Session 11: The Mimic and the Ultimatum

Porthaven — Festival of Dormius

TONE: Caper comedy turns serious when Corster
corners them.

Reunited in Porthaven

The party reassembles in Porthaven after their individual ‘time
outs.’ The city is mid-Festival of Dormius — a celebration of generosity
where it is traditional to give gifts to everyone you know. Kiernan, a
local contact, is escorting his nieces and nephews to see the Grand Gift
of Dormius: a massive ornate present in the market square, wrapped in
velvet ribbon, reportedly containing a blessing from the god Dormius
himself.

The Book Heist

Before the festival events, the party robs a collector of rare books.
They succeed — the party is good at this kind of thing. Run it as a
light heist: a contact who tips them off, a building to infiltrate, a
brief distraction, a narrow escape. The books themselves are mildly
interesting (one has marginal notes in an unknown language; one appears
to be a diary written in the future tense). They should be sellable for
good money.

DM NOTE: Corster Fre is at the collector’s estate. He notices them.
He says nothing yet.

The Grand Gift is a Mimic

In the market square, as the crowd gathers to witness the unveiling
of the Grand Gift, Kiernan’s niece and nephew get too close and vanish
inside it. The Gift is a Mimic — a very large one — that has been
sitting in the square for three days, eating anyone who touched it and
being mistaken for an enormous present.

COMBAT: Mimic (MM p.220) — enlarged variant: HP 120, AC 12, Adhesive
(DC 15 Str to break free), Pseudopod +5 (1d8+3 + adhesive). Immune to
acid. The crowd panics and scatters. Two children are inside and alive —
the Mimic has them in a secondary cavity and hasn’t decided what to do
with them yet. The party has 3 rounds to deal enough damage to force the
Mimic to disgorge them before it swallows.

Corster’s Ultimatum

After the fight, while the party is still catching their breath,
Corster appears with four hired mercenaries behind him. He is polite. He
is also not offering a choice.

‘You sold the Grimoire,’ he says. ‘I know where it went. The
guild in Bremen has already been informed about the Threshing Day
incident. You are, at this moment, in a somewhat exposed position.’ He
lets that land. ‘I have an alternative. There is a young girl who needs
to reach Germonia safely. You will escort her. You will
protect her. You will not ask too many questions.’ He produces a sealed
letter. ‘Your papers. Compliments of the Seelie Court. You leave
tomorrow.’

DM NOTE: Corster cannot be fought out of this — the mercenaries are
real and the legal jeopardy is real. The party can negotiate terms (more
money, specific conditions) but the basic shape of the deal is fixed.
This is also the first time the party realizes Corster is working for
something larger than himself.

• Defeating the Mimic and rescuing the children: 600 XP

• Accepting Corster’s mission (or negotiating better terms): 200
  XP