Hayeth looks up, a concerned look on her face "I don't know what the plan is for them but I do know that it's a good job we stopped them, this stone is a seal, it seems our scaley friends were looking to release something"

"I don't recognize any of these people," Noell murmurs with dissatisfaction, growing angrier as she looks over each stranger's face.  She collects the 5 scimitars from each cultist that she finds, as well as the wicked dagger Aleesa was carrying, if no one else has picked it up yet.  The dagger she's careful not to touch with her bare hands, wrapping it instead in a sackcloth for study at a later time.  "This thing might be the reason Aleesa was acting that way," she says by way of explanation as she works.  "Best we don't touch it ourselves, in case it poisons the mind."

After finding the door, she answers Vahorn:  "I think I found their living quarters.  There's a chest down here that might have some clues in it."  She gives the chest a quick look-over to see if it's locked or has any obvious traps on it.

Investigation: 1

Feeling like it's perfectly safe, she attempts to open the chest.

Hayeth looks at the knife (I'm assuming there is no magic on it as it wasnt mentioned) "It's not the knife Noell, I don't see any magic on it, it's the Yuan-Ti itself which had her mind, they can charm people using their innate magic or worse depending on the Yuan-Ti"

Vahorn pauses next to the secret passage, thinking about what Hayeth is saying. Surely, his parents had told him stories of something like this, some sort of danger that was sealed away within the woods, that his ancestors had defended their homes from.... History 19

Vahorn looms over the captives in case any of them should wake. 

“Well, something tells me they didn’t end up here by random happenstance or convenience. Someone knows something about it. Perhaps one of them kept a journal. And I’ll convince them what a terrible idea it is to be argumentative on the way to town.”

Hayeth thinks for a moment "That priest in town was fishy right? That wasn't just me?" she says into the air while still studying the seal.

Then she writes some notes about what the party has found here in her book with a strangely glowing quill which she summons to her hand with a snap of her fingers and then stands and looks around the cultists and walks towards Aleesa crouching down to study her making sure the only aura remaining on her is the Sleep spell preparing to wake her up.

"Dumasz you wouldn't be able to stand a little closer would you? Just in case, you know?" she laughs a little nervously

“Of course,” Dumasz says pleasantly enough before positioning himself nearby. “Can I be of assistance in your efforts?”

Hayeth shakes her head "Waking her is the easy part, it's what she does after which worries me"

She will then take an action to wake Aleesa

"I think we can handle her if she tries anything," Lia says, cracking her knuckles and moving to flank Aleesa with Dumasz.

Vahorn recalls legends of the Serpent Kingdoms,  a dark civilization that was defeated thousands of years before the founding of the Elven Kingdoms. Vahorn isn't a scholar so doesn't recall a lot of specifics.

Aleesa wakes up, her eyes fluttering open. Her eyes suddenly go wide, and she says, "Oh, by the gods, I didn't kill him did I?"

The chest is quite full.

It's contains:
2100 copper pieces
1100 silver pieces
50 gold pieces
A golden snake tiara
jade statue of a coiled snake
Silver bracer
potion vial
scroll

“No, we got here just in time. What happened, Aleesa?”

Lia lets Dumasz do the talking, but keeps her staff at the ready for the slightest indication of another fight breaking out. She tries to judge the honestly of Aleesa's story going forward.

Insight: 18

Hayeth sighs out briefly "Thank the God's I was expecting to get hit"

She steps back from Aleesa giving her some space "Yes, what happened? And how long have you been here?" She says to assist Dumasz if he needs it

"It's been a few days. My father and I had fought, and I was off with my friends in the woods.  SIlas met me when I went off alone. He talked to me, I mean really talked to me. But when he asked me to come away with him, I wanted to say no, but I couldn't. It just seemed right to go with him. He got me all twisted in my head, surrounded with all the cultists, talking about the masters, which he was one of. He said I had a destiny.  I struggled very hard at first, but he'd make everything seem so reasonable with a few words. In the end, I started to believe. I was destined to ascend to the ranks of the masters and all I had to do was kill Joe. When I balked, Silas pushed me and everything made sense... I was going to..."

She trails off and starts crying.

Lia, she seems quite truthful, if a little muddled.

“Sounds like charm magic if I’ve ever heard it. You’re alright now, we’ll be leaving shortly.” 
Dumasz will be ready to start waking people up to go whenever everyone says they’re ready.

Hayeth crouches down and lifts Aleesa's chin and smiles "But you didn't. We're going to get you out of here okay? You're safe now"

She looks around the room to the others

"If you will trust me I will vouch for her story I saw the grip on her mind fade, whatever she did, it wasn't willingly, the rest are no so innocent, we can take a look at the contents of that chest when we're more comfortable"

Noell begins to collect the things in the chest, figuring it would be best to analyse and distribute the items later, when the group is back in town.  "There are some things down here," she calls up to Vahorn.  "Belongings of the cultists, and some coins too.  Some of it might be valuable.  We can sort it out in town later, I think."

(we can split coins / discuss magic items after the cultists are dealt with, since they're all about to wake up in like 10 seconds, or already are)

Sticking her head up the stairs, she says to the others, "If you were looking for a journal from these people or something of the sort, they have some personal trinkets on the shelves there as well.  I don't even have the first clue of what to look for, though."

"She's not lying," Lia confirms with a small nod to Hayeth and Dumasz. "I can usually tell." Crouching next to Aleesa, she undoes her bonds (if the party put her in any) and helps her to stand. Smiling softly, she says, "We're going to get you home. Did they hurt you at all?"

Once she has a response, she looks to the rest of the group again. "Somebody might need to carry Joe for now, I don't know if he'll be walking on his own for a while. Two of us should watch prisoners. One should scout ahead, and one with Aleesa."