When we left our heroes, they were in the midst of battle in the Wayside Inn, battling the leftover undead, as well as the Wraiths who were far more intelligent and formidable foes, able to create Specters from the broken souls of those they killed. The Wraith facing Pine was almost destroyed by the tabaxi clerics aura but before it vanished it landed a palpable hit that left the cleric hurt and weakened. Down at the basement, Effie demonstrated her aptitude with the rapier as with two quick thrusts she destroyed a specter. By her side Siax gravely wounded another one of the ghostly specters with Backes Dunfield finishing it off with his silver dagger. Finally Idris ran up to the remaining Wraith which was trying to phase through the wall and destroyed it with his flaming blade.
In the aftermath, the surviving villagers huddled around in fear, not daring to make a noise lest they attract more undead. However with a show of confidence Idris went through the inn and brought hope back to the hearts of everyone present. Such was the warriors charisma that the near death experiences of the folks there turned from trauma to joy at being alive. Effie ordered a tankard and with that the tension in the inn was no more. People started making repairs and recovering from the ordeal as it became clear that no further attacks seemed forthcoming. It was initially unclear who the contact that Lord Dagult Neverember had sent was. However, during a conversation between Siax and the elven lady who had summoned fire from thin air called Arya she pointed out that the most likely person to be the contact was the leather clad half-elf, who had been playing her flute as a temporary member of Tarbin and the Troublemakers while playfully watching the attempts the group was making to find her.
Now discovered she sat down with the group, telling them that she had indeed been send by Lord Dagult Neverember to assist them in eradicating the cult. To do so she brought knowledge of the town of Leilon and a lead about a group of bandits that had been causing a lot of destruction in the area possibly linked to the mysterious cult in the Mere Of Dead Men. She explained that this group tended to burn down everything they left behind and as such they would be easy to track. Finding them would be the best way to find out more about the cult. Others also had things to say to the group, with the Inn owner, Martisha Vinetalker, asking Idris to help her make a trade contract with Leilon, the smith, Teega, spending time discussing armour with Ghelryn, Factoré, and Idris the later ending up practicing his smithing skills for a while after. Arya mainly watched everything that was going on with much curiosity, while Pine spent time gathering the dead for a mass ceremony and burial, both of those villagers killed, but also the bodies of the undead that had attacked. Try as he might he could not put the tortured souls of the spectrified folks to rest. The night passed without incident, although the weakness that Pine had suffered at the hands of the wraith had not mended. The following day the group, as well as the additions of the bard Tarben and his remaining band members, 'Tarben and the Troublemakers', as well as some of those from the Inn, made their way to Leilon.
It was several days on the road, but eventually about a mile from the town, the group came across about a hundred people all milling around. It seemed as though Leilon had been evacuated after mysterious assailants had come from the shallow water that the town looked upon. It hadn't been the first time, but this attack seemed the worst in recent memory. Apparently the cultists had been staying in town almost like they were searching for something, but on this attack they had also taken hostages too. Valdi, an elderly half-elf described the assailants and mentioned they controlled the waters of the swamp itself, riding it into the town proper. It was clear to the group that these assailants matched the description of members of the Cult of Talos, Pine reminding the others that they had seen the "Gadrille the Reef Reaver", who was meant to be a leader of the cult in the area.
While they learned this information they some of the leading figures of the Leilon settlers. Grizzelda Copperwraught, a dwarven woman who seemed to be the most in charge was eager to go back and rescue the folk who had been kidnapped while Hazz Yorrum the Sergeant responsible for the squad of Neverwinter guards who were stationed here thought that keeping the majority of people safe was the priority. Before the group could make a decision however there was an additional problem. Rhogar Merrygold, a white dragonborn who seemed to have been key at helping organize the people to evactuate alerted everyone that two of the children had gone missing en route and that they should be found as a priority.
This proved a trivial task however as Effie shucked off any seriousness and performed a light-hearted jig along the road, luring out the children from where they had hidden in a tree. Children safe, and no other matters pressing, the five group members, plus Tarben tagging along for bardic inspiration, headed towards Leilon after Siax confirmed the presence of the attackers still in the town. Worryingly, there seemed to be a floating ship sailing through the streets. Although the group had made some attempt to be stealthy in their approach, the two plate-wearing members of the party were the tactic's downfall, and soon the Talos cult came to them, two of them riding horses made of water, while the rest were aboard a ship sailing on a wave of water that seemed conjured by those riding it.
Pine, holding off the worst of the weather with his amulet, teleported onto the ship next to the captain, and then shoved the spellcaster next to him off the side of it. As she fell, the protection around the ship faltered and failed. From then it was a fury of attacks, with the huge ship moving far faster than expected, knocking people out the way. Idris and Effie took on the mounted riders, one of whom had gathered the spellcaster, while Arya changed herself into a giant spider and climbed the ship, while Siax entangled the cultists on the prow of the ship and killed the captain next to Pine. The cleric, who had seemed to recognize Pine, struggled to land a hit, but with the captain dead, the boat tipped, and Pine was temporarily trapped under it, making him lose concentration as the storms seemed to gather more. Soon only the two mounted riders remained. After a swift discussion in an unknown language, the two riders turned and dashed back towards the town, abandoning their dead, and leaving the group slightly battered but triumphant.
One thing that they don't mention in the sagas is how fast adventurers move! I am burdened only with my pen and books and yet the warriors ahead of me are lightly jogging while fully armored. One of them is wielding a bow as big as a man! Note to self; work on cardio.