Bwael Phindar, the Magnificent Beast
Background
The Gibbering Fort, as the non-drow call it, is named Bwael Phindar, the Magnificent Beast in the drow language. It is a colossal organism fused together from countless gibbering mouthers by the Inheritors of the Unbegotten. The druids fed and grew the aberration over the years until it attained its current gigantic size. The creature was commanded to circle the Chasm endlessly and devour everything that lay in its path. Bwael Phindar incorporates everything it consumes into its body, making it part of its enormous organism. With more and more creatures consumed and absorbed into its body, it has become so enormous that it can host the aboveground forces of the drow of House Ausstyl, which are led by Krasnar Azennar. Bwael Phindar is indifferent towards other aberrations but tries to consume and absorb any other creatures as soon as it discovers them. It is an unintelligent, slow, stolid creature that acts out of instinct rather than planned actions.
Bwael Phindar is Krasnar Azennar’s seat of power where the aberration-infused ex-paladin warlock commands the aberrant forces of the drow. Krasnar Azennar is the general of House Ausstyl’s armies on the surface and a spawn of the Inheritors of the Unbegotten. The druids have commanded him to prepare the ground for cultivating the cortex pods and capture sacrifices for the Elder Cortex. The aberration-infused prince leads a group of aberrant barbarians and commands Querrai Xalo, the umbral stalker spy of House Ausstyl, who reports to him on events on the Bleak Mire and on the Shadowrealm. The fallen knight is also seeking Father Lestor. He knows that the cleric of Knowledge is hiding in the Bleak Mire and in possession of his princely signet ring that is a sign of his betrayal by his father and a memory that the fallen knight has not relinquished in his newly formed and alien intellect.
The areas surrounding Bwael Phindar are patrolled by Krasnar Azennar’s aberrant barbarians, who collect all living beings for food or for sacrifice to their dark masters. The Fort is creating a circular ring of aberrant ground around the Chasm, preparing the way for the ritual of the Elder Cortex below. All denizens of the Bleak Mire have learned to give the fort a wide berth lest they be engulfed by and merged into the living fortress of the new lord of the land.
Environment
Bwael Phindar is a mass of reddish flesh that constantly oozes an oily substance. It has a collection of glaring eyes of different sizes that occasionally blink and stare endlessly into their surroundings. Several orifices open on the skin of the being, fanged maws of various sizes, some that have grown with the body to the size of gates. The soft earth and hard materials like stones below and around the colossal sphere of aberrant flesh are doughy and soft as if their physical structures have somehow transformed. The smell of raw meat lingers in the air around the colossal aberrant creature that can be noticed from hundreds of feet.
All areas within Bwael Phindar are naturally dark. Chambers are 10 feet high if not noted otherwise in the description of a specific area. Bwael Phindar has AC 7, 3,500 hit points, and is considered as an object for the purposes of determining spell effects. Bwael Phindar regains 50 hit points at the start of its turn. If Bwael Phindar takes force damage, this trait doesn’t function at the start of Bwael Phindar’s next turn. Bwael Phindar dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn’t regenerate.
Aberrant Ground. The ground in a 100-foot radius around Bwael Phindar is doughlike and considered difficult terrain. Each creature that starts its turn in that area must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or have its speed reduced to 0 until the start of its next turn.
Gibbering. Bwael Phindar incoherently babbles while it can see any creature. While it gibbers, all Dexterity (Stealth) skill checks are made with advantage within Bwael Phindar. Each creature that is not an aberration or aberrant creature that starts its turn within 200 feet of Bwael Phindar and can hear the gibbering must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature can’t take Reactions until the start of its next turn and rolls a d8 to determine what it does during its turn. On a 1 to 2, the creature does nothing. On a 3 to 4, the creature makes a melee attack against itself with the weapon in its hands. On a 5 or 6, the creature takes no action or bonus action and uses all its movement to move in a randomly determined direction. On a 7 or 8, the creature makes a melee attack against a randomly determined creature within its reach or does nothing if it can’t make such an attack.
Maw Gates. Some of the maws on Bwael Phindar’s body are gate-like orifices that allow entry inside its body. A creature approaching Bwael Phindar can make a DC 14 Dexterity (Stealth) skill check. On a successful skill check, the creature can enter one of the maw gates unnoticed by Bwael Phindar. Bwael Phindar can attempt to chew on the creature on a failed skill check.
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Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 48 (4d20 + 6) piercing damage. The target is grappled (escape DC 18) if it is a Huge or smaller creature. If the target is killed by this damage, it is absorbed into Bwael Phindar.
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Blinding Spittle (Recharge 5-6). Bwael Phindar spits a chemical glob at a point it can see within 150 feet of it. The glob explodes in a blinding flash of light on impact. Each creature within 25 feet of the flash must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or be blinded until the end of Bwael Phindar’s next turn.
The Gibbering Fort is a D&D 5e compatible original dungeon from Crown of the Oathbreaker.
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