View source for Skum

{{Creature tabbed
| image     = [[File:Urlgryber.jpg|250px|A skum fighter.]]
| name      = Skum

| traits    = amphibious, humanoid
| level     = 2
| alignment = {{Alignment grid/LE}}
| adjective = skum
| imagesof  = skum
| source    = [[Pathfinder Bestiary]]
| page      = 12

| 1E-type        = [[Monstrous humanoid]]
| 1E-subtype     = aquatic
| 1E-challenge   = 2
| 1E-environment = Temperate or cold aquatic or underground
| 1E-alignment   = {{Alignment grid/LE}}
| 1E-adjective   = skum
| 1E-imagesof    = skum
| 1E-source      = [[Bestiary]]
| 1E-page        = 253
}}

: ''This article is about the [[alghollthu]] species known as "ulat-kini" in the [[Aboleth language]]. For the location of that name, see [[Ulat-Kini]].''

'''Skum''',<ref>The singular and plural of skum are the same.</ref> once known as '''ulat-kini''',<ref name="FSTS3">{{Cite book/From Shore to Sea|3}}</ref> are an ancient race of green-skinned aquatic [[monstrous humanoid]]s. They were created from [[human]] stock to serve as a [[slavery|slave race]] by the [[alghollthu]]s. Skum are perhaps the best-known of such servitor races, and represent the alghollthus' ideal humanoid slave: strong, amphibious and easily controllable.<ref>{{Cite book/Bestiary (1E)|253}}</ref><ref name="PF121-77"/>

== Name ==

The proper name of the skum race is ''ulat-kini'', after the research facility of [[Ulat-Kini]] in [[Sekamina]] where alghollthus first created them. The word ''skum'' was originally a derogatory term used by humans, but over time the ulat-kini themselves switched to using this name as they forgot their own racial name.<ref name="PF121-77">{{Cite book/The Lost Outpost|77}}</ref><ref name="PF98-69">{{Cite book/Turn of the Torrent|69|69&ndash;73}}</ref>

== History ==

As they were devising a servitor race, alghollthus recognised the usefulness of the [[humanoid]] form: humans breed quickly and leave behind various tools that can be used by humanoid slaves. With [[fleshwarping]], alghollthus rendered human slaves docile with [[alchemical reagent]]s and their own slime, and fused them with the organs of sea monsters. After centuries of work, which saw the deaths of an untold number of human slaves, the skum were created, and quickly became important members of the alghollthus' army.<ref name="PF98-69"/>

== Appearance ==

A typical skum stands half a foot taller than the typical human, but weighs nearly twice as much due to its increased muscle mass. Skum's rubbery flesh is protected by tough scales, fins, and spines, which also allow them to swim better. In order to allow them to live comfortably underwater, the skum's necks are laden with gills, and their heads were made from scratch to resemble those of [[fish]]. Skum have no external genitalia.<ref name="PF98-69"/>

A skum's skin is a mix of green, yellow, and grey; the darker a skum's skin is, the closer it is to its original heritage. Each also has a pattern of spots unique to the individual skum. Skum [[sorcerer]]s, courtesy of their human blood, might have unusual skin colours.<ref name="PF98-69"/>

Every skum is born imprinted with a specific mental marker which can be seen via [[telepathy]] and identifies the individual alghollthu owner of that skum's lineage.<ref name="PF98-69"/>

== Ecology ==

In water, skum are docile filter feeders; they do not hunt and only consume meat after repelling an attack. On land, they become voracious and savage, as without plankton they are forced to hunt.<ref name="PF98-69"/>

Alghollthus gave skum no ability to reproduce on their own so they would not breed uncontrollably. However, they retain the ability to mate with human females, and either trade fish or treasures to human communities in exchange for human mates who would bear their children, or simply just kidnap human women. The offspring of these relations might either be skum, or greasy, sallow, deformed humans that will become adult skum when they die of old age. Alghollthus and some skum have the ability to accelerate this process, quickly turning an apparent human into a skum. Skum are biologically [[mortality|immortal]]; some are known to have lived since the time of the [[Azlant]]i empire, and are known as '''am-ulat-kini'''.<ref name="PF98-69"/>

== Society ==

Modern skum are divided into two groups: the "masterless" and the "loyal". The masterless, who were abandoned after [[Earthfall]], live in tribes and inhabit abandoned alghollthu strongholds or locations associated with their final orders on the surface or in Sekamina. Each tribe is led by the oldest or strongest (usually one and the same individual), but the power structure is loose. Most such tribes have lost their military discipline and regressed to savagery, and live near the water, as the majority of landlocked skum tribes have starved to death due to the lack of plankton to feed upon. Most masterless are disgusted by their former enslavement and actively reject all kinds of masters, including religion and the [[deity|gods]], and discard the old possessions of their masters. Disputes are settled by non-lethal combat. Masterless tribes can still fall under an alghollthus's influence, but rarely remain so for long.<ref name="PF98-69"/>

In the [[Sightless Sea]] in the lowest depths of [[Orv]], the loyal skum continue to proudly serve the alghollthus and maintain their [[magic]] and civility. During the millennia following Earthfall, they were subject to further fleshwarping and divided into various castes: the giant skum hulks that serve as menial labourers; the intelligent, bioluminescent skum prodigies who attend to their masters; the small, unintelligent skum ravagers used as watchdogs; and countless others.<ref name="PF98-69"/>

== On Golarion ==

Almost all skum live in the [[Darklands]], especially in the settlement of [[Cold Momugado]] and the temple complex of Ulat-Kini in [[Sekamina|Sekamina's]] [[Lake Nirthran]].<ref>{{cite book/Into the Darklands|34}}</ref> The only skum known to live on or near the surface are those that inhabit the ruins of the city of [[Drowning Stones]] in the [[Mwangi Expanse]],<ref>{{Cite book/Heart of the Jungle|52}}</ref> those that live near the ruined island of [[Nal-Kashel]] in [[Cheliax]],<ref name="FSTS3"/> and those that live on the coast of [[Avalon Bay]] in [[Lake Encarthan]].<ref>{{Cite book/Wake of the Watcher|48}}</ref>

== References ==

[[Paizo]] published a major article about skum in ''[[Turn of the Torrent]]''.

{{Refs}}

{{Alghollthu navbox|creation}} 

[[Category:Skum| ]]
[[Category:Monstrous humanoids]]
[[Category:Aquatic subtype creatures]]
[[Category:CR 2 creatures]]
[[Category:Lawful evil creatures]]
[[Category:Temperate water creatures]]
[[Category:Cold water creatures]]
[[Category:Underground terrain creatures]]
[[Category:Alghollthu]]
[[Category:Humanoids (trait)]]
[[Category:Amphibious]]
[[Category:Level 2 creatures]]