can go anywhere! Watch out, however, as the Ooblets seek out dark, wet, and warm places to hide and where there is one there are always more.
The Ooblings
An Oobling is formed from the jelly and pearls of two, (and on the rare occasion, more,) Ooblets. Ooblings have a much more defined shape than their smaller predecessors, taking the form of small frilled hexapodal molluscs with two flaps that resemble a rabbit's ears on their head. Often called "goo bunnies" or "rabbitslugs" because of this, Ooblings do indeed forage around for plants on the forest floor like a rabbit. They are not mammalian despite appearances, and the two "eyes" on the Ooblings face are actually their pearls. Along with sensory feelers on their face and their rabbit-like ears able to pick up vibrations in the air, Ooblings seem to be able to actually "see" with their pearls, and even lick or rub over them to clean them of dust and dirt. Ooblings are far more intelligent than Ooblets, with specimens sporting three or even four pearls showing a remarkable increase in problem solving and logic as well as bodymass. Ooblings are friendly and some would say even cute, but they are still persistent in their efforts to gain access to the bodywarmth they desire, and are adept at using that charm to their benifit.
The Oobled Mass
Unlike its smaller kin, who can be dealt with relatively easily due to their size and mostly harmless demeanor, the Oobled Mass is not something you want to encounter unprepared. Where Ooblets and Ooblings are the forms Oob Jelly takes when in the presence of a few pearls, the Oobled Mass is the accumulation of dozens, if not hundreds, with the proportionate size and intelligence. Despite most often taking the form of an amorphous blob sprouting numerous long tentacles it uses for mobility, the Oobled Mass is a master of its own form and can assume hundreds of different shapes to slither, roll, or plod about the darkness of the caves it calls home. At the core of this roving mass of purple slime lies suspended in jelly not only its numerous pearls but several larger objects, chunks of Ooblite in the shapes of animal skulls of all kinds. The Oobled Mass is capable of bringing these skulls to its surface, forming a large protrubance around them in the rough shape of a head that it extends on a neck, the Oob jelly parting where the mouth should be to expose the teeth of the skull and manipulate the jaw. It will also extend three to six pearls out from the skull on long sub-tentacles like eyes on eyestalks. The Oobled Mass is able to use these false heads to not only bite and crush with the jaws but to create sounds, expelling air from internal cavities through transparent "throats" it opens back from the mouths of the skulls. These noises can be quite similar to the species of the chosen skull, and often in a quiet, coaxing fashion. What is even more unnerving is the Oobled Mass' apparent understanding of intelligent communication, and when using the skull of a speaking beast, will manipulate the gelatinous lips and tongue of the false head to produce a constant gibbering string of nonsense words. Nothing an Oobled Mass says makes sense, but it seems to have memory of what speaking creatures respond to, choosing to repeat words like "come", "follow", and "please" more often than others. Witnesses from several exploration groups have claimed that after an encounter with one of these monstrosities, the mass would mimic the facial structure and voice of select members of the party, especially casualties suffered prior to the encounter. It is unknown if the ooblite skulls the Oobled Mass hoards within itself are trophies from its victims, or tools it learns to grow itself. "
-exerpt from the field journal of Nags-Like-Fly, party cartographer
" Remember their faces. "
-scribbled note on the border of several leaflets torn from a sketchpad tucked between journal entries, covered in hastily scribbled depictions of various skulls of different species
