The Alluvium Menace

The alluvium are a perversion of the natural cycle of consumption precipitated by the purification of an elder evil. In time unrecorded one of the primordial entities of the Far Realm was devoured by its siblings and scraps from the feeding frenzy fell onto the material plane. Yet, even torn asunder and rotting the entity existed outside of death. While pools of its gangrenous gist carry but a sliver of the elder evil’s essence, it is enough to corrupt the bodies and souls who come in contact with it.

This corruption usually starts with a handful of humanoids compelled to seek out the deep, dank cavern the fragment, an Eldritch Coagulant, festers within. Along the way the possessed company feverishly work to make the pathway easier for others to follow, breaking their bodies and losing their minds. They let wounds maturate, eat moldering food, and wallow in their own filth all as they focus on reaching their goal. Along the way, these lost souls attract a variety of oozes from deep within the earth and use arcane means to harness them as a farmer would a plow to dig deeper. By the time they reach the eldritch coagulation the group is ready to bask in its leprous radiance, bathe in its caustic depths, and feast like maggots on its putrescence. When they emerge from this blasphemous baptism no matter what race they once were they are now Alluvium, more ooze than person.

From there the degenerates erect a cover business or institution above their ‘god’ such as a borderland keep, fighting school, trading post, freeport, etc. depending on its location. From below this colony, the eldritch coagulation’s psychic influence clouds the minds of visitors to these areas, hiding the malformations of the Alluvium as well as the slimy secretions which coat the structures and surrounding area. Over the next few months and years, the Alluvium increase their numbers from compelled pilgrims to the site or hapless victims who stumble on their vile secret.

Those still human enough, scum squires, travel on behalf of the burgeoning colony to garner allies and resources. Some stay behind to man more front-facing posts within the façade’s activities to further prevent discovery. (Use Thugs from the Monster Manual and add acid resistance and immunity to exhaustion)

Silt Guards have devolved enough to be truly considered Alluvium and serve as the colony’s light troops and protect its interests abroad.

The colony’s core defenses are protected by Mire Marines whose limbs no longer resemble a humanoid’s. While this mutation strengthens a marine’s combat ability it also raises the chance of detection and as such they rarely travel outside the colony’s boundaries.

Weeping Conscripts roam the caverns beneath the colony. These tortured gestalts of souls are tasked with keeping the eldrtich coagulant safe. Only in times of true desperation do the alluvium deploy these blasphemous spell-slinging blobs above ground.

If not for the custom-made full plate they wear the Slime Breakers wouldn’t hold a humanoid shape at all. These shock troops guard the bowels and inner sanctum of the colony. Gifted blades crafted from the very gristle of the eldritch coagulant they cut down interlopers with amazing ease.

Second, only to the ‘god’ below, the Quagsire commands the colony. They are rare people who reach an apotheosis of sorts instead steadily melting into an amorphous blob. The quagsire is given a title befitting the sort of institution the colony pretends to be; a grandmaster of knights, the harbormaster of guards, the merchant prince of a trading post and so on.

Lastly, the colony keeps a handful of oozes under its control, ranging from lowly grey oozes to deadly black puddings. This often brings them into conflicts with cultists and demons of Jubliex, the demon prince of oozes. Many an adventuring party has been seduced into thralldom by the eldritch coagulant because of this fact, hired first to take care of the demonic foes before falling to their sinister benefactors.