Osiera and Eleana find themselves upstairs alone.
Terrifying imagery carved into the walls surround them:
"CROOKED" over and over
Crudely drawn stick figure with long hair that covers it's featureless face
(Must be Deirdra once chained in this room)Female figure blindfolded with question marks
Hole in the ground with a figure filling that hole slowly, with centipedes.
O: "This has to be Dierdra on the wall. This is her necklace!"
The two investigate the room looking for clues about Osiera's sister. As Eleana approaches the bed a damp matted weasel tears from the bed. It smiles and says: "(Festler Browntooth??) We live in your nightmares!" before jumping out the window and shattering the glass pane. A dozen more weasels spill from the bed which the two can now see is filled with countless teeth. They attack.
B: "It never ends in this FUCKING houseeeee!"
E: "Osiera, we need to go back down! We can't stay in here!"
O: "Unfortunately I think you're right, she's clearly not here."
Fight 1Grimm runs upstairs trying to reach Osiera and Eleana but before he can get there the clock strikes 12 and out pops another Weasel King. As a hivemind they all say "TEETH". Grimm gets angry and attacks it. Zora plays "wack-a-weasel" with the king because her armor is finally working. Jiwho makes crispy weasels.Eleana tries anything to get the weasels off her but fails repeatedly nearly going unconscious as they attack her. W: "Give us your teeth! We want your teeth!" E: "You're not getting my teeth!" Osiera remembers the wicker charm she tucked into the wood on the porch and calls onto it to hex the creatures who consider this home. She then heals Eleana. As the weasels claw up Eleana, she uses the last of her magic to blast them off before Osiera casts Wither and Bloom destroying the rest. E: "Thank you Osiera!" O: "I got you, I'm sorry that you followed me!" E: "Just don't do it again." O: "I can't guarantee that!"
Osiera see's the reflection of the crooked man in the cracked mirror and hears maniacal laughter before a journal slams to the ground with the initials P.D. on the ground. As she reaches for it, Eleana yells "Wait! Don't touch that yet!". At this point the rest of the party, led by Zora, burst through the doors ready for a fight.
E: "It's okay, we got it-- we got it Zora."
B: "What the hell!"
O: "Yes, you're absolutely right. She's not in here."
Z: "THIS IS WHY WE DON'T RUN AWAY FROM EACHOTHER!!!! You had a good reason, I don't fault you that... but this house wants to kill us."
Phillip Druskenvald ✨LORE DROP✨
Grimm delicately breaks the lock guarding the contents of the journal that the party suspect belongs to Mr. Druskenvald. The beginning is a lot of his business dealings but then it goes into recent events.
The Ghostlight Express- Met a group of adventurers that don't seem to belong here but is glad to have their company as he has a sense of unease.
Train explodes, stranded yada yada... "Unfortunatly I have lost my powers... I am no longer the Lord of Death like I once was. As time passes the feeling of dread in myself grows larger and becomes the worst at night. Adela has pleaded me to leave Wickermoor Hollow however I have made her agree to stay (ego much😒). It is important that we face our fears. I have my doubts about this plan of mine but I think the longer I stay the closer I am to uncovering the reason I've lost my power. -- I'd like to earn the trust back of my people that I long ago neglected."
Beau rolls his eyes. Osiera realizes that phillips handwriting matches the crooked handwriting on the wall and in her sisters book. Eleana looks around for mementos while Zora checks outside the shattered window. Stepping outside Zora realizes that the ground is gone from underneath the house. Osiera asks her if she can see a pit of centipedes outside with no luck but Zora remembers visiting a graveyard by the church.
The Shining + IT🎈Happens
The party enter the hallway and are greeted by two doors, behind one is the sound of dripping water and the other has faint sounds of children laughing. Zora goes inside the kids room while Beau enters the bathroom. (WE JUST SAID DON'T SPLIT UP!)
BathroomKids RoomThe steam shrouded bathroom is crumbled and cracked with bubbling sounds coming from the empty bathtub.
E: "I am not stepping in that room."
B: "Stop being a baby, come on!"
As Beau glances inside the tub the door slams shut and every plumbing fixture begins to spout blood, filling the room (oh, and weasels).Toys are scattered across a small room with two twin beds in the middle. Zora spots a small wooden doll stand up and clamber forward, "Please miss! You have to check for monsters".
E: "Guys we have to break down this door! I'm not strong enough."
~meanwhile~
Z: "I found a doll and it wants some help..."
BathroomKids RoomEleana starts slamming her body against the door trying to break it down. Jiwho fails to pick the lock. Osiera cracks the door with her shillelagh. Eleana digs through her pack and finds a crowbar which manages to pry the door the rest of the way. Blood spills out like it's The Shining revealing a weasel covered Beau. Luckily he casted Armor of Agathys which kills each weasel that damages him. "Try again, ya little bastards."Zora checks under the right bed and spots a horrifying boogeyman phasing through the floor. Still angry, Grimm attacks the boogeyman before it phases through the floor and appears in-between Osiera and Jiwho. .
Hallway:
The boogeyman hoists Osiera into the air by her neck knocking her unconscious. Jiwho casts sleep on the boogeyman. Concerned with the doll Zora tries to pick it up but it protests, so Zora attacks the boogeyman which wakes it up. Grimm steps over Osiera and starts stabbing the boogeyman with his daggers. Eleana pulls a vial filled with dark red liquid out of her bag and feeds it to Osiera, bringing her back to consciousness. The boogeyman phases again, this time appearing in front of Eleana and attacks, knocking her unconscious. Osiera attacks the boogeyman by sticking pins into one of her wicker dolls before casting healing word on Eleana. Zora throws a javelin, telling the girls to duck as it pierces into the boogeyman. Grimm follows suit by throwing his handaxes. A crying Eleana reaches out to the boogeyman who is right in front of her face and casts chill touch before it grabs her back and slashes her again (bringing her back down to 1hp). A tired Jiwho misses with his bow and casts sanctuary on Eleana before Zora throws another javelin, finally killing this nightmare. Jiwho casts healing word on Eleana.
Osiera and Eleana sit against the wall catching their breath while the others investigate the room. Zora retrieves the doll which is no longer animated (everyone gets inspiration). Grimm finds a bag of holding in the closet, but it has an inhabitant: The Bag Man. Beau investigates the tub and finds a wooden mallard covered in blood (Figurine of Wondrous Power). As he grabs it it transforms into a companion duck that Beau calls "Quaker".
Peacock Gem Time💎(totally safe)
Grimm smashes the peacock statute, grabbing the gem eye. As he does this, the peacock turns into a basilisk (are you fuckin' kidding! THAT'S NOT A PEACOCK!!). Eleana casts mind sliver at the basilisk but fails her con save and begins to turn to stone. Grimm shakes his bag and places the bag over the basilisk's head while simultaneously attacking it. Beau charms the basilisk and tells it to turn towards the wall. The group decide to run but the bag man refuses to let go so Osiera attacks the arm coming out of the bag of holding but it maintains its grapple. Zora uses her hammer to gently chisel away the stone from Eleana's legs. Eleana rolls a constitution saving throw at advantage to break free from the stone (10, 12) and on her last try with inspiration she rolls a nat 20!!!!!!! She runs out of the room to hide but see's The Crooked Man in the corner who shakes his head "no" and releases the basilisk from Beau's charm. The basilisk hurts Grimm, Zora attempts to pull a Perseus, Jiwho adds a giant badger to the mix from his bag of tricks, Eleana shoots lightning at it. Grimm finally smashes it to bits and the party take a short rest.
G: ~looks in the bag~ "We're gonna have to work on our communication skills"
Dm Questions to Osiera:
How long has your sister been gone?
Has she actually been gone a lot longer than you've known?
How did she have time to scrawl all of this on the wall as if time has taken place?
Were you just imagining it?
What is going on?