The battle between the Soul Survivors and the Cindersworn resumed in the midst of chaos within the Scribes’ Guild’s private archive. Engaging in close-quarters combat, the rooms continued to be engulfed by thick, rolling smoke pouring from Gemma’s Eversmoking Bottle. Since visibility was reduced to almost nothing, combatants were forced to rely on sound and instinct.

Anton fought at the front, anchoring the party’s position with his blades, intercepting cultists as they pushed through the smoke. Willa – with her newfound pet cockatrice – moved aggressively through the obscured hallway, striking hard when shapes moved too close and surrounded her. Gemma controlled the field with magic by disrupting enemy movement with an Earthen Grasp spell and forcing the cultists into disarray. Fighting alongside them was Rita Gilric, archivist-mage of the Scribes’ Guild, who called out warnings and hurled arcane strikes at the cultists, using her Flying Swords to find targets within the haze.

The tide of the battle shifted when a voice called out from a newly-opened room – Rilda Silveraxe, the dwarven head archivist the party met within the library, commanded her shield guardian to enter the fray. It burst through the double doors and approached Gemma, flanking the adventurers. Anton immediately moved to defend her, but his sword attacks did little against its heavy armor.

In the midst of this upheaval, Thalren, the cult’s leader in Vuldohr, attempted to regain control of his followers, commanding them to push forward. Wilfrem Leadbelly, the dwarf noble working with the Cindersworn to claim the empty throne for himself, moved to escape the fray with the documents he claimed would prove the Stoutbrand Clan’s betrayal to an ancient oath. What oath exactly, the Soul Survivors were still unsure, but his involvement in the king’s death was undeniable.

Willa held her position at the cultists’ exit, and she managed to knock Thalren unconscious. However, she received several counter attacks – daggers and _Inflict Wounds_ spells – all around her, bringing her to a critical state. On her next turn, she managed to disengage to a safe position and downed a Potion of Healing. Gemma was able to dispel her Earthen Grasp and then slip into the doorway in front of the bulk of the remaining Cindersworn within the blinding smoke, casting a powerful high-level Force Wave spell. Unable to see in front of her, the blast hit Thalren, throwing him and several cultists against the back wall of the kitchen. The damage dealt the final blow to the cult’s leader.

As Anton and Rita held off the shield guardian, Wilfrem dashed through the smoke into the hallway, and Willa (after one failed attempt) grappled the dwarf, preventing him from escaping. Rita, feeling desperate, cast Fireball behind the shield guardian, dealing a massive blow, while Gemma correctly called her recklessness inside the archive.

The mage called out to Rilda who remained out of sight within her office. “Stand down!” she called, “You’ve allowed the Cindersworn to enter our archive.” The shield guardian then became neutral, its aggressiveness retreating. Gemma retrieved her Eversmoking Bottle as Rilda, Wilfrem, and the last remaining cultist surrendered.