“I would worry about missing some… could we cleanse and consecrate this space as a grave?” Quillary is looking for solutions out of the box, or urn.

Drusk normally has a merry mood, but this time he gives Jorin the stink eye, and does a face-palm.

"The maid Sarah seemed very devoted to the mother and the 3 children. Since she is buried in the City of the Dead, I think the ashes should be buried next to Sarah's remains. (Along with her diary.)"

(Looking at Jorin's smithing tools.) "Jorin, why don't you hammer out that dent, to get that urn close to its original shape. And since you'll be carrying it, don't leave any sharp edges. When it is close to true, then Hildigrim can use his Mending to make sure there aren't any leaks."
(Think of the urn like a soda can. Jorin smashed a big dent in the side, which pushed some of the ashes out of the top, but he did not flatten the can.)

"Quillary, if you will help me get those push brooms from the "janitors" in the temple, we can gather up the spilled ashes. It will take some time, but I suspect that we would otherwise be waiting for Hildigrim to finish browsing the books here and in the other rooms." (Quillary's spore cloud can act like a Dyson cyclone cleaner, to help get the fine ashes that would be a problem for a big broom.)

In the time it takes to repair the urn and gather the ashes (making sure not to include any Lord Viallis bits near the crater), Hildigrim finishes his document inventory.

• (Secret library, this room) - Books and scrolls contain arcane formulas, alchemical recipes, ritual instructions, and lore about the Outer Planes, half of which is written in Deep Speech. Also some journals written by Lord Viallis.
• (temple observatory room / cargo container) - Collection of debased literature, dark mythology, studies of aberrant magic, and mad treatises on elder gods. It can be sold (although you'd have to find a buyer creepy enough to want it), or it would make good bartering material for the next Candlekeep visit.
• (office area northern part of temple) - The books appear to be registries of purchases, as well as lists of items and people. These documents in Faerl's handwriting have nothing to do with the cult’s activities, but look important at a glance. Hildigrim guesses that Lord Viallis left them here to test loyalty of the cultists, if any of these documents went missing.
• (Viallis' personal study room, west of the entrance hall) - The book Retribution of the Ancients has a number of wizard spells inside, since Viallis was using it as his spell book. Most are too high for Hildigrim to use, but that wouldn't stop him from wanting to copy them out. (You also know that Candlekeep would be interested in the book.) In the desk drawers are the equivalent of 400 gp of paper, rare inks, and other writing materials that can be used for spell book copying.

OH, for whatever reason i was thinking of a clay urn that broke when i knocked it over.  Jorin is totally happy to fix the damage he did to a metal urn.  In fact, he'll do his absolute best.

(I mentioned “golden urn”, but you are right that it could have been clay with gold paint or gilded. Sorry for the confusion.

But you can imagine my double-take when read that Jorin decided to vent his frustration on the urn. Heh.)

Quillary readily assents to this plan, using her spore cloud to blow and gather and corral the ashy remains.

OOC > I had considered this myself, but didn’t want to add non-canon functionality to the spore cloud by myself. I’m cool with this being a non-game-changing feature of a cloud of swirling spores. 😁

Hildigrim pouts. "I want them all," he complains. "Do you think we can rent a horse and wagon?"

(OOC - If this was combat or some adventure-related puzzle, I probably wouldn't let Quillary vacuum up the dust. But since the party has time, and this is flavor text for an amusing situation, I think magic should have practical uses beyond combat.)

Jorin is sweating a bit, as the work to fix the urn was difficult due to (1) the amount of damage he did, and (2) the urn still being mostly filled with cremated ash forcing him to be delicate.

He barely has time to rest when Hildigrim looks him in the face with puppy-dog eyes.
The cultists were doing work on the tower and the surrounding lands. A lot of equipment was lying around, including wagons and hand carts.
Surely it wouldn't be too much effort for Jorin to bring one of the hand carts down 30' of stairs, load it up with books, and push it back up the stairs to the surface.
And then push it back to Greenfast...

Quillary looks up from where she has been crouching in the dust. Her cheeks are streaked with tears, making tracks down her ash-covered face. But she blinks a happy smile. "Push? Why would we push? I can pull it, once we have it outside." She looks around her. "But this room is too small for a draft horse."

Jorin looks down at Hildigrim and, with a small sigh, nods, before heading up and out to fetch a suitable means of carriage for the books and bring it down.

Athletics? 26

(Wrapping up this adventure, but I'm breaking up the events, so it isn't a massive info dump, and so you have a chance to role-play a bit.)

Jorin gets a wagon/cart down the stairs.
Hildigrim offers some assistance to Jorin, in the form of some spoken advice as Help. ("Don't trip on the stairs.")
The wagon is loaded up.

Quillary gets the Ring of the Ram , which is currently empty of charges. (The ring can alter its size to fit its user, so Quillary can chose to wear the ring when shape-shifted to a beast with finger-like claws.)

There are more cult members, but not in the immediate vicinity. The journals indicate that Viallis only has a few of his most trusted underlings around when he does gruesome rituals like summoning Grells from prisoner corpses. The ones that are not brainwashed enough were given a rest day today. And there are still packs of thugs prowling the Trade roads, looking for more potential sacrifices.

Quillary has pity on Jorin, and becomes a draft horse to pull the wagon on the country roads.
The party gets back to Greenfast without incident.

Hildigrim looks down from the stack of books he's riding atop. He's been going through Viallis's journal again. "I don't feel right about leaving while there're still cultists about with the potential to continue wreaking havoc. We should talk to the mayor, perhaps get some law enforcement involved, and squash the stragglers. Removing their source of knowledge should keep the cult from flaring up again, but breaking the spirits of those who don't yet know could save the town some trouble."

Jorin also feels some kind of way about leaving the village knowing that more cultists are out and about.  Maybe for downtime, Jorin would stay back a couple days and help the local authorities slaughter deal with the remaining cultists they can find.

Quillary and Jorin are eager to bash more cultists, but Hildigrim is eager to return back to the Road's End to read more of these books in more comfortable settings.
The authorities are grateful for the offer, but Mayor Kara Firenni insists that they handle it. ("We to redeem ourselves for allowing this evil to fester in our midst.")
Besides, the freed prisoners need escorts back to Waterdeep, as they still are not fully recovered from their ordeal.
And Drusk wants to take care of the ashes of Lady Maria and her children as soon as possible, so their souls and Sarah can be free to rest.

The mayor reveals the contents of Viallis's journal, and the testimony of Faerl (in return for not being executed). Learning about the actions of the Burnt Tongue Cult shocks the folk of Greenfast and neighboring communities. They undertake the process of clearing out the cult site, making what restitution they can to Viallis’s victims, and collapsing the tower to seal off the entrance to the temple. The attacks along the Trade Way drop off immediately. The farm folk are grateful to your party for their actions, and vow to become more watchful for unseen threats.

The cult is no more. Because Viallis shared none of his magical knowledge with his followers, and since the Retribution of the Ancients and most of the notes have vanished (Hildigrim smiles innocently), any cultists who might have escaped have no connection to Gaernoo or the entity’s power.  

Kara and her sister Yaeda are reunited and have reconciled. Spending time together pulling weeds in the garden and growing flowers helps them deal with the recent horrors.
Young Fargo takes a little longer to realize how bad the cult was, since he was a new initiate, and wasn't exposed to the worst of the cult’s depravities. In time, he is able to come to terms with what he has done and make amends. A grateful Old Fargo offers the party the hospitality of the Bulging Cauldron, free of charge, whenever they pass through Greenfast.

 On the way back to Waterdeep with the rescued prisoners, Drusk gets to ask Sir Vecken of the Broken Horn how he ended up in that cell, when he normally lives in Waterdeep.
The day before, he ran into Arnulf, the butler for the Falgarst Manor (formerly the Yellowcrest Manor). Arnulf said he had a secret that he would tell Vecken. He had just found out that Lord Viallis had raised an army of ghosts to avenge the unsolved murder of his family, and that they were led by Sarah the maid, clad in plate armor and a berserker battle-axe. Arnulf was very insistent that no one else be told of these events, lest they be swept up in the tragedy of the the Yellowcrest family.

(In hindsight, Vecken thought it was odd that Arnulf was walking clumsily, holding an almost empty bottle of wine, and that Arnulf staggered to the next closest person to talk to them in private. But Vecken was too distraught at the thought of his beloved Sarah being a ghost to dwell on that.)

Vecken then rushed towards Greenfast, to find out from Faerl if he knew anything about Sarah and the ghost army. He left half a day after your party did. Traveling alone on the Trade Way in the dark, he was easy prey to be captured and knocked unconscious by the thugs collecting sacrifices for the cult.

 Your party arrives back to the Road's End late that evening. After finishing the dinner service, Pascal listens to the tale of your recent adventures. His logical lizard-mind is not as upset as yours about the evil of the cult, but he still gives a grunt of satisfaction when he hears how the cult was destroyed.

The next day, Quillary is able to find out where Sarah is laid to rest in the City of the Dead, and arranges for a nearby mausoleum to be used for the ashes of Lady Maria and her three children. (All expenses were paid by the citizens of Greenfast.) Drusk picks out Ceremony and other appropriate cleric spells for the ceremony. As the ashes are interred to the hallowed ground, the spectral forms of Lady Maria, Malik, Janus, and Tianna materialize before you. In silence, Lady Maria hugs her three children close to her as she meets each of your gazes. Sarah’s ghost appears, her connection to the diary broken as her quest is fulfilled. The five spirits then vanish, their forms scattering like flower petals on the wind.

Vecken asked to witness the ceremony, and he weeps upon seeing Sarah again. He thanks the Road Enders for what they’ve done after all the spirits have passed on. If the party needs the  services of a (semi-retired) paladin, Vecken promises to help if he can. 

(The last post wrapped up the Candlekeep adventure. If you have any questions or comments, speak up.
This post is for the brief downtime before the next module starts.
If there are other things you want to do, speak up.

You are still 8th level. Everyone remember to take a Long Rest to reset your character stats.)

Jorin grabbed the pair of cracked driftglobes from the temple. They are now upstairs in your manor.
He discovers that, rather than responding to a command word, clapping your hands will make them turn on or off.
(Youtube video of the Clapper, which us old folk remember with fondness and fear.)

There was also jewelry recovered from the cultists. They were not magic or cursed, but the design was in bad taste (images of Gaernoo). Jorin melted them down, and sold off the gold bars. (500 gp added to the communal party funds, and there was a celebratory wake at the restaurant after the ceremony freeing the ghosts.)

Hildigrim still has the arcane notes taken from the cultists, and the tome Retribution of the Ancients. Everyone is uneasy with the writings. Hildigrim promises to donate them to the Candlekeep library at some point, but the party notices that he is still going through them. (Just being academically interested, but someone could mistakenly think that Hildi is being mind controlled by evil books.)

The tome has 3 spells for levels 1 through 5. The higher level spells are currently incomprehensible (which is why Hildigrim is still holding onto the book), but he can copy the following spells into his own spell book if he doesn't already have them:
(1st level) mage armor, magic missile, shield; (2nd level) darkness, misty step, suggestion

Quillary is spending her time as usual: some shifts at the City of the Dead, some visits to the city aviary.
She has also been reading up about the organizations and factions in the city, although she seems to be focused on the Bregan D’aerthe (Drow rebel and mercenary organization).

Drusk finished up his training, and now has proficiency with Brewing.
He has created some space in the cellar for brewing beer, but it will be a while before he can obtain the right equipment. And then he will have to fill out the paperwork for the Vintners’, Distillers’, and Brewers’ Guild before making beer for the restaurant.

(Amazing wrap up, thank you! I have nothing to add.)

OOC: LOL @ the Clapper. My parents would put one on the Christmas tree every year because the plug was behind the tree, so clapping the lights on and off was easier than climbing behind the tree. When the whole family got together to open presents (I am the youngest of five, and all of my siblings were married by the time I was in my early teens, so Christmas was always a big affair), the lights would usually go off a few times just from laughter or the little kids screaming or something. Then, the clapping would start. At least all of the little kids would start clapping (usually a few adults would join in), but it wouldn't work because everyone's claps were ill timed together. It would sound like popcorn popping. Finally, someone would tell everyone to stop, and they would clap properly so the lights would come back on.

Hildigrim is energized by the ceremony. He stands at the others' feet, clutching the diary to his narrow chest, and blinking at his stinging in his eyes. (Does Sarah's handwriting persist in the diary, or does it disappear again?) Though he doesn't say anything, he vows to protect the diary and to keep it as a treasure in his library.

At the celebration following, the halfling spends most of the time in Vecken's company peppering him with questions and encouraging the paladin to tell story after story. In the end, Hildi begs the old man to come back to the Road's End often and to bring adventuring friends with him.

Wizard math:

Begin with 10 days and 400 gp of paper and inks
Transcribe 3 1st level spells into first spellbook = 6 hours and 150 gp of paper and inks
Transcribe 3 2nd level spells into first spellbook = 12 hours and 300 gp of paper and inks
Transcribe 3 1st level spells into second spellbook = 3 hours and 30 gp of paper and inks
Transcribe 3 2nd level spells into second spellbook = 6 hours and 60 gp of paper and inks

He decides to not borrow so much from the party's funds and refrains from copying darkness into his spellbooks.

Begin with 10 days and 400 gp of paper and inks
Transcribe 3 1st level spells into first spellbook = 6 hours and 150 gp of paper and inks
Transcribe 2 2nd level spells into first spellbook = 8 hours and 200 gp of paper and inks
Transcribe 3 1st level spells into second spellbook = 3 hours and 30 gp of paper and inks
Transcribe 2 2nd level spells into second spellbook = 5 hours and 50 gp of paper and inks

So, Hildi will use 22 hours (let's say 3 days), all of the 400 gp of paper and inks they found in Greenest, and will need to procure 30 gp of paper and inks to finish the job. He has 10 gp, and will need to borrow 20 from the party's funds to finish the job.

He takes one morning to go over the Road's End's books and to tour the facility with Fanny to make sure everything is up to snuff. While they are meeting, he comments to the earth genasi, "I imagine if the Road's End had something unusual to draw in customers — something to advertise that would pique interest — it would help with business. The Yawning Portal has ... the yawning portal. Adventurers travel from all over the Coast just to witness parties descending into its dark depths. I've been contemplating our options, and especially after (the day the ceremony took place)'s events, I wonder if the answer is right in front of us." He gives the big woman a sly grin, leans in a little closer, and continues more quietly. "Many a poet compares life to a road. So, the Road's End could be a poetic reference to life's end. What do you find at the end of life? Sometimes ... ghosts." Hildi leans back, his eyes enlarging dramatically. He pauses — practically vibrating — to watch Fanny's mind contemplate his suggestion. But before she can speak, he continues, waving an arm. "We already have Lif. What if we convinced a few more friendly ghosts to work here?" He slides out of his chair and begins pacing. "Ghosts are highly attracting. Who doesn't find them fascinating? Can't you just imagine the floating trays, the floating mugs, the floating ... " He stutters to a halt and finally looks up at Fanny with a grin. "All the floating things?" He throws both arms into the air triumphantly. "It will be advertising gold! Don't you think?!"

He spends the rest of his down time going through the Greenest books and figuring out which he should keep in his own library and which he could try to sell in Waterdeep to make some money. Anything dangerous, he'll keep. In the back of his mind, he wonders if he should check in with the family, but decides it wasn't too long ago that he stopped in, so he decides to keep reading. 

(In response to the post describing Hildigrim's downtime activities...)

Drusk takes 30 GP out of party funds, so Hildigrim still has his own spending money.
(The group has plenty in reserve, especially after Jorin melted down the gold jewelry, and everyone wants to encourage Hildi's studies.)

Things are quiet for the next half-ten-day, so Hildigrim has time to copy over those 5 spells (over 4 days), and with a break day in the middle spent visiting the family.
They are doing well. (No bugbear visits since he last stopped by.)

Sarah's diary, words intact, sits in the common room bookshelf on the 2nd floor, in a prominent place so all can browse through it.
(The creepy, disgusting books that Viallis used for entertainment are NOT kept in the common room.)

Fanny is a bit dubious about Hildigrim's latest "wild" idea. She thinks the restaurant is already weird enough, without adding more ghosts to the mix.
But with a sigh, she confirms that the Bistro is getting a reputation due to Lif the poltergeist helping out.
Once new customers get over their initial shock, they appreciate the novelty of floating menus and drinking mugs arriving at their table.

P.S. Hildigrim has also been visiting the arcane stores, hoping to find a bag of holding to make it easier to move heavy sets of books. No luck so far.

Quillary both loves and doesn’t love the idea of a friendly ghost tavern, and insists that the ghosts be both willing and compensated. But given these, she is all in, and is happy to help with recruitment. 

Jorin is too distracted by Drusk's new brewing hobby to give much thought to ghost servers.  After Drusk sets up his brewing supplies, Jorin will regale him with a power point presentation of his ale tasting credentials and offer, nay insist, he help Drusk with tasting to nail down the final recipe. 

Jorin’s power point presentation involves a lot of “Who is the best drinker!” followed by emphatic pointing at himself.