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

After their short rest, the party decided to question their prisoners, starting with the doppelganger.  Talindra asked who they are, who sent them, why are they here.  She refused to talk, so Ramond picked up and chair and sat on it in front of her.  He rested his greatsword across his lap and started unwinding the remains of an old banner from its grip.  He leaned in and said, “Your face changes, eyes?  Will it change when I hold it to the fire?  I think it’s time for you to start talking.  The Black Spider might get us, but we have you now.  Tell us what we want to know”.

“Go on.  Do it!  End it!” She replied.  Ramond waked over and picked her up and as he dragged her over to the brazier she shifted to look exactly like him.  He didn’t flinch and pushed her face in to the hot coals and held her there as she screamed; just long enough for to burn until she passed out (0hp).  He pulled her out and healed her for 1hp.  As she came to, Talindra asked her if she was going to be more reasonable and start talking.  Shaken and suffering, she demanding they kill her.  She would not speak.  “The fire is where I started.  How far do you think I’m willing to go?” threatened Ramond.  Disturbed by events, Devere cleared a path to the door and went for a walk away from the horror.  The Doppelganger just sat there staring at Ramond, breathing heavy from the pain.  Ramond pulled out a shortsword and held it to her throat, and after giving her a moment, he slit her throat.  A look of both fear and relief passed over her as her blood began to spray over the room.

As the blood began to spray, Talindra turned to their other prisoner, King Grol and said, “I hope you’re more talkative than she was”.  He replied, “What do you want to know?” ”Who is the Black Spider?  What is he after?  Where is he from?  Tell us what you think we need to know”, asked Talindra.  “He’s a Drow.  He came to me a while back with a couple of his friends and said if I got my men to plunder the roads, cause some chaos and keep an eye out for a dwarf with a map he would reward me and pay me well.  I’m just in it for the money.  I’m not one of his men.”

Ramond spoke up, “For you I have a different offer.  We can let you leave here.  All you need to do is go out and tell the rest of your people that you are defeated and it is time to leave.  Lay down your armour, all of you, and you can walk out of here with your weapons, but everything else is ours.  Ten you go as far as you possibly can from here, as you won’t just have the Black Spider to deal with, you’ll have us as well.”

The aged bugbear let out a little chuckle before responding, “If I go out there and announce I’m defeated, I’m not in charge anymore.  They won’t listen to me.  They won’t care”.  Pointing to Ramond, Talindra asked, “Does that mean he’s in charge now?”  “You can try”, Grol said, shaking his head a little.

Talindra asked Ramond if they were repeating the Glasstaff Strategy here.  Ramond said, “Not for this one.  Grol at least fought us.  He stood up, swung his sword and fought us.  That thing ran around gathering its possessions and tried to kill someone defenceless.  Grol at least I respect a little”.  Hearing this, Grol spoke, “I’ll do as you say.  I’ll take my armour off and walk out of here.”  With the screaming stopped, Devere entered the room again, looking disgusted at the fresh blood on the floor.

Ramond picked up Grols magic greatsword and began tying the strip of banner around its grip and then laid his greatsword on the floor next to Grol.  “When you’re untied, take off your armour, then you can take that sword and leave”.  Grol though on this for a moment (DM: I’ve seen too many westerns apparently.  Pick up the gun and get shot).  They untied him and he stood there until Ramond offered him the sword again.  He took it cautiously, awaiting a reaction.  None came.  “You fought well”, he said to Ramond, who responded, “And so did you”.  Grol slowly walked out the room.  As he passed through the doorway unmolested, he stopped and tuned back, “He doesn’t need the map.  The Black Spider has already found the mine.  He’s already in there.  He’s waiting”.  They watched him head down the corridor and turn towards the entrance they had come in through.

“There was some discussion on how to proceed.  To stay or go.  What to do with Gundren, who is drifting in and out of consciousness.  Talindra said she would be uncomfortable leaving the other goblinoids here as they have been terrorising the local communities.  The group agreed and decided to stash Gundren in the bath in side room.  As they moved him, he demanded they find his map.  When Araloth showed it to him, he took it back for himself and settled down in the old, dirty bath tub. (DM: cue many jokes about scented candles etc)

They then headed out to deal with the goblinoid menace, and basically chain pulled the rest of the dungeon (all grunts), avoiding the one door that was hastily barred that they could hear heavy deep rhythmic breathing from the other side.  The party wants to leave that door alone, but Araloth wonders if someone is being held prisoner there.  The party has not looted anything yet as they wanted to make the area safe and then explore and loot at their leisure.  With the last of the rooms cleared, Talindra sent her owl to spy in through thee arrow slots of the tower with the barred door, but someone has put shutters over them.

DM: Play started later than usual due to Christmas driving people’s kids a little hyper, and at this point people wanted to leave as it was late and we still have work.  Looting will continue next week, or after Christmas.  We are still working out when the next session will be as who knows what Christmas even is this year?

As a result of conversations with Ramonds player the next day some googling was done and it appears Tempus (Ramonds god) does not approve of torture at all, although getting a clear answer on that from official books proved difficult.  We are looking in to ways to resolve this, as he says he had checked beforehand and it didn’t seem to be forbidden.  I’m reluctant to punish his character for books not being specific.