Scabrous Froth

Scabrous Froth
No. Enc.: 1
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 20' (5')
Armor Class: 8
Hit Dice: 3+
Attacks: 1 (touch)
Damage: 2d6 (+Disease)
Save: F3
Morale: 12

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Special: Immune to charms, illusions and all visual stimuli. Causes 2d4 damage to anyone using Empathy, ESP or any Detection spells within 30' of the Froth. Exudes large amounts of flammable gas that can explode when exposed to open flames, causing 2d6 damage in 10' radius increasing by 1d6/1' radius per HD. The Froth requires 3d6 turns to build-up an adequate supply for a follow-up explosion.

Nasty Things
Feculent and ferocious, Scabrous Froths are one of the more disgusting hazardous materials that Cellar Inspectors run across when investigating basements converted into unlicensed cesspools or illegal nightsoil facilities set-up to mass-produce saltpeter without paying the appropriate tax and tariff. These ferocious masses of commingled filth, blood and excrement are suspected of having been tainted by Spectral Brine, or some other effluent derived from the manufacture of White Powder that was disposed of improperly. There are numerous theories circulating about the nature of these things, but no one really knows very much about them, and most scholars are disinclined to look too closely into the matter.

In the vacuum of reliable scholarship, let alone some sensible answers, more than one Landlord has tried to prove that these infestations are not their fault, but are rather the result of their tenant's use of Hard Candy or squatters, usually Refugees, using similar untoward substances, or that the things arise from improper disposal of the offal or bloody runoff from the Killing Floors of near-by Butcher Shops. So far nothing has been proven either way.

Whatever the root-cause or origin of these direly unpleasant and foul things, the Cellar Inspectors are the ones most often stuck dealing with them, and once they are done, there's typically not enough left to study. Scholars are always welcome to collect their samples any time they'd like to go in before the Cellar Inspectors. So far no one has taken them up on their generous offer.

Mitigation Strategies
Intense heat tends to shrivel Scabrous Froth into inert clumps and ashes, if it doesn't involve an open flame, which tends to cause an explosion from the noxious gasses constantly produced all Scabrous Froths. More than one building has been destroyed in the course of attempting to mitigate an infestation by overwhelming fire-power. It is not recommended. Due the over zealousness of a group of Purifiers who destroyed six buildings in under a month in their misguided efforts to burn the things out with their flame-throwers, the Cellar Inspectors have officially banned Puritans from accompanying their efforts for the foreseeable future.

Intense cold will damage the outer edges of a Scabrous Froth, but it won't do much more than slow one down to half normal movement. Sometimes that buys enough time to address matters with something more effective. Various Purification and Cleansing spells have been tried with varying rates of success, sparking an intense, often violent debate-at-arms between those cults, sects and cabals seeking to gain notoriety for their ability to rid their neighbors of these horrid things through the benedictions and chants of their respective traditions. most of them are too eager to try and show-up the Puritans to do any real good, but a few have proven themselves capable and useful, so the Inspector General tends to turn a blind eye to these unofficial liaisons. For now.

A Recurring Nuisance, Resource, and Opportunity
These things generate enough heat to survive even the coldest winters. some Landlords will attempt to barricade a Scabrous Froth in the cellar or basement over the winter months to provide cheap heat. It might also be possible to somehow siphon off or collect the gasses produced by these things, possibly as a fuel source, but so far that hasn't worked out very well.

Several scholars have set sizable  rewards for any verifiable information regarding the root-cause or seed/germ responsible for the development of Scabrous Froths. The Cellar Inspector General has publicly offered to personally double any such reward, so long as the information obtained leads directly to the means of eradicating the things.