Breakfast
The party awakes to clanging in the kitchen as Miriam and Harman enter to find Mothman sleeping in a pot with several hand-towels and chase him out. “You can’t be in here,” Miriam shrieks. Startled, Mothman freaks out flying into several pots and pans before he shrinks, traverses the slats and resizes. Mothman then clings to the ceiling shaking and peaking in Nixon quotes.
Karns awakes from the floor where he passed out during his work-out. “The Karns-Strong name wishes everyone a glorious morning,” he says flexing his biceps and chest. Mortimer pops out of bed, newly rejuvenated from a night of rest. He paddles over to the bar to greet Miriam with a sly smile. “Good morning sweet Miriam,” he coos. “Well, hello good-looking,” she responds. Peter rolls out of his bunk blinking sleep out of his eyes. His night was quite frightful as his dreams only reminded him of Caria’s distress and the suffering of her citizens. As Harman cooks the party completes their morning routines or as much as they can in this new environment. Karns does his morning work-out. Mortimer stretches while giving Miriam compliments and looks of lust. Peter uses the restroom to urinate and wash his face. Mothman flies in circles, explaining the first two seasons of the Simpsons. He does this while mimicking the voice of Richard Nixon.
Breakfast consists of various types of eggs, toast, sausage, and bacon. “Tell me young Harman. Do you have the capability to make a protein shake?” Karns asks. “Uh sure, I guess. Some of the previous parties taught me about those,” he responds. “Excellent!” Karns exclaims. The party eats breakfast as Mothman continues to babble about various cartoons, Mortimer hits on Miriam, and Karns tells Harman about the intricacies of muscle growth. Peter sits in silence eating little food.
After breakfast Miriam and Harman leave up the stairs. Mothman hovers over to the double doors and begins pushing them. “I believe its locked small fuzzy one,” Karns says. “I can get it open,” Peter says producing a dagger. He walks to the door and begins picking the lock. After a brief moment the padlock gives way and the chain falls with a thud. Mothman then pushes the door open revealing a large stone hallway lit with torches.
The Maze
Wind blew down the stone hallway carrying scents from deep in the maze. The wind felt cold and dank, whistling off the stones. Mothman’s excitement was apparent. His muttering ceased and a smile stretched across his face. His axe dripped with more blood as he entered the hallway floating along deeper into the maze. Karns began flexing and craning his ear to his muscles as if listening for advice. “The secrets of the maze intrigue the Karns-Strong family name,” he said following after Mothman. Peter met Mortimer’s gaze. Concern was painted across their faces. Peter took a deep breath and followed Karns into the maze. Mortimer huffed his displeasure and trudged in as well.
The party walked briskly down the stone hallway, alert for dangers that awaited them. The curiosity that infected Mothman and Karns spread to Peter and eventually Mortimer. “What wonders hid in this maze?” they all thought. After a short time of walking down the torch lit path they came to a T-junction. The party in unison craned their heads left and then right seeing only torch lit stone. Karns raised his arms and flexed his biceps listening. “Left,” Karns said confidently. Peter raised his eyebrow and looked at Mortimer questioningly. “Well, do you have a better way to do it,” Mortimer asked.
Mothman did not hesitate. He turned left and flew down the hallway as if commanded by Karns suggestion. Karns jogged along behind him. Peter and Mortimer followed them. They jogged along for a short moment before they heard something ahead. It wasn’t very loud but there was a low chanting coming from down the hall. The party slowed to a walk, however Mothman flew silently on ahead. He stopped at a doorway on the right just 20 ft ahead. The hallway continued past the door. As the party approached silently Mothman was twitching and his mouth was dripping with drool. They peered inside to see a large circular room full of kobolds that were circled around a stone pedestal with a red stone placed on top.
Mothman could no longer contain his bloodlust. He rushed forward raising his axe and cleaving one of the kobolds in two. The other kobolds were thrown off by this sneak attack but were able to hastily draw weapons before the Moth’s next attack. Karns rushed in as well and closed the distance to a few kobolds. Mothman had sprung into his next attack, burying his axe into the next kobold. Mothman continued his onslaught with his claws, destroying monster after monster with little injury to himself.
Karns also faired quite well against the kobolds on his side of the room, turning them into pancaked versions of their former selves. It was a quick fight with only a few scratches sustained to Mothman and Karns. Even those scratches seemed to quickly disappear as Mothman’s axe pulled in the blood and essence of the slain kobolds and healed him. Karns scratches faded as well but from the glowing of his ring some ten minutes later. “They were almost adequate for a warm-up,” Karns said heartily.
Mortimer peered around the room but the only thing that stood out among the stones were the corpses of the creatures and the stone pedestal. Mortimer walked forward to pick up the red stone laying on top of it. It was warm to the touch but didn’t react. As he was examining it, Mothman came forward uncomfortably close to him. “Uh, do you know what this is,” Mortimer asked. Mothman promptly ate the stone causing Mortimer to flinch as he almost lost his hand to the Moth’s maw. “Geez, take it easy,” Mortimer complained. Mothman tried to bite down on it a few times before spitting it out and saying “Rock.” He then put it back into his mouth and swallowed it.
“There’s a door back here,” Peter said. He gingerly tried the handle and it turned. Cautiously, he pushed through to another hallway. “Good job young man,” Karns beamed. The remaining party left the room following Peter into the new hallway. To the right was a doorway about 15 ft down the hallway. Mothman booked it to the doorway and waited for the rest of the party. Peering into this room. It was smaller. It contained just a chest and wardrobe. Mortimer pushed into the room towards the chest.
“Mothman, be ready this is probably a mimic,” Mortimer warned. Mothman raises his axe ready to strike. Mortimer crept the lid open just as Peter drew his bow and yelled “Behind you.” Mortimer whipped around to see the wardrobe had opened up to expose rows of teeth bearing down on him. An arrow flies into the mimic from Peter. Mothman flies into action, hacking apart the wardrobe mimic. As the mimic dies it reverts back to its original body. Mothman picks up piece of the mimic and eats it.
Mortimer turns back around to the chest. He lifts the lid and to his surprise it is full of preserved kobold feet. He picks up a few to confirm that it is indeed kobold feet and then places two in his bag. As he turns around, he sees Mothman staring at him intently. Mothman offers a piece of mimic. “Oh no I couldn’t,” Mortimer stammers. Mothman’s eyes seem to grow in size as he continues to stare at Mortimer. “Alright,” Mortimer says sadly. Mortimer then takes the piece of mimic.
“Thanks,” Mortimer says. “Yum,” Mothman responds. “Oh, we just had breakfast and its not something that I think would agree with my stomach,” Mortimer stammers. Mothman’s eyes continue to bear into Mortimer’s soul. Mortimer then raises the mimic to his mouth and takes a small bite. It was absolutely awful. He fought all his instincts to get it down.
Author’s Note: Mothman literally rolled a nat 20 charisma here. I had to make Mortimer eat it.
“I guess that’s it for this room,” Peter says leaving. Karns leaves the small room reentering the hallway as well and begins flexing and listening to his muscles once more. “So, what exactly is happening with that?” Peter asks Karns. “The Karns-Strong name is illustrious and ever-reaching. This provides me with foresight beyond that of a normal man.” he answered. “How do you know that?” Peter presses. “Well, you see young Peter, I have never died,” Karns states triumphantly. Peter’s eyes glaze over. “Yeah, sure that makes sense,” he says dejected.
“Follow me!” Karns says strolling forward. Mothman follows diligently bobbing left to right as he goes. Mortimer shrugs and says “I think sticking with them is our best bet for now.” He then shuddered, likely from the mimic “meat” in his stomach. The party continues on through the torchlight. This corridor continues on for quite some time.
Walking through the underground felt odd to Peter. He was used to the wide plains and rocky mountain peaks. He had also experienced the marble floors and walls of the nobility but that was relatively new to him as well.
Mortimer wasn’t a stranger to the underground but usually they were filled with more dancing girls and strobing lights. And Alcohol. Mortimer really needed a drink.
Since Karns kingdom had been at peace for the last four years, he hadn’t had a good fight in a while. The T-Rex filled Karns with purpose and joy again. The thrill of battle drove him forward with a fervor.
Mothman really hoped they found more stuff to kill. He really liked killing stuff. And he liked these new friends. They were pretty good at killing stuff too.
The party arrived at another doorway. Karns tried the handle which was unlocked. The door opened with a slight creak into a large square chamber. From their position a set of stairs led down to a stone pedestal. Around the pedestal were a few giant bats. Fluttering from the ceiling brought the party’s attention upward. On the ceiling above the pedestal was a cluster of around 12 giant bats.
“I got this,” Mortimer said quietly. Mortimer raised his staff and muttered some quick words. A flaming ball gathered and flew from his staff into the cluster of bats. The fire set the entire cluster aflame. Bodies of flaming bats fell screeching to the floor.
Mothman darted down the stairs slashing his claws at the remaining bats and easily dispatching them. “Very good, horny spellcaster!” Karns exclaimed. Mortimer looked smugly at Peter. “Maybe you might defeat a monster at some point,” Mortimer boasted. “Maybe next time I’ll let the T-rex eat you,” Peter shot back. Peter made his way down the stairs and got a better look at the pedestal. Embedded in the top was an ornate sword. Peter grasped the handle and pulled it from the stone. “I don’t suppose any of you are interested in a sword,” Peter asked. They looked around at each other. “Don’t think so,” Mortimer said. “All yours, young man,” Karns said enthusiastically. Peter buckled the sword on next to his other one. Peter looked around the room. Despite its size there still wasn’t much in here. Just the bats and pedestal.
There was another door on the other side. “There’s another door over there,” Peter told the group. They made there way to this doorway and it was also unlocked so they continued through it. On the other side was more hallway lit by torches. They could see ahead of them that the hallway went right. It also smelled danker here. The air felt more humid. Despite this they pushed on. As they walked the hallway turned right, left, left, right, left. It wasn’t branching off any, just turning. The air becoming more humid and now smelling strongly off swamp. Finally, they came to an open doorway. Water pooled over the edge into the hallway.
Inside the doorway was a large room with an entire village sitting atop a swamp.