Purple Ooze

Summary

The Purple Ooze is a viscous, toxic purple liquid discovered in Session 3 of the campaign, oozing from a crack in the stone wall of the underground caverns beneath Rex Tree. The substance flows from a crack that appears to have been eaten away by something corrosive, creating a thick stream that follows a downward slope into a different tunnel system than the fresh air route. The ooze exhibits unusual properties: it stings the eyes and mouth on approach, has surprising viscosity that grips onto objects rather than dripping off, and does not immediately dissolve organic matter despite its corrosive nature. Safia recognizes it as reminiscent of toxic waste from her blasted homeland, The City, following the nuclear disaster, suggesting the presence of a satellite facility or lab from the City somewhere near Rex Tree.

Properties

The Purple Ooze is extremely pungent—when The Dog Mask's synesthesia effect is active, its smell creates an overwhelming gray cloud that fills the entire field of vision. The substance is corrosive enough to eat away at stone, as evidenced by the crack in the wall from which it flows. Despite its toxic nature, the ooze has peculiar properties: it possesses surprising viscosity that allows it to grip onto objects instead of simply dripping off, and it does not immediately dissolve organic matter upon contact.

When Sucks collects some of the ooze in a 2-liter Coke bottle, he finds that the more he looks at it, the more appetizing it appears, despite clearly understanding its toxic nature. Katniss speculates it might be hot sauce based on how it stings the eyes, though this appears to be more humorous commentary than serious analysis.

The substance flows continuously from the wall crack, creating a thick stream that moves deeper into the corridor system along a downward slope, following a different path than the tunnel with fresh air that leads toward the exit.

History

Session 3

The party encounters the Purple Ooze while attempting to escape the underground caverns. The GM describes the discovery: "And you come upon a pretty pungent odor that appears to turn down a different corridor to the one that you are following. And you see oozing out of one wall, there's this, like, crack in the stone itself that seems to have been eaten away by something. And there's this viscous purple liquid that's just pouring out of the wall."

When Safia examines the ooze while wearing The Dog Mask, the synesthetic effect overwhelms her vision: "Yeah, it's just your whole vision clouds with this. Like, I'm not even sure what color it would be. Like, gray almost. The smell, it's just so strong, and it's clouding your whole vision, and it, like, it stings your eyes and mouth to get to. To get close to it." The substance reminds her of the toxic waste from her blasted homeland, leading to speculation that there may be a satellite facility or lab from The City somewhere in the vicinity of Rex Tree.

Sucks collects some of the Purple Ooze in a 2-liter Coke bottle, discovering its unusual viscosity and experiencing the strange effect where prolonged observation makes the toxic substance appear increasingly appetizing. The party ultimately chooses to follow the fresh air route rather than the tunnel where the Purple Ooze flows.