This species has little written history. And certainly not from it's own perspective. Scholars marvel at these oozes. Their creation is miraculous, born from putrid and filthy areas such as sewers or rotting corpse piles. They come into the world with no seen purpose, simply eating all they can at birth then secretly observing the creatures around them for guidance to their true shape. This crucial time at birth of watching a listening ultimately determines their sentience and intelligence. Those only around beasts and animals will become relatively dumb, while those around humans will be far more developed. The mask upon their face is quite interesting too. They grow them depending on the resources available in those early stages. It can range from bone, bark, stone, and even more precious metals. They can be very simple or abstract. Or be extremely complex and defined. They can control the masks features such as eyes and mouth to mimic and blend into their chosen society if they feel the reactions of others wont be negative or the mask realistic enough. They can also choose to keep it still and lifeless. The movement isn't necessary for speech or sight. The mask is a safety net for Tar, it binds them to a people or identity. If broken they descend into fear and flee to regenerate it. Beyond their outer appearance, their inner workings continue to be bizarre. Under a thick skin a softer sludge exists. When exposed to air the substance becomes highly acidic. Tar make use of this ability to intimidate and defend themselves. Despite this trait Tar will store valuable items within their mass to protect it more thoroughly. It takes time however, it cannot be instantaneous or they risk bursting and potentially ruining the item. To maximize the effectiveness of the toxin, though it is not proven, Tar enjoy eating poisonous and disease ridden things. They can sniff out these items or creatures with precision but this also includes their own kind. They generally don't know how to react to each other. When they do it is with fear and aggression. Some not wanting an intruder to potentially jeopardize a crafted life or social circle. Or simply a more animalistic urge to fight off a rival or protect ones' territory. Another aspect of their viscous form, not that they are exposed to the situation often if they can help it, but they avoid instances where there is extreme heat. Tar harden more and crack becoming less defended and agile. Being born from nothing they are genderless but are sometimes called certain genders due to appearance or voice.