Gordian

Summary

The Gordian is a carnivorous plant creature that the party encounters in Session 5 while investigating a money pumpkin field. Resembling a decomposed pumpkin with jack-o-lantern-style eye holes, this creature uses multiple vine tentacles to attack prey, either throwing pumpkins like projectiles or wielding them as meteor hammer-style weapons. According to Safia's knowledge of natural history, Gordians are naturally occurring creatures that camouflage themselves among patches of pumpkins, squash, or zucchini, lying in wait in particularly lush areas where they kill prey and use the decomposing corpses as fertilizer to maintain the very abundance that attracts more victims. The creature guards the money pumpkin field and proves a formidable opponent before Vasso delivers the killing blow and Sucks sets its corpse on fire, destroying any useful samples Safia might have collected.

Appearance

The Gordian appears as a decomposed-looking pumpkin approximately the same size as the money pumpkins surrounding it in the field. It has jack-o-lantern-style eye holes that Cat targets during combat. The creature possesses multiple vine tentacles that it uses with tactical precision, controlling far more vines than the party initially expects. When injured, chlorophyll-like goo oozes from severed vines—a fluid that tastes terrible, described as the opposite of aloe vera with qualities like tar or raw beef and a distinctly gamey flavor. The creature pulls itself through the pumpkin field, making it difficult to track as it moves between plants.

History

Session 5

The party encounters the Gordian while investigating the Money Pumpkin Field. Safia identifies the creature, explaining that Gordians are natural carnivorous plants that camouflage themselves to resemble whatever plant they live among. She notes they typically establish themselves in the middle of particularly lush patches, where they kill prey with their tentacles and use decomposing corpses as fertilizer to maintain the very abundance that attracts more victims.

During the ensuing combat, the Gordian demonstrates considerable tactical intelligence and physical capability. It successfully ensnares both Sucks and Vasso with its vines. When Vasso hacks at the creature's tentacles, chlorophyll-like goo oozes from the severed ends and the creature emits a screeching squeal. The Gordian wields pumpkins as weapons in multiple ways—both throwing them like projectiles and swinging them like meteor hammers. It strikes Sucks on the top of the head with a pumpkin that explodes on impact, leaving Sucks standing and drooling for a few moments.

Cat's arrow proves decisive when it arcs through the sky and pierces into the side of the creature, going through the pumpkin body and into the dirt beneath it. The arrow pins the Gordian to the ground, leaving it wiggling its tentacles helplessly but unable to act. Vasso delivers the killing blow by slashing the creature twice with his sword, jumping on it with both feet, and driving his blade deep into its stalk. The creature's vines writhe and wiggle for a few seconds before going still.

After the creature's death, Sucks sprays silly string into its mouth and sets it on fire. The flames destroy the Gordian's internal fluids, rendering them unusable for Safia's research purposes. The party's alignment move "Eliminate an unnatural menace" is discussed in relation to killing the Gordian, though there is some debate about whether the creature qualifies as "unnatural" given Safia's explanation that Gordians are naturally occurring.

Session 6

The Gordian does not appear in Session 6, having been killed in the previous session. However, the financial aftermath of the encounter becomes clear during discussion of the party's resources. Brad recounts: "And then we found that Gordian and we destroyed it." The resolution of the battle's spoils is revealed when it's stated, "Oh, you smashed up the pumpkins and got 200 coin worth of their seeds."

The party's actions during or after the battle resulted in the destruction of pumpkins in the field, either as collateral damage from the fight or deliberate harvesting afterward. The party [collected the Pumpkin Seeds](timestamp://45fd473b-ed24-4ed5-ac6b-dc14138c34ca/00:15) from these smashed pumpkins, converting them into 200 coins worth of resources. This windfall provided the party with immediate funds and raised questions about whether they should return to harvest more from the remaining field.

Key Attributes

Natural Creature: Despite its monstrous nature, the Gordian is a naturally occurring carnivorous plant rather than a magical or mechanical construct
Camouflage Adaptation: Evolves to resemble whatever plant it lives among—pumpkins, squash, or zucchini
Multiple Tentacles: Controls far more vine tentacles than initially visible, using them simultaneously in combat
Tactical Combat: Demonstrates intelligence in wielding pumpkins both as thrown projectiles and as meteor hammer-style weapons
Fertilizer Cycle: Kills prey and uses decomposing corpses to maintain the lush patches that attract more victims
Chlorophyll-Based Physiology: Internal fluids are chlorophyll-like goo with a terrible taste—gamey, tar-like, or like raw beef
Screeching Vocalization: Emits a screeching squeal when injured
Jack-o-lantern Eyes: Has distinctive eye holes that serve as vulnerable points for called shots
Territory: Guards valuable money pumpkin fields containing hundreds of coins worth of seeds
Monetary Value: The Gordian's defeat and the subsequent pumpkin destruction yielded 200 coins worth of Pumpkin Seeds for the party