After the battle, many cultists and goblins lay dead. Commander Illeva freed the prisoners from the cells in the basement. Belago was one of them, having been arrested for being seen talking to the party, as well as two others, but the party did not waste time talking to them. Finally, a dwarf family were released, the mother looking beaten up. They were the dwarves who had been guarding the bell tower for generations. Under torture, they had revealed the location of the mine where the legendary lindworm had been banished (it had been passed down in their family since the event). It was three hours to the east, in the foothills near by.
The party opted to set off immediately, in an attempt to stop Kagliostro , before he had chance to summon and take control of the monster. Illeva said she wouldn't leave the city, that she needed to guard it incase they failed in their attempt. Maddox asked for support, but Illeva said she needed all her people, however, Darda insisted on coming along, intent on revenge against Kagliostro for the death of Sister Garala, as well as his other misdeeds leading the Spawn of Symbar. They realised that almost all of Harabassas' Marauders were killed in the battle, thought Harabass and one ogre at least remained, however, about two dozen cultists have seen leaving the town with Kagliostro. On the way out of town, they noted the presence of the Blue Company still in the bell tower.
The party set off in pursuit after a short rest. Heading into the hills, they picked up on the sound of arguing. Sneaking up, it was Harabass and the remaining ogre, arguing with another five goblins, about whether they should continue to support Kagliostro, or leave the area. The lesser goblins seemed afraid of the lindworm, and the dark magic being used. Maddox used magic to throw a stone at the back of the ogres head. He immediately blamed the two goblins behind him, and whacked their heads together when they blamed each other, knocking them out cold. However, the remaining goblins stayed put, not leaving the clearing, blocking the way. The party tried to sneak up on them but Wulf made too much noise. A quick battle ensued, but the party made quick work of them, Lanky dishing out massive amounts of pain to goblins and ogre alike.
Soon they approached the entrance to the mine; it was easy enough to find with the directions they'd been given and the recent tracks. Sneaking up, they spotted a lone guard. They noticed he had horns and scales on his face. Maddox once again used some magic to send creepy messages into the cultists head. The plan worked, and he fled the scene. They continued on into the mine, only to be assaulted by another half dozen cultists who had been hiding better than the first guard. Again, it was an easy battle, though everyone had taken a scratch or two in these fights.
The mine only had one way and in the first chamber they came across were another half-dozen cultists, but all were facing the other way, seemingly watching what was happening deeper into the mine. Some strange chanting could be heard. Once again, Wulf tripped over himself and alerted the enemy. The battle was a bit tougher but still no trouble to the party.
They entered the final cavern. In front of them were twelve cultists. Five who were dressed in strange tribal attire including monster masks were performing a ritual in a circle around Kagliostro, the other six looking on. There was strange green light around the circle and at another point in the cavern. It appeared the were approaching the end of a ritual to summon Margamel, the lindworm. Darda said they would need to kill Kagliostro, or interrupt at least three of the five surrounding him. Maddox used the power of his magic cloak to cause at least half of the enemies in the room to be stunned, and this immediately halted the ritual, causing Kagliostro to anger.
The first job was done, but now they had a real fight on their hands. The lower level cultists charged forward with their spears, whilst the higher ranking ones flung magic missiles at the party--whenever they weren't stunned by Maddox's cloak. Kagliostro himself proved to be a formidable mystic, using thunder spells, misty step, larvae boil, and wall of flame. The party fought well, slaying many cultists but as the battle raged, things started to turn against them. Kagliostro could take a lot of hits without going down, and to make matters worse, all of these cultists had dark blood, causing them to heal wounds as they fought.
Lanky was first to go down, after dealing massive amounts of damage, Kagliostro cast a fire wall directly over him. Darda was next, and the enemies finished her of whilst down, extinguishing her life in an instant. There were only three cultists left when Maddox and Wulf were both put down, with Kagliostro bleeding out but somehow surviving. Lanky managed to stabalise, and Maddox and Wulf neared their last breath. Just as things were looking grim, a pair of arrows zipped through the entrance, finishing off the sorcerer and his remaining high level cultist. One of Illeva's guards along with a Blue Company member had arrived in the nick of time. Illeva felt guilty about refusing help and sent her most trusted lieutenant, as well as paying for one of the mercenaries to join him.
The town was saved-the party had prevented the lindworm from being released by stopping the ritual in its tracks. It turned out somewhere between five and ten percent of the adult population were in the cult, but it seems they had now been rooted out. Any captured were soon given the Lords justice and put to the sword. The party couldn't help but feel defeated, given the death of Edira's sister, Darda, even though the people of Kastor saw them as heroes. They traipsed back the Thistle Hold, heads hung low. They received 50 thaler each for their efforts. Despite her sorrow, Edira could see that good had been done, and honoured her contract to Hurst. Darda died valiantly, playing a crucial role in getting vengeance against Kagliostro and his cultists.