Shambling Mound's Den
Sentient, carnivorous clumps of rotting vegetation, shambling mounds are excellent ambush predators. They particularly enjoy elf flesh.
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Outside the Lair
Strange marks mar the boggy, muddy ground. A skilled tracker can determine that it looks like someone—or something—dragged a bush through the area.
The decomposing corpse of a lizardfolk lies partly buried in the mud. Insects crawl over the remains.
The normal sounds of swamp life are curiously absent from the area. The only audible sounds are the sigh of wind through the reeds and the sluggish trickle of water.
A slime-festooned bush lies half out of a muddy pool.
What’s Going On?
The shambling mound lurks motionless next to the trail waiting for prey to blunder into its embrace.
The shambling mound is creeping slowly across the trail—it is hunting a wild pig—and it does not notice the party.
The shambling mound hides in a larger (natural) bush. When it strikes, the characters get a few extra moments of warning as it extricates itself.
Dark clouds, pregnant with rain and menace, gather over the swamp. The smell of ozone fills the air; a thunderstorm is imminent.
Major Lair Features
The skeletons of the shambling mound’s many victims lie scattered about the vicinity in great profusion. The mound has feasted on wild pigs, lizardfolk and more.
Patches of the swamp are scorched and burnt. Here, lightning has struck repeatedly. It was these strikes that attracted the shambling mound to the area.
A boggy, slick-flanked valley channels travellers down to the shore of a dismal lake.
The fetid ground is exceptionally boggy and acts like quicksand. Small hillocks provide islets of safety.
Minor Lair Features
The vegetation is strangely discoloured and shrivelled in the shambling mound’s immediate vicinity.
Odd marks in the mud and mire show where the shambling mound has been. The freshest tracks lead directly to its current hiding place.
A raised hillock provides a dry spot to rest. The mound knows travellers sometimes rest thereon and it periodically checks the locale for fresh food.
A sense of dismal foreboding blankets the marsh. Even the vegetation looks sick.
Shambling Mound’s Appearance
Sickly yellow buds bedeck the ends of this large bush’s quivering branches.
Slime drips from this mass of tangled vines. Low, stumpy legs in the centre of the “bush” propel the sentient, ambulatory plant forward.
The heavy stench of rot, decay and mud precedes the arrival of this roiling mass of vines and creepers.
This piled mass of rotting greenish yellow vegetation quivers and wetly squelches as if something were trapped within.
Treasure
A fine longbow dangles by its string from a tree’s low-hanging branch. The bow is in good condition and has probably not been hanging here long.
An iron rod engraved with sigils depicting storm clouds and lightning bolts lies in the mud. The rod vibrates slightly when held.
A muddy pouch contains a similarly filthy haul of gold and silver coins.
This watertight ivory scroll case holds a map of the surrounding territory. It marks the position of several tombs and one large ruin.
Trinkets & Trash
The only useable items on this decomposing corpse are a pair of knee-high finely crafted leather boots.
The shambler’s body holds two swords, a dagger and a mass of fused coins.
The shattered prow of a sunken rowboat is wedged into a muddy bank.
A surprising clean blanket lies spread out on the ground.
Credit
This is a short system-neutral extract from Monstrous Lair #65 Shambling Mound’s Den by Robert Manson.
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