Session 228: Wherein the party knows the way to a mimic's heart is through its stomach

The sun rises on the 15th day of Sunsebb, cold but promising. The party, consisting of Feno, Arnd, Dwerom, Veyda, Tatania, and Sergius, began their morning in Orlane before deciding to travel to the Barrow Marsh.

During the trek through the Dim Forest, the party noted that the forest appeared to be rotting away, with vegetation succumbing to a "fill force" that particularly disturbed the elves. Tatania used a gold compass box to seek guidance on how to help the forest; the needle pointed southeast, leading the party to conclude they should consult the priestess of Merika in Orlane. Before leaving the forest, they collected several samples—including waxy, out-of-season mushrooms and "stained" bark—to bring back for study.

The party arrived at the marsh and debated between two barrows to explore. One was marked with mysterious wavy line enchantments, whereas the other was sealed with a standard stone door. They chose to attempt to explore the second barrow. After two turns of manual labor to bash down the door, they entered a dry crypt. Inside, they discovered a glimmering galley. A small ship stood in the center of the room, surrounded by a light blue shimmering aura and four stone columns featured realistic carvings of gargoyles. Detect magic was cast and revealed the statues themselves were not currently enchanted. Inside the ship lay the skeletal remains of a warrior laid out in a burial pose, surrounded by baskets and chests.

The party decided to explore the area further. After clearing a brick wall, the party found a western chamber containing two sarcophagi. The south sarcophagus was found to contain green slime. Feno accidentally broke the lid while being startled by the slime, which the party identified as a hazardous substance that dissolves organic matter and metal. They have extensive experience with the matter and have good reason to be wary of it. The north sarcophagus radiated a faint magical emanation. After sliding the lid from the north sarcophagus over the south one to seal the slime, the party recovered a bone scroll tube and desiccated remains.

Returning to the glowing boat, Armatzi used dispel magic on the blue aura surrounding the ship. This caused six mimics to appear, which immediately demanded "dinner" from the party. Rather than engaging in combat, the group successfully negotiated with the creatures by using the create food and flavor spells (along with standard rations) to placate the hungry mimics. In exchange for a bottle of fine wine and dried cinnamon apple slices, the mimics allowed the party to take the treasure from the boat. The party acquired two clay pots containing 75 platinum pieces and 500 electrum, a Helm of Frost Resistance, a magical dagger, and a magical hand axe. The party then departed for Orlane.

Upon returning to Orlane, the party encountered Myr, a mimic they had previously hired to guard their treasure. Myr was grumpy and demanded more food, leading the party to discuss hiring a runner to travel to Hookhill for specialized supplies like "crunch worm" and "soft chew" to keep the guard satisfied.