Sparlock's Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Valji nods and stops in the intersection, whispering to Ski, "Follow this tunnel with the others and don't look back at me...it's going to get a little bright - and hot - back here..."

He will wait in the intersection until his hearing, or sight, gives him a positive location of the followers. Once he is fairly certain where they are, he casts a firebolt towards them. He will immediately turn and run after the others. "You wanted me to torch 'em, right? Cause if you didn't, then I'm not going to be your partner for charades at the tavern..."

Advantage Attack (hidden): 15 Damage: 5

"Well, I was thinking more igniting some oil on the ground and running, but this works too..."

As the group runs away from the intersection where Valji waits to launch a firebolt, Darvin casts minor illusion to create a static duplicate image of Valji just off the intersection in the opposite direction from where they are heading.

A stifled scream sounds from further down the corridor then stops. 

"Did you see that? It came from ahead!"

"They killed Kenny! Those bastards!"

As the party flees, they see the light of the cultists torches heading up. There is the sound of an attempt to scuffle with the image.

"An illusion! They must be close! We can't let them get away!"

6

Guessing where the party went, the group of cultists heads down the wrong tunnel of the two remaining. Sounds of footsteps disappear into the distance.

"That was a close one," Darvin whispers after letting out a gasp. "Maybe we should, ah, use the map this time."

Once the cultists are a safe-seeming distance away, he pulls out the map, relights a torch, and backs up Skiaceq in the latter's attempts to lead the party to the north exit (double checking the aarakocra's suggested turns against the map). [Thinking this would count as helping Ski with subsequent survival checks]

Relieved to see the danger pass, Skiaceq exhales. Another fight may break his spirit. “Thank the skies for you, Valji.”

He reviews the map with Darvin before deciding on a path, this time determined not to let the desperation get to him.

Survival with bootleg advantage: 12, 17

Winding your way back to the entrance of the tunnel, the party eventually finds itself at the opening, finding signs of further scuffling. The arrow filled corpse of a cultist makes its final resting place in the center of the cavern, and Spike, Otto, and Lefty lie unconscious on the ground, Otto still in the same place that Skiaceq left him. Seeing the unconscious villagers, Lissandra rushes forward from one to the other. "They're alive, but just barely... this one has been well treated, however," she says, referencing Otto's bandaged wounds.

A light emanates from her hand as she touches Spike and Lefty in turn. The two begin to stir as the magic takes hold. 

If you'd like to continue controlling your pet NPCs, feel free. As you may have surmised, they lost to the cultists you just encountered before being forced to retreat.

No sense of freedom waits for Skiaceq on the surface. He stands at the cave mouth, surveying the aftermath of battle. “I was afraid of this,” he mutters to himself. Out of guilt or seeking absolution—it’s hard to know which—he tells himself that taking Eadyan with him was the right call after all.

He silently joins Lissandra in her ministrations. The least that can be done at this stage.

"Can you move? We need to get away from here in case those goons come back out..." Valji says, looking back into the cavern. "I'm sorry about your kin and friends. Their deaths were not in vain - we were able to recover the artifact the cultists are looking for! But they're gonna be pretty upset when they find out it's missing, so..."

Valji will look for a good place to hide as they move - out of the way, hidden from sight, close to water, and with an escape route. Survival: 7

Spike and Lefty rouse. 'What happened? Last I remember we were fighting cultists... Did we win?" Spike looks around, seeing Lefty and Otto. 'Where are the others? They must've retreated... I think I saw them running before everything went black."

Valji looks out into the thick woods, finding the only clearing where they would be clearly seen by anyone who approaches. This way.

“I’m glad you all survived,” says Skiaceq to Lefty and Otto. “Let’s meet with the others.”

Valji lunges ahead in a direction that makes Skiaceq’s heart skip a beat. “Wait!” he squawks, teaching a hand out to grab the gnome’s shoulder.

Survival: 21

“This way,” he says, gesturing along a safer route with plenty of cover.

"Oh...I guess you're right. It looked pretty good from down here - I guess you have a bird's eye view of things, though!" Valji says and follows his friend.

"Yes, this does look like a safer route," Darvin says. "Let's make haste back to the keep; we need to get our tiefling friend under guard, tend to our wounds and those of these brave guards, and get some rest."

OoC: What happened with Red, Dolores and Big Teeth?

"Sure is quiet in this part of the woods..."

Darvin pulls out his viol, preparing to play a little jig, but then remembers that the group is trying to stay hidden and puts it away, opting to twiddle his thumbs instead.

The sun is beginning to set as the party approaches the back entrance of the keep. About halfway up the tunnel, it looks like one of the retreating troops collapsed and had to be dragged the rest of the way, and soon enough you find yourself back in the basement. "They must have headed off to the infirmary," Lefty says. "I need to head there myself. Y'all gonna talk to the Governor? "

Sorry... been a busy week.

"Yes, I think we should. We need to find somewhere secure to leave this prisoner, and need some rest before we do anything else too strenuous."

"Yes...a rest and a hot meal will surely be nice! And I need to study the things we found a little more..." Valji chips in.

"I'm sure it's nothing the rest of the guard can't handle. Maybe you should talk to the Governor?