Ecology of the Mimic
From An Illustrated Ecology of Shapechangers by Helgarth Munis
Found in Gharraghaur Library in Mirabar
”Another good haul,” said Surrey, throwing back the orange tarp that covered the wagon. Crates of glassware and silverware filled the bottom of the wagon’s carriage bed, and Riel knew that the dwarf’s calculating mind was already tabulating how much their fence would give them through it. Riel was uneasy though. Something didn’t feel right. She had robbed several caravans in the short time that she had joined up with Surrey’s group of bandits, and normally the people he robbed acted different… more frightened. The driver had seemed frightened, this much was true, but not of the bandits. On the contrary, he had stayed firmly planted in his seat during the attack, not even trying to dodge until a flaming arrow struck the wagon. Then he had taken off like all the demons of the Abyss were after him. But was he running from the bandits, or something else? It almost seemed like he had been trying to get away from the wagon itself…
Riel’s train of thought was interrupted by Surrey. “Riel! Stop staring around like a slack jawed yokel and inspect the horses! If they still got all their teeth, we might be able to pass them off as riding horses and get seventy-five gold for them.” She walked to the front of the wagon, noticing to himself how tightly the horses were bound to the yoke, almost as if the wagon and the horses were one singular unit. It would be hell to get those harnesses off them; that was for sure. Riel walked in front of one of the horses, ignoring the dead-eyed stare it gave her, and pulled its front lip back to count the horses teeth.
There were no teeth. The interior of the horse’s mouth was a single white mass, as if all if the teeth had been fused together. Riel recoiled in shock, drawing her hand back, and it was this instinctive gesture which saved her from the fate of the rest of the bandits. “Well Riel?” the dwarf demanded. “How mu-“ Surrey never got the chance to finish his question. The tarp that had covered the wagon bed flapped over him, suddenly looking like nothing more than an enormous tongue.
Introduction
Unlike many monstrosities, the history of the mimic is quite easy to trace back, for those scholars with the dedication and perseverance to look. The first known appearance of the mimic was at the fortress of the wizard Balboas, a Nerathi noble of mild renown for his hedonistic bacchanalias. Documents of the period clearly describe living furniture that molded itself to the contours of the user, while preying on insects and rodents to keep the fortress free of vermin.
This first documented appearance of the mimic would be nothing more than a footnote in history were it not for a war that sprung up shortly thereafter between Nerath and another long-dead kingdom named Arkhosia. Records of the war indicate that Balboas’ wondrous “furniture” was repurposed as a tool of guerrilla warfare, assassinating high-value Arkhosian military officers. The specificity and planned nature of the attacks suggests that Balboas had some way to remotely direct his creations. The nature of this control will never be known, as Balboas was targeted for assassination by an elite group of Arkhosian adventurers. Upon his death, the mimics he had created became uncontrolled predators, gradually spreading across the world.
Physiological Observations
Mimics are asexual predators. In their “natural” form (which they assume upon death), they appear similar to a giant amoeba, with a sophisticated nervous system attached to the nucleus. Mimics can secrete a variety of substances, including adhesive, acid, and a translucent substance that hardens gradually over time into something similar to keratin. Mimics can control the coloration of this substance, and reabsorb it swiftly through exposure to their acid. Because of this ability, a mimic nucleus is an essential component in the crafting of the magical item known as a Jug of Alchemy.
When a mimic hits a certain size, it generally buds off part of itself, splitting off part of its nervous system and a small portion of its own nucleus over a period of ten hours. This new mimic is born with all the abilities of its parent. Some mimics choose not to split off, and instead continue growing to extremely large sizes, to the point where they can no longer disguise themselves as furniture and instead impersonate wagons, privies, or even small houses.
Social Observations
Mimics come in two distinct varieties, house mimics and hunter mimics. The two varieties are almost indistinguishable in terms of their physical characteristics, but differ greatly in temperament.
House mimics (which are very rare) are docile creatures. They are content to move into a house and can live symbiotically there for decades, posing inconspicuously as furniture. They subsist on kitchen scraps and vermin which they hunt at night. House mimics tend to live in groups, gradually replacing more and more of the existing furniture as they procreate. On one notable occasion, a travelling merchant who used a crystal ball to scry upon his wife (whom he was convinced was cheating on him) was shocked to discover that every single piece of furniture in his house was actually a mimic.
Hunter mimics (the kind that adventurers are more likely to encounter) are by far the more common variety. They are solitary predators that avoid each other whenever possible. Hunter mimics are aggressive killers and often create vicious traps near themselves, designed to split a group up while it attacks one of them. They typically lair near very narrow tunnels (such as drainpipes) that double as an emergency escape: if the mimic finds itself outmatched, it adopts an ooze-like shape and vanishes down these narrow tunnels.
Behaviorial Observations
It is hypothesized that house mimics are the descendants of the mimics that Balboas used as furniture, while hunter mimics are the descendants of the mimics that Balboas repurposed for assassination. This is based on the fact that hunter mimics demonstrate the same mentality as guerrilla soldiers conducting warfare behind enemy lines. They keep their attacks as quiet as possible, and try to eliminate any witnesses that happen to discover their existence. One interesting observation is that well-fed hunter mimics tend to avoid attacking unarmed humanoids, possibly because they are considered “civilians.” This might indicate that mimics have a genetic memory and are still “programmed” with the instructions of their ancestor’s original function.
Inter-Species Observations
House mimics are generally cooperative with humanoids. In fact, when properly fed and tended they can be wonderful pets, assuming the shape of whatever furniture is desired, from trampolines to ladders to mattresses. They attack only when they feel threatened or attacked.
Hunter mimics, by contrast, are downright vicious. They behave like soldiers embedded behind enemy lines, and take any opportunity to kill “enemy” targets (a category which includes almost everyone). They are capable of cooperating in the short terms with humanoids whom they do not consider a threat, but any display of weaponry by their “allies” quickly results in conflict. For this reason, mimics who are allied with humanoid groups are typically left as guards or traps in remote, secluded areas.
Adding to this complication is the fact that a mimic often suffers short-term (or occasionally even long-term) memory loss when injured. This is most likely as a result of the need to reconfigure the parts of their nervous systems that suffer damage. Because of this, even a mimic that has formed an alliance with a group of humanoids may end up turning on them later, having completely forgotten the agreement.