Of course, Hooflepoof wonders why a cultist would be carrying around an empty box, so he feels around inside the box, and discovers something heavy and spherical, with a fuse sticking out one end. Seems like some sort of bomb. He sticks it in his bag of holding. Bilbo is really curious about this unlabeled potion, and after some negotiation, buys it from Hooflepoof for 30 GP, but doesn't open it up yet.

Linan continues to herd her family to the east, so the adventurers continue to follow, donning their cultist uniforms so they won't seem suspicious. After a block or so, the street ends in a T, and beyond that, in an open field, there is a building like a fortress, which they presume to be the keep. At that intersection there are three kobolds and an ambush drake, but they are facing toward the keep and not particularly interested in people passing by, and the adventurers decide not to engage them, instead following Linan as she turns to the south and sneaks along the edge of the road. They see other kobolds and cultists and their allies scattered around the field, but Linan spots an opening and her family runs toward the keep.

The adventurers follow along just behind Linan and her family toward the gates of the keep, which are open just enough to let in occasional villagers, but slam shut just as Linan approaches. She bangs on the door and pleads to be let in. For a few minutes nothing is heard from inside, and then suddenly the gates swing open wide, and many hands drag Linan and her family in, while other hands let loose a volley of arrows at the adventurers. Bilbo, Karat, Black Barry, and Nars each get hit with an arrow, and the gates slam shut again.

Maybe being dressed like cultists isn't such a good idea right now. They start taking off the cultist uniforms, as Black Barry knocks on the gates of the keep. "We are only open for villagers," comes a voice from inside.

"But we are villagers," says Bilbo, "these are just disguises". A small metal hatch opens in the gate, just about three inches square, an eye appears, and then more questions. Whoever is guarding the gate is not inclined to believe the adventurers are villagers, but he quizzes them about who they are and why they are here, and they admit to being on a quest to find their friend's niece Talis. Eventually the guards of the gate are convinced that they are not cultists, and open the gates just enough for them to squeeze in before slamming them shut again, and bolting them with heavy metal locks. Once inside, they see that dozens of villagers are crowded in there, presumably for safety from the invaders. Elbolin asks one of the guards who is in charge here, and he points out a shield dwarf with bright red hair, on the far side of the large room. "It would be either him, or Governor Nighthill, you want to talk to."

First Hooflepoof pulls out the map which led them here. They can see that the glowing dot is not here in the keep, it is somewhere to the southeast, though it doesn't look very far, probably within the town of Greenest. Then they cross the room to talk to the red-haired dwarf, whom they find busy talking to people, answering questions, and assuring the villagers as best he can. He notices right away that the adventurers are warriors and not normal villagers, and introduces himself as Castellan Escobert the Red, the master of the keep. He has no idea why the cultists and others are attacking Greenest, so Karat tells them what they learned from the captive cultist, about them gathering loot "that will usher in the reign of the Queen of Dragons".

"We should go tell the Governor," says Escobert, beckoning them toward some stairs into a circular tower that forms one corner of the keep. They go up several flights of stairs to a parapet on the top of the tower, where open walkways offer views of everything that is going on. Governor Nighthill paces the parapet, watching everything happening in the town, only ducking down into the tower when the dragon swoops nearby. At this point they can see that the dragon allies have assembled into a circle, completely surrounding the keep, but at a fair distance.

Governor Nighthill says "I just feel so helpless here, with barely enough soldiers to hold the gates, while my town is being ransacked and my people slaughtered. I'd sure appreciate any help I can get. Many of the people are still out in the town, and I cannot save them. I have heard that some of my people are holed up in the Temple of Chauntea, and I cannot rescue them. I was just thinking that it might be good to capture one of the purple-dressed invaders - see, like that one - and see what they can tell us about this raid. Though I don't think I'd go near that one!"

He points out a human in flowing purple robes, out near the edge of the field, surrounded by a dozen guards, seemingly directing the draconic forces with a commanding voice, how to arrange themselves in the circle. "She must be important, with so many guards around her," Nighthill says.

"But what I'm most concerned about right now," he says, pointing out toward the southwest, "is the mill. See those torches gathered around? If they set our mill on fire, we'll lose our stockpile of flour and we won't be able to grind any more for months. If you could get over there quickly and drive them away, just for a while until I can get some more people over there, it would do us a great service."

The adventurers agree to go over and see what they can do about the mill. Escobert tells them that if they like, he can show them a secret exit that might help them get past the surrounding forces. There is a secret tunnel, he says, that leads down to the river. It was installed so that they could get water in case their were besieged in the keep, but has never been used. Perhaps the river is also a good way to travel to the mill, since it's on the water, the river is mostly shallow enough to wade, and it is darker there than other parts of the town. It sounds like a better way than trying to force their way past dozens of enemies surrounding the keep, so Escobert leads them into a cellar, where he unlocks a heavy, rusty door leading to a small tunnel into the darkness. Elfo assures Escobert, "if anyone is in trouble, give me a holler and I'll make them burn in hell". Escobert ponders that for a moment, not sure what to think of it.

They venture into the small tunnel, not quite big enough to stand up in, but enough that they can shuffle along. It's been abandoned a long time, and is infested with cobwebs and two swarms of rats, but the adventurers kill a few and the rest scatter. At the far end of the tunnel, they can hear the water of the stream, but the tunnel is again locked with a grate. Hooflepoof manages to pick the rusty lock, and they step out onto the river bank. Karat picks up a few of the dead rats and uses a cantrip to make them glow, giving them to everyone to light their way, but the light also draws the attention of two cultists and six kobolds who were searching the river banks for hiding villagers. Bilbo runs back up the tunnel to warn Esobert that there are enemies who may have seen them come out the secret passage.