Session 45 - The Mind Gobbler

Session 45 - The Mind Gobbler

Date: 11/30/25

DM: Wes

Summary

Rested and Ready

The session begins with the party waking in the ancient dwarven barracks deep within Garmok's Mine. Having defeated Voaraghamanthar, the black dragon, and cleared the mine of devils and cultists in the previous session, the party takes stock of their situation. Most party members wake well-rested, though Karma finds the stone beds uncomfortably hard despite the party's familiarity with dwarven accommodations.

The party reviews their treasure haul from the previous session, including the Tome of Leadership and Influence, which allows attribute increases beyond the normal maximum of 20.

Scouting with the Warlock's Eye

Before venturing deeper into the mine, Shade uses her Warlock Eye ability to scout ahead. The disembodied eye travels through dark passages until it discovers a vast cavern filled with bioluminescent fungi and strange mushroom-like creatures. The party is initially wary, unsure if these fungal beings are hostile.

The Myconid Colony

The party decides to proceed cautiously into the fungal cavern. They discover it is home to a colony of Myconids—intelligent, peaceful fungal creatures who tend to their mushroom groves in the deep places of the world. The chamber is filled with large fungi of various types, including shriekers (alarm fungi) and violet fungus, all bathed in the gentle, colorful glow of bioluminescent mushrooms.

The Myconid Sovereign, the leader of the colony, approaches the party. Rather than speaking with words, the Sovereign releases a cloud of rapport spores that settle over the party, granting them all temporary telepathy. Through this telepathic link, the party can sense the Myconid's thoughts, feelings, and intentions as intuitive concepts rather than language.

The Sovereign asks who they are and why they have come. Karma explains that they are Deez Nuts, on a quest to stop the dragon cult from raising Tiamat. When the party mentions the black dragon Voaraghamanthar, the Sovereign shudders visibly. Through the telepathic link, the party experiences the Myconid's traumatic memory of the dragon's previous attack—Voaraghamanthar had come through their grove, destroying much of it and killing many Myconid adults and children.

Friends of the Myconids

The party shares the good news: they have slain Voaraghamanthar. The Sovereign is overcome with joy and relief, and the party can feel his happiness through the spore link. He releases more spores throughout the cavern to share the news with his colony, then proudly presents his young sprouts (Myconid children) to the party. The Sovereign warns the party about the shrieker fungi, explaining that they serve as an alarm system when hostile creatures enter their domain.

The Myconids share their problem with the party: their cavern serves as a major thoroughfare between the surface and the deeper Underdark. Creatures from below—raiders, traders, and worse—constantly pass through their peaceful grove, forcing the Myconids to defend themselves. They wish for a way to be left alone but don't know how to reroute traffic or close off their cave. The party promises to investigate and see if they can help.

The Myconids mention that there are others deeper in the tunnels who may know more about the dragon and have helped repel it in the past, though the Myconids themselves don't know what lies beyond their cave system.

Into the Underdark

Bidding farewell to the Sovereign and his colony, the party ventures deeper into the tunnels. A young Myconid sprout excitedly follows them to the edge of the grove, but the Sovereign keeps the child from going further into danger. As the party leaves the glowing fungal cavern, the tunnels grow darker, colder, and more oppressive. The carved dwarven passages give way to natural caves—ancient formations untouched by tools, existing since time immemorial. The party can feel the weight of mountains above them as they descend.

The passages lead them to a chamber with crates and a sharp drop-off. As they cautiously explore, a creature drops from the ceiling to attack Keyleth—the encounter that will lead them to face the Mind Gobbler.

The Mind Gobbler Appears

In a vast chamber deeper in the Underdark, the party encounters a truly bizarre creature: a massive, dragon-sized turkey with tentacles—the Mind Gobbler. This abomination appears to be the result of mind flayer experiments, combining the physical form of a giant turkey with the psionic abilities and tentacled features of illithids.

The creature is accompanied by thralls—lesser creatures under its mental domination. The Mind Gobbler demonstrates terrifying psionic abilities, including:

• Psychic Gobble Burst - A devastating area-of-effect psychic attack
• Mind control and thrall creation
• Teleportation
• Enhanced physical attacks with tentacles

Battle with the Mind Gobbler

The party engages in an epic battle against the Mind Gobbler. The creature proves to be one of their most challenging foes, with multiple phases of combat:

Alexios channels Athena's power and uses his Vow of Enmity, focusing all his attacks on the aberration. Xanphina rages and wields Garmok's flail recovered from the previous session, her ancestral spirits protecting her from the creature's psychic assaults.

Shade unleashes powerful spells with her Bagpipes of Zariel's Lament, the infernal music disrupting the Mind Gobbler's concentration. Keyleth's arrows and Karma's druidic magic strike from range, while Gootcha uses her Raven Queen-blessed crossbow to devastating effect.

The battle reaches a climax when the Mind Gobbler reveals a second phase—a mythic transformation that restores its health and enhances its abilities. The party perseveres, combining their attacks and abilities to finally bring down the aberration.

The Drow Researcher

During or after the battle, the party encounters a drow woman who has been studying the aberrations in these tunnels for decades. She explains that the Mind Gobbler is the result of illithid experiments, though she's unsure what creature served as its original form—certainly not a common turkey.

The researcher warns the party about other dangers in the tunnels:

• An aboleth lurks somewhere deeper in the mine
• Mind flayers (illithids) have been conducting experiments here
• There may be a causal relationship between aboleths and mind flayer activity
• She has been trying to study these creatures while avoiding direct confrontation

She offers the party sanctuary in her warded study, a magically protected chamber where she conducts her research. The wards she's placed are strong enough to keep out the dangers of the Underdark, providing a safe place to rest.

The drow researcher provides valuable information:

• The Mind Gobbler has acquired many traits of mind flayers
• If a mind flayer manages to get close to someone, the results are catastrophic
• She has a magical knife that might provide an advantage against the Mind Gobbler if successfully lodged in it
• The tunnels to the south are closest to the surface
• Deep gnomes (svirfneblin) live somewhere in these tunnels and are masters of stonework—they could help create a new exit if found

Plans and Next Steps

The party discusses their options:

• Finding the deep gnomes to potentially create a safe exit from the Underdark (which could also help the Myconids by creating an alternate route)
• Exploring the southern tunnels that may be closer to the surface
• Investigating the waterfall area where the gnomes might be located
• Resting in the researcher's warded study before continuing

The researcher offers to create a scroll of Featherfall for the party if they stay the night, anticipating they might need it for exploring vertical passages.

The session ends with the party accepting the researcher's hospitality and preparing to rest in her study before continuing their exploration of the Underdark passages beneath Garmok's Mine.

XP Awards

To be added by DM

Notable Characters

• Alexios
• Athena
• Gootch
• Karma
• Keyleth
• Raven Queen
• Shade
• Xanphina
• Myconid Sovereign (leader of the Myconid colony)
• Myconid Colony (peaceful fungal creatures)
• Drow Researcher (studying aberrations in the Underdark)
• Mind Gobbler (aberration, slain)
• Gobble Thralls (mind-controlled servants)

Locations

• Garmok's Mine (dwarven barracks, deeper passages)
• Myconid Grove (bioluminescent fungal cavern)
• Underdark (natural caves beneath the mine)
• Drow Researcher's Study (warded safe room)

Factions Involved

• Myconids (peaceful colony seeking to be left alone)
• Illithids / Mind Flayers (creators of aberrations)

Items Found

• Tome of Leadership and Influence (from previous session)
• Magical knife (offered by researcher)
• Scroll of Featherfall (promised by researcher)