Khol grumbled something about humans always rushing about or some such and got back up to go look for Ajkanir's horse for him.
Natasha, Appraise is NOT a trained skill. Anyone can take a guess. However, I will make appraise rolls in secret, because there is no way a character would know if they were right or not, and it may provoke interesting RP opportunities.
Hunting communities, like the one nearby worship Erastil, so it's likely looted from the village.
As for the gems, Zahur has no clue as to a worth
Maybe 400 gp per stone.
Natasha saw enough of such things in her education to know that they are valued at roughyl 500 gold per stone
Maybe 100 gold per stone.
The missing mounts appear to have run off when the ghuls started slaughtering the mounts. They ran back up the trail the party had been following to the village toward Duwwor.
Having been paid more than once in gems, Khol is fairly certain they are about 500 gold per ruby.
The night passes thankfully without further incident. Carrion animals howl and crow over the corpses of the mounts, but none approach the campsite, thankfully. Dawn seems slow coming, however, with the surrounding mountains and rock formations blocking out the sun as it ascends in the east. When the shafts of sunlight finally stream through the crooked mountains, the chill of the night makes is driven out.
The village to the south east remains unmoving, and daylight provides a better view of the area. The lake, as it were, spreads south and west, though in the dry season it appears to be little more than a low marsh in that direction. With the rains to come, this area will most likely take on a very different appearance. Crocodiles of various sizes are clearly seen basking on the banks across the waterway.
Razan wakes with a yawn and and languous stretch, then leaps up and begins his familiar chanting cracking reality with his palm again to reveal the strange other place with its whirling alien lights. Elreem leaps through the tare and glances about before looking to Razan.
"Aiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, morning Elreem, you missed out my friend. We got to slay some whiffy skeletal coat racks, but some of the mounts met their untimely ends - don't worry Sandstreak is alright."
"Aiiieee, don't worry, I called a Lantern Archon it was very handy. Now, I say we can deal with these creatures later yes? If we bring some livestock back here as bait I am sure we can find our revenge, but this plague thing is urgent right? Now if Natasha rides with me again I can summon three mounts for the rest of you that will last all day."
Even as he speaks Razan moves over to Sandstreak giving the dappled stallion a rub down and saddling him up. Before mounting up himself he chants,
"Revlisohih!" Three times calling forth three washed out grey horses, smaller than Sandstreak, but sufficient for riding each fully tacked up and ready to go. He then removes his rod and uses it to cast an extended mage armor on Elreem.
"Nice sparklers," Natasha says after breakfast, when she has deigned to take a look at the stones looted from the dead Ghul. "I'd say they're worth about five hundred a piece. Now. How about those horses? I'd hate to have to walk all the way through this landscape."
Natasha grumbles at the idea of riding with Razan, but consents. "And to think I spent good money on that saddle," she grumbles while climbing up behind the Summoner.
Ajkanir gives Razan a sidelong glance and says "When you first said we should forget about the missing mounts, I thought how easy it was for you to say that with Sandstreak standing by you." Ajkanir shakes his head and chuckles, adding,"Now I see more clearly - it was all a ploy to ride with Natasha! You are more clever than I gave you credit for."
Ajkanir walks over to one of the summoned mounts, briefly stroking its side and says "Well, it's good of you to think of the rest of us in carrying out your clever scheme. I fear you are right that my horse is lost, and I can only hope it still lives and will benefit someone else."
As he says this, he hears Natasha speaking of the gems found on the ghuls and asks "Five hundred apiece? I put them much lower, but perhaps you have a finer eye. Well, between the gems and the coins, we'll more than make up for the cost of our animals - though I doubt the stable in that benighted village will have much on offer, and I don't know when we'll find somewhere that does. In any case, let us ride and see if we can't solve our mystery."
The tracks from the stone giant and the livestock from the village follow close the path south and east out of the village and are visible at several different points through the day's travel.
Following the path at first proves easy enough. It wends south and east around and through the beginnings of the mountain range. After half a day's travel, however, the path starts to rise higher, and grow narrower, leading between two of the mountains.
What began as a comfortable stroll turns into a somewhat precarious climb, the path falling away to a steep mountainside at the best of times, and a sheer cliff at the worst. Fortunately, the path starts to descend soon after emerging from a narrow pass high up between the two mountains.
Affording a spectacular view of the mountain range that spreads south, east and west. An active range, plumes of cloud can be seen off to the far east, curling up from a dormant volcano.
The path moves farther south, and moves back to ground level, only to split. One branch leads back up to the mountains, to the east narrower even then before. The other is a wide and welcoming alternative to the path the party has followed all day, winding south into a valley.
The giant's track are following the narrow path, back in to the mountains
Natasha rolls her eyes. "It's not as if these," she says, jerking a thumb at her chest, "reach out to stick him in the back all the time, boys. Now, if we're quite done with the jokes, let's get going. Or I can go and sit behind someone else and hit them in the head when they talk stupid."
Ajkanir rides along on his magical mount, blissfully unaware of anything but the nattering of his travelling companions.
Razan sighs heavily,
"Aieeeeeeeeeeeeee Ajkanir you are not wrong, I would be upset were it Sandstreak, I am upset your beasts died, but this is a harsh place we live in and better animals die than people. I have learned this spell because I have had mounts die on me before, they are not as strong as me or Elreem and foes have taken advantage of that before. One day Elreem will be big enough for me to ride him, then I will no longer need to endanger Sandstreak and I'll sell him for stud, I just hope he makes it that long."
He scratches the stallion behind the ears affectionately as he speaks.
"Look here. The tracks of the giant and livestock. Not easy, but we should be able to follow." Throughout the day, Zahur continues to watch the tracks, seeing if he can pick up any more clues along the way.
When the trail branches, Zahur crouches down on his haunches and gets a good look at the tracks. "Here is where the giant left the path. Back up into the mountains. If we are to continue following him, we need to follow this narrow track."
"While following and fighting a giant with Div and Gnoll allies sounds very droll, I would like to ask one thing," Natasha says in a dry tone of voice. "Are there also tracks of the poor sods who lived in the village, or do we not have any sane reason to beard the monster in its lair?"
"Unless our trackers missed something, the only tracks those poor sods left headed for the lake, and didn't head anywhere after that," responds Ajkanir. "So the village we've come to investigate is empty, its people dead or somehow gone. It's hard to see how finding their cows is going to provide us any further information, but I don't know that we have other avenues to pursue at this point."
"I don't think we've missed anything on the trail. We could search the village and lake further. But, I think we should talk to the giant."
"Aieeeee, yes! A giant would prove a fine fight, a proper challenge, right Elreem? We'll just make sure its mostly alive so we can find out what it knows. It being there at the villages fall coincidentally is about as likely as me opening a fruit and vegetable stand and swearing an oath of celebacy." Razan says cheerfully, turning Sandstreak onto the path that leads up into the mountains.
"Um, we might not actually need to fight it Rzzan. Let's see if it will talk first. If that fails, we can beat him into submission and see if that changes his mind."
"Um, we might not actually need to fight it Rzzan. Let's see if it will talk first. If that fails, we can beat him into submission and see if that changes his mind."
"A pity that," say Ajkanir, "Never having fought one, I had conjured up a fine picture in my mind of defeating a giant. Though you say it's likely to be a stone giant? I expect striking him with my sword would do the blade little good - let us talk first, as you say, and if that fails, I can answer the question about my sword."
"Decent chance he'll just start throwing rocks at us, but its worth seeing if we can get the information we need peacefully."
"Does anyone here speak the language of Giants, then?" Natasha asks. "The creature might not be fluent in Common."
"No, but I do speak Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic, Infernal, Kelish, and Osiriani. Hopefully if it doesn't speak Common, we can find another mutual tongue. Turns out I should have bought a scroll instead of that camel."
"Aieee, everyone speaks stabbed, Razan mutters sulkily.
Ajkanir laughs quietly at Razan's comment and says "While I might have expressed it a bit differently, I believe you and I were making the same point. But, sadly, if we hope to gather any information about what's become of the villagers, we may need to wait a bit before stabbing any giants."
"Yeah, talk first. They don't speak stabbed if they're dead."
"Aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiie. The trick is to just stab them a litle bit, like through the arm. If it does have any villagers captive we can just kill it and talk to them."
"That, or bring necromancy to question them when they're too dead to fight," Natasha says. "Before you ask: no, I do not have that spell. Yet."
"I agree with you about the villagers Razan, but so far there is no sign in the tracks of them. Only the giant and the livestock. He..or she may only be taking advantage of a situation caused by someone else. And I too know of such spells, but do not have them Natasha. Hence why it would be better for us to begin peacefully if possible. People have been known to kill their foes accidentally when they only meant to hurt them or knock them out."
"Aiiieeesh, fine, fine, I'll wait until negotiations fail before charging."
Ajkanir:
Khol:
Natasha:
Zahur:
Razan:
Elreem:
Several hours climbing along the trail carries the party out along a steep ravine; a narrow path over a rather precarious drop. After a sharp turn along the ravine wall. a deep cave is visible farther along the path. While the path follows the wall, following a roundabout way to the entrance, the cave itself is a straight shot across open air. Maybe a forty foot gap.
A single goat emerges from the cave. It spends a long moment chewing absent-mindedly, while staring at the party, bleating contentedly.
"Looks like this giant breeds its own meat," Natasha mutters. She looks around for signs of danger and mutters a brief cantrip.
"If he breeds his own, then he's a greedy bastard, stealing the village's as well," Ajkanir says as he quietly draws his sword and looks about. "Any bright ideas about how we get across that gap to the cave? Or do we just call out 'Hallooo', since we aim to talk?"
"Aiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeee, why not? HALLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Get your giant arse out here and explain yourself, you, foul smelling, goat mounting, thieving, overlarge pustule!" Razan bellows at the top of his voice, grinning proudly at his companions,
"Aieee! Commence diplomacy!"
Elreem groans loudly.
Zahur cringes and shakes his head as Razan calls out. "Looks like 'Hallooo' it is." Once Razan quiets, Zahur tries calling out greetings in Kelish and Osiriani figuring that Common is covered...no matter how crudely.
Natasha rolls her eyes. "Well, this is very jolly," she says, her hands already going through the gestures of a spell, "but I want to get down now. Mr. Elreem, if you would be so kind?"
As soon as her feet touch the ground, Natasha casts a spell on herself, and starts sketching the gestures for a second one.
A voice, deep and slow, echoes out from the cave:
"Leave."
Ajkanir looks around to see where the sudden shouting has come from, and realizes it is Razan beginning negotiations with the giant. Ajkanir can't help but laugh, saying "I'll be a bit more careful with my suggestions in the future."
He then turns to Zahur and says quietly "While our large quarry does not appear to be inviting us to negotiate, he is at least speaking rather than attacking us. From what I have seen, you are probably best suited to conduct this conversation. Razan and I are more accustomed to negotiation by laceration, Natasha will point out the natural inadequacies that stem from him being male, and I fear Khol would bite him."
At this Khol made an exaggerated biting motion, his too sharp teeth clicking together with a slightly worrying sound. "I don't see where you got that impression, lad."
"We'll leave shortly, but would like to speak briefly regarding the village north of here. All we seek is an exchange of information. You share what you know and we will share our knowledge of some recent changes."
Natasha sidles over to Khol and mutters in his ear: "Please restrain the urge, Khol. Eating raw meat is bad for you. At least let me roast the foul, antropophagous blight first." The Mage chuckles at what is apparently a joke.
"We've traded. Gems for meat." the voice responds, hesitantly.
The goat bleats again, oblivious to a potentially bleak future.
Natasha's eyes narrow, and she makes a pensive noise as she sidles up to Zahur next. "Can we be certain Big Boy was there at the same time as the Gnolls and the Div?"
Zahur answers Natasha, "Not at all. The giant may have come first...or the ghuls. It is even possible the villagers were dead before either showed up."
Turning back to the cave he calls, "Traded with who? The ghuls, the villagers or someone else?"
There is a long pause.
"Zoldun,the Elder. Before. The dead djinn and the woman wrapped in blue silks killed everyone in the village that was still there. Zoldun and his sons left to dig in the valley a few days before."
"So, Zoldun and his sons that you used to trade with left the village to dig in the valley. The dead djinn and this woman came and killed everyone in the village. Then you came to get the rest of the livestock? Do you know if the dead djinn and the woman killed Zoldun and his sons too?"
"No. They work the valley beyond the sessiz taz devi, the alsamt jandal hafiz."
Silent Stone Giants
Silent Stone Giants
"I do not go there. A great train of man and beast they went with there. Sometimes I hear the song of their tools on the stones."
"'Silent Stone Giants'," Natasha whisperingly translates for the rest of the party.
"Aieeee, so you just trade with them, and went down to do so again to find them killed? If that is the case, I apologize, these will all tell you I'm an idiot, so please forgive my hasty words. I'm Razan Tresh by the way, what can we call you?" Razan calls.
"Yes. I saw the woman in blue silks from afar. She flew up from the south. I followed, and when I got back to the village, the dead were piled there. I drove off the carrion beasts and put the corpses in the water and took the herd. My need was greater than that of the dead."
"your hasty words are as rain on the mountainside. I have answered your questions, leave me be."
"One thing before we go, there is potentially an illness in the area. I am unsure if you are in danger from it but be certain to check the herds for boils, swollen glands, and other signs of sickness. Cleansing fire might be the best solution for those that show such signs. Thank you, I hope to find you well on the return trip."