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

No Melandrach or Thorivor tonight so Mel is holding back for fear of being a liability due to his laughter fits, and Thorivor is guarding him.

After everyone calmed down, they headed back in to the blood soaked corridor in dribs and drabs.  Karson and Araloth led the way north with the others following up.  As they headed north a hand came out of the blood and grabbed Karson’s leg.  A bloated disfigured toddler with black eyes and needles for teeth rose up behind the hand.   Karson and Araloth fought back and found that every time they hit it there was a sharp stabbing pain in their heads.  Before anyone else could move up to assist the Evil Doll jumped out of the shadows and landed in the blood down the southern end of the corridor.  She shouted out, “I saw them first!  They’re mine!” and charged Talindra, the nearest person.  She hit her with her clawed hand and Talindra burst out laughing so hard she curled up on the floor in the ankle deep blood.  The knife was enough to end the laughing and bring Talindra to Death Saving throws. (DM: It was then Talindra turn who rolled a 1 on her death saves causing 2 out of 3 failures needed to kill her)  Ramond moved up to hit the doll, and taunted her about burning her drawings as Reidoth healed Talindra while throwing fire at the Doll.  Karson and Araloth wailed on the child while continued to take psychic damage in response while the others fought the doll.  Health was low.  Karson had drunk a potion and Araloth had got his second wind before they finally killed the child.  The doll saw this and called out, “Nooo!  What have you done to my brother?!” She then ran towards him straight in to Araloth.  Before reaching Araloth she took a dive in to the blood and vanished from sight.

The party checked the room and Karson scouted in to the reception area quickly.  Around the corner he could see the room looked the same as when they had arrived, except now a skeleton was sat at the desk.  He avoided its sight and the regrouped.  Reidoth took a minute to heal everyone back up after that tough fight.

Araloth and Ramond stepped around the corner to see the Skeleton and Ramond used Divine Sense to reveal it as Undead.  The skeleton called them losers and said, “You’re all going to die down here.  You’re doomed!”  Ramond challenged him and the skeleton went on repeatedly telling them they didn’t stand a chance and they’d all die.  The party tried to ignore it and have a chat about how to proceed but it continued to tell them about how they’d fail and die.  Karson had a little look up the stairs and a normal room could be seen.  Talindra got a little fed up with this and went over and hit the sitting skeleton with her staff.  It was unarmed and only wearing a few tatters left over from a nurses uniform.  The skeleton took the damage and did not retaliate.  “You think a stick will get you out of here alive?  You’re gonna end up worse than me” Talindra took a second swing, but missed.  Karson followed Talindra in to the room and attacked the desk with his magic axe, Hew.  With a single swing the desk broke in two, most of it crumbling from rot, scattering the draws out from under it.  The skeleton stood up out of its chair and swung its fist and Talindra.  As the fist connected, the giggles overtook Talindra once more.  Seeing the attack, Ramond walked over and killed the skeleton with his greatsword.

They took a moment to take in their surroundings, not really having given this room more than a glance before.  There were rows of chairs lining the walls, a broken desk and chair, a dead skeleton and a large portrait of a woman in armour behind the desk.  Ramond checked for a plaque for the painting and read, “Lady Margery Greycastle, Founder”.  They’d seen her image upstairs in multiple tapestries.  Reidoth checked the skeleton which had no possessions, and the broken draws.  In the draws he found a small hinged box, and a folded piece of paper with crayon on it.  They debated who should look at it and Reidoth Volunteered.

His vision began to blur and everything felt both immediate and far away as he become aware of a horrific wailing, like the pained cries of childbirth. As he looked around, his surroundings began crumbling to ash, the ashes were pulled up into the sky and revealed a young, blonde girl walking hand in hand with an older, yet beautiful woman. The girl looked troubled as she glances up at the woman.

“Why do we have to go to the hospital, Gertrude?” She asked.

“Your mother,” the elder woman answered. “She’s going to give us a present today.”

“I don’t like the hospital,” the young girl said.  “But I do like presents.”

The woman paused and crouched to look at the young girl in the eyes.

“I know,” the older woman said. “How about I give you a special present today?”

The young girl nodded. Gertrude smiled, her face warping momentarily to take on deep wrinkles, sharp teeth, and evil eyes before then returning to normal. Gertrude stood, and the pair resumed their walk.  Reidoth’s vision blurred and filled with a blood-red light, rendering him blinded temporarily, before his sight returned to normal and he found himself back in the room with his allies.

Ramond offered Reidoth a drink once he had recovered and revealed what he had experienced.  Reidoth then burnt the drawing.  They said this felt like the completion of the story.  Reidoth was concerned that the hag was somehow going to return, but Ramond insisted that they’d killed her and it wasn’t her here.  As they were having this chat they became aware of a low rumbling.  The kind of noise that creeps up on you and you don’t realise you’re hearing it a first.  A little like a large truck driving up the road past your house.  The ground began to shake a little.  They decided they needed to get up stairs quickly.  As they ran up the stairs the noise and tremor got worse, and they could hear the distant sounds of banging.  The sounds appeared to be coming from every direction.  Up the stairs they started to cross the sitting room, and a small tornado burst through the far wall.  Everything it touched came apart and turned to ash and got caught up within it.  Another one appeared through the opposite wall.  The continued to run, heading south through the ground floor of a building that hadn’t been there a day before.  More tornadoes appeared and more debris went airborne and the noise became deafening.  Some people got his by debris and got knocked prone as it all became too much.  No one could see or hear anything except the storm.

When everything subsided, they were back outside and around 30 foot south of the entrance to the basement.  Everything looked the same as before they had gone in.  It was night, but a few people could be seen watching on, including two of the junior guards that Sildhar had hired, Private Norwood Tarrenfall, and Private Merric Alderleaf.  Melandrach and Thorivor appeared to be trapped under some rubble, but everyone else appeared to be fine enough.  Ramond called out to his horse telepathically to ask id it was dark there and to call him over.  The horse responded like he’d just been woken up and agreed it was dark as it’s the middle of the night.  Before anyone could stand up, there was a shower of rubble as something burst up from the ground.  Before them, the Evil Doll could be seen. Battered and damaged, covered in wounds and dust.  The blood soaked corridor fight had left its mark on her, having stained the exposed rough ceramic within the spider web cracks of her face, from when they had killed her before.  “You ruined this!  You ruin everything!  This was my home!  You destroyed my last one and you destroyed this one!  I will destroy you!”

DM: My intention across this fight was to have the guards corral the crowd for a couple of turns and then start firing their crossbows in to help out.  Every turn I’d think I must remember to do that and didn’t until right at the end.  I’m telling you what I told my party: Pretend that happened.

Bilba unleashed an arrow in to the doll before a geyser of rubble burst through the ground under her, battering and slicing her on the shrapnel.  Reidoth stood up and stepped over to Ramond, saying, “Unleash death”, and cast Haste on to him.  Four deformed black eyed children pulled themselves out from the rubble from all around them and moved in to the group.  Reidtoh, Araloth and Ramond were attacked, and Reidoth lost his concentration on the Haste Spell.  The Doll ran up to Ramond and cut him with her knife.  Araloth attacked the child to his left before backing up and attacking the other.  The laughter overtook Talindra once again.  Ramond was overcome with exhaustion as the Haste spell collapsed and needed to get his breath back.  Karson moved away from the doll and killed both the children Araloth had damaged.

Bilba put another arrow in the doll as the area began to shake enough to make the ground unstable.  Bilba was knocked prone, and the area became rough terrain for the next round.  Panicking, Reidoth raised his Staff of Birdcalls above his head in both hands and brought it down hard on the child’s head.  There was a loud goose “Hooooonk!”, and the child died.  He then threw a quick heal Ramond’s way.  The last surviving child missed an attack on Ramond as two more children pulled themselves up out of the rubble.  One hit Bilba, while the other ran to close the distance.  The Evil Doll hit Ramond with both her clawed hand and her knife as Araloth circled around Bilbas opponent and killed it.  Reenergized, Ramond stepped to one side and Smote the doll with his Greatsword, and hit her a second time, sending stuffing and splinters of ceramic flying all around.  The doll slashed out with her clawed hand in response, but missed.  Karson ran up to flank the doll and critted with his axe.  Bilba stood up and shot the doll before another rubble geyser burst up under her, knocking her unconscious.  Reidoth healed her and swung his staff wildly at the doll.  Another child rose out of the rubble and double moved to engage Bilba as the doll hit with her clawed hand and critted with the knife, downing Ramond.  Araloth intercepted Bilba’s attacker and killed that child.  Karson drew a wile free strike as he stepped away from a child and attacked the doll, flanking with Reidoth and landing two blows.  Stuffing when flying, and a few bits of it seemed to be damp with blood.

As Bilba got up and put another arrow in to the doll, the doll caught a glimpse of Araloth, “You!  You killed me! You stabbed me a thousand times as I lay dying.  Suffer!”  The earth around Araloth moved and took the form of a giant stone hand, crushing him.  He fought back and was able to break the hand, which crumbled back to mud and rubble.  Reidoth shouted a Healing Word at Ramond and swung his staff at the doll.  The children missed their attacks against Araloth and Ramond as another pulled itself free of the ground and ran at Araloth.  Considering Ramond to be down, the doll turned on Karson and hit him with the claw, missing with her knife.  Araloth attacked each of the children around him while moving closer to the doll as Talindra overcame the cackling laughter and got to her feet and hit a child with her staff.  Ramond slashed at the doll twice, sending sprays of stuffing and some blood spatter flying.  Karson’s axe did further damage, cracking her porcelain face further and causing it to bleed a little.  She lashed out her clawed hand and critically hit Karson.

Bilba killed one of the evil children as an eruption of flying rubble appeared under Araloth, battering him.  Reidoth cast Misty Step to appear behind Ramond and the doll and threw some fire at the doll, but missed.  The two children missed as a third appeared and ran towards the fight.  The doll lashed out but missed Karson while Araloth killed his injured child and hurt the newcomer before moving closer to Talindra and Bilba.  Talindra backed away from him and Eldritch Blasted the doll twice.  The doll lashed out at Karson and raked her clawed hand down him.  Ramond hit the doll twice, landing one Smite in the process.  As the doll burned in holy radiance some of her filthy matted black hair burned away and some blonde hair could be seen through the patch.  The doll tried to retaliate but Ramond was ready and deflected the attack.

Bilba shot the doll again, who was still glaring death at Araloth.  The doll summoned another earthen hand to crush him, but he was ready and braced against it, defeating it.  Reidoth summoned the voice of Eldath and Commanded the doll to Grovel.  The children missed their attacks and a new one arose and charged towards Talindra, missing its attack.  The doll dropped to her knees to grovel and Reidoth let out a cheer.  Araloth killed the nearest child and attacked the one attacking Ramond.  The Evil Doll started to sing a creepy lullaby whole on her knees, which freaked everyone out (DM: except for Talindra who failed her save and would have triggered the laugh and some psychic damage that would have killed her.  Then I realises she was out of range and we did a quick rewind.  Every saved against the fear except Araloth)  Talindra smacked her new attacker with her staff as the guards advanced and fired two crossbow bolts at the other child landing one hit.  Ramond then critically hit the doll with a Smite.  As he pulled his blade out of her it was soaked in blood.  He swung again, critting once more.  He leaned in and shoved his blade through her neck, bending her over backwards.  He unleashed a holy smite through the blade, burning the evil within her.  With his face close to hers there was a look of fear in her glass eyes.  She blinked and just for a moment Ramond thought one eye looked human, but she blinked again and they were both glass.  Then, the head fell from its body and rolled along the floor. (DM: 82 points of damage in two swings!  Well done, Ramond!)  He then collapsed in an exhausted heap.  They made short work of the last two children and no more spawned.

DM: It is 1.30am-ish in the game and almost midnight IRL so we ended it there, tired and exhausted both in and out of the game.  We talked toot for a little bit then headed to bed.  I’ve messaged Reidoth with a mod for his Staff of Birdcalls.  He can always spend a charge to trigger it when it hits and it’ll go off for free on a crit, because why not?  It’s more fun that way.

There’s no session next week as Karson and I are away at a Warmachine tournament.  This’ll be my first game in 20 months.  I don’t remember how to play.  Hopefully we will be back the week afterwards.