003 The Mad Wizard's Ruins

After discovering highly classified intelligence regarding the Morin Regime and Theia Commerce Group's pursuit of the Seals which restrain the dark Goddess Tiamat, The Resistance enlisted the aid of the mad wizard Varex Illan. Varex is the undisputed master of enchantments, alteration, transfiguration and sealing magic in all of Karnes and well known as a vocal critic of Morin policy. His insight into the nature of the seals makes him a valuable asset and one of the only means the Resistance has of outpacing the wide reaching resources of their opponents and successfully defending the seals.
As an additional concession over and above his vast material compensation, Varex was allowed a certain amount of time to continue various outside research projects in addition to his duty researching the Seals. This included his vast and elaborate research effort into the cultivation and manipulation of Mimics. To provide a proper habitat and research environment, Varex secured a massive abandoned keep at the former regional seat of Barrowdale. The locals received a variety of material and magical compensations for their toleration of the strange wizard and Varex was given free rein to perform whatver strange experiments he desired as long as it remained with the keep.
This arrangement worked perfectly until Varex was arrested by Morin forces. Without the wizard to maintain the containment and pacification enchantments, his experiments began to grow, mutate and reproduce at a rapid pace. Under the control of the experimental Mimic King Dungeon-Heart, the mimics quickly overran the entire keep and began encroaching on the town. After a spate of violent attacks perpetrated by household items like chairs, tables and teapots, the local mayor reached out to Guildmaster Orin for support.
Orin dispatched a band of highly regarded adventurers, including members of the Original Eight who were fresh off of their victory at Foothill. The Slab King Brick, the Hinterlands mercenary Alex, the Ifrit sorcerer Azmir and The Great North Wood Barbarian Hollow Fury were all dispatched to Barrowdale.
The party discovered a village in the midst of a nightmare. Without the restraining influence of Varex and his restraining enchantments, the Dungeon Heart was rapidly swelling the Mimic population. With each new Mimic it grew in skill and sophistication, learning and adapting even as the party fought their way through the trap and Mimic laden ruins. Thankfully, the party was tougher than the adventurers who had sought the depths of the ruins before them. They easily overcame horrifying and inventive new forms of Mimics, tongue like carpets that ripped them down hallways, tentacle bearing mimics hollowed into the wall like coral, even room sized Mimics that swallowed some of them whole.
Despite these nightmarish circumstances, the party persisted. Pushed to the edge of their resources they made a wary camp deep in the ruins. They awoke to find a new challenge, their friend and companion Hollow Fury and his animal companion had both vanished during the last watch of the night. Filled with anger and righteous strength the party carved a deadly swath through the Mimics. Reaching the final floor they discovered a horrifying new foe, incomplete Humanoid-Mimics, the Dungeon-Heart's flawed early attempts at creating true Mimic dopplegangers. Worse, these failed attempts were clearly based on their missing companion, his warped visage staring back at them from every creature.
Finally, the party breached the Dungeon-Heart's chamber. Utilizing its rapidly expanding intelligence and the samples from its captive, the Dungeon-Heart had created for itself a new vessel, a near perfect replica of Varex himself. The party entered into fierce combat. Though the false Varex lacked the original's magical gifts, the Dungeon-Heart was thoroughly embedded in the chamber, bringing the very walls and trappings of the chamber to bear as awful living weapons. Utilizing both special techniques and overwhelming blunt force, the party ripped through the Mimics, slaying every last writhing stone and fanged tapestry. With callous and superhuman strength, they wrenched the Dungeon-Heart's crystalline core from its place in the chamber, finally disconnecting the powerful Mimic from its lair.
Behind a nearby hidden panel they discovered the lab and materials they had been sent to investigate. Playful dog-like Mimic-tomes filled with Varex's knowledge, delicate instruments and rare reagents, were stuffed into a bag of holding alongside the weakened and restrained Dungeon-Heart. Thankfully they also discovered one last prize, their missing companion floating in some sort of unnatural organic vat.
The townspeople welcomed them with a huge celebration, warmed with fires burning wood-like Mimics. They ate and drank and the village elder awarded them a tidy sum as a reward for their efforts. In the morning they arose, somewhat hungover and weighted down with good food, and made to bid farewell to the village. It was at that moment that a hail of arrows ripped through the air, cutting a whistling trail towards them. The deadly projectiles neatly perforated the vital points of Hollow Fury and his animal companion, dropping them to the ground like limp pincussions. Coming limping, half-naked and dripping down the hill from the ruined keep came the true Hollow Fury. He kicked his rapidly dissolving near perfect Humanoid-Mimic doppleganger with the hard edge of his boot and turned a bitter glare on the party, saying only "We are never speaking of this incident again."