Session Narrative
Porthaven is a prosperous port city built on trade, secrets, and a pleasantly flexible attitude toward the legal definition of ‘ownership.’ The party reunites here, finding one another by various means in a dockside tavern called the Gilded Anchor, each carrying the particular quiet that comes from time spent alone with one’s thoughts.
The Festival of Dormius is in full swing: streets hung with velvet ribbon, stalls selling festival bread and paper lanterns, and at the centre of the market square — dominating it, actually — the Grand Gift of Dormius. It is enormous. Wrapped in deep blue velvet and gold ribbon, it stands twelve feet high and is traditionally said to contain the ‘spirit of generosity’ which the city’s founder gifted to his people. Nobody has ever tried to open it.
Before the festival, however: a heist. A local collector named Aldous Pemfrey owns an extremely rare Grimoire — a book of such value that simply having it in his possession is an insult to the party’s finances. They steal it. The operation is genuinely impressive. Pemfrey’s security is embarrassed. The Grimoire is in their hands.
And then, across the crowded room at Pemfrey’s estate, the party catches the eye of Corster Fre, who is attending the same gathering in his capacity as a collector and who notices them immediately, because he always notices them.
The Grand Gift of Dormius turns out to be a mimic of extraordinary size, which swallows their friend Kiernan along with his niece and nephew during the festival. The party fights and kills it, extracting the captives, and Porthaven cheers. Corster, watching from a safe distance, applauds politely and then makes his move.
He knows about the Grimoire. He could turn them in. He will not, in exchange for a service: escort a young girl to Germonia. She will be travelling with diplomatic representatives. The party should take particular care that she arrives safely.
The party chooses the water route to Germonia: two weeks by river to the Frozen Sea, with pirates, weather, and whatever lives in the water as hazards. Corster books them passage. They depart the next day.
Key NPCs
- Kiernan — Party acquaintance. Consumed briefly by the mimic. Grateful, shaken, brings his niece and nephew everywhere.
- Aldous Pemfrey — Collector. Rich. Embarrassed. Will not appear again but his Grimoire will.
- Corster Fre — Again. Still holding cards. Turns the Grimoire theft into leverage with impressive efficiency.
Encounters & Mechanics
Pemfrey’s Heist
Skill challenge. 3 successes before 3 failures. Skills: Stealth, Sleight of Hand, Deception, Investigation. Failure options escalate from ‘guards alerted’ to ‘party separated.’
The Grand Mimic of Dormius
Use Giant Mimic stats (CR 8). Swallows one Medium creature per round on a hit of 15+. Captives take 2d6 acid damage per round. Immune to being grappled. Fire damage causes it to release captives.
Loot & Rewards
| Item | Notes / Value |
| The Pemfrey Grimoire | Rare spellbook. Worth 400 gp to the right buyer. Contains one 4th-level spell. |
| Mimic Loot (inside) | Previous victims: 45 gp, a silver necklace (25 gp), a very confused cat. |
| Festival Coins | Traditional Dormius coins distributed during the festival. 3 gp total, but good luck charms. |
DM Notes
The heist is a breather after the emotional weight of Sessions 8-9. The mimic should be absurdly dramatic — the pride of the city revealed as a monster is good comedy before Corster arrives to complicate everything. Route choice (water vs overland) has been made: water. Sessions 11-12 follow the river.