Baabla & Muumbo - The Amazing Magic Mouths

A dungeon puzzle for children or adults with child-like minds.

“Your torch flickers as the stone slab shifts, a light breeze escapes the antechamber before you. Inside, on the north wall are a pair of stone doors ornately decorated with dancing minstrels and magical symbols. The stone mantel depicts a laughing wizard, his split, braided beard framing the doors with intricate knot work. Beyond these magically locked doors are treasures and wondrous items the Kingdoms haven’t seen in over a thousand years. The other walls contain the carved images of two cherubic faces, one smiling, the other frowning. Upon entering, their eyes shift slightly to you, their mouths animate and they speak with human voices.”

Baabla: “Welcome to Thentian’s Halls. I am Baabla.”

Muumbo: “And I, Muumbo the mythteriouth.”

Baabla: “Only bwave hewoes that possess secwet knowledge may pass thwough the gateway before you.”

Muumbo and Baabla are your classic D&D 1e talking magic mouths. You couldn't throw a sling-stone in the old days without hitting one or five of them. They are fully sentient, though not terribly aware, nor are they particularly bright. 

These particular magic mouths were one of the Great Thentian’s first creations, but his Quasit familiar Iggirath befouled one of the critical spell components in their magical construction, (he provided his master with the teeth of a common groundhog, rather than those of a silver-back beaver). This has caused a significant speech impediment in both of the talking mouths. 

Whenever Baabla tries to form ‘r’ sounds, they instead are pronounced as ‘w’s, (I’m told the medical term here is Rhotacism). Muumbo has a frontal or dental lisp, causing his ‘s’ sounds to come out as a soft ‘th’ sound. Loony Toons character, 'Elmer Fudd’, could not pronounce ‘r’ sounds and Beavis and Butthead’s, ‘Butthead’, had a dental lisp. If you as a GM can already perform these character impressions, you already have Baabla and Muumbo down. If not, write down possible answers to questions the party may ask or information you would like the Magic Mouths to convey. Then change the 'r's to 'w's and the 's's to 'th's. Now you read the imperfections into their lines.

Aleena Daybringer: “What are you?”

Baabla: “We are the amazing cweations of the wise Thentian, ewected here a thousand years ago.”

Muumbo: “We are the thentinalth of the gate, and protectorth, of the thecrets that lie beyond.”

Dalmet Slytongue: “Is the door trapped? Is there a key, or a way to safely pass?”

Baabla: “Yes, the hewoes must stand fowth with outstwetched awms and speak the password that only Muumbo knows.”

Aleena Daybringer: “Muumbo..."

Muumbo: "Yeth?

Aleena Daybringer: "What is the password?”

Muumbo: “The pathword, ith… [pausing for dramatic effect]... Thentian’th Thong!”

Dalmet Slytongue: “Thentian’s Thong? Really?

Grungir Broadbeard: “I always wondered what those mad wizards wore under their frilly robes.”

Wise Thentian turned Iggirath’s error into a puzzle that protects his lair. By allowing only Muumbo to speak the password, Thentian knew that he would be unable to give it away to would-be thieves. Only when someone in the party ‘stands forth with outstretched arms’ and says, ‘Thentian’s Song’ will the doors open.

Iggirath... that little shit!

I hope you enjoyed this puzzle as much as I did writing it. In my home-brew campaign, Thentian was an ancient wizard of a bygone era and the party found several marks of his passing throughout their adventures. In an analogous incident, Iggirath the familiar managed to corrupt one of Thentian’s other magical creations: The Orb of Power. A thousand years later, Iggirath, now a more powerful demon, managed to return to the material plane for the cursed item. …but where did Thentian hide it?

High axe friends!

I go.