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

With the fight over, they all took a moment to get their breath back and discuss what had just happened.  They suggested they’d angered the cult and were being attacked as a result.  Reidoth thought on what had just happened and concluded this Boar was a servant of Talos he’d heard mention of before.  A lesser avatar of sorts, worshiped by his wilder followers.  They ran around the compound and checked on the others and checked on the damage to the palisades and doors.  Falcon barricaded the broken southern door until he had time to fix it while the party searched through the corpses and started burning them outside.  They had a short rest and then Karson and Melandrach joined Falcon as he went to chop more wood to repair the palisades.  The party helped out with this for the rest of the day, and stopped for a good night’s rest.

Over dinner they had a long chat about what had happened and what their plans are for the Circle of Thunder.  Talindra spoke up to reveal a secret.  She confessed that she wasn’t supposed to be there.  She had never been hired by Gundren, she just hid in the group to get out of town and escape those chasing her.  A local gang of thieves were after her for stealing on their patch.  Her and her friend Miri had been stealing just enough to survive.  It was Miri he’d asked Bilba to look for when they were in Neverwinter.  The gang had got her, and had now seemingly left town.  The party seemed to be understanding and accepting.  Reidoth admitted it was unusual for him to be there too.  The church of Eldath is usually pacifistic.  His community had suffered a seemingly organised and prepared attack by followers of Talos.  Almost everyone had died, but he was one of the few that got away.  It has made him more willing to fight, and he has a personal grudge against Talosians, and may be a little concerned it will cause him to lose his way.  They ate well, got a good night’s rest, and got up with the sunrise to head towards the Circle of Thunder, with the storm still beating down upon them.

When they were half a mile out they stopped and sent Bilba, Karson, and Melandrach ahead to scout.  The scouts came to a large hill in a clearing with a stone circle at the top.  Four  Half-Orc Anchorites of Talos appeared to be performing a ritual, guarded by Twig Blights and watched by Orcs.  Bilba used the sending stones to call the other up urgently.  As the main party drew near, the scouts circled around to the east a little, found hiding spots and acted once they thought the others were close enough.

Bilba used her Wand of pyrotechnics to set off fireworks over the hill, drawing their attention.  Melandrach put a couple of arrows in to the nearest priest and Karson killed the nearest Orc, and they all dove for cover.  Meanwhile, Ramond cast bless and Reidoth summoned some wolves.  The Orcs advanced forwards, but didn’t really know where the arrows had come from.  Thorivor stepped up to the tree line and put four shots in to the nearest Priest, and Melandrach fired two more arrows at him, but missed one.  Mounted on Thunderer, Ramond galloped in to the nearest orc with a cry to Tempus, and killed him with the Serpent Spear, before galloping further to the North West, trying to draw away a large force.  The Twig Blights ran towards the nearest attackers.  As the Priests chanting drew momentarily louder, there was a flash of lightning and the ground quaked briefly.  Talindra Hexxed and Blasted the injured priest, hitting him in the back full of arrows, pushing them through the rest of the way.  There was a spray of blood and he went limp.  He fired his second blast at another Priest but it went wild.  Karson stepped out of his hiding spot in the tunnel entrance, downed an Orc with one swing of his axe, stepped forward and swung at but missed a Twig Blight.  Bilba shot and killed the nearest orc and went back to hiding in the bushes.  Reidoth advanced and summoned some flame and threw it at an orc.  He shouted for his wolves to work in pairs, protect the party and attack the enemy.  His wolves ran forwards and tore in to the Orcs and blights.

The Orcs charged their nearest threats, doing what damage they could, and surrounding and hurting Karson and Ramond.  Thorivor put two more shots in to the closest Priest.  Melandrach ran to Karson’s aid and started clearing enemies off of him.  Ramond stabbed an Orc and then disengaged, galloping past them, to the north.  The Twig Blights attacked and chased, largely ineffectually.  The Priests’ chanting rose again and a couple of lightning bolts struck the standing stones, which glowed briefly.  Talindra Hexed the damaged Priest and put two more Blasts in to him.  As Karson continued to clear enemies off of himself, Bilba put an arrow in to a Priest further back.  Reidoth threw fire at another Twig Blight as his wolves continued to chew up the enemy and hold them in place.

The Orcs attacked who they could and continued to chase Ramond around the hill as Thorivor put another arrow in to his Priest.  Melandrach continued to thin the pack around him and Karson as Ramond Smote an Orc gaining bonus HP, attacked another, and galloped further east around the hill.  The Twig Blights attacked as best they could as lightning struck the standing stones again.  The stones held the storm, and lightning started arcing between the stones around the circle, occasionally jumping out in to the middle.  Talindra double blasted the Hexed priest, nearly killing him, and threw a heal at Karson, who was close to death.  Karson turned his sword in to a Hawk and sent it to attack and kill the Priest, while murdering an Orc with his axe.  Bilba put another arrow in to her target Priest, while Reidtoh healed Karson through his Owl Familiar, and moved east, never leaving the trees.  His remaining wolves did what they could to help.

The Orcs continued their assault, finishing off the last of the wolves and hurting Ramond.  As some of them chased Ramond through the circle they caught stray sparks of lightning coming from the stones.  Thorivor put two shots in to Bilba’s target Priest, including his final Grasping Vine.  Melandrach attacked an Orc four times, and only hit it once.  The Orc was quite surprised.  Ramond stabbed one orc and Smote a second feeling the pressure that something bigger was about to happen.  He then galloped as fast as he could to the east.  As the Twig Blights continued to give chase, the ritual came to a head.  All the stones starting sparking in to the middle, and a single bolt of lightning struck the ground.  A new, huge from had arrived in the middle of the stones.  Gorthok the Thunder Boar had returned! (DM: And everyone needed a change of underwear and was suddenly very unhappy with my choices)  The head Priest turned to the attackers and loudly said, “Now you shall pay the price!  Talos shall have you!  Gorthok, kill the intruders!”  He then walked over to the edge of the now dormant stone circle and threw a lightning bolt and Ramond and Thunderer.  Thunderer vanished, but Ramond was able to land on his feet, next to the saddle.  The other priest, wrapped in Grasping Vines, held his ground and fired a Lightning Bolt at Thorivor at the edge of his range, frying Talon (Karson’s bird/sword) in the process.  Feeling overwhelmed, Talindra cast Hypnotic Pattern over the Gorthok and the two priests.  The head Priest passed his save and Gorthok used a Legendary Save.  Karson and Bilba tried to clear up the nearby group of Orcs and Blights as Reidoth summoned a fresh pack of Wolves, instructing some to deal with the smaller enemies, and some to hold the line between the party and Gorthok, and sent his familiar towards Ramond, ready to help later.  Gorthok took in his surroundings, staring at the party, growling menacingly.  He then slowly turned his head to the left, towards his summoner.  He let out a loud deep “Squeeeee” and charged the High Priest, goring and trampling him.  He turned around to face the boar with a look of horror on his face, and tried to back up slowly.  The Wolves then tore in to their targets and held the line.

DM: it was very late and everyone was sure this was not going to be over quickly so we called it for the night between rounds.