Just before memorising his new spells, Torvek asks for a bit of advice. "What do we need for travelling?  I can summon up to five horses and could also summon phantom horses.  Corym, are you planning to summon some horse too?"

Triel is ruled by Elvar the Grainlord from a sizeable central building that is almost entirely given over to granaries, deep storage cellars, and tall stacks of crates and barrels. His staff consists entirely of a single person, an older man name Calland who has a perpetually-harried look that the last half-ride has done nothing to improve. He appears at the door when you knock in a long robe with well-patched sleeves, a club made from what looks like the leg of a chair raised. "Eh, what? Are we under attack again?"

Kitheras considers the vast agricultural wealth of Triel and the comparably non-existent defenses. It doesn't take a prophet to see this coming.

"I'm Kitheras Sunblade.  I'll be riding to recover Mayor Elvar, but I want to have a look around.  Hill Giants can be hired as easily as soldiers, and I need information before I place my people in harms way. Can you tell me anything?"

While Calland gives answer, Kitheras looks over the granaries to see how many and which of them had been pillaged.

Yngvar quietly listens for now, looking around. He wasn't real comfortable here in Triel, preferring the forest!

"I believe you were introduced to me as Yngvar. You're a druid?  I don't believe I've ever had the pleasure--a bit of a cosmopolitan myself. Are you familiar with these giants?"

"Not really, they appear to be a more recent threat I think. They seem to have come out of the north, not sure if it was their idea, or they were driven by something stronger. I was sent here to investigate what is behind this."

"You must be very familiar with the woods and hills here.  Do you know of any ruins nearby? Such places are normally good lairs for such raiders.  I also have a professional interest.  I'm a dealer in antiquities--objects of great beauty. Ensuring that such items are recovered ethically should help preserve your wildlands from adventurers tromping about and helps preserve the dreams of the ancients for future generations."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:01, Wed 26 July 2023.

"We already trailed them to their lair, we followed them, remember? There are many ruins about." He replies to Corym.

"Can you break down the lair for me? What is the land like that approaches it?"

"The trail led about a day and a half into the Trielta hills, bypassing the areas settled by small groups of gnomes and halflings before entering a steep ravine. We had just caught sight of a doorway heading into one of the hills when we were set upon by ogres. The battle was brief; the ogres were not expecting people of our skill and quickly retreated, but before they did, Tosta was knocked from the trail and fell a great distance. She survived, but broke both her legs. We managed to stabilize her, but it was clear she would need treatment, and the two of us were uncertain of our ability to take whatever was under the ground by ourselves. We carried her home."

In reply to Yngvar the Mad (msg # 44):

He had been listening and didn't want to seem Blazey, so introduced himself, he had heard of these people from Tosta but was busy when the Druid introduced himself, hearing him but not responding, which he felt was wrong of himself, he hadn't heard the other introduce himself, so assumed he was the other one.

"You would be Elion and Yngvar", speaking to each in turn, ending with the druid. "I am Krackor, Lord Protector and Barakor of Gorm, Protector of the Dreams of the Ancients Adventuring Company and Warden of Oakhaven.

What you say sounds perplexing, if so many Ogres had been there, how many of your force and theirs died, they always have a watch by their camps. Maybe someone was in collusion with their leader as they rarely group without one.

Kitheras, Captain, I will prepare a Scrying but I need a map, a good one with the ravine, a goblet of Mead and a Sandwich.  I don't need a bowl but the water needs to be near a body of water or a pool within running water, if there is one around here, it has to be Natural.

He finished with such a cheery smile that it would be hard to chide him for such conditions being stated almost as a command, but they, or at least the company, knew that when Krackor spoke such long sentences, he meant serious business.

Waiting for the information and the map, Krackor will make plans for his casting of the Reflecting Pool, and how he can purchase another horse or pony.
"Did someone say they had a Mount spell ready?
Corym, I still have that Marching spell saved in the Ioun Stone, ready for you to access and write into your scrolls or spell book, which ever it is." He wasn't sure now if he'd changed his storage method for travel spells.

Kitheras

Calland shakes his head. "No. Never had trouble with giants. Bandits. Wolves in the winter. Orcs lost out of the High Moor. Never giants."

As you look around, you don't really see anything much in the way of looting inside the walls. One building was burned, but that was from balls of fired pitch lobbed over the walls by the giants. And they also knocked down a section of wall with boulders. But the smashing and grabbing was mostly isolated to the caravans outside the walls.

In reply to Yngvar the Mad (msg # 44):

After Yngvar describes the events, Torvek asks

"An unfortunate accident Yngvar.  With the time it took you to come come hear, that mean that the mayor has been taken three or four days ago.  Do you think that this doorway would lead to the lair and that it is likely where they still are?  "

"Good idea, Krackor.  Using scrying magic to help us find them could save us lots of problems.  I will conjure a mount for you when we are ready to leave."

"My investigation is complete.  I believe we're ready to leave."


((DM, I'll update my spells today.))

Kali casually gazed around the house while Kitheras spoke to Callend. As Kitheras was done with his line of questioning, Kali figured it was her turn.

"I have a couple of things to ask you, if possible.

Were the caravans that were attacked from a well established trade group, or more individual traders? With that in mind, do you know the type of stock that was stolen?

When the attack happened, did it seem that they had specific targets of either people or places? Meaning, did they attack a house to get the people to come out to grab them or were they just grabbing randomly as people fled?

Also, if you were a small horde of massive monsters, where would be a good place to hide?"

Calland blinked at the rapid-fire list of questions. He licked his lips, and slowly lowered his chair leg and set it beside the door. "I don't know which caravans were attacked, specifically. I was very busy dealing with the issues of the town, since Elvar stupi... ah, bravely decided to charge the giants breaking down the wall.

"I didn't see the attack itself. I was very busy with the fire brigade, keeping Triel from burning down. I did hear people complaining that some horses and cattle were stolen. But you know traders; 'some' could be one or several dozen. And where to hide?" He waves an arm vaguely east. "Have you seen the hills?"

Yngvar stays out of the way, not used to so many people! He found a tree and climbed up and sat in the lower branches, his feet hanging down. He watched, and listened, to what was going on around him.

Once the priest gets a description of the place and hopefully a map, Krackor asks someone who passes by about any streams or rivers very close by so he can find a small pond to scry in.

Krackor

As night has fallen, most people have retreated inside to eat or sleep. But there are guards at the gate and at the hole in the wall. All of them look puzzled when you ask about streams or rivers.

"The Chionthar? Down at Scornubel?" one guard says, pointing vaguely to the south.

"We get our water from wells," her partner adds.

In reply to DM (msg # 54):

Listening to the guards.. "uuumm, interesting. So how are the fields watered when the rains are not so frequent?" He wasn't so sure that a well would be enough, where as a spring would be.  "How about a spring or small stream that leads to the big river?" This could be difficult, he thought to himself.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:26, Fri 28 July 2023.

More blank looks from the guards. "This is the Western Heartlands. It rains. A day without clouds is a message from the gods."

His partner nods. "A message to argue whether it's a good or evil message."

((ooc: What are you looking for here, Krackor?))

Kali cracked a small smile. "Yes, but not all hills are equal when it comes to places to hide ogres and hill giants. If there are any cave systems, mines or tombs in the area that would also be helpful to know about."

As they apparently weren't listening to him when he told them he knew where the giants were, he sat in the tree and dozed while they spun their wheels.

Calland shakes his head. "There are several communities of gnomes and halflings scattered about, but they keep to themselves. And they've found gold in there once or twice, but the rush always peters out. They're the most boring hills in Faerun. No dragons, lost kingdoms, or fallen castles. Good night."

He closes the door, and you can hear locks being thrown.