Ixsas' mage hand is able to untie the boat and gently guide it back towards your side. 

Quote from Weathervision >>

Ixsas' Valrieth's mage hand is able to untie the boat and gently guide it back towards your side. 

Once Valrieth and Zylo are able to wrangle a boat back to their side of the water, they can pull it up next to the pier, get in the boat, and then row for Bavlorna's hut at the center of the lake.  Val says, "We'll see whether she has lowered the stairs for visitors once we make into her cloud of fog."

Ideally, the party can make it to Bavlorna's hut without running into any bullywug boats on the lake.  While her "captors" row the boat toward the center of the lake, Val sits at the bow of the boat with her hands pretend-bound and keeps her eyes and ears open any sign of pursuit from the Sunken Palace, other boats on the lake, or any other hazards in the fog.  Perception: 16

The party rows the boat towards Bavlorna's home without interruption and the stairs are below the water.

"Here we are prisoner." Zylo says and goes to get out of the boat, almost tripping as he does so. He rights himself and looks around to see if anyone other than the party saw him. (Perception: 15)

Iali's passive perception is 13 so she misses Zylo's stumble. She looks around at Bavlorna's home, looking for any sign that they have been spotted. (perception 9).

She casts Detect Magic to see what barriers and other spells the hag has set up around her house.

Quote from Snievan >>

"Here we are prisoner." Zylo says and goes to get out of the boat, almost tripping as he does so. He rights himself and looks around to see if anyone other than the party saw him. (Perception: 15)

Valrieth laughs quietly at that epithet.  "I'm glad that I was only your prisoner," she says, smiling.  "Well, here I am again.  I hope that the Stars have not misled me and that this path leads to victory over the hag."  She sighs and looks seriously at both of her companions.  She offers them a final opportunity to leave: "If you enter this hut with me, it could prove deadly.  The hag and her Lornlings killed my other friends yesterday.  Now is your chance to step off the Path of this Quest and find a safer way home."

Assuming that both Iali and Zylo are still ready to fight Bavlorna and whatever horrors she has prepared for them, Val suggests: "If one of you has prepared Detect Magic, we should probably start with that.  Yesterday, the stairs were down like this, but there were magical wards upon them."

Val also confirms whether

1. they want to announce their arrival and bring her into the Bavlorna's hut as a prisoner. 
   • In that case, they should be able to use the stairs.
   • Hopefully, Bavlorna will have Valrieth brought before her before killing her, and the party can strike once they find the hag.
2. or they still prefer to sneak / break into Bavlorna's hut
   • In that case, they'll need to avoid setting off any magical wards or triggering any alarms.
   • They could try entering via the kitchen balcony where Bavlorna kept the satyr in a cage.  If they could get in that way, then it may get them right to Bavlorna more quickly.  (Val assumes that Bavlorna will probably be in her parlor.)
   • Once they get inside, they'll have to find the hag.  Val can help them sneak around with Pass Without Trace.
   • Val barely survived her last visit, and she hopes that it left Bavlorna confident and too lazy to prepare any other nasty surprises.  In any case, if they run into any guards or Lornlings after untying Val, their only option may be to fight room-to-room through Bavlorna's hut.

(OOC: Heh.  I cross-posted, but it seems we were thinking the same thing!)

Bavlorna's hut shimmers with magic as everything lights up. The most dominant is the azure aura of Abjuration. The Stairs beneath the waters are glow with magic with the purple  and red aura of Enchantment and Evocation. 

"Hmm, there is no reason for us to not deal with this problem. I have not lived my life safely thus far and if it is time to die, then my gods will take me home." Zylo grins as he speaks, "I am not very sneaky, but am willing to try if the two of you wish to only keep this sharid.." He pauses briefly, "..ruse up until we're inside and find a secret way in. I am also a spectacularly bad liar. My skills only lie in healing and hurting."

Quote from Weathervision >>

Bavlorna's hut shimmers with magic as everything lights up. The most dominant is the azure aura of Abjuration. The Stairs beneath the waters are glow with magic with the purple  and red aura of Enchantment and Evocation. 

Once Ialia reveals what she sees, Valrieth says, "Oh?!  Wow."  While that presents more of a problem for them, Val gets a little boost of confidence that Bavlorna is that worried about another attack.  "I guess I got her attention.  We must have nearly killed the hag yesterday if she put this much effort into protecting her hut."

Val asks Ialia whether she can see all the way up to the balcony, B6, or the cages outside the kitchen, B14, from the boat.  She wonders whether she could fly up there and drop a rope down for them to climb or whether the balconies are similarly protected.  (Map re-linked below.)

Given the level of magical protection and the fact that it's not only warding via abjuration but also evocation magic, Val suggests that maybe they should continue the charade.  "Er...ruse," with an almost apologetic glance toward Zylo.  "Otherwise, we're going to have to expend a lot of effort just to break through or work around all of these protections.  If you say that you're bringing me to Bavlorna, she'll probably drop the defenses and let us in."  That will make it harder to ensure that they're all able to get their spells, like Spirit Guardians or Entangle, running before Bavlorna and her minions have a chance to attack, but at least they won't trigger a Glyph of Warding or whatever else is protecting the hut.

Iali glances at Val, wide eyed. "You and your friends must have put her very much on her guard."

Can Iali see magic being used on the balcony without flying up there? (14 perception if needed)

If not, she will activate her wings and go up to take a look. 

"Let Iali work her magic." Zylo nods, "before we talk our way in, I am worried about both routes as I'm not great at either one, but if there's a safe way through without being immediately seen then it may be good to go that route since you've seen this place more than us and can give us heads up as we go."

The Balcony is safe of harmful magic though it was most likely formed by magic as there are still traces. The widows are closed and looking in you see no one.

"What do ya think, look like a better way in?" Zylo asks, glancing around a bit nervously.