Slurchers

## Introduction

Slurchers are underworld creatures. The Nightingale tormented Augus Each Uisge with them, and used them to make Augus travel about the underworlds to places the Nightingale couldn't go himself. Augus later used them to exert power over the fae realm, and gave them to Ash Glashtyn and the Nain Rouge. 'Terho, along with . . . the Glashtyn, forced [the slurchers] into the Each Uisge’s body until he broke and rescinded his own Kingship.'

## Physical Description

They appear to have tendrils. Augus noted that they 'were like oil taking form, leaving clinging bits of black residue on his skin.' Augus noted that they could change shape between corporeal and incorporeal, and would sometimes become 'snake-like' at times, and they slither while moving. They could also form 'Oily-wet frog-like fingers', which could be used to grab and push things.

## Abilities

They can be carried around on a fae, but contaminate the fae. 'Underworld energy corrupts', and can cause personality changes, and appears to function physically like a poisoning. Fenwrel the Mouse-Maiden said that Augus' underworld contamination cannot be healed.

Slurchers can seemingly communicate. Augus was able to befriend some, because they liked how he tasted. They have a hive mind structure, or at least they did with the Nightingale, which was likely how he controlled them. When Augus befriended some of them seemingly away from the Nightingale's control, the Nightingale sensed it through the hive mind, and punished Augus for it.

Augus noted that 'underworld creatures didn’t seem to die as fae or humans died. They could be killed, but they didn’t seem to expire on their own. They just became hungrier.'

Slurchers creep into crevices and openings in living creatures, and appear to move slowly. Once inside a fae, they can be used to possess the body, or physically injure the fae. Augus noted that the Nightingale could use them to make Augus do just about anything. Augus had no recall of what happened while he was under their complete possession.

## References

1. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 4 July 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/4088631. Chapter 3: Disintegration.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 12 September 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/5045072. Chapter 9: Amends.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 2 - The Seething Seas.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 22 May 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/8948719. Chapter 44: Nostalgia.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 3 March 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/7625663. Chapter 33: Confession.
5. ↑ not\_poignant. "The NIghtingale and Terho the Mouse-Lad." *The Fae Tales Verse, Archive of Our Own,* 5 May 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1571246.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 6 March 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/7672370. Chapter 34: Absolution.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 21 November 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/5922374. Chapter 19: Trust.
8. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 31 October 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/5651081. Chapter 16: Death.