The party starts tackling the problem of the fires and rescuing the victims of this attack. Sulyex assists a family in rescuing a small boy who had gotten trapped under a wardrobe and badly broken his leg. He manages to shift the wardrobe off the boy and escorts the family out of the burning house.
Audir locates the nearest source of water: a well, back down past the inn where they entered this world. She heads that way, then locates Lyran and Tyrik and begins assisting them with the injured townsfolk. During this time, she notices something odd about the normally-unflappable Lyran: the woman's movements are less sure, less decisive than usual. She keeps a staff close to hand, and she stays near Tyrik.
After a brief pause to loot the bodies of the Azers, Coratana send Kaira scouting for signs of trouble, and Halbard also remains alert. The elf and little dragon both hear a deep, crackly bass, reminiscent of the snap and crackle of a bonfire. They begin attempting to locate the source.
Meanwhile, back at the Sanctum's hub, Dorrin and Quaesitor finish insetting Quaesitor’s enchanted crystal - now charged to deliver thunder energy - into his crossbow. Dorrin makes fairly quick work of the setting, and Quaesitor completes the fine details. The lights go off, then come back pulsing red - like a visual heartbeat - and the two prepare to investigate. When Dorrin has finished donning his armor, Quaesitor asks the Sanctum for a way to go to where they’re needed and Dorrin requests a guide to Owen. They share a brief glance, then head through the door the Sanctum opened for Quaesitor. They emerge into a fiery inferno of a building and manage to make their way out of the flames and into the street.
As Halbard and Coratana are heading to the source of the voice they heard, trailed by Sulyex, they spot Quaesitor and Dorrin come into the street. Coratana sends Kaira to garner assistance from Lyran, who refuses to accompany the young dragon. Kaira hops on over to Audir and gets her to accompany him instead. He leads her to the rest of the adventuring party as they locate the source of the sound: Luka is performing some arcane spell on a pillar of fire located inside a small house. The house is burning with a hotter, more intense fire than the rest of the inflamed village, yet not being consumed.
The party rushes to this house and Luka finds a moment to pause his incantation and direct the group to place three clear crystals around the house. They manage to do so, and the crystals slowly start to take on a red tint. The party realizes that the more intense fire is caused by two fiery creatures living in the flames, and they begin to fight these creatures. The creatures target Luka, and the group interposes themselves between the creatures and the enchanter-keeper.
The combat continues until Audir manages to turn the tide of the battle - literally - by summoning two large waves of water to sweep over the battlefield, dousing the flames and shrinking the column of fire.
Two more foes emerge from the column; Quaesitor immediately used a Thunderwave to send one back through the portal, and the group quickly dispatches the other. They shrink the portal, with Luka’s aid, and the enchanter instructs them to shatter the crystals, now fully crimson. It takes a brief effort, but the adventurers manage to do so, shutting down the column with a shockwave of energy.
Luka collapses to the ground in exhaustion, conversing with the group candidly in his exhaustion. Coratana asks him if he has any knowledge about familiars and magical creatures, and Luka mentions that is more of his brother’s specialty.
Audir, Quaesitor, and Dorrin investigate the house that the column of fire had been in, wondering aloud why it had opened within this particular house. Luka, hearing this, mentions that the portal had opened in the middle of the street and that he had moved it into a more confined space for the safety of the village. The three adventurers share a look, then go into the house. Audir goes into the sectioned-off bedroom area and finds two bodies fallen on the bed: two older dwarves, one male and one female. She investigates their bodies, finding the cause of their demise, and a number of expensive items on the female’s body. She leaves her findings, refusing to steal them for loot, and garners assistance in laying out the bodies in front of the house. Dorrin finds a mostly-burned book of prayers to Moradin, and Quaesitor helps him Mend the book, though the cantrip cannot restore the lost text.
The group continues to aid the village over the rest of the afternoon and into the evening. The fires are brought under control, the wounded are treated as much as can be - Quaesitor brings a moment of peace into the chaos of the triage and first aid station when he sings to calm some crying children - and the dead are gathered and prepared to be laid to rest.
The party begins to gather and ready themselves to head back to the Sanctum. Halbard spends a little more time further investigating the situation with the keeper, her inn, and Lyran and Tyrik. He spies what he suspects to be their holy symbols: a spindle with three threads coming off it. When he eventually returns to the Sanctum, he seeks out Rissa to ask a few questions. She mostly brushes him off, but does confirm that the twins serve the Lady of Fate, and she provides Halbard with a book describing basic information about a number of more prevalent deities.
Rissa also shares a brief moment with Quaesitor, asking him to be careful, and to stay safe.
The group beds down for the night, preparing to leave the next morning on a new mission.