Between Ianna being slung comfortably over his meaty shoulder and Rilka’s climbing extract the ascent had been effortless but seeing the halfling aestheric tossed over the lip of the ravine makes the bull curse silently and burst into action, putting the extract’s magic and his own strength to the test. He leaves his right hand, the stronger, affixed to the wall of the ravine and reaches out to snatch the tumbling Rilka from the air like one catches a piece of falling fruit. Once she’s in his grasp, he tucks the wounded halfling tightly to his chest like a newborn babe and tries to steady his grip. He pours his anger and fear into the task.
”Rilka, wake up”, he says in a low voice. ”Are you still with me?”
Bjorkus barely manages to grab onto Rilka as she falls, but he makes up for it with pure strength and tucks her in. She has multiple axe wounds on her body and she's bleeding badly.
Above he hears more chattering in giant.
Getting no response and noting the blood seeping from her wounds, Bjorkus wills away his fury and chants a quick healing spell.
"Rilka, wake up", he whispers.
”I know you’re probably in a lotta pain right now but if you’re strong enough I need you to slip around and grab a hold of my neck. I can’t climb while I’m holding you like this”, Bjorkus rumbles.
Rilka wakes with a gasp. Wha-what?!” she mumbles, blinking and glancing around. She winces. Not again. ”Hold on? Yeah, okay,” she agrees as she wishes she had a device she could temporarily onto Bjorkus’ belt. She climbs around and holds onto his neck like he suggests. ”This couldn’t get much worse — not trying to be negative here. If you can find a ledge. I can get out my climbing gear and make the climb a bit easier for you.”
Bjorkus slides to a small nearby ledge and leans over to Rilka can climb down. Once she's settled he retrieves the healing wand and mends her wounds.
"What happened up there and are Toramin and Sehitha okay?"
The bull slips the wand back into his belt. "How many of those bastards are left up there?"
Rilka takes her climber’s kit from her bag while answering Bjorkus, ”Thanks for the healing. I messed up. Got too close. When Sehitha’s storm ended the giants were on us so quickly. I think there were two giants and one troll left. One giant chased me. I felt pain in my back, felt like a fly being hit with a swatter, and then darkness until just now. At least you found her.” Rilka looks at Toramin’s sister for a few moments. She takes out her alchemical supplies and begins mixing an extract while still studying the dwarf.
”This will potentially break their weapons,” she says holding up the vial. She tucks it into a pocket. ”Thanks for the healing. Does the wand work on her?”
"No, the wand doesn't seem to do anything to her. And it's the strangest thing, 'far as I can tell the little trip she took into this ravine didn't leave a scratch on her. I don't know if she's enchanted or what", Bjorkus explains. "Whatever's goin' on with her we'll have to figure it out later. We need to get the dwarves and get the hell out of here."
"Climb on again. We're goin' up."
Once Rilka's secure again, Bjorkus ascends. He moves cautiously in case whatever giants remained were watching.
Bjorkus climbs up and peers over the edge. He sees three troll and one snow giant corpse in a pile a little to the east. A single ice troll and single snow giant, both looking completely uninjured, are standing over the unmoving bodies of Sehitha and Toramin. They appear to be arguing about something.
"Damn, two of 'em. After seein' Toramin fight I could probably take 'em one at time but not at the same time. We've got split 'em up if we're gunna grab Toramin and Sehitha", Bjorkus explains in a low whisper. "Can you make out what they're sayin'?"
Rilka climbs next to Bjorkus, without the aid of magic not as quickly. As her feet search for footholds, she considers the case of Ianna. Is it a curse? Perhaps divine magic is involved.
She peeks over the ledge and listens.
The halfling swears under her breath. ”Too bad I don’t have my pistol. Or those giant bane bullets for my sling. They would have been useful right now. I like the idea of splitting the up. They’d probably both rush you though. You still have the blistering invective extract, right?”
"I've got it but I don't think it'd be a good opening move. If I use it they're gunna rush me for sure."
Bjorkus lets the giants argue for a while, hoping to get a sense of which of the pair was more committed to the cause.
The ice troll's argument is, by definition, not committed. That one wants to just dump the bodies and run away, but the snow giant is the more powerful of the two so it holds sway over him.
Bjorkus emerges from ravine and climbs to his hooves brandishing Tyrantbreaker. He clears his throat loudly and shakes the snow from his mane causing the camouflage extract to blur his form in protest.
"Listen up you two, those bodies are mine. Hand them over, intact, and we can all walk away", the bull explains firmly. "It's been a long f!~*in' day and I don't think either of you want another fight."
The two turn with weapons held high for a moment. When Bjorkus doesn't approach or attack the snow giant barks out "You are alone, bull-blood! The hooded man will pay for these bodies."
"Coin doesn't do a dead man much good. The dwarf was all but alone and he brought down five of you before he was defeated. I think I can manage the last couple stragglers", Bjorkus answers in the giant-tongue. "Do you think the hooded man cares enough to drag your spirits back enough from afterlife?"
The snow giant spits, but his weapon slowly lowers. He looks at Toramin, the corpses around, then to Bjorkus. Finally he growls and grabs the dead giant's axe. "Take your corpses than." The giant and troll hurry off to the east.
Bjorkus snorts and gives the giant and his troll companion a nod of agreement. After they make some space he approaches and recover the bodies.
"Damn", Bjorkus mutters at Rilka's diagnosis.
He retrieves the wand again and mends Sehitha's injuries. "Come back to us girl."
”Well done, Bjorkus. Convincing them to leave was the best thing to do.” Rilka kneels near Toramin’s body. She touches his face and blinks back tears. Clearing her throat, she whispers, ”I’m sorry. I—”
The halfling squeezes his hand then looks around the battle scene. ”I’ll gather up any items that might have been dropped. Like my pistol. Then I’ll examine Ianna more.”
Sehitha comes back to life, looks around for a moment then tears spring to her eyes at Toramin's corpse.
Rilka finds everything she's looking for.
While Rilka searches Bjorkus joins Sehitha in her grief.
"He was the best fighter I've ever seen", the bull laments. "But we should sing and drink in his honor later. For now we gotta focus on what his guts and sacrifice paid for. Sehitha, can you make any sense of what's happened to Ianna? I expected that fall to kill her but she doesn't have a scratch on her. It might be part of whatever charm's been worked on her to keep her asleep."
"Rilka did the giants leave anything useful behind in those tents?"
Sehitha nods, choked up but she swallows it and stands. "The frost giant...he mentioned her being drugged."
4248.27 gp in various coinage
12195.37 worth of gp in various gems (sell price)
A huge chunk of diamond that looks like it was broken off of something. Worth about 7000 gp (sell for half)
A large sack full of vials with navy blue liquid in all of them
A note in giant
Administer one vial every twelve hours.
That will keep her asleep. The dwarf and
bull are tough, if they try to fight kill the
other ones first. Succeed in your mission
and I'll double your price. Fail and you all
die by my hand. Don't think I can't find you.
Bjorkus stares in disbelief. Pirate circles were known to dabble in all kinds of recreational drugs but he’d never heard of something strong enough to keep a dwarf under for this long.
”Drugs, eh? That must be some good s$@+ to keep her so far under for so long. In any case it should work its way out of her system with enough time. I can carry her in the meantime.”
The bull retrieves the bag of holding, already containing Dalton’s remains, from Tormain’s things and works the dwarf inside. ”I’ll get your family home”, he whispers to the fallen stonelord.
”Once Rilka’s done in there we need to get going. Whoever hired those giants is powerful and connected. He’s going to find out his plan failed and come after us. Does your grandmother use those magical sendings often? I sent her a message last night and she hasn’t answered. I don’t know if it’s safe to send her another. Should I tell her what we’ve learned?”
Rilka brings out the bag of drugs and the large diamond. She sets them at Bjorkus’ feet. Handing him a note she says, ”Whoever is behind this paid a large sum. There are two bags of coins and gems that are a little too heavy for me. If he or she can find them if they fail, it stands to reason we can be found as well. The good thing is Ianna will wake up eventually.” She arranges the vials in groups of two’s to show Bjorkus how many days the giants could have dosed her before needing more.
Rilka attempts to discover a countering agent to the navy blue drug. She rubs a drop of the liquid between her fingers, checking the viscosity and feel. Then she smells and tastes the drop.
”Once we stop for the night, I’ll try to make a counteragent for the drug. Though of course I won’t give it to her if I can’t even identify what this is. Don’t want to make things worse, especially when time will fix this. We could make it back to the cave we stayed last night.”
Bjorkus’s eyes grow wide at the sight of the riches. He dumps them into the bag of holding as well.
He considers Rilka’s suggestion and nods. ”If you can counter whatever poison’s insider her, do it. I can carry her easy ‘nuff but she might have information about whatever sod’s behind all this.”
”Sehitha, what do you think? Should we stop at that cave again tonight or try to push further?”
Rilka can't quite identify what the drug is. If she didn't alrady know what it did from context clues, she wouldn't have known what its effects are.
Sehitha shakes her head. "We shouldn't travel through the night. Even if the cold wasn't especially deadly, the creatures are far more active."
Dalton plus his gear (217 lbs)
"We should get going now then and make as much distance as we can before nightfall. Are you strong enough to travel?" he asks the dwarf hoping that his doting will anger her enough to snap her from her grief.
"Yes...yes let's get moving." There's none of the cheerful snappiness that was there before. Once everything is packed up the party starts heading back to the capitol.
Going back to the dwarven capitol is even more solemn and quiet than leaving it. The entire world seems dead for all the contact the three get on their journey. Finally Bjorkus rounds the corner with Rilka on his back to see the massive dwarven doors.
Dwarfs on the high banks call out in dwarven to challenge what's left of the party, but with a few words from Sehitha the doors are opened.
"You should probably come with us to meet with your grandmother", Bjorkus suggests to Sehitha. "Outsiders carrying the body of a dwarven prince might not be looked on fondly."
Ianna awoke a few hours after being rescued. Sehitha had a word with her in private and she looks guilt ridden that Toramin died for her sake. When pressed about what happened, she recounts being attacked and knocked out by a band of trolls and giants.
Tormain certainly hadn't been kidding when he spoke highly of his youngest sister's beauty but even Bjorkus had his limits when it came to inappropriate timing and he spares the girl his flirtations so she can be left to her grief for most of the trip. Still, he offers an introduction.
"The name's Bjorkus. That's Rilka. We're friends of your brother. I'm sorry he didn't make it", Bjorkus explains.
"Were you under the entire time they had you?" the bull asks. "We're tryin' to learn whatever we can about the sod that put 'em up to it."
He describes the hooded man the giant's claim hired them and shows her the note that was packed with the drugs. "This mean anything to you?"
The brown haired beauty looks up into Bjorkus' eyes -- her emerald eyes meeting his much darker ones.
I was in need and he came. Like he promised.
Ianna felt guilty and sad about her brother's corpse lying in a bag, but this was not the time for tears. She could not be rude.
"Thank you, Bjorkus, Rilka; I wish our meeting was under more pleasant of circumstances. I also wish I could tell you more. I remember nothing of my capture. I also know of no one who wishes me specific harm. The man you describe is a stranger to me."
The dwarf woman's voice is melodious and pleasing to the ear. There is a tightness to her bearing that speaks of grief, but it has not bent her poise.
She reaches out to Sehitha and squeezes her hand in comfort.
"Good to meet ya. Your brother, Toramin, he talked 'bout you a lot. I think you were what he missed about home the most", he offers.
"We've got to get to your grandmother. She should know what's goin' on and she'll be able to keep you safe from whoever is out there that wants you quiet."
Ianna nods.
"Yes, Grandmother will know what to do. We must go to her at once."
I miss him so much.
”Your brother was courageous,” Rilka says as they head towards a meeting with Trealamhgabha's matriarch. ”Not only in battle, but in living his ideals in this challenging world.”
The halfling pats Ianna on her back. ”I wish he knew his sacrifice in rescuing you was successful. Such is the fate of many heroes.”
"Thank you for your kind words."
Ianna gives Rilka a smile that is both brave and sad. "I would like to hear more of your travels with him later. I did not agree with his decision to leave the mountains. . ."
She trails off into silence.
As the party gets closer to the home of Toramin's clan, more and more attention is brought to Ianna. Tears and hugs and welcomes are abound. By the time they get close her grandmother is already waiting. She runs forward and gives Ianna a hug, holding her close. "Come, let's talk in some privacy."
There is a fine dwarven meal ready for the party. As everybody sits down Yana looks at the party and asks a heavy question. "What happened?"
Ianna returns those hugs and has been weeping softly as they get closer to the clan hold.
"I do not know who captured me, but Toramin's fine friends saved me. At the cost of Toramin's life."
Ianna looks guiltily down at her hands.
"What can be done grandmother? Also, Bjorkus, please show her that note you discovered."
”The mage that was with us, Dalton, died too. He was killed by some wildlife on the way there”, Bjorkus explains while helping himself shamelessly to another tankard of ale.
”It was a bunch of giants and trolls that kidnapped her – mercs as far as we could tell. They said they were hired by a man in a dark hood to grab Ianna and keep her drugged. He offered ‘em a fortune to see it taken care of but he never said who he was and the giants didn’t much care. Whoever was behind this knows your family and knows these mountains. He knew exactly where to find muscle up for the task that wouldn’t ask questions and he knew when the girl would be alone and exposed.“
Bjorkus offers the dwarven matrons the note and a sample of the poison. ”This mean anything to you?”
Yana sits in stunned silence for a moment. "I regain one child and lose another." She composes herself for the moment. If nothing else, she is a strong woman. "I am sorry for the loss of Dalton as well. He seemed a good man. Do you have the bodies?" She asks hopefully.
Yana reads over the note and calls in an alchemist to identify the drugs. She utters something that makes the dwarven speakers blush. "So much danger with so little information. Who with that kind of revenge in mind would have those kind of resources?"
The alchemist emerges from the back room, and (with the help of Rilka) has deduced the exact nature of the poison. "Incredibly rare. Most of the components are very common and even an apprentice alchemist could make the majority of this formula. But the last ingredient is an incredibly rare plant that is harmless in it of itself until combined with the other ingredients. It's called mlrkunswocl. Or in the common tongue, pale-sleep. The thing is, this plan only grows on the shadow plane."
”We’ve got the bodies. They’re in one of those magical smugglin’ bags. Dalton had one”, Bjorkus explains.
The bull snorts and shakes his shaggy head. ”The shadow plane? Is there a way to reach it from here or do you think this hooded man is just that well-connected?”
"Whomever targeted me has resources to spare it would seem." Ianna says drying her eyes. Her grandmother set a better example than she did. There was a time for grief, but it came later -- after all things that can be done were done.
She continues, "Was I the target or the pawn? From what Rilka and Bjorkus have told me, the giant lackeys knew who I was and knew Toramin's name. Perhaps they were trying to draw him out. To kill him? To distract him? Grandmother, what should we do? Should we petition the gods? Should we prepare my brave brother and his friend for burial?"