Meadowbrook: Discover the Town
This sidequest leads our heros to a town overrun with mimics. However, without a high enough perception or insight score (dc 15), the party will believe that the people within the town are ordinary. Each mimic has taken the form of a creature from the feywild or random object within the town. While mimics are normally hostile, this township has formed a sort of symbiotic relationship with those from outside of their town.
These mimics have a slightly increased intelligence due to living in close proximity to other towns. However, there are certain aspects about them that are off. For example, their speech is imperfect and they tend to stutter, make incorrect word choices, or talk robotically when speaking with others. Mimics typically do not talk to one another in the town, but will do so when necessary.
There are shops in the town that provide goods to travelers. However, instead of taking gold, mimics prefer to be paid in rations. They will eat just about anything, and if given actual currency, they may choose to consume it in front of their customers.
Stores in Mimichaven include: leatherworker, blacksmith, inn, 2 taverns/restaurants, potionsmith, a small library, and a random shop for rarer magical goods. The store with magical goods does not have much to offer, and the shopkeeper charges a pretty penny for the goods inside! You have to have a lot of rations or something exceptional to trade for any goods within the shop.
Townsfolk and shop owners may offer to purchase items, particularly rations, from adventurers. However, if the travelers happen upon a particularly hungry mimic, they will need to avoid a confrontation.
To determine whether an item is a mimic or not, the DM will need to make a luck roll on behalf of the party (d10). 1-7 is the actual item, while 8-10 is a mimic. If the creature is a mimic and the party interacts with it, they will have to make a dex saving throw of 10 to avoid being bit.
There are a total of 3 non-mimic creatures in the town; 1 elf bard, the elf's young daughter, and a halfling rogue who enjoys stealing from the mimics. Only the halfling is aware that the town is full of mimics. The elf bard and his daughter may accompany the party for a short period of time to show them around the town and teach them the ways of Mimichaven, or Meadowbrook as they call the town.
The elves, named Virnan Dawngaze and Loralee, can be found in the tavern known as "The Cheerful Cup". The bard likes to perform at the bar while his daughter plays with the other "children" in the area. The mimics recognize that the elves are not like themselves, but do not seem to mind. Virnan brought Loralee to the town after a tragedy in their hometown, Fairspell; a group of Kobolds had set fire to many homes and buildings, leaving it desolate. Virnan wishes to create a new life for him and his daughter in this strange new place.
The halfling rogue can be spotted pickpocketing mimics in the courtyard with a perception check of 17+. She chooses not to be incredibly stealthy since the mimics don't really care about theft of their belongings (unless it is food). The mimics also have very low perception and are unlikely to notice her anyways. You may startle her and scare her off if too aggressive when noticing her.
The halfling's name is Sylvira Pridehollow, and she arrived in the town only to immediately realize it was full of mimics. Once she learned how easy it was to steal from them and live undisturbed, she chose to hole up in an abandoned house and just live there among the mimics. She has no family or friends and prefers to live a life of solitude, which makes Mimichaven perfect for her. However, she isn't a fan of Virnan and his child.
If convinced to trust the party, Sylvira may give up information about a hidden dungeon within the library of the town. Rumor has it that the dungeon has some rare magical items that could be beneficial to an adventuring party such as theirs. However, it may cost the party to learn about how to get into the hidden dungeon.
Components
Goals
Discover any magical components of the town
Assist Virnon and his daughter in finding a better home
Convince Sylvira to join the party/find a better home?
Locate the mysterious labyrinth in the library
Defeat the mimic dungeon and unlock hidden artifacts
Hooks
The name of the library (Labyrinth Library)
Sylvira and her hidden knowledge
The strange behavior of the townsfolk
The odd history of the town
Strange behavior of outsiders who talk about the town
Stakes
Loss of potentially great magical items
Risk of causing a horde of mimics to attack/banish the party
Risk of harm to one or more of the 3 non-mimics in the town
Loss of time to solve the overall storyarch
Risk of harm to those interacting with mimics
Moral Quandaries
Do the mimics in the town now count as people?
Should the "town" be allowed to exist when it is overrun with potentially dangerous creatures?
Should non-mimics live in such a town?
Should the lives of party members be risked for the lives of a few strangers?
Should a thief be given a second chance in the real world?
Is it right to let a man love a mimic without telling him the truth?
Cruel Tricks
The occasional mimic disguised as a random object may pop up for a bite
Party members may fail their intelligence or perception checks on the town
Relations
Protagonists
Alvora Ebonest
Selene Rune
Hise Nirakes
Grace Autumn
Alanis Valdi
Raeli Asterisk
Mithtari Zethis
Allies
Virnon Dawngaze
Neutrals/Bystanders
Loralee Dawngaze
Sylvira Pridehollow
Adversaries
Mimics. Lots of them.
Backdrops
Threats
Random mimic encounters while dealing with random items
Encounters
Combat/Engagement with potential mimics
Negotiation with mimics for the goods they provide
Meeting/Introduction with Virnon and his daughter
Meeting/Introduction with Sylvira
Negotiation with Sylvira
Investigation of Labyrinth Library with Sylvira
Riddle Solving/Enigma in the Labyrinth Library/labyrinth below the library
Survival in the catacombs below the library
Discussion/Interaction with Virnon about the town
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