Skip to content

The Monster Mash

2025-Oct-13

  • The third floor is evidently not often visited. It is dimly lit with light from windows rather than candles, and cobwebs fill most corners of the halls
    • Rowan casts Daylight in the center of the open area at the center of the floor, illuminating the whole space
    • The paladin notices other sets of footprints disturb the settled dust, one of which heads towards the “Drink” room
  • Kleb enters the “Ceramic” room, which does not teleport him. Disappointed at the lack of consequences, he rides the invisible horse off towards the “Squash” room as Rowan comes to join him
    • When the paladin touches the doorknob, the party is engulfed in swirling sand like all the doors before
  • Ceramic room
    • On both banks of a dry riverbed are scattered gravestones. At one end is the party, at the other, a floating trophy made partially of blue glass.
      • The souls of what appear to be fallen early-2000s scrappy protagonists dot the left bank, while decidedly more villainous specters stand on the right. They are monologuing at each other
    • Kleb spurs the horse on and gallops towards the far end of the riverbed
    • In hopes of being a peacemaker, Rowan creates a Heroes’ Feast, split into two large portions on picnic tables facing each other. Unable to convince the arguing sorcerers to “eat it out,” he casts Command: Eat on one of them.
    • People on both sides take some notice of the intruders, and a few lob firebolts and other spells at the party. Some are dissipated by Rulkorf’s Warding Wind, while others are blocked by Rowan’s Shield of Faith.
    • Kleb outpaces everyone with his mount and grabs the trophy, teleporting them back to the mansion
  • Kleb resumes his travel towards the Squash room, failing to notice that the door was already open. A flaming Jack-o-Lantern knocks him off his horse, courtesy of the Headless Horseman, who sits on his mount in the doorway
    • Kleb picks himself up and counterattacks, dealing a fair amount of damage but perplexed by a lack of a head to hit
  • Rowan moves up to support and notices 4 dwarves with heavy crossbows down the hall, and a dark form lurking at the end. He frightens three of them enough that they flee, but in doing so draws the attention of the farther figure.
    • As it approaches, the paladin sees that the creature is a writhing mass of roots and limbs
  • Kleb dispatches the now-torsoless Horseman and moves back to reinforce Rowan, who is in the process of tossing one of his homemade Molotovs at the creature coming down the hallway. Kleb is struck by one of the oversized crossbow bolts
    • The vines and roots are set ablaze, which is intensified by the druid’s Elemental Bane
  • Standing shoulder to shoulder, the party members hold fast against the onslaught but the Shambling Mound surges forward and envelops both Kleb and Rowan
    • Rulkorf gets tagged by a crossbow bolt, and wades into the writhing mass to try and free Rowan. He does not suceed, but uses his lightning to blast apart some of the roots that grab him
  • Kleb bursts out of the vines but his moment of triumph is cut short by a stab to the back by a humanoid figure
    • Kleb bites through some of the fingers covering his mouth before whirling and running his sword through his assailant
    • He follows this up with a fireball bead, engulfing most of the hallway and all of the crossbowmen
  • Rowan also manages to rip himself out of the Shambling Mound’s clutches, and hacks at it in tandem with Rulkorf’s acidic claws.
    • Rulkorf heals Kleb’s pneumothorax, who uses his restored ability to breathe to help him stab crossbow-wielders
  • After a few moments and one failed attempt at fleeing, all the dwarves are cleaned up by the party