Slimefolk

Pay no mind to the words or prayers of the other species child. Do not draw the attention of their gods, whoever they might be. For we know with certainty that our creator never meant us to be sapient, and whoever they were, should they return they will not be happy to find their servants now have minds of their own…

– Elder Gestalt, warning a newly made made slime the dangers of religious curiosity.

The youngest known sapient species, the Slimefolk are an entirely amorphous species of sentient goo. Their slimy substance is extremely malleable, capable of passing through small gaps and forming into any number of shapes, including a passable facsimile of a humanoid form, complete with 'hands' and 'fingers'. While they often take a more generic blob shape while amongst other Slimefolk, most have learned that other creatures take you more seriously if you approximate a bipedal structure, so it has become the norm for those interacting with outsiders. The Slimefolk use small stone spheres called “eye stones” in order to see, suspending at least one (preferably two, for binocular vision) within their gelatinous form.

Slimes are native exclusively to the Labyrinth, and their lack of skin makes them exceedingly vulnerable to a variety of mundane environmental toxins (such as salt). While they are able to leave the Labyrinth temporarily, the world above is too hazardous for them to live there indefinitely. Their species attained sapience (seemingly by accident) within the last 500 years, with tales from other Labyrinth residents about them existing before this time as semi-sentient automata. This is the first time since they gained sapience in which the outside world has been accessible, and they have a great interest in meeting these new outsiders and discovering the world above.

Slimefolk are native to the Labyrinth exclusively¹⁾. Most join the Collective, though many join the Allied Guilds. Relatively few Slimefolk choose to join the Legion, who are a potential threat to the Slimefolk spawning vats, but some Slimefolk may be attracted by the strength and security they promise. A few Slimefolk remain independent from any faction, watching over the spawning pools.

The Slimefolk are not born but made: their substance is formed in a vat. The chambers where this occurs, as well as those in which new eyestones are grown are closely guarded secrets.

While Slimefolk reproduce asexually and have no concept of gender, they still form relationships. Close Slimefolk voluntarily merge their slimy substance together with a psychologically compatible partner. They then become a singular gestalt entity, rather than either of the two individuals. This requires that they accept each other on a level so fundamental that they are each willing to become one. If either party discovers a part of the other that they cannot accept, or does not consent to the process, the merging fails. As a result, Slimefolk tend to be extremely open and honest: obscuring who one really is risks a traumatic failure.

Slimefolk can also form inter-species symbiotic relationships. These resemble a member of the other species, occasionally coated in a thin layer of translucent slime, with most of the slime hidden internally. Slime and brain partially fuse, with shared thoughts and senses, but the individual personalities remain distinct. These fusions improve the efficiency of the host creature's biological processes while providing a protective epidermis for the Slimefolk to safely venture out of the Labyrinth (although costing the Slime their amorphous nature). Such symbiotic relationships are still somewhat rare, but accepted culturally. Now that the Labyrinth has re-emerged, it offers the Slimefolk an opportunity to explore the world above.

Intra-species fusions are permanent, but inter-species fusions can be reversed (if you choose to play an inter-species fusion, and you “break up”, your other half will become an NPC). However, PC-PC fusions will not happen in the game before Eternities. Fusion is not a quick process, and most existing fusions will have happened between two Labyrinth dwellers.