Something tore apart the bandits you've been tracking, but it's not obvious what chewed and in some cases melted them. Maybe there's a wyrmling in the area? Either way, all that remains alive in the camp is a pair of oxen burdened by their cart. Though, they are quite nonplussed given the violence that must have occurred around them. Surely these simple beasts couldn't be the case of the carnage, could they? As you ponder this, the oxen start plodding away, pulling the cart of goods with them. Trying to stop them was the logical thing to do... their yoke coming undone with twin, yawning mouths not so logical. You know what that means... initiative rolls, please. Relatively benign, for a mimic, the yoke mimic was cultivated by an industrious farmer. They didn't see the point of wasting an animal that came into their care, even a strange monstrosity such as this one. It became a valuable tool not only to get fields plowed, but also kept the animals attached to it d
Defeating the dirge bard shouldn't have been too difficult. Your party waited until he was alone, strumming idly on his mandolin, to strike. The problem is, that this bard is never alone. The rogue's sneak attack was caught halfway by the mandolin's suddenly animated neck twisting around their arm. The instrument's strings screamed along with the dirge's thunderous spell sending the fighter bouncing across shattering cobblestone. The dirge isn't even playing anymore but the fast tempo keeps on. He's moving quicker than he should, casting spells on the go. Now the mandolin has sprouted teeth and is chewing on the rogue. Yep, it's going to be a rough night. Unsurprisingly, the first strumming mimic was crafted by a bard seeking a way to make a companion and self-playing instrument rolled into one. Just as unsurprisingly, that bard ended up being one of his creations' first meals. Since then, the strumming mimics have realized they need musicians to