Assuming after that hour of study Nirzeg hadn't accidently blown a hole ship, Nirzeg at least temporarily halts further investigation. Though he left his room intending to make sure Tomac was settling in nice, if albeit belatedly, eventually finding him with Swiper. Rather than intrude however, the Githyanki found a spot to observe at a fair distance; arms crossed and a faint look of amusement on his face.

There is a surprised squawk that emits from the kenku, his feather ruffling after hearing Tomac's voice. He had assumed the other was elsewhere, but he assumed wrong! He looks to calm down slightly when offered a chance to pet the griffon. "Can I?" He asks with the voice of a curious child, slowly making his way over to the bird. When given the okay, he carefully touches the creature. There are stars in his eyes when he looks up to the barbarian. "How'd you catch 'em?"

"Ahhh little one, you don't catch a griffon. You have raise them and care for them from a chick. Love them and teach them" he looks to Gruff with glossy eyes. "He is my protector as much as he is mine."

"Wooah..." Swiper's tone is that of an amazed child, looking back between the griffon and Tomac. It was clear the two had an unbreakable bond between them, and that lights a small fire in the little kenku's heart. "Where do ye gitem? ... Can I have one?" His voice continuously switches, first having been of a gruff sounding man, then to a curious middle aged woman. 

"Well, if you work hard and learn how to care for and handle an animal like this then maybe you could talk to a breeder" Tomac leans over close to the kenku "but remember, it's a life long commitment"

Swiper 'hrmms' at the mention of it being a lifelong commitment, then chirps up happily, "I learn good!" Only to then darken a second later to say glumly, "I ain't got much left in me I reckon... When we reach our destination... can I get a ride? ... I wanna know how it feels to be free."

"Not much left in you? You can't be that old." Lydia says to Swiper.

"Well, I don't think that would be to much troubled" Tomac turns to who ever else is on the deck "so how much long to our destination?"

"Swipers people don't live for too long," The kenku shakes his head sadly. "You'd be surprised at how old I am." He winks to Lydia. His gaze returns back to Tomac with a smile in his eyes. "Thank ye kindly, mister!"

"My guess is five." Nirzeg finally chimes in on the conversation, if though after giving Tomac's question a few seconds to linger in the air. "And to answer your question our handsome little giant. We aughta be there a few hours after dawn, give or take. And while normally I'd follow that up with a 'you ****ers probably wanna get some shut eye for when the shit hits the dragon again'... honestly, we're probably in for some pretty smooth sailing." Nirzeg states.

He then looks around to the masked crew and rubbed at his chin. "You said you were from Fireshear originally, or just a warden of sorts for the greater area? And be honest, knowing that there's no judgement here when I ask -- have you ever fought a giant before?"

"I have not. By the time I get to any of the villages that are attacked, the attackers are already gone, so I help were I can with the injured and such." Tomac lowers his head and has a very sobering look on his face "if only I could do more" he mumbles.

The edges of Nirzeg's lips tilt just ever so slightly upward into a smile. "Well, fortunately you signed on then now isn't it? Folk we'll still be various degrees of ****ed mind you, as we can't be everywhere at once, or stop all the time in our journeys mind you. But, between this ship and our directions, I say you're odds of doing the most.. ehg... good, I suppose,  have gone up. And who knows! Maybe you'll pick up a few tricks along the way so that swinging that weapon of yours isn't the only way to help."

"Lindsey here-..." He gestures over to Lydia. "-is quite the accomplished cleric of, uh, that one storm god... Torm, I think? Anyways, she could maybe help guide you into his services or some shit there. Crackerjack could maybe teach you how to stab better in probable exchange for a ride on your griffon. And.... well we'll need to get you something 'fore I can help in that way."

"Lydia." She corrects.

Tomac gives a nod and half bow to everyone as they are introduced. "My axe is at your service, as long as our path rights the wrong and sets things back as they should be."

Realms date: 22 Eleasis/Highsun, two weeks after Midsummer.

The next couple days' travel through the summer skies of the Savage Frontier take you over the northern cusp of Neverwinter Wood, and along the Sword Coast towards the frozenfar. But the travel was not all peaceful skies. On the second day, a powerful squall came in from the sea without warning, battering the wooden gondola fiercely. Thankfully, the crew of the airship were able to keep the vessel in the sky, but the gale force winds did a number on the hull.

After the dire weather and getting to know each other a little better in the increasingly frigid arctic air, the airship arrives in Fireshear, a mining town centered on an ancient meteor crater near the coast of the Trackless Sea. Squat stone structures (resembling igloos) dominate the settlement, their domes good at supporting the weight of year-round snow and deflecting the cold wind. The homes here are dug out of the rock, going much deeper than the squat domes would suggest. Further towards the sea, ramps carved into the cliffs lead down to the shore, where stone docks protrude into a shallow bay that hasn't yet frozen over for the winter. 

It is here that Ah'brasar's Emerald Enclave contact lives and works. Dasharra Keldabar, a shield dwarf who has retired from Waterdeep's Griffon Cavalry, spends her time raising and training griffons as mounts. She does this primarily for the Emerald Enclave, but she will also consider giving training in griffon riding for a reasonable price. 

Delsephine, your airship captain, requests a few days to perform some maintenance on the airship, and says she can use the docks here to have her crew make the repairs. 

If you are amenable to Delsephine's request, While you're here, your connections to the Emerald Enclave allow you to take advantage of Griffon Rider training for 200 gp per person. If you're interested, just let me know! Otherwise, there are many people and places to get to know here in the small mining town. Let me know if you choose to pursue any path of interest here in Fireshear. 

Knowing full well the dangers of a poorly maintained ship, Nirzeg is quick to acquiesce to Delsephine request. And while some may look to him suspecting the obvious of one thing given previous dalliances, the githyanki remained neutral in expression but result;citing -- or more accurately challenging if any besides Tomac possessed the ability to 'fly' in an emergency. Whether or not things come to a head, Nirzeg bids his goodbyes to Ah'brasar with a surprising amount of tact from the otherwise foul mouthed jerkwad of an wizard and former engineer.

But as far as taking up the chance to learn Griffon Riding, the Githyanki instead sidesteps it and asks Ah'brasar to ply his contract about alpha griffon feathers or the location. OR barring the impossibility of that, he ask of her himself if she knew or perhaps even possessed the wing feathers of an Alpha Griffon. Or knew of one's whereabouts, and a means to safely secure one. "I'm well aware what I ask may be a bit of sore topic considering your, uh, affiliations. But, out of respect for your own mission statement, I hoped to make such a retrieval as pleasant as possible for both sides." He admits.

Rasa makes introductions if requested, leading you to Dasharra Keldabar's home just north of the mining town of Fireshear, on a ridge overlooking the sea. Next to her home is a low, sturdy wooden shelter, which looks like it serves as a griffon roost. The roost is guarded by three people who are wrapped in heavy clothes from head to toe, as a protection against the cold. They nod as you pass.

Dasharra Keldabar is, in true dwarven style, a bit gruff and no-nonsense, and welcomes you into her warm hovel of a home, squat but roomy enough for a dwarf, and dug far into the ground. She offers ale and hot tea to any who enter.

"'Alpha griffon,' you say?" She asks Rasa. "Aye, griffons in the wild usually flock together, and it's in those flocks where one will lead the others. That's the alpha. They usually vie for dominance every few years, so the alpha can change within a flock. Sure way to tell an alpha griffon, he—or she, sometimes—is the most aggressive and protective of the others." 

Nirzeg is sure to enter given the request, and listens attentively to the answer. After taking one last sip of tea, Nirzeg smiles and asks, "But nothing on where they tend to roost in the wild? Besides ******* mountainous areas, naturally. But, are there any particular ranges then they prefer that you know? Or better yet, could we then find wild ones near Fireshear, or the ones here you care for are purely the enclaves doing?" He requested.

Tomac immediately ties off Gruff outside of Dasharra's house. He squats down to the height of the doorway but doesn't fully enter.

"My friend, I will ensure no harm to any of the birds. Please if you may, point us in the direction that they may be at this time of year. We do appreciate all your help."

Tomac then turns to whoever may be next to him, "why do you need griffin feathers?" he whispers

Dasharra Keldabar shrugs. "It's difficult getting anywhere near them. I've wrangled my fair share of wild griffons, but that was back in the day when the Griffon Cavalry was a rough-riding regiment. Nowadays it's much more manageable, training griffons from the time they're fledglings. Was a time when you had to tame the griffon while you were flying in the skies with it! Those were the days..." the dwarf realizes she's reminiscing, and finally answers, "Tell you what. I'll point you towards the nearest griffon nest I know of, if you'll do me a favor. I'm in need of more fledglings. You bring me back an egg or a fledgling alive and in one piece, and I'll show you how to fly your own griffon. That's 200 gold pieces worth of training. And I'll train one person for every young griffon you bring me, hatched or still in the egg."