“Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders!"

The marionettes, some jumbled on the floor in heaps where Ben and Matilda have cut and left them, some still hanging, continue to scream without pause. They ignore Titaani's masquerade as Stagefright.

“Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders!"

"Darn! Well, it was worth a try," Titaani sighs, dropping her illusion. Somewhat defeatedly, she goes over and picks up the same marionette from earlier, trying to assess what arcane trick was used to turn it into a little wooden alarm. "How do you work, anyway?"

Arcana: 7

Matilda begins dragging two marionettes out towards the balcony....

Ben:

”Let’s not kill them unless we have to,” says Ben to Matilda, “assuming they are alive to begin with.  The marionette we found below seemed sentient enough.”

(Does Ben think taking some fabric and stuffing into their mouths will stop the sound, or is it more magical in nature?  If he thinks it might help, he will try gagging one).

" They don't seem very alive....can I at least shove them in a cupboard?"

“Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders! Intruders!"

Matilda drags a pair of marionettes toward the edge of the balcony.

Titaani examines the arcane nature of the marionettes – they seem to be inert, and not sentient, other than whatever magic compels them to scream.

Ben finds that he can gag them by winding the iron wires around their jaws. But it's time-consuming.

Suddenly:
Whack! Whack!  Skylla – still dressed as Charmay – materializes out of nowhere, popping into visibility as she levitates over the edge of the balcony. She swings a tall staff at Matilda, twice.

Eldritch Staff Attack #1 vs. Matilda: 21 Hit: 5 bludgeoning damage, plus 12 lightning damage.
Eldritch Staff Attack #2 vs. Matilda: 6 Hit: 5 bludgeoning damage.

She then drifts ten feet up. "Where is Endelyn?" she booms.

Matilda may act (and may also use her reaction for an opportunity attack as Skylla drifts away.) (Everyone else is surprised in this initial round.)

Rizzo flies in to alert Pud.

Then, everyone should roll initiative.

(Remember that the map is in 10 foot squares; only Matilda, Pud, and Elkhorn are within 30 feet, currently.)

" Wow....your old and slow.", said matilda as she easily avoided the attacks.

Then added some of her own...

Initiative- 25

Attack- Attack: 18 Damage: 7

BA- Hide.

AoO- Attack: 9 Damage: 6

Ben:

Hearing a new voice enter the cacophony of ‘Intruder’ calls, Ben turns just in time to see Skylla attack Matilda.

Initiative:  3

Rizzo buzzes in screeching, doing loops and barrel rolls. Pud snaps to attention looking towards doorway and yells "Guys, somethings up outside!"

Pud's initiative: 19

(( Horatio initiative 13 ))

Matilda manages to slash Skylla painfully as she retreats, but her second knife flies wide, clattering on the floor below the machine.
"...And you are an insolent little brat whose eyes will be baked into buttons," she retorts, wincing from her wound.

Initiative:
Skylla: 11
Matilda: 21
Pud: 19
Horatio: 13
Ben: 3
Titaani: 
Elkhorn: 18

Matilda and Pud (both not far away) and Horatio (40' distant) may act, as may Titaani (also 40' distant) if she rolls initiative equal to or higher than 6. 

Skylla is levitating 10-15 above the balcony, over the edge of the machine. (No melee attacks will reach her unless you are very tall or have 10'+ reach.)

Initiative: 7

OOC: On my next post, I'll use the Alchemical Savant feature to add a bonus of +3 to my next spell attack.

Alchemical Savant

Whenever you cast a spell using your alchemist’s supplies as the spellcasting focus, you gain a +3 bonus to one roll of the spell. That roll must restore hit points or be a damage roll that deals acid, fire, necrotic, or poison damage.

Pud draws his magical multitool and rushes down the hallway. As soon as Skylla is within view, he points his multitool at his target and yells "Hey, Chaaaarmaaaay! Eat this!

With a flick and flourish of his wrist, a sickly green lash of energy shoots towards the warlock. He then yells "Get 'er Rizzo!!!"

Move: Pud moves just enough to see Skylla. IF he has any more movement, he will move to the north side of the corridor and hug the wall.

Action: Cast Ray of Sickness at level 2. 29 for 9 poison damage. Target must make a DC 15 Con save or she's poisoned until the end of my next turn.

Bonus Action: Rizzo makes a force attack. 13 for 3 force damage

Titaani uses her full movement to get closer to Charmay, and, assuming the door is open and she can see her, will shoot two eldritch blasts at the levitating woman. "Give up now, Charmay! Endelyn is dead and I'm clearly a better warlock than you!" 

Blast 1: To hit: 21 Damage: 13

Blast 2: To hit: 23 Damage: 9

(it's two blasts because at 5th level it changes to two beams, I've just been forgetting to include the second one)

Crit damage on the second one: 8

Matilda threw two daggers at the hovering form.

" Silly old biddy, we already got rid of one of your team members....now its your turn."

Attack: 16 Damage: 8

Attack: 8 Damage: 2

A ray of sickening greenish energy lashes out from Pud. (DC15 CON Save: 13)

Titaani fires twin beams of crackling purple energy, catching the levitating warlock full in the face. Skylla falls backward.

Before Matilda can even release her daggers, Skylla plummets into the whirling machine, where she is subsequently struck by lightning (43 lightning damage.)

There is little left of this evil member of the League of Malevolence to hit the floor – other than her staff, which clatters on the stone somewhere below.

Combat is over.

" Wow. That was really violent...."

" So who wants that staff? Oh....and what was with that wardrobe......we should probably check everything in the puppet room first....."

Doing her best to ignore the screaming puppets she began searching the entire room for traps and hidden doors and hiding places.

Investigation- 5

Perception- 20