Session 45 - The Mind Gobbler

From Deez Nuts' Sword Coast Campaign
Revision as of 02:49, 12 January 2026 by Wvaske (talk | contribs) (Complete rewrite: Added missing Derro encounter, corrected Mind Gobbler outcome to RETREAT (not defeat), enhanced battle descriptions with back-and-forth action, added full chronological narrative flow)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

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 Cloaker Attack

As the party moves cautiously through the tunnels, they encounter their first threat of the day. A Cloaker—a predatory aberration resembling a large manta ray or living cloak—drops from the ceiling to attack Keyleth. The creature uses its camouflage to blend perfectly with the stone, surprising the party when it suddenly unfurls and swoops down.

Alexios and Xanphina rush forward to protect the ranger, while Shade unleashes eldritch blasts and Karma shifts into combat form. The battle is brief but tense, as the Cloaker's moaning ability creates phantasmal duplicates to confuse attackers. The party's coordinated strikes bring down the aberration before it can do significant harm, though the encounter serves as an ominous warning of what lurks in these depths.

The Myconid Colony

The party proceeds into the fungal cavern that Shade's Warlock Eye had discovered. They find 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.

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 a sharp drop-off—an enormous chasm that descends into darkness. Even with darkvision, the party cannot see the bottom. Along the wall, they discover the remains of an old winch system, broken down and abandoned long ago.

Encounter with the Derro

As the party examines the chasm and the broken winch, they hear footsteps echoing through the tunnel. Rounding a corner, riding their phantom steeds, the party nearly collides with a group of Derro—dark dwarves native to the deep Underdark. The Derro merchants halt and turn to face the party warily.

The lead Derro, a gruff but businesslike trader, greets them cautiously. "Well met. Where are you off to?"

Alexios boldly declares they're heading to fight the Mind Gobbler. The Derro shake their heads at the foolishness of surface dwellers. The dark dwarves explain they're searching for a trade route from their city in the Underdark to the surface, hoping to establish commerce with surface dwellers. They note they cannot go through the Myconid territory—past conflicts have made that path too dangerous.

The Derro offer their wares for trade: mechanical goods including gears, chains, and oil. They mention they could repair the broken winch system if the party is interested. In exchange, they seek unique weapons or tools that would help them either find a new path to the surface or make it easier to navigate the dangerous routes they know. The lead Derro explains they've encountered Myconids before and prefer to avoid them, seeking an alternate route instead.

Keyleth and Karma quietly express concern about helping the Derro find a route through the Myconid grove, not wanting to endanger their new fungal friends. The party debates their options in hushed tones.

Gootcha suggests they could trick the Derro by giving them a fake magical item. Shade, with her high persuasion skill, offers to sell the deception. The party settles on offering a plain gold bracelet, claiming it helps locate gnomes—even when they turn invisible. This would theoretically help the Derro find the deep gnomes (svirfneblin) rumored to live in these tunnels, who could show them alternate routes.

But the Derro leader is no fool. He takes the bracelet and casts *Identify* on it, the spell revealing its mundane nature. "It appears this bracelet doesn't do what you say it does," he says gravely, his eyes narrowing.

Shade quickly covers, claiming they were swindled by merchants called "the Bronze Blades" (a name she invents on the spot). Keyleth and Karma nod along, feigning embarrassment. Alexios, true to his oath of honesty, looks uncomfortable but doesn't contradict the deception.

The Derro leader studies them for a long moment. "Since we just met, I am going to assume that you did not know this," he says slowly, handing the bracelet back. "It happens to the best of us. But it's a dangerous game you're playing."

The party apologizes profusely. Shade blames the fictional Bronze Blades. The Derro seem bemused rather than angry—they haven't heard of these Bronze Blades, but note they sound like dwarves worth trading with.

Karma asks how they could find the Derro again if they encounter the gnomes and learn about surface routes. The Derro explain they'll be wandering and mapping these tunnels, so the party should just keep an eye out for them.

As the conversation winds down, Alexios—unable to let the Derro walk into danger—warns them that the direction they were heading leads to certain death: the Mind Gobbler's lair. The Derro thank him for the warning and agree to go a different direction.

Alexios tries one last gambit: "How about a little tit-for-tat? I give you that information. Can we trade for some of that equipment?"

The Derro leader responds simply: "No."

With that, the Derro merchants shoulder past the party, not aggressively but firmly, and disappear into the darkness of the Underdark tunnels. The party continues toward the Mind Gobbler's lair.

The Mind Gobbler's Lair

Following the tunnels deeper, the party eventually reaches a vast cavern. In the dim light of Shade's dancing lights and the party's darkvision, they spot movement ahead. The Mind Gobbler—a massive, dragon-sized aberration—waits in the center of the chamber, surrounded by gobble thralls, lesser creatures enslaved by its psionic powers.

The creature is a horrifying sight: the body of an enormous turkey grafted with tentacles, pulsing with psychic energy. It appears to be the result of mind flayer experiments, combining a mundane beast with aberrant physiology and psionic abilities.

The party attempts to sneak closer, using Shade's *Pass Without Trace* spell to mask their approach. But the Mind Gobbler has heard the echoes of their conversation with the Derro, or perhaps sensed their minds approaching. It turns to face them, tentacles writhing, as combat begins.

Battle with the Mind Gobbler - Opening Assault

Alexios charges forward, channeling Athena's divine fury and swearing his Vow of Enmity against the aberration. His flaming sword strikes true, cutting deep into the creature's flank. Xanphina rages and follows, her ancestral spirits manifesting around her to protect her from psychic assault. She swings Garmok's massive flail in devastating arcs, each hit reverberating through the cavern.

Keyleth and Karma unleash ranged attacks from the relative safety of the cavern's edge—arrows and magical thorns striking the Mind Gobbler's thick hide. Gootcha positions herself in shadows, her Raven Queen-blessed crossbow singing as phantom ravens swirl around her bolts.

Shade stands back, her Bagpipes of Zariel's Lament wailing infernal music across the battlefield. She weaves eldritch magic and bardic inspiration into a devastating combination, disrupting the Mind Gobbler's concentration while empowering her allies.

The Mind Gobbler responds with a *Psychic Gobble Burst*—a wave of psionic energy that slams into Alexios and Xanphina. The paladin grits his teeth against the mental assault, but Xanphina's ancestral spirits shield her mind, her rage making her resistant to the psychic damage. The gobble thralls surge forward, tentacles lashing at the front line.

Alexios and Xanphina cut down the first wave of thralls, but more keep coming. The Mind Gobbler teleports across the chamber, appearing behind Karma and Keyleth. Gootcha wheels and fires, her crossbow bolt striking the creature in its bulbous eye. It shrieks—a terrible sound mixing turkey gobble with psionic screaming—and teleports again.

The Mythic Transformation

As the battle rages, Alexios's sword finds the creature's heart—or where its heart should be. The Mind Gobbler staggers, wounded deeply, and for a moment the party thinks victory is at hand.

Then the creature's body begins to crack and pop, expanding grotesquely. Its tentacles multiply, its eyes glow with intensified psychic power, and wounds begin to close. The Mind Gobbler has entered its mythic phase—a second life granted by whatever dark experiments created it.

The creature unleashes a *Mythic Gobble Quake*—a massive psychic shockwave that drops Keyleth unconscious instantly. Karma rushes to her side, desperately feeding her a healing potion as the Mind Gobbler summons fresh gobble thralls from the shadows of the cavern.

Alexios is surrounded by thralls, their tentacles wrapping around his armor and trying to drag him down. Xanphina cleaves through them, but more keep coming—the Mind Gobbler can apparently create them endlessly. Shade casts *Hypnotic Pattern*, trying to disable multiple thralls at once, but the Mind Gobbler's advantage on saving throws against magic allows it to shrug off her spell.

Gootcha manages to lodge a crossbow bolt deep in the creature's skull, causing it to stumble. But even this grievous wound begins to regenerate before their eyes. The Mind Gobbler's connection to this cavern seems to sustain it—the very walls pulse with aberrant energy.

The Desperate Retreat

Keyleth falls unconscious a second time. Alexios is grappled by three thralls, unable to escape their tentacles despite his strength. Xanphina is bloodied and burning through her rage. Karma has exhausted most of her spell slots keeping people alive.

Shade makes the call: "We need to go! Now!"

She casts *Fog Cloud*, filling the cavern with thick, obscuring mist. Xanphina breaks the grapples on Alexios with a mighty blow, freeing him. Karma grabs the unconscious Keyleth and wild shapes into a giant spider, scuttling up the cavern wall with the ranger on her back.

Gootcha uses her Cunning Action to disengage and sprint for the exit. Alexios pulls back, shield raised to cover the retreat. Shade casts *Expeditious Retreat* on herself, using her bonus action to dash away while maintaining the fog cloud with concentration.

Behind them, they hear the Mind Gobbler shrieking in fury. Its psychic presence hammers at their minds even as they flee, but the fog cloud breaks line of sight long enough for them to reach the tunnel. The gobble thralls pursue, but the party's speed advantage lets them pull ahead.

They race through the darkness, Alexios carrying the still-unconscious Keyleth now, Xanphina guarding the rear. They can hear the Mind Gobbler's psychic gobbles echoing through the tunnels behind them, growing fainter as they put distance between themselves and the creature.

Escape Through the Myconid Grove

The party bursts back through the Myconid grove, startling the peaceful fungal creatures. The Myconid Sovereign senses their terror through his spores and quickly directs them to keep running—he can sense the Mind Gobbler's rage even from here.

The party doesn't stop until they reach the upper levels of Garmok's Mine, collapsing in the relative safety of the dwarven corridors. Keyleth regains consciousness, stabilized by Karma's healing magic. They take stock of their situation: battered, exhausted, spell slots depleted, but alive.

The Drow Researcher Ilra

As the party catches their breath, a drow woman emerges from a side passage. She introduces herself as Ilra, a researcher who has been studying the aberrations in these tunnels for decades. She sensed the psychic disturbance of their battle and came to investigate.

Ilra explains that the Mind Gobbler is the result of mind flayer experiments—an ordinary creature transformed into a psionic aberration. She's unsure what the original creature was, though "certainly not a common turkey." She has been studying the Mind Gobbler from a distance, avoiding direct confrontation.

The drow offers them sanctuary in her warded study, a magically protected chamber deeper in the mine where her wards can keep out even the Mind Gobbler's psychic intrusions. She leads them to a room filled with books, scrolls, and arcane equipment, the walls humming with protective magic.

Ilra shares what she knows:

  • The Mind Gobbler has existed in these tunnels for years, possibly decades, growing stronger over time
  • It was created by mind flayers as part of experiments in the deep Underdark
  • The creature seems bound to its cavern—she's never seen it venture far from its lair
  • An aboleth may also lurk somewhere deeper in the mine, and there could be a connection between aboleths and mind flayer activity
  • She has a magical knife that disrupts psionic connections—if they can lodge it in the Mind Gobbler, it might give them an advantage in a future battle

The party asks about other routes. Ilra mentions that the tunnels to the south are closest to the surface, and deep gnomes (svirfneblin) are rumored to live in this network. The gnomes are masters of stonework and could potentially create a new exit—which would help both the party escape and solve the Myconids' problem by creating an alternate route through the Underdark.

Plans and Next Steps

The party accepts Ilra's hospitality, resting in her warded study. Over a meal, they discuss their options:

  • They need to find the deep gnomes and learn if there's a path to the surface
  • The Mind Gobbler remains a threat—wounded but alive, still lurking in its cavern
  • They could return to face it again, better prepared with Ilra's knife and knowledge
  • Or they could find another way out and leave the aberration to the Underdark

Ilra offers to create a *Scroll of Featherfall* for them, anticipating they'll need to navigate vertical passages like the great chasm with the broken winch. She also shares more details about the knife: if they can successfully lodge it in the Mind Gobbler, it will disrupt the creature's psionic abilities and potentially prevent it from regenerating.

The session ends with the party resting in Ilra's study, recovering from their harrowing battle. The Mind Gobbler survived their assault and remains in the depths, a threat yet to be overcome. But they have gained valuable information, a potential ally in Ilra, and new leads to follow—whether that means finding the gnomes, seeking another path to the surface, or preparing for a rematch with the aberration that nearly destroyed them.

XP Awards

To be added by DM

Notable Characters

  • Alexios - Human Paladin, Oath of Vengeance, devoted to Athena
  • Karma - Tabaxi Druid, Circle of the Moon
  • Keyleth - Wood Elf Ranger, Swarmkeeper
  • Shade - Tiefling Warlock/Bard
  • Gootcha - Half-Elf Rogue, blessed by the Raven Queen
  • Xanphina - Half-Orc Barbarian, Path of the Ancestral Guardian
  • Myconid Sovereign - Leader of the peaceful Myconid colony
  • Ilra - Drow researcher studying Underdark aberrations
  • Derro Leader - Dark dwarf merchant seeking surface trade routes
  • Mind Gobbler - Psionic aberration created by Illithids (survived encounter, remains in the depths)
  • Gobble Thralls - Mind-controlled servants of the Mind Gobbler

Locations

Factions Involved

  • Myconids - Peaceful fungal colony seeking safety from Underdark traffic
  • Derro - Dark dwarf merchants seeking surface trade routes
  • Illithids - Mind flayers who created the Mind Gobbler (background presence)

Items Found

  • Tome of Leadership and Influence (from previous session, reviewed this session)
  • Psionic Disruption Knife (offered by Ilra, not yet used)
  • *Scroll of Featherfall* (promised by Ilra)

Creatures Encountered

  • Cloaker - Aberration defeated in early tunnels
  • Mind Gobbler - Psionic turkey aberration, mythic creature (party retreated, creature survived)
  • Gobble Thralls - Psionic servants
Retrieved from "https://wiki.deeznuts.wiki/index.php?title=Session_45_-_The_Mind_Gobbler&oldid=703"