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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Krackor

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

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

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

In reply to DM (msg # 54):

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

((ooc: "This spell enables the caster to cause a pool of normal water found in a natural setting to act as a scrying device"... So Krackor is looking for exactly what he asked for, water in a natural setting, like a stream or a spring.  EVERYWHERE has a stream near by, especially Hamlets and villages and such, but how far away or is it in the village green?.))

Krackor

((ooc: Triel isn't built on flowing water, but instead gets its water from wells (and makes money selling water to caravans). You'll be able to find a stream fairly easily once you're moving through the hills, especially if you're looking for one. So we'll do the scrying once the group gets underway.))

Group

((ooc: Anyone have anything else they want to do in Triel before you leave?

What sort of marching order and/or precautions are you taking as you go?))

Getting information about the well, he wonders if they are natural depositories or just common dug down wells, he was going to ask someone with Wizard Eye to check before resigning to the fact he'll have to cast his spell at a later time when they discover a stream.

Krackor goes back to the group and states:  "I've decided that it will take to long for me to cast this spell if we are heading out now.  It will be at least a bell before it would be fully cast as I'd need to prepare myself at the pool of water in a natural setting, maybe a dip that rain water or water from a waterskin settles, then add the drops of ink and stir it until something shows itself, even the Vigilant Host can't speed this up short of an Augury, which I don't have ready, maybe someone else has!  He looks around expectantly.

"Anyway, if off we need to go, shouldn't we go?  I still need a rough map, even a drawing of the entrance area!  The Captain, and I are ready, how about you Kali, Corym, Torvek?  Just needs a majority vote to get going, so any one of you and we are off.  Sorry Kitheras, I'm as eager as you are to be back here again with good news.  Direct me and I'll take the lead, on horse if one can be provided.  You say they are a day and some away or did I hear that incorrectly?   Maybe the Gnomes and or Halfling villagers could help us understand what is going on, I would wager that someone there knows something that others are not wanting to listen to!"  He shoulders his pack, grabs his black shield with the flame between eyes at the top and bottom of it, his trusty battle axe, quickly hold it in his shield hand, swigs the last of his drink or someone elses, returns the battle axe and stands ready.

He hadn't had a need to worry about his companions that much or was he being lax having had the dangers of Myth Drannor thrust upon them and everything else seeming, well, rather minor!

He then casts his spell on Yngvar, he didn't need to cast the Iron Vigil on himself just yet, he had only cast it 7 days previously on leaving The Standing Stone on the way to Myth Drannor (8 days left).

He'd last cast it on the way into Myth Drannor for Corym, now it was time to cast on himself.  Krackor then asks Yngvar is he will accept the blessings of a watch-up eye upon him, so the priest would know if there was a 'Dangerous Situation' that he was in "As with the members of the Dreams of the Ancients Exploration Company, would you accept the blessings of the Lord Protector so I would know if you are in danger for a number of days, you just have to kiss this rose petal?  If the Druid accepts, Krackor casts Sacred Guardian on him.

"So how far from here would it be if one and a half days into the Triel Hills, are they a few hours from here or a half day, maybe more from here?  You may have said this yet I was working on something, in which case, I need to be more vigilant."

He was working on the journey taking just short of 2 days as they were probably going to be travelling slower than the chase that had taken place, although it sounded like some urgency was required.  "Mid-afternoon, I will be casting a Blessed Watchfulness on someone, I could ask the Bronze Mask for additions, the Divine Blessings ensures any sleeping spells or sneaking of enemy, are thwarted, have very little effect.  You have time to think of it, you Yngvar, may be a recipient as we don't want you to be taken to slumber when we still require directions.  It had been said, he had said too much, he felt a duty and he wasn't sure why as he didn't know these people, maybe it was Gorm's insight with helping others or there were Dwarves to be rescued, he didn't know which but he was ready, alert and aware of the dangers ahead.

His smile never left his face, now it was a cheery grin, full of excitement.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:48, Sat 29 July 2023.

Yngvar jumps from the tree and walks over and kisses the rose petal to accept the spell, "It is a days travel to the hills, half a day into them to the ravine we go to."

The Guardian Priest bows slightly to the newly anointed bearer of the Bronze Mask's blessings.

Kitheras and Yngvar take the lead.

Kali and Mari.

Torvek and Krackor in the mid.


Then Kora and Corym take the rear guard.

I was thinking about doing the "invisibility before bed" trick, but with a day's journey ahead of us, it hardly seems to matter

Mage Armor and Stoneskin should still be up and active.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:23, Mon 31 July 2023.

Yngvar leads the way toward the hills to the east/north-east of the town. There was a fair ways to go.

In reply to Corym Ildroun (msg # 67):

If people did Mount for the full days journey, we can travel a lot faster than us walking.
((OOC:  Light Horse {Mount spell level 1-3} can travel at 24 {Monsterous Manual page 194}

The group sets out, clambering through the hole in the wall to avoid having to pester the guards to open the gate. Twilight is well fallen, and as the group follows Yngvar's lead into the northeast, full night quickly settles around you. Stars twinkle and vanish, then reappear as clouds race across the sky. Kora lights up her magical torch, helping the group find footing as you leave the open plains for the steadily-more-rolling terrain of the Trielta Hills. The combination of night and hills would be worrisome for a normal horse; fortunately, the magically-created one Torvek conjured seems oblivious to such minor dangers.

Krackor had let Yngvar know of his needs for a scrying pool. Though this is only his second time in the Trielta Hills, the druid had noted several streams near to the trail left by the giants and ogres. He makes for the closest, and after a bit of walking they find a place where, in the power of the spring floods, the stream had collapsed a section of the bank. The dirt was washed away, leaving behind a circular depression mostly offset from the main channel. It's about as wide around as Krackor is tall, and most days serves as a refuge for all manner of river life.

This day, it will serve him admirably as a scrying pool.

As they pause towards the end of the day for scrying, Torvek suggests "Krackor, depending what your spell reveals, I think I could go and survey our destination from the sky before we settle for the night if that'd be useful"

((ooc: General distance notes, since Yngvar has already traveled this path:

It's 8 miles from Triel to the edge of the Trielta Hills. This is basically where you've stopped to do the scrying. You did that in 1/3 of a marching day.

It's another 14 miles into the hills to the dungeon where Toska was attacked and Yngvar turned back. That will take the remaining 2/3 of this marching "day" (actually night), and half of "tomorrow" (which could also be night, depending on how you want to schedule sleep).

Those numbers are all assuming no forced marches and that Krackor is riding a horse. If any of those assumptions change, I can recompute.))

"Will this do Mr. Krackor? It should make a fine scrying pool. We're not yet half way there, it will be awhile yet. You see all right in the dark Mr. Torvek?"

In reply to Yngvar the Mad (msg # 73):

He enjoyed being on a horse, it wasn't necessarily comfortable but it beat having to rush with all these long legs around him, not that he minded that either as they had always included him, right from the start.

He heard the stream before being told of the pool and knew the Druid had found a suitable place to stop.  "It will take 2hrs to cast this spell, you lot best get some cooking done" He reaches into his pack and retrieved hit magical Pan of Cooking and handed it to the nearest colleague. "Once I've cast it, the spell doesn't last too long. I still need that map, even a rough one. As I haven't been there, I have little way to locate it. You say 14 miles, I can work with that and you've given me a rough direction. Anything else would be a bonus."

Having gained more information to describe the rough, Krackor, still in his full Armour, only his Shield and Helmet removed, he set about casting his spell, moving the water, swirling in different directions and different patterns, then allowing the ink to find it's path. Patterns indistinguishable then a moments clarify and the scene appears, the path between hills, between crags. The Dwarven Priest watched and listened, he saw what others may have missed in the swirling, crashing dead smooth water of the pool.