Murder Hobo Squad: A Lost Mine of Phandelver/Dragon of Icespire Peak & Beyond D&D 5E record (Beware Spoilers!)

With the eye creature dead and the party scattered around the chasm chamber, they wasted little time debating the rights and wrongs of their actions.  There was some upset, but Talindra defended herself, insisting that it was eating people and it was therefore a threat.  People said they had no reason to think it was killing them, but Talindra countered by pointing out that they had no reason to think it wasn’t killing people.  She was also of the opinion that the Redbrands were feeding the townsfolk to it.  Talindra insisted they didn’t stop to argue as they are deep in enemy territoy and should keep moving, and try not to draw attention to themselves.  The group spread out to explore.

Melandrach had noticed a glint of metal in the rubble in the rift and found a small box, containing a fine short bow, 2 potions, a scroll and some coin.  Araloth investigated the corpse and the rift.  He can’t be sure, but he thinks the corpse might be the woodworker who was murdered a week a ago, although the body looks like a  much fresher kill.  He suspects the unnatural cold experienced in the chasm may be preserving the body.

Devere took 10 minutes to ritually cast Detect Magic and the rift glowed with a faint aura of Necromancy.  Melandrach waved his new bow in front of him and that also glowed.  Talindra and Thorovir covered the northern end of the camber, without exploring much futher, and Karson listened at the southern door of the two he had recently discovered.  He could hear some gruff voices speaking in Goblin, saying things like, “Bark like a dog.  Hur Hur Hur.  Now lick the floor you stupid gobo. Ha Ha”.  The party decided it best to open this door next.

They lined up down the corridor outside, and Devere quietly opened the door to see three Bugbears with their backs to the door.  They semed to be picking on a goblin, who was currently preoccupied doing something on the floor. Cathing them by surprise, they charged in and attacked the unprepared Hoibgoblins.  Karson went for the furthest, swung both his blades and missed, but caught the eyes of the goblin who was picking himself up.  Their eyes met and the goblin let out a surprised yelp, and feinted.  Everyone else focused fire on the nearest Bugbear and wore him down, but not before he landed a mighty blow on Melandrach, knocking him out and almost killing him outright (DM: 1 more damage and he’d have been rolling a new character.  Oops!).  Devere stabilised Melandrach while the others wore down the remaining Bugbears, who chipped away more at their health pool.  With the Bugbears dead, Talindra stepped in and healed Melandrach.

Standing over three dead bugbears and an unconsious goblin, the party decided now was the time to figure out what their potions did and spent the next few minute going through their stuff and tasting strange liquids they had found lying around.  They were now in possession of 4 healing potions and a potion of invisibility.  They handed round the heal pots as the goblin came to.

As the goblin opened his eyes and looked around him, and up at the Paladin stood directly over him, he screached loudly and pushed himself back away from the others and up against a corner made by the wall and the foot of a bed.  “Please don’t kill Droop.  Droop a good goblin.  Droop friendly”, he said in room barely big enough to hold 4 people and currently stuffed with 1 goblin and 7 bloody adventurers.  The party asked him some questions and Droop did his best to answer, but he repeatedly mentioned his memory isn’t too good anymore as he’s been hit in the head too many times by mean bugbears.  They found out that king Groll of Cragmaw Castle recently sent Mosk at the other two Bugbears here to help Glasstaff, and Mosk dragged Droop along for entertainment.  They’ve not been here long so Droop doesn’t know much and he cannot remember the way back to the castle.  Its somewhere north of here?  he has seen Glasstaff and thinks he’s usually found in a room north of this one.  The part offered to set him free if he promised to vanish and forget he ever saw them.  He was supremely grateful, and Ramond and Devere escorted him out through the way they had entered.

While the chat was going on, Karson looted the bodies and found one of the bugbears was wearing a jeweled eyepatch, which he took.  He also found a few silver and an Iron key. Araloth listened at the door to the immediate north and could hear the sounds of people chatting, gambling, and dice rolling, with the occasional cheer and groan.  He covered this door, listening out for signs they had been detected.  Talindra went back to exploring the north end of the chasm room with Thorovir covering him.  The far room contained some unused barrels and crates, like this was a packing and shipping warehouse, along with 30 beaver pelts, which she asked Thorovir to carry.  She also detected a secret door in the west wall.  The two also discovered a set of stairs leading down from the chasm chamber.

The party gathered and discussed where to head next.  Given the choice between a secret door, a normal door, or a flight of stairs the lure of a secret door wins 9 times out of 10.  The party argued they might be expected through any other entrance, but they should have the elemnt of surprise through a secret door.

Araloth remained listening to the gamblers and Thorovir covered the unexplored stairway while the party lined up behind Karson at the secret door.  They discussed the plan of action and agreed that if they see anyone they charge in and take them by surprise.  Karson listend and heard nothing and then popped the door open on to a stairway leading down to a dead end.  A quick check revealed another secret door, made obvious by the stairs pointing towards it.  Hearing nothing on the other side, Karson opened this door and saw two people.  A bearded human in robes sat at a desk  with a glass staff leaning against his chair, and another redbrand in finer armour stood at his side.  They looked up as the door opened and looked taken aback, but as Karson alerted the group and everyone madr to charge in, the two prepared for combat.

Melandrach downed a healing potion as he ran in and tried to grab the staff before his enemy could, but wasn’t fast enough, so he redirected his energy in to an attack.  He swung his staff and just as it made contact there was a flash of energy and a forcefield errupted deflecting the blow.  His opponent then countered by summoning three magic missles and blasting them in to him, which would have taken melandrach down for a third time, had he not drank the potion.  The wizard then backed up towards the far door.

Bilba crept in to the room and positioned herself so melandrach was between her and the wizard and tried to hide from him.  She got lucky as the sheets on the bed were a perfect match for her outfit which helped conceal her from him.  Hearing the shouts Thorovir decided to join the group and moved up, having explored down the stairs already and revealed a dead end with two doors.

Ramond made it down the secret stairs and surveyed the room.  He shouted out “Kill the mage first!”, raised his greatsword and charged at him, bringing it down in his enemy with another flash of a forcefield, catching the blow.  Ramond was too strong though and the blade went through the shield spell.  As the shield gave, Ramond put all his holy energy in to the attack and drove the blade in to his enemies shoulder, through his torso and almost out between his legs.  Had the blade supporting him not been caught in the door behind him, he would have collapsed in one strike.

As half the mage started to peel away like a banana skin, Talindra entered the room and Blasted the Rebrand.  Karson moved to the far side of him and swung his blade, drawing blood.  Devere ran in and jumped up on the desk for a flanking position and golf swung his mace, ringing the bell of the now surrounded enemy.  The redbrand swung twice at Karson, injuring him, before Melandrach jabbed him in the gut whith his staff.  As he followed this up with a kick to his knees his enemy went limp and lifeless and fell forward, landing on his feet.

The party searched the room and looted the bodies.  Talindra took the glass staff.  Karson noticed the Redbrands shortsword was particularly fancy, with its hawk styled hilt design and took it for himself.  The chest by the deck contained some coins and gems, and scrolls of fireball and charm person, and a spellbook.  In the desk they found a letter from someone called “The Black Spider”.

With the looting completed and the letter read, Ramond pulled out a hand axe and moved over to Glasstaffs corpse.  He picked it up by the hair and started hacking at the neck, but could not brace it for a good cut.  It took many wet bloody swings to sever the head, by which time a good amount of splatter had coated everyone in the room.

(DM: It was getting late and one of our players needed to go as he had an early start.  he was persuaded to stay for another half hour so we could finish off this dungeon so from here things might be a little more rushed than they otherwise would have been)

As the party debated who was going to listen at the next door, Devere stated that if anyone was in there Glasstaff would have called them for help when he got to the door, and just opened it and walked in without stopping to assess the danger.  The room appeared to be an alchemy lab, festooned with books and papers, vials, flasks and jars, and a smoking bubbling apparatus on a table in the middle of the room.  Nothing of immediate interest to anyone so they headed out of the opposite door without looking around, and Karson listened at the last remaining door, hearing nothing but the sounds of the people behind him, and the drip drip drip from the severed head Ramond was carying.

Karson pushed open the door on to a room with four Redbrands gambling at a table.  Ramond stepped straight past him and threw the head on to the pile of money in the middle of the table and bellowed, “We have killed your master.  Surrender now, or we will do the same to you.”  Hearing Ramonds voice, Araloth opened the door from the other side in time to see them look at each other in drunken panic, and rapidly sober up.  Three of them dropped their weapons and drop to their knees.  The fourth, still drunk enough to be stupid, tried to sweep up his winnings before fully absorbing the situation and following suit.  The redbrands were tied up and their money was taken.  Looking around the room they have found several barrels of beer, some of which have been tapped.  Believeing the dungen clear, the party took a minute to get their breath back and are talking about taking the beer back to town for everyone to celebrate.  Devere suggested giving it to the Sleeping Giant Tap House to help recoup her losses.

DM: We called the sesion here.  As they would level up to third when they get back to town and “hand in” this quest I asked them to take care of this between sessions.