10th of Marpenoth, 1492 (Highsun) After the chilling fight against the giant spiders, the family decides to harvest what they can from the bodies, coming out with several sacks of poison and 60 ft. of spider silk. Satisfied with the progress thus far, the group decides to take a little break and head back down to their cart to rest up and recover. Between tending to the horses, spinning the silk into usable rope, and hanging out with one another, the group recovers after several hours of rest. By the afternoon, the group notices that Briar has wandered off, having spotted him heading back in, they follow him to the mustering hall, wanting to get right back into it. They decide to clear the first floor rather than head back up, figuring it'd be good to go at it floor by floor. So Naisys picks the southern lock and they head into a short hallway with arrow slits on either side. This heavily defended spot as well as another locked door with a harder lock indicated this room held some importance to the dwarves that once lived here. So, after some time picking the lock, they open the doors to the throne room of the dwarven castellan that once resided here, and the room smelled awful with a stench of rot and decay. Alatar decided to check out the limestone throne that sat at the opposite end of the room, admiring the dwarven craftsmanship. However, he did not notice the movement behind the throne, as the dwarf that once was the castellan spots him and he lets out a deeply unsettling screech. This dwarf wearing once guilded fancy robes and adornments that have long rotted away on the festering body gave Alatar a shock of surprise. Naisys reflexively threw two blades at the dwarf, slicing into the thick rotten meat of its neck, both blades quickly beheading the dwarf. Alatar watches as its body goes one way and its head rolls to his feet. Unfortunately the noise the castellan undead made attracted nearby dwarvish ghouls, a few sliding down the fireplace to the east, and a handful bashing the doors to the dining area to the west open. The family springs into action, Briar quickly dispatching the ghouls coming from the west while everyone else focusing on the fireplace ghouls. Kia, eager to utilize her new weapon tried to attack the ghouls, but found the weapon unwieldy and difficult to use in such a confined location. Angered and furious, as the fireplace ghouls were quickly dispatched much to Alatars detriment, both having their brains blown across is front. Kia spots two more coming down a stairway nearby, and she quickly seized the opportunity to thrust the lance into the oncoming ghouls. She finally lands her hits and it felt good using this weapon. With the aid of her siblings, they clear away the ambush, but not before Alatar gets a third helping of ghoul rot blowing across him from Naisys' blades. After Alatar lights the bodies in the fireplace on fire, the family goes to explore this area, finding to the west an old stone dining table with iron chandeliers above it, a fireplace to the north, and a refuse pit next to the fireplace. South of that they find a kitchen with the usual items you'd find, as well as a sink that was functional, pouring fresh hot spring water from its spout. Taking the opportunity, Alatar uses this to clean himself of the undead muck. Once ready, the family heads back to the mustering hall and they head east, unlock the door and with a quick reactive fireball from briar, the room was quickly reduced from 2 ghouls to 1 heavily damaged ghoul. Kia said "Yeah no" and she closes the door as this half-burned ghoul hobbles its way towards them. Hearing a faint knocking on the door from the ghoul inside, they take a moment to ready themselves, and Kia kicks the door open, hitting the ghoul with the door, popping its eye out of its head. A third ghoul had appeared in the time the door was closed, with the small number of ghouls, the family quickly dispatches of them. Now the family has two ways they can go, either north down a hallway, or head into the rubble-strewn mess before them. The entire eastern part of this room had partially collapsed and was mostly destroyed by an earthquake, with a pathway leading south. Kia and Briar decide to head down the south rubble-strewn path while Naisys and Alatar head north. Naisys and Alatar find the entrance to the eastern bastion where the ghoul had shot itself earlier, while on the other side of this hallway they find a carved-out tunnel that leads up to the hallway above them. Once there they find themselves in a partially collapsed hallway, their only way forward was a door to the north. Heading in, they find a ruined barracks and a door in the far corner open. Quietly, they head over to check it out, finding themselves on the other side of the bastion that resides above the entryway with the spiders from earlier. Only with several ghouls having come to feast on the spider corpses. The two sneak away from this and decide to head back down to regroup with their siblings. Meanwhile, Briar and Kia head south, finding an old destroyed shrine. Here they look through the rubble and find an old platinum amulet with the crest of the dwarven god Moradin (Dwarven god of creation). Taking this and a steel box that held a superior healing potion, they regroup with their siblings. The family had cleared the first floor, decide to use the ladder they brought to head up to the second-story balcony in the mustering hall. They head up, go into the hallway on the other side of the door, and they carefully make their way through the halls until they come upon the ghastly visage of the banshee that they've been hearing throughout their stay here. The elven banshee with an unfettered rage yells at them to get out of her home. When the family refused she immediately turned hostile, hitting them with a horrifying visage that frightened Alatar. The family lept into action, hitting the banshee hard with a good first attack, however, the Banshee let out this deathly howl at them, and both Alatar and Briar fell over dead from its effect. The family was now half taken out in one move, the sisters quickly hit the banshee hard, causing her to flee into the nearby bedroom giving the sisters a moment to help save their brothers from death's door. Using the recently acquired superior healing potion on Briar, Naisys got him up while Alatar was given a greater, causing them both to recover and regain consciousness. Alatar yells out "Mother?!" then looks up at Kia, who replies with a flat "Do I look like mom?!" before she used her healing abilities to heal him further and leave him to get back up on his own. The family regrouped and they stormed the bedroom, where the banshee held her final stand. She nearly swiped at Alatar, who was worse for wear still, thankful he didn't get hit as he felt the cold necrotic energy in the air as her claw passes right in front of his face. Naisys quickly rushing the room and tossing daggers at her from the corner while her siblings kept her busy. They quickly dispatch the banshee then and there, each angered by her for the damage she's done to them. After they finish in the room, they start checking out the room next door, finding it to be a bathroom with a large bathtub big enough to fit them all. Briar takes the opportunity to clear out the refuse that lay in the bottom, clear out the stagnated water at the drain, and turn on the faucet. Fresh, hot spring water pours into the bathtub, and after a bit of time and discussions with one another, they decide to step in and have a family bath. Despite the location, the recent horrors they've found in this place, and all the horrible shit they just went through, this helped melt every bit of that away as naturally heated spring water cleans them of the month of grime and stress they've faced ever since coming to Phandalin. Refreshing and recovering them each with a very satisfying hot bath. Session paused. 10th of Marpenoth, 1492 (Highsun)