Strawbundle is a straw doll with rusty pins sticking into its body, created by one of the Sewn Sisters (a trio of night hags) as a cruel plaything. The doll is animated through the implantation of a child’s soul, making it a Tiny construct with AC 10, 1 hit point, a walking speed of 10 feet, and immunity to poison damage and the poisoned condition. It has no attacks and cannot leave its chamber unless picked up and carried.
Role in the Adventure
Strawbundle serves as the primary spokesperson for the trio of hag dolls (the others being Clay No-Face and Joho), typically speaking first when adventurers encounter them. Despite being created by the hags, Strawbundle and the other dolls desperately want freedom from their captors and will warn adventurers about the Sewn Sisters’ imminent return.
Key Information Provided
Strawbundle can share crucial information with adventurers:
- The Sewn Sisters are three night hags (the dolls refuse to say their names aloud)
- The dolls were made from children’s souls and want freedom
- The hags are nursing some creature beyond the skeleton gate
- The hags have been torturing a “lookie-like” (doppelganger) in a cage to learn about the adventurers
The dolls also know important details about the skeleton gate: five skeleton keys are needed to unlock it, the keys wander the upper tomb levels, and five adjoining rooms (areas 72-76) contain trials that must be overcome to open the gate’s keyholes.
Magical Charm
If a character befriends Strawbundle, the trapped child’s soul bestows a magical charm (usable once per doll). Strawbundle’s Charm allows the possessor to cast etherealness as an action with no components required. After three uses, the charm vanishes. The character must have Strawbundle in their possession to use this ability.
Tragic Fate
Destroying Strawbundle causes the child’s soul within it to become trapped in the Soulmonger, making any attempt to “free” the doll through destruction ultimately harmful to the innocent soul within.