While Stolos examines the items buried with the gymnaga hero, Calex tries to intimidate the tafganor prisoner
The tafganor remains on his knees afraid to even budge while Darlene is aiming an arrow at his heart, but when Calex demands the names of his “agents” in Otter’s Lake, and Woodbridge, the man raises an eyebrow, and cocks his head to the side, while saying
How do I know you will keep your word, and not have your friends kill me once I’ve given you the names? I’ll make you a deal, it’s the only way I can hope you’ll let me live. I’ll tell you the name of the half-orc in Otter’s Bench, and give the name of the one who was giving us information about Woodbridge while also spreading dissension among the Halflings and elves to the captive giant we brought with us. His name is Tomarun. You let me go after I have given you one name and I will give the other name to Tomarun and leave him here, while I and the others I came with will flee to Darogtown, on the north coast and there take a ship to Vayangurr. I can only trust you won’t kill me, should I give you both names now, and you can only trust I will keep my word once I’ve given you the first name. What will it be?
He only pauses for a moment and then says
There is a half orc, he makes and sells pottery in Otter’s Lake. His name is Gorwhig Edolg, he has a human wife and two children. His father was a Tafganor hunter who settled in the wilds north of Otter’s Lake fifty years ago and found a woman to take as a wife from a human settlement near the coast. Lorgrad sent word to Gorwhig that his grandparents, aunts, and cousins would be killed if he did not join the cause and begin sending reports on the people of Otter’s Lake. The messages we to be sent to me, and I was collect these and the messages from Woodbridge and send them back to Rawalhg while sending on messages to these towns that exaggerated Lorgrad’s strength. Let me go now, and I will give the name of the agent in Woodbridge to the giant.
Stolos carefully removes the Rod, Sickle, and Tiara, and then as he begins to remove the belt the rotting fabric of the dress she wore is pulled apart and is dislodge revealing something peculiar about the skeletal remains
Stolos:
The pelvis bone of the gymnaga is definitely not female and lacks the wide hollow recess where the internal egg develops – Gymnaga are ovoviviparous. The female keeps the developing egg sack within the body, which has cause the evolution of a thin hollow and curved shaped pelvis
As he examines the magic items he can seen, with Detect Magic, that a powerful Evocation spell, or spells, has been cast upon the sarcophagus itself, interfering with his ability to examine the nature of the items.
When he examines the scroll he immediately can tell it is written in Arcane iconography and is not a Divine Magic Scroll
Stolos goes to the edge of the platform he is on and calls down to one of his companions.
"Sir Marwan! Do you think that you could assist me?" The young Gymnaga calls out. When Marwan comes over, Stolos continues "Please be careful with these artifacts," he instructs. "And if you are able, could you see if this scroll is one that you can read?" With that, Stolos will hand the items down to Marwan, one by one, before returning to examine the skeleton.
"My apologies, Lady Seilaigoen, or whoever you are. It is not my intention to disturb your rest, but more to find out who you really were." With these words spoken in reverence, Stolos begins examining the skeleton.
Calex eyes the trafganor suspiciously and does not reply immediately. Turning to scoop up the pack the orc had claimed as his, he opens it and removes anything that looks out of the ordinary or of unusual value. He leaves any money he notices in place, however.
Returning with the pack, he drops it at the kidnapper's feet. "Exile, then. I hold you to your word, and only with grave misgivings. Leave, and take your fellows with you. But if you think of betrayal- think on this. I am Calex, a wizard. My specialty is conjuration. Betrayal may have me pulling an ally from the ether to seek redress...across any distance. Be true, orc...and live."
After a closer examination, Stolos is convinced that the Gymnaga interred here was a slim, adult male, probably of about the age of sixty to seventy upon death (the last bones in the tail show a deformity usually caused by a slow progressive degenerative nerve disorder common to aging Gymnagaopthians. There also appears to be a heling scar on the right Ulna. The teeth are mostly intact in the jaw and skull, and show wearing similar to that caused by a diet of mainly fresh vegetables, and hard grains, nuts, or seeds.
Looking into the large backpack Calex finds a few labeled bottles of reactive agents common to the alchemy trades, as well as a strong leather sided box designed to open flat, which inside holds a small assortment of vessels and other strange apparatus, which he recognizes as an Formula Alembic.
After removing those things Calex feels the Tafganor is better off not escaping with, and handing the pack to him, the fellow, under Ravena’s stern gaze, rises slowly to his feet, bowing again and again, saying
Thank you, you should not expect to ever hear of me again.
And with that he leaves, walking slowly up the ramp to the exit of the cave where he had tried to escape to earlier.
Meanwhile, Marwan examines a complex arcane scroll, but cannot, without the aid of a spell, decipher its meaning.
Calex watches as the orc leaves, hostility still radiating from him like heat from a fire, but he says nothing until the trafganor disappears from sight. Then a slight smirk of amusement crosses his face, as he turns to Ravena and says "I just had a thought. After the trouncing you gave him, I wonder how he'll fare if he reaches the mainland, only to discover himself surrounded by the multitudes of halflings that populate the Empire? Thank you for your help. Lets go check on the others."
After the Tafganor has left, Ravena runs up the ramp, and quickly circles the landing area above the cavern floor, when she finds not only the sarcophagus where Stolos is examining the skeletal remains of a Gymnagaopthian, but also the sarcophagus of a Maetaur skeleton, a Human, and a strange empty sarcophagus, which holds no bones, but the nearly rotted away to nothing remains of what was once an elaborate collection of garments. Though there are no bones in this fourth sarcophagus, there is a small blue cloth sack that seems brand new, and a green, silk scarf, folded neatly on top of the other rotting garments.
NPC: F Maetaur Bard/1 | AC 14 , t 13 , ff 11 |HP: 19/ (18) | f +2, r +6, w +3| Init +3, P +2 |CMD
Darlene helps Cicily to her feet once again, and announces
Let’s not spend too much longer here. I want to get Madame Cicily back to Gowan’s Crossing before nightfall, and as soon as she and Auria are well enough, return them safely back to Woodbridge.
When Marwan follows Ravena up to the upper gallery surrounding the cavern floor, and catches up to her at the one sarcophagus that is missing a body, he gathers the silk scarf and blue bag.
Marwan:
The bag is a peculiar magic bag that may need further study to identify, but it is similar to those kinds of bags that can summon small animals when needed, while the scarf is clearly a protective garment, when worn it provides the same benefit as though the wearer had cast Mage Armor on themselves.
"Agreed," Stolos comments, climbing down from his perch. "Sir Marwan, when you've finished examining the artifacts we found in the tomb, I would like to go over the ones we found in Seilaigoen's tomb." Dusting himself off, Stolos rejoins his companions. "Mistress Darlene is correct, though, we should see about returning to a safe haven as soon as possible."
Marwan chuckles. "Please, do not call me 'sir'; I am a hermit living in the middle of the woods, technically squatting, I believe." He holds up his new items "I'll need more time with this bag but this scarf provides the effects of a suit of armor without hindering one's ability to cast spells. Myself or Sir Calex would probably benefit most from this."
The group begins to mill about, with each person seeming to be unsure of who is in charge at this moment. Darlene and Aniktah are right by Cicily’s sides, helping her along, and it is clearly evident that the older Maetaur is still on the cautious edge of consciousness showing signs that she might swoon at any moment. Her injuries may at this point appear light, and the benefit of healing magic has certainly made a difference but the ordeal is still taking its toll on her.
After collecting the items from the empty grave, and the ones from Seilaigoen Urinsavus’ grave, the party takes a quick look at the remaining sarcophagi, finding a tall human skeleton wearing the tattered and rotting remains of kilt, and a breast plate made from leather which has become cracked and brittle, but the skeleton wears high, soft leather boots that look as new as the day they were stitched together. Beside this figure is a long, two-handed broadsword of gleaming silver steel.
The last sarcophagus is larger than the other three, and holds the skeletal remains of a Maetaur. To everyone’s surprise the skull still has long red hair, though it has seen the passage of time, that any remains at all is unusual. The Maetaur skeleton wears a golden-red rafgham, stitched with silver thread, embroidered with a young sapling on each side. The rafgham is in immaculate condition; though removing it from the body will take some time, undoing rotting belts, and carefully rearranging the remains to as not disturb them too much. Along with the obvious magical rafgham garment there is a staff of black oak, shod at one end in a bright gold metal.
Once all these things are gathered, the group retraces their path to this chamber and in no time at all they are back on the ledge outside of the cave, halfway up the north side of the hill. There is no sign of the tafganor or his associates, but the young male cave giant sits quietly by himself, at the camp at the bottom of the hill near the small Maetaur shrine.
Not sure if the following check gives me any insight on the average nature of giants, but it can't hurt to try, right?
Knowledge (Nature):1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25
"I might be able to persuade him to seek a more spacious clime," Stolos pipes up. "Dealing with the wilder beings of the world has become a bit of a past time for me."
You have never met a giant. The Gymnaga people have stories, old stories that describe the giants in three general categories; “Hill” or “stone” giants, are generally solitary, living in small tribes. The hill giants were once considered dangerous, but are no longer considered enemies of other folk. The second type of giant, called “Mountain” or sometimes, “Fire” giants, are larger, more isolated, and often more violent than their smaller brethren. The third type of giant, called “Storm” or “Frost” giants, are said to have gone out of the world many generations ago. Gymnaga folk prefer to live in places where there is plenty of fresh, fast flowing water, and often live in deep river valleys, or were natural springs feed lakes. More and more these days, as the population of gynmaga folk grows, your kind are finding it easy to live on coastal plains where fresh water rivers meet the sea. In the history of Urandoma (which is not considered the ancestral home or land of origin of the gymnaga people) contact between Giants and Gymnaga are rare, but one myth of your people tells of a giantess, who was befriended by a Gymnaga priestess, and helped in leading her people back up into higher places, when her tribe was separated from others of their kind, after the great war against the tafganor, four hundred years ago. Your people still talk of giants as types that should be avoided, due to their unpredictable tempers and great strength, but at the same time if ever a giant should be encountered it is suggested, from old tales, that moving and speaking slowly are the best approach. You have travelled enough, and met a few other “druids” in your travels with more knowledge about these things, to know that giants rarely come down out of the higher elevations, so for this fellow to be here suggests a mystery, and he may have been a prisoner of the tafganor from a very young age. You believe he is a young hill giant, but you cannot be certain.
"From what I gather, he's as much a victim of these orcs as Cicily. Also, if that scum keeps his word, he left the name of the traitor planted within Woodbridge that has been supplying them with knowledge of our movements and plans." Cal's expression darkens with emotion. "I would greatly desire that name. I would probably need more proof than simply his word, but if we at least know who to be suspicious of, we can launch our own investigation. Whoever it is has caused allot of suffering." The young mage takes a breath and exhales, visibly letting his train of thought shift away. "In any event, right now whoever our traitor is is a second priority to this warlord himself."
Marwan's knowledge of giant-kind would be very different from what Stolos knows, as the giants of Urandoma are not identical, or even similar, to giants on the continent of Alodoa. I'll put together a brief piece on what Marwan knows of giant-kind in the discussion thread, but even though this is a good role, it doesn't help Stolos much.
"Then perhaps this young giant could be of some aid to our cause," Stolos muses. "There is a chance he will wish revenge on his captors, and we may make good use of him."
I'll put a post up later today detailing Stolos' interaction with the giant.
Stolos shares his knowledge with his companions before heading towards the giant. Most of all, Stolos stresses the importance that there are no sudden moves. "We must help him understand that we mean him no harm, and that there is no treachery afoot. Stay visible, if distant. If provoked, I will lead the giant further into the woods while the rest of you head to town. Zelotes and I have experience running and hiding, and if we should find a stream deep enough, we'll have no trouble escaping."
Stolos will make sure he's not carrying any of the artifacts before going to meet the giant.
***
As he approaches the giant, Stolos will cast a simple cantripon himself that he has used to get out of trouble several times. Before the spell should lose it's effect, Stolos calls out to the giant. "Good day to you, mighty one. It is an honor to meet you. My name is Stolos, and I would like to be your friend." Once getting the giant's attention, Stolos follows what protocol he can remember, careful to speak at a moderate tone and move at a slower pace.
The young, male, giant, turns toward the sound of Stolos’ voice.
He is a thick individual, with strong arms and legs. He sits on a stone, but even still his head is a good foot above Stolos (who rests on his “knee” bringing him to just over five feet to the top of his head). He appears, in most regards, as a simple human of very large proportions, though his head does seem small for his body, and his mouth, with thick lips hangs a bit to one side. He has large brown eyes and thick dark eyebrows. His shirt is torn, and his pants are threadbare. He wears a belt, made of rope, and his legs are chained at the ankles to a stake driven into the ground.
You are Nagagoni the young giant says softly, as if he is saying it out loud to reassure himself.
The one called Skreed said some people would come soon. Are you going to free me?
His voice is a deep, but shaky baritone. His eyes have a look of vacant suffering.
Calex takes notice of the poor state the giant is in and decides to add his own offer on behalf of the group. He moves up closer & stands just beyond Rob, leaning upon his staff in a nonthreatening , relaxed pose. "My name is Calex, the wizard of Woodbridge. If you agree, we will quickly see to your release. If it pleases you, what name should we call you? It is my wish to name you 'friend' but as long as the word enemy is not used we will call you whatever you wish to be known by. Are you injured? Do you need any aid?" he asks, followed with "Are you hungry? We can provide some food or drink if you need, as well."
Cal smiles at the giant before them, and awaits the immense fellow's answers.
After the young giant has spoken to Stolos, Robert and Calex approach cautiously, in hopes of hearing the exchange, and speaking up their own questions.
Robert’s comment is met by the giant’s gaze with a half-smile, but when Calex speaks the poor fellow’s head drops a bit, and his eyes look at the ground.
My name is Thuomanunh the giant says quietly, the pronunciation of his name sounds odd and would be difficult to get right on the first try. It includes sounds made with the tongue held against the roof of the mouth, in a way very similar to the dialect of the Vayangurr Archipelago.
After a pause, the giant lifts his head and looks toward all three of them, Stolos, Robert, and Calex, and then says, I, I am hungry, and tired, but I am not hurt. I’ve been forced to carry the Maetaur woman, and move many heavy stones. The two troll women and the tafganor, Skreed, were not kind to me, but they treated me better than their prisoner. I could eat, and a drink of water would be nice. I want to go home.
Male Human Fighter 1| AC 18 T 12 FF 16 CMD 16 (18 v Trip and disarm)|12/12 HP | F +4 R +2 W +3 | Init +2 | Perc +6
Robert nods to the giant, "I am called Robert. I will set you free. I am sorry at the treatment you received and you are free to go home." Robert the approaches the giant and sets down some food and his water-skin and cuts the giant free.
Satisfied that the giant will be co-operative, Calex reaches into his pack to add to Rob's donation. Leaving another share of food and water with what is already there, Cal says "You are free to go. We keep our word. But before you leave I would ask you to rest, and perhaps answer some questions about how you came to be imprisoned. First though, I must help with Cicily. She is in poor shape, and I have magic we can use to move her gently without causing her more hurt. I will return." He clasps Rob's shoulder in farewell & waves to Stolos. At the same time he also produces a scroll from cases attached to his bandoleer, saying: "This will produce a floating field of force and allow us to move Cicily outside, without causing her any more injury or discomfort. It does not move very fast, but will last a few hours."
The giant takes the water skin slowly, eyeing Robert and Calex all the while, and drinks in small sips until it is all gone, and then begins eating the offered food.
Thank you. I would like to be on my way soon, but to repay your kindness I will stay and answer your questions if I can. I was captured while gathering wood near our tribes home when it was overrun by enemies of ours, the giant says between small portions he slowly places into his mouth with his right hand.
You see, high up in the valley he points to the northeastis where my family has lived since I was a child. The place is called Red Lake, because there is a small mountain lake, clear and blue as the sky, that during the long summer days reflects the red glow of the setting sun like a sparkling jewel. On the northwest shore of this small lake there is a ruin, many stone foundations and walls are there, but I don’t know what it once was. Three families of hill giants call that place home and we have work to make a place suitable for our kind. But a few weeks ago another tribe of giants, not different from us came and demanded the place for their master, an orc of giant size who goes by the name of Lorgrad the stone hand. They, these other hill giants, had allies who were ogres, and orcs, and we did not have the ability to resist them. We gave them the place, and believed we would be free to leave, but they took half of our tribe as hostages, while banishing the rest of us to scratch out a living along the river south of the lake. One day, while I was gathering firewood for my mother and sister, a group of them captured me, and beat me, telling me that I was needed. My father was already a prisoner of theirs and he was put to work rebuilding the stone fort where it had fallen into ruin and I, because I had some of my father’s skills was dragged here to open the wall that reveals a passage into that hill. Skreed and his two troll companions promised me that I would be returned to my mother when they had recovered something below the hill. He has gone now, but before he left he told me a name, and said if I was asked by any people who came out of the hill after him, to give them that name, but to give it to no one else.
Calex stays long enough for the giant to finish, then excuses himself to attend to Cicily, hoping Robert can be trusted to obtain the name of the spy in Woodbridge.
When Calex has conjured the disk, Aniktah and Darlene carefully lift the older Maetaur up onto it, and stand alongside of it, making sure she is comfortable and resting without fear of falling off the disk once the party gets on the move
Male Human Fighter 1| AC 18 T 12 FF 16 CMD 16 (18 v Trip and disarm)|12/12 HP | F +4 R +2 W +3 | Init +2 | Perc +6
Robert watches the giant as he tells his tale. When he finishes he says to him, "We have had run ins with some orcs as well. It seems a number of the races from the hills are being joined together by a giant king intent on overrunning the rest of the area. I am sorry for what you have been through. If we didn't have other tasks at hand I would see if the others would agree to accompany you home and free you. You saw us come out of the hill behind Skreed. That name was the price of his freedom along with a promise to leave here and live in exile and not rejoin the giant king. Would you give me the name please?"
The young giant crosses his legs, and nods at Robert, and then says,
Skreed told me there is a human woman, who lives in Woodbridge, her name is Wanthgreame Gresham. She is the daughter of a tafganor and a human man who once lived in that village. She is so like a human that she passes for one herself, though she is half blood. He said she will deny it but that you can tell her you know where her daughter is, her daughter is Wiscara, and she is a prisoner in the Red Lake Fortress.
Calex sighs in sadness at the words of the giant. "I know Wiscarra, although we lost track of each other in all the recent chaos. It seems our spy is yet another victim of this Lograd, just a mother trying to save her child. Before all this Woodbridge was just another small village trying to avoid the gaze of the conquering Alodoans, fearful they might prove worse than the Urandoma bandit kings they chased away. I was facing a life of a simple hedge wizard, a mere hobbyist at best, and a trade in basic alchemy. Wiscara and I shared many pleasant chats about magic. I'm sad that her mother didn't trust me enough to ask me for help in rescuing her, but I can forgive her, knowing now what her situation is. It does seem we are to launch yet another retrieval of my people from this Lograd.
He begins to irk me, greatly."
Calex turns to Aniktah, and taking her hand, says "Your help in rescuing our Elder, and saving Robert from his injuries was truly amazing. I need to ask if you would help us again with yet another mission. I would understand if you refuse. These used to be your people, and you may face former friends or even family. If you wish, I'll see you safely to Woodbridge instead, but I would prefer to have you beside me. Choose freely, my dear. It will have no bearing on my feelings."
"There is common that the strong will prey on the weak," Stolos muses aloud, "And it is likely that we will be few compared to the forces that we aspire to defeat, yet I believe we are the stronger. Not for force or might, or even in terms of power, but because we are few. We few, who stand for what we believe, and what is right. To have those two principles aligned is to have at our backs a wind stronger than those that we oppose."
Stolos places a hand on both Calex and Aniktah, adding "Few beings have a chance to seek such greatness. With Master Calex as our leader, and the strength of our companions to support us, we shall be able to defeat this Lograd and protect our homes, if home among us you'll have, Mistress Aniktah."
"I..uh..well thank you for your confidence. I'll try my best to see it's not misplaced. But I rely upon all of you to help me keep that path.." Calex replies, his face going red with pleased embarrassment.
In an obvious attempt to shift the focus of the others, Cal then says in a more thoughtful voice "Strange, though. Skreed knows Wiscarra's mother, yet I always knew Carra's mother as Geralda Gresham. Why would he name Wiscarra correctly, yet give her mother's name as Wanthgreame? Have you ever heard anyone calling Goody Gresham anything else besides Geralda, Robert? Wanthgreame is an oddly specific word for him to make up. Perhaps it's from her Trafganor heritage."
Perhaps we don't need to fight all the orcs and ogres, simply removing Lograd migh cause them to fall into disarray. Neither of those races are known for orderly and peaceful transitions of power.
The Name, Wanthgreame, is mostlikely of tafganor origin, and contains the root word, “grea” which is east, or “from where the sun rises” in many languages, including the tafganor of the City States of Tarule (located on the mainland, where most tafganor you are familiar with are from). It is likely that the tafganor of Urandoma (Orimar) are closely related by language, if not culture, to the tafganor of the City States, though those orcs are certainly on the more civilized, less tribal/warlike as the ones here on this island country.
Aniktah seems lost in thought, as Calex humbly asks for her to continue to travel with the group as they return to Woodbridge, and when Stolos offers his unwavering support for her, even though she is a half-blood tafganor, she begins to cry.
But then Aniktah stops her tears, when the name Wanthgreame is mentioned
NPC: F half-orc Cleric/2 | AC 12, t 12, ff 10 | hp 17/17 | f +4, r +2, w +5 | Init +2 |
Wanthgreame is an old tafganor name. It comes from the Vayangurr people, who live on the islands south of the dwarven kingdom of Balor. It isn’t common among my people, here on Urandoma. The name has no direct translation into your language, maybe a close fit would be, “to sail with confidence into the rising sun.” It is like naming your child “Hope” which seems like asking for trouble to me.
She then listens to Marwan, as she adjust Cicly on the floating shield, and says, You may be right, but getting close to him might be impossible. No one I know has any idea where he is, only that he is looking for some hidden entrance to a great fortress in the mountains.
Marwan rubs his beard and looks up to the sky while he paces next to the disk, keeping an eye on Cicily in case her condition worsens.
Maybe that's this Red Lake Fortress Tuwo-, Tsuo-, Fue-, Thuomanunh mentioned. Marwan struggles wrapping his mouth around the giant's name, the phonics being quite different from his native language. He looks sheepishly at the giant. Forgive me, friend, that is not an easy name for a Vurespanian tongue I'm afraid. In any event, we ought to get Cicily back to the village. She needs to rest, and I'm sure many will be glad to see she is safe.
"Yes, I think it's time to move. But one last thing, if possible."Cal produces the map they had been making of the area, and shows it to the now-free giant. "I'm of the idea we'll need the location of this 'Red Fortress' for our next step. Can you show us its location, and maybe expand our knowledge a bit of the area- maybe show other hazards we may encounter, other folk we may meet, and tell us anything else about the fortress itself? Perhaps we can even join with your own folk to drive the interlopers out together."
The young giant looks at Calex’s , tilts his head to one side, and then scratches behind his ear.
No, I’m sorry, but your map is too small, he says at last. Taking the map from Calex he places it on the ground, and bends over it. He places a small rock on each corner of the paper, and points his finger down on the image of the lake in the top left corner of the map. If this is the lake that is just to the northwest of us, he says, and this is the green wood he slides his finger to the right and stops at the edge of the map then he lifts his finger off the paper, moves his hand a distance equal to two more maps width from the map in what would be a southeastern direction and pokes the ground, The Ganthal hills would be here he lifts his finger from the ground and moves his hand again, in a direction that would be south and then sets it down in the dirt again, saying, This would be where the Talvor Valley is, and the Dialothna Pass which is between Mount Cainthna and the Mountain called Duathna. It is the only passage through the mountains from the west to the east. Below the western slopes of Mount Duathna, south of the pass is the Red Lake, and the river Fananol which flows southwest along the base of the mountains to the sea. From where we are now it is distance of nearly one hundred miles. I have been away from my family for almost a month and a half.
"It is a great distance to travel," Stolos muses. "Dangerous to travel it alone, especially in a company this small or by yourself, even for one of your size and strength, Thuomanunh. As Sir Calex has said, we are more than willing to repay this kindness by helping to drive the interlopers away from your lands." Diplomacy:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24
The giant listens to Stolos, and then seems startled when Ravena steps forward.
Who’s safety are you talking about little human child?
He then turns back to Calex and the other’s and says as he gets to his feet, I think I can find my way to the river, if I travel with you back to your village. I do not know where Woodbridge is, but it seems that from the way Skreed talked about it, it was south and east of here. I don’t mind travelling across this country alone, there aren’t many dangers for one my size, but you are right, there is strength in numbers. I will go with you to Woodbridge, and then decide for myself what to do next. If your plan is to approach the Red Lake fort, I will not help you. Other members of my extended family have done this, and the retribution is swift and painful. If you can free us from these tafganor overlords, and their traitor giant allies, we will be in your debt, but we can’t be expected to help you.
Having settled the issue, the party sets out for Gowan’s Crossing, arriving before sunset.
The villagers of Gowan’s crossing are apprehensive, and make no attempt to hide their fear of the young giant who arrives among the party, but as it is evident that they have rescued the Maetaur woman that Auria the One Hand has been telling them about, they do not show any signs of hostility.
The villagers make accommodations for everyone, and tend to the wellbeing of Cicily. Many in the village try to encourage the friends from Woodbridge to travel north, to Otter’s Lake, but even Cicily is against this, and wishes nothing more than to return home as quickly as possible.
This leaves the group in a difficult situation, where they know there is a traitor in Otter’s Lake, but for the time being are not driven to do anything about that.
Gowan’s Crossing Day 16, morning
The villagers are persuaded to provide a hay wagon, knowing this early in the growing season it is not needed desperately, and two young men of the village agree to travel to Woodbridge and return with the cart.
It is a two-wheeled affair, with a long, wide body, having short sides. The cart is inspected for travel worthiness, and made comfortable with a layer of straw. Auria and Cicily are loaded on the wagon, and “Tom” the hill giant, agrees to pull the cart all the way back to Woodbridge.
The village cannot afford to supply any draft animals, so it is fortunate that Tom has agreed to the task.
The distance, as the crow flies, back to Woodbridge, is estimated to be twenty miles. The most likely route to follow, using landmarks the party is familiar with is a journey of 27 miles. The best speed the group can make, overland with Tom pulling the cart, is 1.5 miles per hour.
Setting out early, the party covers fifteen miles from morning until the sun begins to dip low in the west. The group sets up a camp north of the hill of the cairns which can just barely been seen to the south about six or seven miles.
The night is uneventful.
12 miles north of Mingary Bend Day 17, morning
Auria and Cicily, reunited now, seem to be able to keep one another in good spirits, even taking a small effort this day to prepare a spell or two each, and talk back and forth of the problems facing the people of Woodbridge and what is to be done to stop the rise of Lorgrad the Stone Hand.
The party’s supplies are thinning, but there is just enough to make it back to Woodbridge. Stolos and Ravena, with Darlene’s help, forage for edible plants, mostly tubers and nuts, and a few large rabbits are trapped for lunch.
It is twelve miles to Mingary Bend, and then only three quarters of a mile further to Woodbridge. The party should arrive among the Maetaur before sunset
