In its attempts to innovate with the creation of new chemicals, Salamar Solutions accidentally created a living thing. Due to some poorly-judged aspects of its formulation, what was supposed to be an inert batch of material with special magical properties was in fact infused with life, a living and mobile mass of liquid that sloshed out of the vat where it was made and into the ductwork and the space inside the walls. There it has continued to thrive, occasionally coming out at night or into deserted areas to ingest more chemicals, or to travel between factories. Many workers at the chemical plants have spotted it, and tales circulate among the lower-level employees of the chemical factory about this mysterious liquid being they call the "Plud"—tales that become further exaggerated over time. For the most part, the management dismisses the stories of the Plud as an urban legend, but it is very real, even if the same can't be said of all the stories told about it. The number of times that batches of chemicals have mysteriously been depleted or gone missing, however, has moved at least some managers to consider whether there might be something to these accounts after all...

The Plud seems to be able to ingest almost any liquid, though consuming certain substances may give it additional temporary abilities—or even permanent abilities, in the case of some especially potent chemicals. For now, verified powers it possesses include the abilities to spit acid, to pass very slowly through solid materials, and to float (also very slowly) through the air. The intelligence of the Plud is uncertain, though its success in keeping itself hidden suggests it possesses at least some level of awareness and reasoning. Though it avoids contact with humans and other folks, so far it has shown no signs of hostility and violence—though if it were cornered or threatened it's very possible it may try to defend itself.

The Plud normally appears like a huge blob of liquid with an oily iridescence, its volume perhaps some ten cubic meters. It has developed some limited ability to change its color and shape, however, and while it cannot currently come close to disguising itself as human—at most, it may be able to extend some pseudopods that look vaguely like limbs, and turn itself slightly pinkish—if its abilities further develop it's not out of the question that it could attain this capability. The Plud sometimes makes a soft bubbling noise, but this doesn't seem to constitute any sort of language. it is sometimes seen carrying small objects about in its substance; it's unclear whether that is because these items became stuck in it by accident or it takes them along for its own amusement.