Hook
The party is asked to investigate the disappearance of Trunky Brewster, a Loxodon resident of [insert town here]. Trunky was supposed to be back from a luggage conference a few days ago, but hasn’t made it back which is very unusual. Trunky’s business partner notes his last known location was the Gorman’s Baits & Motel a few miles up the road.
Key NPCs
Gorman – A stout halfling that owns Gorman’s Baits & Motel. He is extremely fidgety and speaks in quick bursts, never trusting himself to get the words out. As a business owner he is not great, but seems to keep good enough books.
Balfred – Gorman’s brother, who Gorman tends to mention frequently, but forgets he is right behind him. He is eerily quiet, his face is gaunt and devoid of emotion.
The Arrival
As the party gets to Baits & Motel, they notice that no other occupants are out and about. The building seems to hold three to five one-story rooms, but it’s hard to tell. A few hundred yards away from the building is a smaller shack.
Entering the lobby, the party finds Gorman talking to himself, whispering something quietly. Balfred is standing awkwardly in the corner staring at the party.
“Oh, hello! Welcome to Baits & Motel. Can I interest you in Baits? Or Motel? I mean, a room?”
A loud cough comes from the room, shaking the floors and Gorman forces a chuckle, “HA HA calm down Balfred! Don’t cough in front of our guests.” If the party chooses to investigate the cough, a DC20 will reveal that it was the literal room that coughed. Anything less and the party only knows it came from the direction of Balfred, still standing awkwardly in the corner, staring at the party.
Depending on the party approaches the conversation, Gorman will steer them toward getting a room for the night. He has one left, it’s getting dark and he notes that a big pack of Giant Space Hamsters have been maiming merchants at night along this route. He isn’t very convincing, but he IS persistent about the party taking a room.
If the party haggles he’ll go as low as they want, “Yes, yes, fine! Whatever is reasonable to you! After all the customer is always right!” He laughs nervously. “It’s right down the hall and to the left. Sleep tight, don’t let the bathroom bite, I mean the room. I mean the bed bugs!”
If the party has questions about Trunky Brewster, Gorman notes that Trunky was here but didn’t end up staying the night. Instead he chose to sprint to the next town as he was running late for “some conference or something.”
The party can investigate around the hotel or press Gorman, but the truth of the matter is that there is no sign of Trunky and all signs point to him having left Baits & Motel.
DMs Note: After reading the rest, you can decide for yourself what happened to Trunky Brewster.
A Room To Die For
Once in the room for the night, if the party investigates the room itself, a DC20 will reveal that the room appears to be moving, like deep breaths. Small movements, but perceptible and getting more intense. Everything feels very off, and especially if there are high sensitivity members of the party, they will become very anxious the longer they’re in the room.
If anyone goes into the bathroom, the breathing intensifies and the party members will notice the bath seems to be dripping. A closer inspection reveals that the dripping is more saliva than it is water and has a rancid smell to it. The party will need to make a DC15 CON check or take 1d6 acid damage.
Going for the door to the room, they will find that it is locked (DC25 lock). If the party looks out the window they see Gorman standing 20 yards from the room, nervously pacing back and forth. If the party catches his eye, he’ll mouth “I’m sorry!” to them. Balfred is in some nearby shrubberies, eyes still wide, always staring, never blinking.
No One Mourns The Mimic
The real story here is that the room is the stomach of a mimic that has taken over the entire motel. Originally, Gorman and Balfred owned a small Bait shop for fishing masters, until one fateful day when a mimic was set loose from a nearby area. The mimic communicated telepathically with Gorman, making a deal that it would take the form of a motel, but he had to continue bringing customers in to sate its hunger.
Gorman abided for a few weeks prior to the party arriving, leading to the disappearance of minstrels, merchants, and bandits.
Now trapped in the stomach of the Mimic, the party will need to fight their way out and determine what to do with Gorman, Balfred, and the Mimic Motel.
How would you play out this battle?
