The lingering dread of Montarthus Manor pulled our seasoned adventurers back to the blighted region, a place where shadows danced with memory and the air itself seemed to whisper of past horrors. The legend of the evil doll clung to their minds like a persistent nightmare, a porcelain effigy of unspeakable malice.
Returning to the site of their previous torment, they found only smoldering ruins, a testament to the swift and violent implosion that had ended their last visit. But the quiet offered no solace. A sudden, unnatural cold descended, followed by a fierce hailstorm, forcing them to seek refuge within the decaying walls of an abandoned hospital, a place equally steeped in an aura of neglect and unease.
Descending into the hospital's shadowy depths, a flight of stone stairs led them into a narrow hallway, the air heavy with an unspoken dread. Their exploration into this new domain of despair began cautiously:
- An initial encounter with two skeletons proved a swift, if unsettling, welcome. A keen-eyed adventurer noted the disturbing stains on the floor, identifying them as likely blood, a stark reminder of the suffering that had permeated these halls.
- The faint, heart-wrenching sound of a baby crying echoed from a nearby bassinet, an innocent sound that only amplified the pervasive sense of wrongness within the hospital.
- Further down a hallway described as a pooling place of negative energy, a palpable sense of dread washed over them. This malevolent energy even seemed to inflict tangible harm, causing one animated skeleton to experience shadow fell despair and another to suffer psychic damage. Traversing this corridor felt like wading through solidified fear.
- A room choked with the detritus of a forgotten medical practice – rotted furniture, rusted instruments, and defiled texts – held a particularly disturbing secret. Upon encountering a child's drawing, one of the adventurers was plunged into a horrifying vision.
- The vision unveiled a scene of unimaginable anguish: a young, fair-haired girl witnessing a bloodied woman on a delivery table, weeping uncontrollably. Beside her stood two nurses and the horrifying image of a stillborn child. Then, the spectral figure of Gertrude, the malevolent night hag from Montarthus Manor, appeared, speaking to the girl, Carol Ann.
- The vision twisted further, revealing Gertrude in her true, haggish form, presenting the very same lifeless evil doll to Carol Ann, promising eternal play. The doll’s head then turned, its cold, blue eyes locking onto the adventurers, a murderous grin twisting its features as a haunting lullaby filled the air. This terrifying vision confirmed the horrifying truth: the doll was somehow animated by the soul of the stillborn child.
Faced with the palpable evil emanating from the hospital and the resurrected threat of the doll, the adventurers made a resolute decision. They would cleanse this place of its lingering horrors, joining it to the fate of Montarthus Manor. Their intent was clear: burn both the hospital and the ruins of the manor to the ground, leaving nothing but ashes in their wake.
The tale concluded with the adventurers enacting their fiery plan, bringing a measure of destructive finality to the haunted grounds. Though one final, unseen child's drawing hinted at deeper, perhaps inescapable, tragedies, the immediate nightmare of the hospital and its evil doll had been consumed by flame. The adventurers had faced down not only spectral visions but also tangible threats, including malevolent nurses and tormented lunatics, underscoring the perilous nature of their return to the haunt. The Game Master hinted that even fire might not fully erase the lingering darkness, suggesting that the echoes of their terrifying experiences would likely endure.