Desmond P. Follybone's Encyclopedia Mysticania Vol. VI: Magical Creatures A to Z

You dig through the pile of books until, finally, you pull out a thick, leatherbound volume with the title embossed upon it in gold letters. Desmond P. Follybone's Encyclopedia Mysticania. One of a set of books you have around here, this volume, volume 6, is one that contains information on all the known magical creatures you could want. You had gotten it special order when you knew the Ceremony of Summoning was coming up, wanting to look up all manner of magical creatures just in case. Of course, you had overlooked slimes when you'd been looking through the book, but now you had need to research that very creature, now that it was your familiar.

You flipped open the book, looking down at the blank pages. The pages of most magically imbued books were blank until one focused magic and will into them. It was a way to make sure that a large amount of information that would usually not fit into a mundane book would be at hand for sorcerer students such as yourself. There was actually a class in Fauleki Academy that specialized in such tomes, but you never had the knack for it...or much of anything, really.

You push that thought aside as you hold the book in your hands and focus upon it, gathering magical energy within you and focusing your will upon the subject you are seeking to gain information on. As you do, the book's pages turn and fall open upon empty pages that are slowly being filled by inked text and drawn pictures. The biggest picture is that of a blue gelatinous mound that looks much like your familiar, save for the color.

The text reads thusly:

Slime - Also known as jellies, goos, oozes, blobs, gels and other appellations that vary from area to area. Slimes are a species of magical creatures that are common to dark, dank environments. They are separated into various sub-species with a variety of abilities, but common traits are their gelatinous flesh, ability to change shape and immunity to physical attacks from mundane weapons. While slimes can be formidable against the common knight, any sorcerer with minor skill or warrior equipped with an enchanted weapon could make quick work of them.

The slime is a truly omnivorous creature, feeding on everything or anything that it can get into its body. It eats by dissolving whatever it takes into its body little by little. While they tend to prefer flesh and vegetation, they can survive on anything from gold to steel, which is why many slimes, when defeated, leave behind random trinkets that had been stored in their bodies for later devouring.

The common method of attacking for a slime is engulfing their opponent and suffocating them slowly, though some varieties of slime possess different abilities to attack with. Slimes can also change their shape to make themselves into weapons, but they tend towards whips and flails as their consistency remains gooey and ooze-like, even when their shapes are changed. Some varieties of slime can more effectively harden their bodies, however, to make such shape-changing a more effective weapon in a battle.

Overall Threat Rating: Low

The entry goes on and has a few other bits of information, but, as you read, you hear something going on somewhere behind you. You hear the slightly liquid sloshing sound of your slime moving around and the sound of metallic clinking and you turn around, ready to scold your familiar for going against your words. "Hey, now, I told you to be care...ful?", you say, your words trailing away as your eyes fall upon your familiar...or what you assume is your familiar as it is now in a very different state.