The Living Tar.

The Living Tar was the original result of mineral based experimentation by the Empire. This gelatinous substance can easily engulf entire dungeons, including trapdoors, walls and doors.

The substance is controlled by a Empirian group called the Tar Technicians. These people are rather egotistical, and take an excessive amount of pride in controlling, managing, altering, and sustaining tar. Fairly recently, because of the creation of the Awakened Mud, a rivalry has been created between the Tar Technicians and the Mud Coordinators, as some technicians have deserted to become mud coordinators.

In the stable form, tar is harmless, but very difficult to clean up. Tar is vulnerable at its edges, but is unable to be destroyed at its corners. This means that it is possible to create a section of tar that in indestructable, which is a Smitemaster's worst nightmare. The best way to successfully clear out an area of tar is to do it as methodically as possible. If it is impossible to fully clear the tar out, make sure that the indestructable blobs are in areas that will not create problems.

The Living Tar has two unstable forms. The first is the Tar Mother. This creature is implanted into the tar and causes it to expand every thirty turns, causing tar to fill up the room. If the tar is incapable of creating a section at least ten feet wide (2 tiles), then it will create Tar Babies, the second form of unstable tar. These are relatively basic creatures that use the basic dungeon roach logic. Tar babies may also be formed by the cutting of tar.

There are some basic strategies to removing tar, and the majority of them require careful observation. Tar passages that are ten feet wide or high may become impassable if it expands. Make sure to try and keep passages that wide clear of tar. Make sure to watch out for signs that the tar is about to expand, as that will give you time to prepare yourself. A tar mother will always blink before it expands. If you happen to have a clock with you, you can also use that to time the mother's cycle.

See also: General element rules | On the (Ab)Use of Tarstuff | The Awakened Mud | The Forbidden Gel | Tar and Mud Rivalry