Climbing over the palisades without being seen was the hard part. It took a little effort, and some distracting explosions from Sander, but even Dieter managed to get over the back wall of the palisade and slip into the surrounding woods without too much trouble. Unlike your approach to the fort, once you were in the woods you saw no signs of organized patrols. It seems that Greseldek's death had shattered the Twisted Hearts into its component bands of orcs, giants, ogres, and others. The immediate threat to Trunau from these bands was defeated.
The trek back to town was miserable, if not entirely without danger. What had taken six days aboard the riverboat took nearly three weeks of hard overland travel. Only once did you see any signs of giants or orcs, when a twenty-strong unit of wolf riders thundered past with a giant's head on a spear. Several of the orcs were wounded, and more than a handful of dire wolves had empty saddles.
Finally, you could see the walls of Trunau peeking above the morning mist. More than a few of you got lumps in your throat at the sight, knowing that you were to be reunited with loved ones. Yes, you needed to speak with the Council and tell them about Grenseldek's death, the dissolution of the Twisted Hearts clan, and the greater danger of the new threat of the Storm King, but for right now, for many of you, there was only one thing on your mind.
HOME.
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End of Book 2
I need 3 fort saves from everyone please
Also, please level up your characters to level 7!
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Sander's shoulders sag as the walls of Trunau come into sight at the end of their seemingly interminable march. All the energy seems to go out of his body, as if getting back home were the only thing keep him moving.
He wipes tears from his eye, whispering, "Home's never looked so good. I was sure we'd never see it again."
The last miles feel like they take both forever -- each step feeling like it's an hour -- and also no time at all, each inch closer bringing a reunion with his beloved wife that much nearer.
He leaves his companions at the gate, telling them he'll see them on the morrow, and walks familiar paths to his front door, seemingly unaware of the looks of surprise and happy greetings from old customers, neighbors and friends.
The simple brass key that hangs around his neck with his hopeknife fits smoothly into the small lock on the wooden door of the familiar building and he steps inside, tears again filling his eyes.
"Love?" he calls out. "It's me. I'm home!"
The tears flow freely as his wife comes running, her smile fit to light the night sky, more than equal to his memory of it as the bright path guiding him home. He's too tired, and emotionally exhausted to celebrate much that night, the words spilling out of him as he tells his heart of the many horrors he's seen ... and sometimes even participated in, and of the things he's discovered, the new formulae he's come up with. They talk deep into the evening before he finally falls into a contented sleep.
In the morning, they celebrate ... but that's not suitable for a family website, and shouldn't be privy to your prurient eyes. Suffice it to say, he emerges from his home that afternoon, practically a new man.
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Quill trudges to the entrance to Trunau and stops. He pauses, unable to take another step.
Did I return? Am I a hero? Did I do things right?
He pauses, wondering *how* he should return to Trunau. He has no loved ones (save his adoptive father who wasn't a bad guy), but no loves, only wanting to see his beloved Marigold who probably has forgotten he existed (if she ever knew).
Quill sighs, thinking.
Seeing the look on young Quill's face and remembering when he himself started the life of a pathfinder, Kipa walks up next to the elf. "Come on kid. I think I still owe you a drink from a bet a few weeks back." Hands behind his head, Kipa heads towards town and gets ready for some rest before they all head out again.
As you approached the town of Trunau, you noticed that over the last month, much of the damage done by the attacking orcs had been repaired, at least in a fashion. The outer gates were newly hewn slabs of oak, banded in fresh iron, and the fire damage to the outer walls had been patched over with nailed boards. From atop the wall, a yellow-haired dwarf called out with recognition, and the gates were hurriedly opened. The dwarf met you with a cheer, and the citizens of Trunau took up that cheer as you entered. Kurst Grath, now a Captain of the guard rode up with a few patrol leaders in tow, and leaped from his horse.
"How did it go? Were you able to find out about the hoard? Is there danger to the town? Will..." He broke off, staring around at the crowd.
"Please, come with me to meet with the Council. I have already alerted them to your return, based on Yelena's sharp eyes. Come, please. We will make this as short as we can, and then you can rest and recover from your ordeals."
Kurst led you to the Longhouse, where the town's Council members were gathering. Though Kurst promised the meeting would be quick, it took you well over three hours to tell your tale and answer all the questions thrown at you. Finally, Councilwoman Agrit called for an end. "These heroes have done all that we asked, and more. Let us thank them for their service and let them rest and rejoin their families. There is much to be done as we prepare for this Storm Tyrant, and I am sure that we will be calling on each of you in the days to come, but for now, take your leave and take our gratitude with you."
Part of that gratitude came in the form of several large sacks of coin and gems, a tangible thanks that could be spent readily.
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Quill doesn't add too much during the deposition, but does clarify things that Storn exaggerates 'I slew three with one mighty sneeze!' or Sander over underlooks. He still doesn't know for sure yet if they were successful as there seems to be more and more giants yet to stop.
But mostly, Quill's eyes go to the crowds and listeners to see if his secretly beloved Marigold Pottersmoot is in the audience. Because he might be hero. Again. A two time hero. That's me. And I hope Marigold knows it. Does she?
When it ends, Quill says goodbye to the party, knowing he will certainly see them again in town and returns home. He hugs his foster dad and relates the story again, as needed. He hoes his old bed is still there, but will go stay at the Ramblehouse if needed.
He's glad to be home. Or is he?
Two days later, the Council met again, and you were invited to attend. Sitting in the middle of the large table was a map of Belkzen and the surrounding areas, along with the two halves of the geode that you had found. The rock pieces sat on the edge of a portion of the map marked as the Mindspin mountains, and the groove carved in the geode crystals had been traced as a path through several passes in the mountains.
As you came in, Halgra, Defender of Trunau, looked up and smiled. "I spent most of my youth searching for Nargrym Steelhand's tomb, but I never thought I'd see the day we actually found it. I had my hopes up when you brought us the first half of this rock. After all, the legends say that the map to the Giantslayer's tomb was magically inscribed in a rock that Turbull the Terrible - I know stupid name, that - threw off the Harker's Gorge bridge when he was surrounded by orcs. People have been searching for that rock for centuries. I don't know how the orcs and giants ended up with it, but there is little doubt that they did. Here it is!"
"Coupled with this map you found leading to this Storm Tyrant Voltus' camp, it seems incredible. It's like this Grenseldek was hoping to buy her way into Voltus' good graces with treasures that weren't hers to give! Dwarven heritage is involved, not giant! "
Seeing your confused faces, Councilwoman Agrit spoke up. "Halgra, not everyone is as obsessed with the Giantslayer as you are. perhaps I should summarize. Nargrym Steelhand was a famed giantslayer from the dwarven Sky Citadel of Janderhoff in Varisia. He slew many giants to defend Janderhoff ’s mining interests in the Mindspin Mountains—even the fire giant Gunderoth, called Dwarfskinner, who scorched the living f lesh from nearly 30 dwarven miners. But though Nargrym’s legend remains strong, the circumstances surrounding his death were grim and mysterious."
"After Gunderoth’s defeat, Nargrym’s own squire and kinsman, Lokmorr Edergun, cravenly stabbed Nargrym in the back out of spite and jealousy. Lokmorr took credit for slaying the giant himself, claiming it had killed Nargrym, and was heralded as a hero. But a priest of Torag named Byrim Forgepride discovered Lokmorr’s crime and confronted the kinslayer about his betrayal and deception. Believing he might still pull off his ruse, Lokmorr turned upon the priest and slew him as well. Although Lokmorr tried again to cover up his dark deeds, he was unsuccessful, and the ruling council of Janderhoff branded his forehead with the mark of the betrayer, and struck his family name from the dwarven histories."
"Nargrym was laid to rest with all of his weapons and armor, awaiting the day that he was needed against the giants again. Once more, we want to ask you to seek out these weapons that can help our community, and the wider world beyond - including Lastwall, Molthune, Nidal, Nirmathas, and Varisia - and do what you can to confound this Storm Tyrant. To be quite honest, you succeeded in disrupting the Twisted Hearts tribe far more than we had hoped. You have proven yourselves to be true heroes. Now, in heroic fashion, we ask that you go forth once more to defend the countryside against an army that makes the Twisted Hearts look like a children's group picnic."
"I know that you have had a hard time offloading your rewards from Greseldek's horde on the local merchants, and even more of a struggle finding what you want to purchase in our small town. Even with the influx of merchants looking for shelter, it can't be easy. This trip to the Mindspin mountains would be just what you need to pass through a larger town or small city - Freedom Town, or Vigil maybe - and find what you need. We, the Council, have put together a draft on commerce that should provide you with a discount on goods or services in either of those two places, plus a few more that are more out of the way."
"Will you go? Will you be the heroes we need you to be?"
Looking over the council and the gathered crowd, Kipa would say his normal witty (some may say smart ass) comments but is taking a step back in a way to let the normal party voices take the lead here. Not sure if we talk money now or later.
As the group stands before the Council and listens to their tale, Molly briefly taps Kipa on the shoulder and pushes one Halfling-sized rapier into his hands, sheathed. On touching the weapon, Kipa can feel a thread of power running through the steel, its pulse quickening as his hand warms the hilt.
"Din't have time for both, needed ta do me own as well. If'n we got two more days, I'll do the o'er one," the Witch mutters -- not in Kipa's ear, due to the height difference, but close to the top of his head.
Out loud, Molly says: "Yeah, why not? Don't wanna be here if'n they comes stormin' outta Belkzen. Better ta cut 'em off at the knees before they're stormin'-ready, yeah? Let's get goin'."
whispering up to the lady "Thanks. Hopefully we will have 1 more day. I feel like we ill be needing it
To the council "Count me in. Better for all of us that way. Any info you can give us on this group of extra tall nutters?
As one the Council stared at Kipa, mystified. "BUt...but it was you who brought back this information to us. Surely you read it? You have all the info that we have." Agrit looked flummoxed as she stared at the halfing.
"Wait a minute. I don't recognize you. Who are you? Did these heroes pick you up as a sidekick? And wasn't there only five of you when you left?"
"Full partner, not a sidekick," Molly says. "We really needed the help after... Well. There were losses along the way. And I think he means, can ye tell us any more than what we brought back?"
With an arched eyebrow "What the nice lady here said. We have the info we gave you, but you are from this area. Or you are more aware of what happens in this area then I am. I like going into a situation with as much information as I can."
Storn's face splits into a craggy smile as the beleaguered party return to Trunau. He roars a greeting at the gates. There's more to do, but the Lord in Iron sent him on a mission and he completed it.
Storn returns to the Ramblehouse - much to Cham's dismay - and spends his time checking in on the teenagers he was training and meticulously polishing his equipment. Of course, he does not bathe. But the armour must be in perfect condition.
---
Storn listens intently, his simple brain trying to sift the wheat from the chaff before he arrives at the point of the mission.
"the ruling council of Janderhoff branded his forehead with the mark of the betrayer, and struck his family name from the dwarven histories.
"Do you want undead bent on revenge? Because that's how you get undead bent on revenge." He listens to the rest of the tale and grins. "So go get bigger, better weapons to kill bigger, better giants with? Hah! Gorum has blessed us all. I was hoping the rock-thing was a map to something I could hit someone with."
He points at Dieter and Kipa. "We've had some turnover. They kill orcs and giants real good though."
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"Will you go? Will you be the heroes we need you to be?"
Quill pauses. He thought he was done...time to leave this to the real heroes, like uhm...Kurst, and that drunk soldier guy who was drunk.
He does not readily agree, pondering more. Finally, he does speak after others have expressed their opinions or gone off on rambling asides.
"I'm not sure I'm ready to go back...yet," Quill says stoically. "I don't think we're ready to go face tons of giants or raiding tombs. I'll need a few more days to ponder and prepare."
Quill swallows hard. He hasn't even seen Marigold Pottersmoot yet, let alone pined over her enough to want to leave again.
I need to figure out what I'm fighting for.
"I see. Well, I don't think we have any more information on this than you have brought us. We have never heard of this Voltus before. Sure, the Mindspins have long harbored the majority of the giant tribes in Varisia, but they have been fragmented and a little insular until now. Not unlike, Trunau, I should say. Most of us here, other than the merchants have not strayed far beyond the walls of the town in all of our lives."
"We are,of course, glad that you picked up some stalwart companions to aid you in your quest, though of course we grieve for Mariana, was it? Dieter and Kipa are welcome to the town, and due all the heroic rights that the rest of you have. Our town is in your debt. As for delay, I know that you all need time to visit your loved ones and appreciate that. Take the time you need. It's just...hard to not want you moving as soon as possible. We know so little about this new threat, other than it appears to be worse than anything we've seen before. Please, take your rest but consider moving on as soon as you can."
With a friendly, nonthreatening tone in his voice "Thank you members of the council. While we are waiting for everything to be in order for our departure, is it ok if I spend some time going over the defenses of the township? I know your garrison has done a great job in protecting you. Just as some one who... has a way of finding cracks in a wall lets say... I just want to make sure there are none that can be slipped past. I dont want to go face down these giants and come back to find the town raided by other creatures and such while we were gone.
And just so the captain and the rest of the wonderful guards dont take offense, I mean things like easily looked over points of entry like the water system, a loose board some kids use to go play outside the wall that the adults dont know about and so forth. The garrison are focused on keeping the town safe, that these things may slip unnoticed since they seem so small. AS some one who is small himself, I can tell you how often that can happen. It is better to be safe then sorry and all, and I just want to make sure you all stay safe out here."
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Quill listens to the response to his request with relief. He's glad that no one expressed any worries about delays at all and everything was going going to be just fine and perfect if they just took their time to think about what it would take to do what the town is asking. And, for that, Quill is relieved.
He brings his bow to Molly, handing it to her solemnly.
"Are you going to go on this next adventure thing? To find the tomb? Well, I'm thinking about going and *if* I was going to go I was thinking that you said you could make bows better? Maybe make it able to kill giants better? Well...uhm...I have money to spend on that...if you could make it happen?" Quill asks tentatively. He has his coin purse ready to dole out 4000 gp for what the thinks it might cost.
Quill will spend much of the day placing orders for things he needs, like more cold iron arrows and various arrow blanches and the like, but most of the time we walks back and forth in front of where Marigold Pottersmoot just might work in hopes of catching a glimpse of the girl he is smitten over.
Would he have the nerve to speak to her? No. But he does want to look.
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Sitting at the pub near where Quill is pacing, Kipa whispers over to who ever in the party cared to join him for lunch before heading around town to do what they need to do before heading back out "What's up with the elf?" nodding over towards Quill
Hovering around the Pottersmoots' cooperage, or watching through the window at Marigold's place of work wasn't stalking, exactly. it was more like hero worship from afar. If hero worship involved minor fantasies of being alone with said Hero and talking and such. Maybe even having someone draw a picture of her so he could hang it over his bed? Definitely not stalking.
At one point, Quill could swear that Marigold saw him. She looked him right in the face and blushed. Or maybe he blushed. It was hard to tell at this point, really. Someone definitely blushed.
Sander sighs as he realizes his dreams of settling down (again) with his beloved Louly just aren't going to happen yet. He can't let this group go off without parental supervisions, clearly, and he can't just leave Trunau to be attacked by giants.
realizing he has just a week to prepare, he returns to his laboratory and begins brewing and concocting in preparation for leaving again, stopping only to eat the meal his wife pushes into his hands and to steal a few moments for sleep and other things between a husband and wife that he will not write about.
Laughing at the elf a bit when he sees whats going on. "The boy can face down giants and orcs and everything else we have see, but talking to a girl makes him trip over his own feet? That kid is something else." taking a sip from his ale "He is going to be an interesting one to watch grow into the role he is on I see."
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At one point, Quill could swear that Marigold saw him. She looked him right in the face and blushed. Or maybe he blushed. It was hard to tell at this point, really. Someone definitely blushed.
...which was immediately followed by a flustered and haggard elf running through the streets to home, slamming the door behind him, and slumping to the ground in a puddle of alternating tides angst and profound puppylove.
When he recovers a day later (too afraid to step outside for a bit), Quill will resume his shopping and preparations to go. He's mostly sure he will go, but he's also really rich now and so much go blow the monies on finding a new home...or building a chapel to the Elf that Hugs the World.
Although Storn has an urge to follow Quill around and make fun of him, he has more important things to do. After all, he is a holy man.
Storn spends a good while meticulously scrubbing rust away from his equipment, particularly the iron spikes he had unnecessarily added to his plate mail. After that, he does some rounds around town, checking in on the teenagers he had been training to kill orcs to see if they're suitably violent and uncontrolled. Maybe stops by the Sanctuary to tease the Ioemdeans at the Iomedeans.
While doing so, he sees if he can locate Brinya, whose dead lover kicked off this whole mess, and see how she's doing. He's still wearing the hopeknife she gave him after all.
After his lunch, Kipa starts the rounds of looking over the wall and making sure there were no small weak points that can be exploited while they are gone.
Anything found he will report to the guard & make some recommendations.
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The next week seemed to fly by. As the agreed upon date for leaving on the next stage of your journey approached, everyone handled it in their own way. Sander spent more time with his wife, even while working in the alchemy lab to prepare himself as much as possible. Kipa spent the time looking over the town's defenses from a rogue's point of view. Unsurprisingly, he found a dozen different ways for individuals or a small group to infiltrate the town, but that was it. The patrols inside and outside the walls kept the potential for more than a handful of infiltrators low. He made a few suggestions to Kurst about how to rearrange the patrols to minimize the chance of people sneaking past unobserved. Quill wasn't seen much, other than mooning around his girlfriend's place like the ultimate puppy. Molly spent most of her time in the workshop making items for the others, and herself. It helped pass the time, and she was just about ready at the end of the week. Storn spent his time exercising his skills and cleaning his armor...and drinking with Dieter.
The big fighter blew a large chunk of his cash on new gear, but a lot of it went to keeping his liver busy. He stayed drunk most of the time, working his way towards a true debauching. Even the town drunk, Omast Frum kept trying to get the man to take it easy, and when the agreed-upon day to leave arrived, Dieter was too sloshed to care. When Quill and Sander tried to sober him up, the drunken fighter grew belligerent, to the point of hitting Sander and giving the halfling a black eye and puffy face. Eventually, you decided you didn't need that kind of crazy in your lives.
You gathered in the Council hall for the sendoff. The council members each gave a small speech, but most importantly, they presented you with the maps of the Mindspin Mountains that you had pored over a few days ago. With that, they waved you on your way.
Although slightly hungover, it's pretty hard for anyone to tell the difference, and after five days of hard drinking and harder training, Storn is stir-crazy and ready to get out of civilization again. There are giants and orcs to kill, and Gorum to exalt. His disappointment with Dieter is palpable. "Will you fight" are the holiest words under Gorum, and in this case it was a pretty clear no.
He leaves another poorly-written note with his teenager trainees, and leaves another nice one for Brinya, thinking about the hope knife he now wears and his adopted home.
Storn is a resplendent mountain of metal. Thanks to his ordeals his hair and beard no longer stick out wildly from his helmet, but he's doing his best to grow them out into their old ratty mess. He listens to everything without his typical shouting and bluster and just grunts and acknowledgement. What's important is what lies ahead - the road.
Molly is as ready as she ever is to travel; she journeys lightly, after all. The main difference with her appearance before is that now, she has two rather fine-looking shortswords hanging from her belt.
"Right, then," she says once the speeches are said and the maps have been collected. "Let's get out of here and hit the big city, then the wilderness again."
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"Wow! This is great! You did it!" Quill thrills as he tries out his enhanced bow. "I can't believe you can do this! I mean, I thought it was cool when you made the pearl magic and stuff, but this is something better!" Quill looks around for a giant to test his bow upon and seems disappointed when there isn't a horde of them outside the gates right now.
He almost shoots a giant ass, but then remembers that Storn might be hungover and might even catch him if Quill did think that test would work.
"Thanks, Molly! This is going to be great! I wasn't too excited about going, but now that I have this heroic bow, I just *have* to!" Quill runs off to do final packings.
Quill spins to run to start packing, but then spins back to Molly. "Molly, you should help me name this bow! You should! You deserve the honor, I think. Let me know if you have any good ideas!" Quill's eyes go wide with thinking and imaginationery. "We should call it 'Giantboof'! or 'The KneePoker'! or something good like that!"
Quill then runs away excitedly, bow in hand.
* * *
Quill packs arrows upon arrows, then more arrows...and then carefully sorts his new fancy ghost and adamantine arrows into a separate and color-coded fletchings.
He walks by a certain house about eight more times, moving this way and that for no reason at all, and almost stops for a moment, but then runs off with something better to do.
And he gets packed, and is ready to leave without ever speaking to his secret beloved Marigold Pottersmoot. He's a hero with no time for goodbyes (5 days isn't enough time at all).
* * *
Quill seems unsurprised by Dieter's desertion, after all the man had been lucky to be saved by the party and doesn't blame the man for falling into the drink. He went through a lot of bad stuff.
Eventually, we walks up to Sander's home on the day of departure to see if Sander needs anything before they leave.
"Sander, you ready to go?"
Since he packs lite for the most part. Kipa throws his bag over his shoulder with all he owns in it and meets up with the others. Hands behind his head as they walk to Sander's place. Kipa looks around one last time before heading out of town again. "Well it was nice being in a town again for a bit. Going to miss sleeping in a real bed for a while."
Seeing Molly hand the bow over to Quill "Oh Molly, did you have time to finish up my other sword?"
Sander emerges from his house, wiping his eyes. " -- with all my heart," he finishes saying as he closes the door.
He adjusts the bulky pack on his back and, buckling his belt, turns forward with a heavy sigh. It's almost like he has to force himself not to look backward.
"Yes, Quill, I'm ready," he says.
"Louly made me plenty of food to take along, so we shouldn't starve, and I've closed my shop up again. My notes are left in case I don't come back. ... And you, lad? Did you let the people you care about know in case you don't see them again?"
He looks around.
"Dieter isn't joining us?" he asks, surprised.
He'd seen little of the group since they returned to town and wasn't aware of what they'd been up to.
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"It has a name," Molly tells Quill, pointing at the spiralling line of Draconic runes running the length of the bow. The Witch actually sounds indignant. "It's a magic weapon and I'm a Kellid. Of course I gave it a name. The bow is called ."
Grumbling, Molly stalks over to Kipa and thrusts his second order into his hands. "As though I wouldn't name a magic weapon. Scandalous! I may've been crap at cooking and sowing, but I learned the sagas... Always name a magic weapon! Kipa, you didn't think I failed to name the weapons you ordered, right?"
Assuming the Halfling does not immediately mention the name of the rapier she already gave him, Molly narrows her eyes in an expression of aesthetic loathing. "The first one I made for you is . This second blade is named . The name is spelled out on the hilt, underneath the wrappings, see?"
Molly partially unwinds the leather straps around Bloodthread's hilt, showing Kipa the Draconic runes spelled out there.
"Anytime now, you're all going to assume I didn't even name my own blades," the Witch grumbles, clearly growing more irate by the moment. "I named them and ! They're good, solid names for magic steel! One to slice Giants; the other just to cut deeper. You people think I'd just churn out magic weapons like some apprentice potter slapping together cups. Savages!"
The council's last act before waving you off was to present each of you with a horse or pony, depending on your size. Halgra said, "It would beggar the town to reward you as you deserve, but we were able to rustle up some mounts for you. I don't know whether you plan on heading directly for the tomb, or going to a bigger city to buy the stuff you couldn't get here, but these should make the travels faster. None of them are war-trained, though, so try not to get in a fight while on their backs. Like as not you'd end up staring at the sky wondering why your rump hurt so much. Anyways, fare well and good fortune!"
Trunau at your backs, and horseflesh under your butts, you head out, still trying to decide on where to go. Quill and Storn argued about the map and direction until Molly rode up and plucked the map away, rotating it right side up.
So, where are you heading?
Here is the map with some of the major landmarks drawn in, along with the path (dotted line) from Trunau to where Steelhand's tomb is.
If you want to go to a bigger town:
"Right," Molly says as she looks at the map. "Suggest we head to Vigil. We're supposed to be sounding the alarm, and it's closest. After that, we hit up the Dwarfs at Janderhoff; Dwarves have long memories and they hate Giants. Good odds of finding information in one of those two places, or at least of unloading swag and getting better gear.
Kaer Maga's folks might just try to rob us, not help, not unless we've already got a sizeable group going. Kragnaroth is dead last on my list."
Looking over both blades and giving them both a feel in his hands as well as with their function "Never thought you any less then an artiest my friend. I thank you for the hard work. You do amazing work at that. And those are fine names that I will hold dear and hope to help them live up to" With that, Kipa carefully sheaths them.
Looking over the two other men arguing about the map and how Molly handles them so well "So what are our plans my friends? A stop at a larger town to try & prepare ourselves for this more ? Or do we just head straight for the tomb?"
"I think we should get some more equipment, if we can. I couldn't find some things that I think would be very helpful in Trunau..." Sander says.
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"It has a name," Molly tells Quill, pointing at the spiralling line of Draconic runes running the length of the bow. The Witch actually sounds indignant. "It's a magic weapon and I'm a Kellid. Of course I gave it a name. The bow is called ."
"I named them and ! They're good, solid names for magic steel! One to slice Giants; the other just to cut deeper. You people think I'd just churn out magic weapons like some apprentice potter slapping together cups. Savages!"
Quill is just about to say how much he likes the name but has to take a few steps back from the onslaught of indignation that Molly offers in response to his question.
I just asked! I didn't know!
Quill takes another step back as the weapon-naming rampage ramps up, with Molly brandishing her own weapons. Quill looks from side to side, as if seeking someone less crazy to hide behind (like Storn).
But thankfully, the indigni-outburst is short (like Sander) and Quill is able to thank Molly again before running off with .
"Deathwhisper is great! That's because a truly well made arrow makes no sound in flight! That's great, just great! I love it! Thank you, Molly!"
* * *
"Louly made me plenty of food to take along, so we shouldn't starve, and I've closed my shop up again. My notes are left in case I don't come back. ... And you, lad? Did you let the people you care about know in case you don't see them again?"
"Uhm..." Quill looks back at a certain cottage back in town before returning his gaze to Sander. "Uhm...uh...yeah, I told my 'Dad', foster Dad really that I appreciated all he's done for me...but that's about all I have...uh huh..."
"Hey, have you seen this?" Quill tries to change the subject by holding up and showing it to Sander. "It's pretty cool, huh? Molly gussied it up pretty nice!" Quill will let Sander look at the bow, and will reluctantly allow the gnomeling to handle the bow for a very short amount of time.
"Yeah, let's get going. We have giants to kill."
"Did you manage to tumble yer girl in the hayloft before we left?" Molly asks, showing incredible insensitivity without apparently caring that she did. "Or steal a kiss, anyway? Or, what is it, her garter belt? That's what you civilized folk do, innit? The girl throws her garter belt or the man snatches it to say they're gonna get hitched?"
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Quill looks at the map (now rightside up) and thinks about where to go.
"Well, I don't think we want to east. Thar be monsters," Quill states. "We want to go to where the giants are. But not to Kragnaroth, because there are too many giants there. No waysies."
Quill doesn't know if he wants to trek weeks to the east only to have to come that distance back and then more to the tomb. "We can just dispatch riders and whatnot to Vigil. They don't need us to do that. Our job is different, Molly."
"I think we should get some more equipment..." Sander says.
Quill looks and tries to find the area on the tomb on the map.
"Maybe...maybe, Sander...maybe we go to the tomb *THEN* go to Janderhoff. Looks like the tomb is on the way there. And because it's a tomb, it should be easy to raid with no dangers within whatsoever. Completely safe. And then we can take whatever we find there to Janderhoff to sell for more equipment? Maybe that's a good idea?"