HALLOWEEN THEMED DND GAME 2 RECAP - FRIDAY 10/17/25
(Editors Note: We would like to make a correction. Mason, who plays Harry the pyromaniac wizard, is 12 years old, not 10. Sorry about that Mason.)
When last we left our intrepid adventurers, Harry the Wizard and Sera the Grave Cleric were on the flying broom fleeing ahead of a pair of Pumpkin Shambling Mounds and a couple dozen Pumpkin Spider Terrors. The pair decided to lead the monsters away from the village of Devil's Run and toward Harvest Hill where they hope to avoid them. When they entered the forest they both turned invisible then doubled back to make sure that their ploy had worked. They were unaware that the noise of the fireball had caused their companions Thorn the Barbarian and Sage the Cleric / Rogue to come in search of them believing they may need help.
Setting off across the fields in the dying light of the day they made their way toward where they believed the fighting had took place. As they neared the pumpkin patches they saw the mass of creatures moving west toward the Hill. Rightly assuming the monstrosities were in pursuit of their friends, they followed, hoping to find Harry and Sera alive and render whatever aid they could muster. The beasts had a large lead, but the pair of would-be rescuers did not mean to overtake them, but find their friends and come up with some plan to help them avoid the pursuit that was taking place. Little did they know that the ones they thought needed rescuing were already way ahead of them and at the crest of the hill, where the destroyed campsite lay, had flown higher above the trees, throwing rocks into the woods to make it sound as if they were moving away from town.
Doubling back Harry and Sera saw their companions making their way carefully into the woods. Approaching from behind them, and still invisible, they let Thorn and Sage know they were okay and had evaded the monsters that were chasing them. Reunited, the party made their way back into the village to the hotel where the few survivors were held up. The villagers were terrified and the party knew they would not be of help in any upcoming battles so they decided to move them across the river under the cover of darkness to what they hoped would be relative safety. The villagers said they knew of a hunting lodge in the woods a couple of hours walk where they could seek shelter. Packing food, supplies and water, they set off leaving the party to plan on their next move.
With the villagers out of immediate harm, they set up watches and passed the night unsure of what to do when the sun rose. During the night each of them could hear the sounds of movement in the village and what sounded like splintering wood and collapsing structures. When the light crept over the trees they could all see that the purple vines had crept closer to the building they were in, crushing all of the buildings of the village not immediately along the river.
They decided it was time to take action. Making makeshift molotov cocktails using lamp oil, rags and empty wine bottles, they set some of the vines on fire, but it did not have the effect that they hoped. After some discussion the party decided it was time to go back to Ol' Pete's Farm to see what the strange hole with the pulsing red light in the center of the pumpkin patch was and what may lay below. Harry and Sera flew overhead on the broom, scouting ahead. Sera had some of the plant killer and hoped to throw it down into the hole hopefully killing whatever might be down there. As Thorn and Sage closed in on foot, our airborne party members flew over the hole, but as they closed both of them heard a voice in their heads, offering them power and riches if they would protect what lay below the field. Harry was able to shrug off the effects, but Sera was charmed and stepped off the broom to go down into the hole below. Falling she landed in the dirt taking some damage, but not life threatening, but their arrival did not go unnoticed. A Shambling Mound and a half dozen spider-like pumpkins moved across the field toward them.
Seeing their companion fall, Thorn and Sage ran toward the mound. Harry flew down to pick up Sera, who finally shook off the effect of the whispering influence. Hopping back on the broom the two flew over the hole where Sera released the plant killer concoction into the gaping hole below, to seemingly little effect. A battle ensued as the party was overtaken by the plant abominations. One of spiders managed to grapple Sage and start dragging her toward the mound while the other monsters kept the rest of the party busy. Thorn, nearly engulfed by the Shambling Mound managed to break free at the last minute, his Rage giving him the advantage he needed to rally his strength and escape his captor, unfortunately the next slam attack from the hulking vegetation monster caused Thorn to fall unconscious. Sera was able to get close enough to him in the nick of time to cast Healing Word to get the warrior back on his feet. Sage broke free from her captor and rejoined the fight, but fell to multiple wounds shortly after. The three party members still up finally finished off their attackers, and Sera rushed to Sage to use her healing magics to get the Rogue back to her feet. Battered, bloodied, and not wanting to run through their resources the party decided to take a short rest, bandage up their wounds and decide what they should do next.
Thorn, ever an Orc of action and few words, grabbed some of the purple vines, tested them to see if they would hold his weight and threw the bundle over the edge of the lip of the mound and down into the pulsing red hole below. Turning to look at his companions he said "We go down. Whatever is down there needs to be stopped." The others, not as convinced of their barbarian friend, reluctantly agreed and followed him down. Making their way down, they entered what they found to be an old well, devoid of water save a small puddle at the very bottom with a thin film of yellow debris on the top from the plant killer that Sera had sent down earlier. Getting to the bottom sixty feet down they discovered that one wall had been knocked down exposing a natural cavern beyond, a cavern that was the source of the pulsing red light and the soft thumping sound that horrifyingly reminded our adventurers of the sound of a beating heart. As they crept deeper into the cavern, Sage heard a whispered voice "Pssst. Over here....Help me." Worried about what lay ahead of them, the Rogue chose to ignore the plea and followed Thorn.
The party moved cautiously into a vaulted cavern where three crystalline columns pulsed with an eerie red light, the light throbbing in time to the beating sound they heard. Near the center of the chamber a stalagmite rose above a flickering bed of red crystals, thin purple vines cradle a fist sized, red crystal heart, light pulsing from deep within to the rhythm of the columns and from this heart came the beating sound they all heard. Moving to investigate, Thorn hears the sound of soft singing, a familiar tune, in a female voice. Moving toward the sound, to his horror, Thorn finds the missing villagers lashed to the cavern wall with vines, all of them desiccated, and apparently dead, save one, an emaciated woman singing softly to herself, her eyes not focusing on anything. Grasping the vines that bound her, Thorn began trying to free her, and as he did, they heard low growls and two dark, vine covered masses stepped from the shadow, large hounds covered in rotting purple vines.
The party makes short work of the hounds, but just as they think that they are alone, a dry, deep voice sounds out from near the back of the cavern in Infernal "Who dares invade my home?" Only Sage understands the dark language spoken, but all of the party can tell from the tone of the voice that things are about to get worse. With a roll of the dice, initiative is decided, weapons are readied, arcane energies summoned, and battle is joined.
Thorn continues to try to free the humming woman. The Pumpkin Abomination summons a Pumpkin Shambling Mound to fight for him which moves to attack Thorn. Sage sets her Spiritual Weapon, a glowing miniature sun in homage to her god Lathander, to attack the Mound, while Harry casts (you guessed it!) Fireball near the back of the cavern so it hits the Abomination and the Shambling Mound, but leaves his friends safe. Sera calls into existence her Spirit Guardians and steels herself for the fight ahead. As the Shambler attacks, Thorn has to abandon the woman he has freed as her mind seems to be fractured and the monsters are pressing the party. Thorn strikes the mound attempting to defend the unresponsive woman, his glaive tearing into the massive vegetation of his foe. Sage throws a Guiding Bolt at the Mound, bathing it in radiant light as her Spiritual Weapon lands a blow. Harry lets loose a barrage of Magic Missiles, their force energy blasting bits of vine and small pumpkins from the monster.
Seeing his chance, Thorn sprays the Mound with the plant killer, the mist acting like acid to the plant based creature, it roars and moves away from Thorn, who seizes the chance and rushes to the stalagmite and tries to grab the crystal heart. As his hand touches it, red energy encompasses his hand, Thorn fails a save, and he falls to the influence of the Heart and cannot move. His friends can only look on, unable to help the Orc as they are busy fighting the Abomination and Mound. VInes grasp Harry, causing him to struggle to break free and unable to cast his magic. The Mound moves to attack Sera, hitting her with it's vine covered arms, breaking her concentration and her Spiritual Guardians dissipate. Grasping her in its arms, the Mound tries to engulf Sera, but Sage stops the creature with a well thrown war hammer that drops the Mound where it stood, freeing her friend and the parties attention shifts to the Abomination.
Thorn, unable to break free, listens as the Heart whispers promises of power and glory. Sage knowing they must free the Barbarian if they are to have a chance of winning the day, With a creative use of Command she compels Thorn to release his hold on the Heart and the Orc is free to rejoin the fight. The Abomination summons vines from the cavern that flail about, striking everyone but Thorn. Sage falls from the wounds, and things look grim. Sera moves up, uses her healing magic to get Sage back up as the entire party now turns their attention on the creature. The fight goes back and forth, but in the end the party is able to prevail, Harry landing the final blow with his spells to end the Abominations existence. They turn to the Heart and all agree they must destroy it. They deliver blows with their weapons and smash it, but as they do it discharges a potent energy that wounds them all near to death.
As they move about the chamber they find only two survivors, the woman who was humming whom they heal and take to the surface. They also find another villager who had hidden among the cast of corpses, avoiding their fate, but nearly starved and dehydrated. Returning to the village they bring back the others who crossed the river. The party stays, heals their wounds helps to organize efforts to try to help those who made it to find shelter, supplies, and begin the long process of cleaning up. The dead are buried, the now dead vines burned off, and things return to a sense of normalcy.
The party explores Ol' Pete's cabin finding a journal. It appears years of losing the Best Pumpkin at the festival to Mollie has left Pete with a burning hatred for his neighbor and a desire to win at any cost. When his well went dry, Pete tried to dig deeper and in doing so he happened upon the cavern. Inside he found the Heart of the Field and in doing so he fell to its machinations and struck a deal, in doing so he was transformed and his farm corrupted. Pete, now the Pumpkin Abomination and his mutated pumpkin minions captured the other villagers and fed them to the Heart, the vines drawing of their blood and life force to fuel the Heart and help Pete exact his revenge.
The party are heroes. The villagers offer to have them stay, but when the party refuses, they scrape together a meager gold reward, outfits the party with food, supplies and equipment so they may continue their adventures elsewhere. As the party set off down the road away from the village, leaving The Horror of Devil's Run behind them, the companions chide their orc friend for his terrible choice of a place to take a rest from the dangers of the road. Laughter and camaraderie echoes around them as they set off in search of their next adventure.