Behold! The Gibbering Mouther!

The party awakes refreshed and heads back into the bowels of the Fortress. Back on the 1st floor we encounter a door in a room that Siegrane can hear noises behind. Pip also points out that there is a clean spot all the way down the center of the room in the dust. The door won't budge. We ask Howdore to push the door open. Howdore, Siegrane, and Droop muscle the door open, and as it gives way, they fall into the room. They see an amazing sight. Two ghoslty figures, a ranger and a female mage arguing. They are arguing about being cornered by Banshees. They seem to be victims of some long ago incursion on the fortress. The mage is saying something about doing a ritual to use the chimney's for escape. They both begin walking, and disappear into the ether. The were well dressed and well prepared adventurer looking people. The room itself is a large stone barracks. Two fireplaces are in the center of the room. There is evidence of activity around the chimney. It appears that the two apparitions must've died in this room.
 
Alleraia and Osha investigate the chimneys while Siegrane looks at the corpses. Alleraia looking up the chimney finds that it is collapsed and there is evidence that someone panicked and tried to use the chimney to escape. The corpses are found together in full clothing, seeming to consoling each other at the time of death. Clutched in the hand of one skeleton is a glowing blue orb. Alleraia holds the orb and it glows slightly brighter, there are erie whisps of light glowing inside the orb. Alleraia keeps the orb, feeling it has scrying properties. Siegrane decides to consicrate the bones of the two people. While he does that with Pip, the rest of the party follows Caldae to check out the other doors in the large exterior room. Caldae opens the door, and finds an old Privy that smells like stench. In one of the privies, Caldae founds the ghost of a dwarf taking a sit down wee. He's whistling a little toon, enjoying himself on the toilet. The apparition doesn't seem to notice her, then all of a sudden the dwarf starts screaming as his form begins to melt and morphs into nothing, seemingly consumed by something else. Osha gathers the bones and adds them to Siegrane's pile to consecrate.
 
Caldae moves on to another door. On the other side we find a Dwarven Smithy. Two old and rusty anvils, that were well used, are just inside the door. As Caldae enters the room, she hears a slight fluttering noise coming from the South furnace. Caldae approaches the furnace and brings her head closer, a small creature comes out of the furnace attacking Caldae, swooping over her head. It flies out of the door and past Osha who tries to grapple it. Using her excellent reflexes she reaches out and grabs it out of mid-air. Getting a closer look, she realizes it is a STIRGE. While she holds it is attacks her face causing 6 damage. This angers Osha who punches at it while holding it with one hand but misses, Alleraia tries to stab it with a dagger, but misses. Caldae tries to befriend it, but it is not a freindly creature. Howdore comes over and grabs it in his giant fist, it tries to lash out, but has no chance. Droop hits it with his stick and smashes its skull in, savings Osha. Howdore drops the dead body unceremoniously to the floor.
 
Caldae investigates a table and finds an old crumpled piece of parchment, and discovers a design for a contraption that she's not sure what it is, but it's interesting! Alleraia drags the STIRGE body to Siegrance so he can collect its fluids, or whatever wierd thing he does with dead bodies. Pip suggests we bring the blueprints to WESLEY the smithy in Phandolin. A quick check of the adjacent tool room finds us a sickle, pliers, and hammer to add to our tool kit. Heading back to the great hall, we notice that the bodies of the dead ghouls have disappeared. Heading to the one and only door we haven't explored, we find ourselves in a long hallway. There is a matching door on the far side, and Caldae has a bad feeling, sensing movement in the arrow slits. Approaching the door, we can hear voices on the other side. Upon entering we are met with an image of a dwarf up on a dias holding court over several other dwarfs who are chained to the floor.
"Oh fiendish lord of decay i offer you this gift, to rid this place of all this death"
Suddenly all the bodies chained to the floor start twisting and writhing, and slowly disappear to be replaced by the sight of a giant 7 foot tall fiendish looking monster in maroon robes with a slimy long tongue. We recognize it as a GHAST! it sits on a throne and fiddles with a long gold chain around its neck. It watches us and lets out a gutteral cackle. It greets us by saying, "Hello Meat sacks"
 
Suddenly we realize the ghouls are rushing in from every arrow slit along the hallway. We quickly rush inside the throne room and shut the door, putting Howdore on guard duty. Siegrane attacks the GHAST first, running up to the throne and hoisting his javelin. Siegrane lands a hit with his silver tipped hammer and causes the GHAST to sizzle, dealing 13 damage. Caldae forms a fireball and throws it towards the Ghast, but it falls short and sputters out. Howdore waddles up behind Siegrane leaning over him to protect him from the dripping tongue of the ghast. Droop and the Ghast hiss at each other. Osha wedges some of the old planks she saved for kindling from earlier into the door to keep the ghouls out, she then moves up towards the ghast and raises her silver coated sword at him, stabbing upwards at the ghast causing a large gaping would and causing 16 damage.
 
The Ghast slashes down with giant clawed hands towards Osha, hitting her in the face and neck causing 12 damage and paralyzing her immediately. Alleraia casts lesser restoration and healing word on Osha, healing her for 6 points. Ghouls have filled the room, and we are surrounded. Siegrane casts divine smite and slams his hammer up into the Ghast's tongue, severing it from his mouth. It topples backward, but isn't killed. As it foams at the mouth, its spittle is flying through the air, landing on Howdore burning his skin.
 
Caldae sees more evidence of the trail through the dust in the floor, causing her to feel sick to her stomach. Suddenly a giant amorphous blob appears, covered in eyes and mouths. It is a GIBBERING MOUTHERS!! We are able to kill the Ghast, but now surrounded by ghouls and this amorphous blob! It attacks Howdore and gives him 17 damage. Droop pulls Howdore backward causing him to fall prone to the ground. The party takes out a couple more ghouls. Howdore bellows loudly and scrambles to his feet, scooping up Droop and walks away. The Gibbering Mouther seems to have mind control abilities if you look into it's eyes.
 
Caldae casts MOONBEAM on the Gibbering Mouth, which seems very effective and causes it to writhe in pain. Siegrane casts divine smite on his javelin and buries it in the blob, causing it to sizzle and boil as the eyes grow wide in terror and the mouths cry out. Howdore charges at the blob, sick of its trickery, smashing it with his axe, splitting the ooze it two causing the voices to go silent, as it melts away!
 
We have defeated the Gibbering Mouther!!!