Monster Hunt — Session #3
The party stands in the blood-spattered cavern, the last meenlock's ichor dripping from Khord's Mauling Maul. Their ally Mulch hangs suspended between roots, alive but horrifically transformed — boils, lesions, and wispy protrusions covering his skin. The tunnels are finally silent, but the cost of the rescue is evident in every labored breath Mulch takes. The party now faces the grim task of harvesting the meenlock corpses for their frail essences, and deciding what to do with their corrupted companion.
The party descended into the cramped tunnel system beneath the Brine Mother's lair, following the trail of their captured ally Mulch. The tunnels were oppressively tight — only four and a half to five feet tall — forcing everyone to hunch over as they navigated the claustrophobic passage. Gren Hammerstone donned his Cloak of Elvenkind and scouted ahead, his +10 stealth making him practically invisible in the dim light. He found Mulch tied spread-eagle between roots, unconscious and twitching — his face lost its fur, covered in boils and lesions, with thin wispy protrusions growing from his arms, chest, and neck. Gren's primary reaction? "I see Mulch tied down... I need to check if he's got a stack of gold on him." He set an Entangle trap in a chokepoint, then crept back to report.
As the party crept forward, the ambient noise dropped to deafening silence. Then the meenlocks struck. One emerged from the shadows near Gren Hammerstone, its fear aura overwhelming him — he failed his Wisdom save and became Frightened, firing his longbow with disadvantage and missing. Another appeared behind the party near Dicer and Khord. Dicer and his dog Olivia both failed their saves, becoming Frightened. "Guys, we gotta get out of this fucking hallway. Nobody can fucking move right now," Dicer shouted, scooping up Olivia and placing her between his legs for protection.
Vash remained the calm one. He succeeded his Wisdom save and was not Frightened. "Boom," he said casually as he fired his pistol with Sharpshooter, initially missing but using Precision Attack to turn it into a hit. Then a second attack with a natural 20. Then Action Surge for two more. "Boom." His barrage killed one meenlock, which released a psychic death burst dealing 1 damage to nearby allies. Khord tried to say something but was clawed by a meenlock climbing the wall, taking 19 damage and becoming instantly paralyzed. "Lava," he whispered with resigned exhaustion.
The meenlocks continued to pour in — a fifth erupted from the ground near Mulch, draining his psychic energy and causing more wispy protrusions to bloom across his skin. But Mulch fought back, summoning spikes and creating difficult terrain. Gren Hammerstone, making an aggressive retreat, swung his battle axe twice, splitting a meenlock's face, then ran deeper into the tunnel. "Yeah. Okay. That's it. I've had enough."
Then Khord got mad. He made three Wisdom saves in a row, all successes. "Third time's a charm," he growled. He lifted his Mauling Maul and brought it down in a "cartoonish double swing" that smashed a meenlock into the stone wall, covering himself, Dicer, and Vash in goo. Vash whispered, "Jesus Christ. I will never take a note from that guy." Khord kicked a paralyzed meenlock into the air and smashed it midair, then threw his maul into the ceiling to crush another. The last meenlock panicked and tried to flee into darkness — Khord's attack of opportunity killed it, and Vash attempted a pistol whip that missed.
The party stood in the blood-spattered cavern, breathing hard. Mulch was still alive, strung up by roots four or five feet off the ground. The meenlocks were dead — but at what cost? Dicer looked at his hands. Khord wiped ichor from his face. Gren Hammerstone eyed the meenlock corpses for harvest. The tunnels fell silent.
The party's desperate rescue mission reaches its climax when they discover Mulch strung up between roots, twitching and mutating with wispy protrusions. The sight of their ally being forcibly transformed into something monstrous drives the party to fight with brutal efficiency, the cramped tunnels echoing with the sounds of combat.
Khord's transformation from paralyzed liability to unstoppable force defines the battle's turning point. After making three consecutive fear saves, he picks up a meenlock and kicks it into the air like a baseball, then smashes it midair with his Mauling Maul — covering himself, Dicer, and Vash in gore while Vash whispers, "Jesus Christ. I will never take a note from that guy."
Vash's surgical precision with his pistol provides the party's firepower. The gunslinger casually says "Boom" after each devastating shot, even as his companions are paralyzed and terrified around him. His Action Surge barrage kills a meenlock outright, though its psychic death burst damages nearby allies.
Gren's tactical cunning shines when his Entangle trap, set in a chokepoint before combat, catches a meenlock that teleports into it. The restrained creature becomes an easy target for Khord's finishing blow, proving that preparation can turn the tide even when the party is overwhelmed by fear and paralysis effects.
Dicer's unwavering commitment to protecting his teacup dog Olivia provides both comedy and heart. Even while paralyzed and frightened, he scoops her up and places her between his legs, pleading with the GM: "This is not why she's here." His bravery ultimately helps him break free of the status effects that nearly killed him.
Muleh's desperate resistance against the meenlocks' corruption is both tragic and inspiring. Even as white wispy protrusions bloom across his skin and his transformation worsens, he retaliates with druidic magic — shooting up spikes and creating difficult terrain — proving his will is not yet broken.
This chronicle was generated by Kazkar from a live D&D session.
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