Have a family that is ever at odds with each other? Beware lest the Slurran comes for you..
Full Description
A family is supposed to bring one great joy and peace of mind, but what if one's family were far from ideal? Picture for yourself your emotional and mental well-fare if your family consisted of individuals for ever at ferocious war with another. Father and mother breaking promises to one another and quarrelling so viciously, that at times it can lead to violence between them. Or your siblings so envious of the good fortune that one of them supposedly receives from the parents, that it leads to a bitter and angry resentment in the hearts of the others who feel that they have been robbed of their rightful due of affection by this robber who was born to reduce his brothers and sisters to penury.
Into this enviroment of mutual suspicion and hostility, the Slurran comes, ready to haunt those that have drawn its appetite.
When a demon dies or perishes under circumstances of great violence in the mortal realm at the hands of a lowly human, a fragment of his soul might sometimes cling onto stubborn existence in the world of men, escaping the banishment of the rest of the demon's spirit back to the infernal realm. And so this fragment lingers, frantically searching for sustenance to give it strength and form, vital nourishment that will enable it to stave off the cosmic forces that keep attempting to snatch it and bear its way to the infernal realm where the rest of the former demon's greater spirit suffers the terrible agony of any fiend that finds itself eventually having to answer for its sins and horrid indulgences, much as an evil human must when death comes for him.
Terrified of this prospect, the fragment of demonic soul begins to drift, scouting for the negative emotions of mortals from which it can draw greats sustenance. And nothing is more replenishing to its twisted nature, than anger and extreme rage directed by mortals at others whom they should instead love and cherish. And so, following tis hunger, it will find itself drawn into the midst of a family at great odds with one another. Every simmering feud and arguement without end, the Slurran will feast on, swelling itself with all the pent-up hate and spite that confined family enviroment can foster if the bonds so essential to family are not nurtured properly. The more serious and heart-felt the rifts within the unhappy family ,the stronger it grows.
At last a time comes when the parasitical demonic essence becomes so powerful that is finally able to shake off its transparent vaporous from for something more corperal.
Mutating into a sludgy pool of a semi-liquid substance,it is now a mobile and fluids thing the shade of the kind purple found on corpses that have been beaten to death. In this form, it lurks in privies, wells and midden holes, seeping into every crevice where moisture lingers, and lies there in wait for its prey, hoping to spring upon a member of the family that has unwittingly fed it for so long, and flowing into his nostrils and ears, infects his mind with an urge to do something so dreadful to the rest of his family that the malice and hatred he generates will be able to fed it for a very long time. Many cases of family murder can be attributed to the work of this foul creature. Not good for its long term prospects perhaps, but it is very greedy, sometimes foolishly so.
Additional Information
If exposed to very corrosive acids, its mass will break apart temporarily, allowing its victims to ''destroy''it, but the Slurran will eventually return after a few days, its body newly reintegrated, and comes upon its previous victims just when they are cellabrating its perceived destruction. Attacking with fury, it will fill their minds with such murderous rage that they will slay one another.
Only genuine efforts at family reconciliation can drive the Slurran away.
Scrolls
Twists, chapters, and details meant to stream with the submission — not general discussion.
No scrolls yet — leave one if you have a twist worth keeping.
Sign in to plant an idea scroll.
Enjoyed this? Sign in and cross blades for Maggot — five clashes, up to 25 XP.
Sign in to cross the blades.
Discussion
Reader talk, questions, and feedback — not scrolls.
No comments yet — be the first voice in the hall.
Sign in to join the discussion.
Other takes
No other takes yet — the best compliment on the Citadel is a Retelling.
Bonds
Curated bonds across the Citadel — sign in to bind a bond. Kindred Favors are another thread in the same weave.
No bonds yet — be the first to bind one.
Yes. A part of an evil _something_, not very smart, but still looking to regain its former shape, finds a source of food. And what is bad it makes worse. Logical down to the last slimy bit.
I have seen quite a few unsettling items or creatures or NPCs on these pages, and this takes the unpleasant feelings and dark thoughts to yet another direction. I was thinking for a second to create a codex of the darkest creations here, but on another thought, I'd rather not.
Good work.
Forgot to vote.
Oh, and: is there any way to destroy it permanently? I also wonder, how would a well-grown specimen look... but do not want to think how will the people around it behave.
5/5 for this truely nasty beast.It could be used to assassinate people.
Well, to answer your question Manfred, if compelled to remain for a prolonged period of time in a home where good family cheer and affection is much in evidence, the Slurran will loose all solidity and becomes an ampharous vapour again which a smart mage could trap in an enchanted jar. As for how a well-grown specimen would look, I'd like to leave that up to the GM's imagination. It would be interesting to see how many Slurran varients might come about.
Cheka, that's a nifty idea. Think of all the wealthy but miserable merhcants you could eliminate by somehow inviting a Slurran into their homes. Just make sure you own family is a very happy one, or the Slurran might let its impatience get the better of it. :)
Nice work, but from it's description I think that a slurran could be deterred by a variety of hearth charms and basic wards, such as openly displayed holy symbols, lines of salt and that sort of thing. Then again, a family that exists in a state of hostility attractive to a slurran isnt exactly going to be a faithful and harmonious bunch.
Fairly unique. A demon of family strife. Another wonderful piece, Maggot!
Really neat and terrifing idea. I was expecting something differant when I read the initial intro, but what followed was really well presented and well thought out.
Would not want to find one them.
If you catch one in it's weak state, don't argue over what to do with it.
Updated: free text update
Definately an interesting critter - Good Job!
Two thumbs up!
Though, given how harmonious my family used to be, we had to have one or two of those somewhere :(
I like the logic of how a Slurran came to be and its nature.
Interestingly, this reminds me of a Japanese movie called Another heaven where the villain is also a liquid 'thing' that seeps into victims' ears and turn them into homicidal killers.