Adventures in Oerth- The Bane of Vecna: Book One, Chapter One, Blackmoor

Our story begins with our heroes traveling in four identical carriages, with identical drivers, approaching the gates of Blackmoor. Aurora, the Valley Elf bard, Pharin, the Drow wizard, Skye, the Air Genasi druid, and "Dervish," the Kasathe fighter have been chosen for their unique abilities to provide security for a gallery opening.
Upon arrival our heroes are met by a human paladin named Lan, who has also been hired for security; the group is also told that there is another person who will be joining them, but she's late. Lan takes the group on a tour of the museum full of ancient, powerful artifacts. There is a complete skeleton of a prismatic dragon, a complete, unopened deck of many things, and relics from every race and region imaginable. The owner, a strange halfling with yellow eyes, Oryn Talus seems a bit mad, and it is clear when the group speaks to him that he is far older than any halfling should be.
Oryn has hired the group to protect the Heart of Vecna. He believes that even with his already extensive security system, that the Heart will require more security. He stores the Heart in a box covered in runes in every language imaginable that all translate to "no." Oryn explains that this box keeps the Heart masked, so its energy cannot be sensed; even those of our group who could detect magical auras could not see anything until the box was opened.
The group was shown to their rooms to freshen up, and were later taken to a restaurant owned by Oryn. It had every drink imaginable, even those that were thought lost, and the food was incredible. Skye decided to try Vale Mead, the special beverage from the Valley of the Mage, where Aurora hails from. While Skye did not die or collapse, as many do when they try an elven beverage, she was heavily intoxicated for the evening. Before the group departed Lan activated a rune on the table that instantly sobered the entire group.
On the way back to the museum our heroes encountered a group of Cultists of Vecna, who demanded the Heart, claiming it belongs to them. Lan attempted to persuade them to leave, but they were unwilling to do so. When things appeared to become heated between Lan and the cultist, Pharin decided to outline some of the cultists with Faerie Fire, which began combat.
It was a difficult battle, Aurora almost died immediately after attempting to insult one of the cultists, but Lan revived her. The group prevailed against the cultists, only to discover that they seemed to be both alive and dead. The bodies of the cultists were decayed, as if they had been dead for a long time, but yet they seemed perfectly alive while the group was fighting them. Their worship of Vecna must have given them some ability to preserve their bodies, and keep them from completely dying. The group understood that this is why they were hired, the cult is more powerful than it seems.
The next morning everyone went off to shop in the town, looking for items to help them guard the Heart better; the gala was scheduled for that evening. The late party member still had not arrived, something had to be delaying her. After spending a day on the town, the group met at the museum to prepare for the opening, still awaiting the late person.