TL;DR
The party ventured further into the hideout, finding Merin's bow
The cloaked knights from the ship and the bandits arrived, and as you retreated you lost Seamus in his drunken stupor.
You escaped in a hidden passage around the bandits to the entrance of the cavern, tying up a cloaked knight you found there.
You ran through the heavy rain to a hidden cavern led by Merin, where you took a long rest, waiting out the storm. During this time you got to know each other a little better, and discovered that the cloaked knights were likely soldiers from the Adragast family in Pallam.
You made your way back to Tevari Port Town and back to Merin's house, where William finally awoke and gave you a reward, alongside identifying some of the items you discovered on your quest.
You headed back to Advar's tavern, where you made plans to move on to Madrioc.
In the morning, you visited the docks, and found a ship that could take you to the mainland.
Last time…
Gostragine 19th, 951; late afternoon
The party was gathered in the main hall of the bandit hideout.
Merin chose to venture futher into the caves, looking to find her bow. She carried William on her back. The party followed, with the exception of Kradva and Seamus, the latter of which was much too drunk to do much of anything.
Encountering a large cast iron door, the party decided to investigate it. Grognock attempted to chop the door handle off with his hand, but to no avail. Phaelnah investigated the patterns on the door’s surface as Eugene and Wander tried to pick the complex lock, but the door wouldn’t budge.
Continuing on, the party encountered the hideout’s barracks, which housed many beds, as well as a large dining hall. A cast iron door similar to the first one was seated in the back of the dining room.
Further still, the party went down another hall filled with many rooms; Wander entered one, grabbing a frying pan on a table. Eventually, the party came upon a room filled with various weapons. The party located Merin’s bow, as well as some arrows, and an iron buckler for Leadbelly.
As the party began to retreat, Wander decided to have another crack at the iron door; however, the door began to thump, as if being beat from the other side. The party decided to hasten their retreat, but as they moved towards the exit of the cave, they heard a smattering of footsteps and voices from that direction, growing louder and more numerous by the second. Thinking fast, the party moved to the back room as the iron door busted open, and a familiar legion of cloaked soldiers moved into the hall. Kradva began to foot it as his fight or flight kicked in, but Seamus succumbed to his inebriation and fell over, his form quickly being swallowed by the hoard of bandits coming in, their last sight before they closed the door.
Soon, the party heard the clashing of steel, and decided they needed to find a way to escape. Eugene located a false stone wall, and pried it off with the help of Journey; the group piled into the dark, with Phaelnah casting light onto the unconscious William. Wander expertly replaced the stone façade, and the group made their way through the winding passage.
They finally exited the passage into a small room, which contained a runic pattern on the wall, the same runes that Phaelnah had investigated earlier. Journey touched the sigils after determining their safety, and as the magic probed her mind, the stone melted to the sides to reveal the storeroom from before. Sneaking out behind the bandit horde, the group headed towards the mouth of the cavern, and found a singular cloaked guard, who immediately spotted them. Frozen in fear, Leadbelly took the moment to tie the knight up, and Wander frisked a small bag from his pocket. Outside, rain was pouring heavily.
The party followed Merin to a hidden cave, where they chose to wait out the rain, so they could move in the darkness. They took some time to get to know each other.
Merin revealed that the mysterious cloaked knights were from Adragast, likely led by the firstborn son, Zerist Adragast. She also mentioned that many years ago, after a coup in Pallam, she was set to be married to him.
The party settled in for a long rest, with Wander and Phaelnah taking watch. The time passed without incident as the rain stopped and night fell. The group gathered their belongings and headed to Marcston, where they managed to get a ferry back to Tevari Port Town.
Upon arriving, they headed to William and Merin's house, where the old mapmaker finally awoke. He could not recall the events that transpired during his possession, but at Merin's word, gave the party a reward nevertheless. He also identified numerous magic items for the party.
The party went back to Madrioc.
Gostragine 20th, 951; morning
In the morning, they negotiated passage on a trading ship as Leadbelly bought some rope from an eccentric merchant.