(@Away: To clarify, Nirzeg had helped the man up, but was keeping a hold of him after.)

Nirzeg smirks. "We'll have to talk more in detail later." He subtly nods back to the at Derrikoth and the bugbears. "But suffice to say, certain actions of a certain earth dweller in leading a king's forces by the nose for quite a while and apparently upsetting a giant have not gone unnoticed, to say the least.  The black network could use someone like this person, assuming you really are that person. If not in just exchange of coin and resources, then potentially even a degree protection in the future."

His sly smile thins into a straight line. "Assuming you come with me and mines without further fuss and meet a certain associate. Otherwise, it would rather be a shame if I have to resort to bargaining with the giant outside. But alas, if you're to wind up dead anyways, me and mines at least deserve a cut for having gone through all this trouble. Wouldn't you agree, my friend?" After having whispered as much, if Larg yet proves agreeable enough to take Nirzeg's deal, the Githyanki pats the man on both shoulders, and then turns to the others with a smile.

(Waiting to see what/how the others go about interacting with the bugbears before adding anything else.)

Swiper squints his beady little eyes at the dwarf as he keeps his aim on the two remaining bugbears, ready to shoot had they tried anything.

Insight: 23

The bugbears are outnumbered and at your mercy, having already dropped their weapons. They look nervously at Swiper's crossbow.

Since these guys aren't doing anything, Lydia won't cast any spells. "So we aren't fighting. Excellent. You can go on with your business talk. I will do something exciting in the meantime, like count blades of grass or watch paint dry."

Nirzeg sighs, rolls his eyes, and then finally with the presumed Weevil captured in a side hug of shorts, turned the two of them around to properly face the others. "If your so bloody bored, my dear god blessed compatriot, why don't you handle interrogating these two while Big Blue and Crackerjack there looks menacing. 'Politely', if at all possible? Namely in regards to their giant employer currently bombarding the walls." He suggested. "Unless you have the means to call our ride here sooner with a warning to loop around a bit to avoid an immediate bombardment?" He asked, and then looks questioning over to the bugbears. "You two do speak the common tongue, don't you?"

The bugbear on the right grunts at Nirzeg. “It’s not some big f***ing mystery, innit?” spits the bugbear. “The giant Kaltivar hired us to kidnap this one while he made a distraction. That obviously didn’t work out. So kill us or let us go.”

The Githyanki almost lackadaisically looked back to the bugbear, and then smiled toothily. "Not quite yet, my rambunctious friend. We would know what know about this giant and the rest of his forest beyond what was tasked to you. Even if it was little matter to you, if you have happened to heard anything, we would that now. And quite frankly, there was what I said before to you two. What loyalty do you really owe this giant at this point to prevent from being swayed to our cause? And how would we know you wouldn't go running off like a beaten dog if we just let you go?"

"You let us go, see, and we'll tell you where Kaltivar was gonna meet us." The bugbear bares his teeth in what must pass for a smile. "You lot look like the types that go around killing giants. You'll get the bounty for the giant head, in addition to the bounty for this one, innit," he says, gesturing to the dwarf, who immediately scoffs at the notion. 

The bugbears stand and look very eagerly towards the wall & their freedom.

Swiper does as instructed and clambers down Lydia and looks at the bugbears as menacingly as a 4'6'' tall kenku can. 

Intimidation (for funsies): 17

When they mention the fact they could get two bounties, the rogue looks to the others. "That sounds rather good now doesn't it?"

With a Passive Insight of 17, can Lydia tell if these guys are lying?

As far as you can tell, the bugbears were only working with the frost giant for money, and are only interested in escaping with their lives. They are earnestly motivated by survival and personal enrichment. 

“Taking out another vicious giant would surely be a good addition to the day. I’m certainly looking forward to it.”

Nirzeg quirks a brow at the bugbear, and then makes a brief glance at the dwarf in hand. "You know, I'd really like to hear the story of how you came to gain the particular animosity of a giant one of these days." He admits to the dwarf, before looking to the others at their respective response. A small grin blooms as most seem to be of the same mind. "It sounds that we just about have a deal, and just in time too. I don't imagine your 'former' boss-..." He gives the two bugbears a stern look at that. "has many more goblins he can waste against the wall left. Tell us where you were planning to Kaltivar. Or if you would like to have a cut of the bounty, join us in taking him down. But--"

He promptly raises a hand in a haltling gesture. "If that's not worth the risk, yet you find yourselves in Waterdeep, look for a half-elf that goes by Sawanzi at the Yawning Portal or the Greasy Tap by the Dockward. Tell them I sent you for work. They'll set you up nicely, and with something far less likely to squashed by a giant. Sound good?"

The bugbears gladly climb to freedom, but not before describing their meeting place with Kaltivar the frost giant—a craggy outcropping five miles due west of Longsaddle, in the shape of a griffon head. They were supposed to meet there at deepnight, and it's still midday, so you've got a little over 12 hours to make the meet.

The two bugbears look askance at even the idea of going up against a frost giant. "I won't even bother wishing you good luck, powerful as Kaltivar is...but a deal's a deal," says the first bugbear. The other looks like he's making a mental note of the contact in Waterdeep. They ask Nirzeg's name, if he's willing to give it; either way, they depart with not a glance backwards.

As the bugbears slip over the wall, you hear cheers of victory from the militia soldiers gathered at the east wall. It seems that the giant is retreating.

Nirzeg makes sure to give the bugbear his name alongside a cheeky two-fingered salute. "Kaltivar, huh... Hm... It's probably best we too make ourselves scarce and see if we can 'prepare' that little meeting spot a bit ahead of time. Wouldn't want Kaltivar to go without some sort of warm welcome, I think." He then looks down to the dwarf and grins. "Not to mention it would be a good chance for you to tell us more about this relationship you have with old Kaltivar loosely along the way -- and to be clear, I don't expect you to fight him alongside us, as that would run counter to any other plans in which your being alive would be useful... But I would know the details."

The dwarf grumbles, "Get me out of here in one piece, and I'll tell you everything you want to know." 

As events are calming down, the militia begin to clean up from the failed "siege" and return to their posts. Although there were a few deaths, the soldiers look heartened at having repelled an actual giant. 

For the most part, the villagers are staying inside, though some peek out of windows and half-open doors. The Falling Orc Inn is currently shuttered, like most of the buildings around the village.

// Do you wish to stay here and wait for the militia to start asking questions about the dead bugbears, or would you like to try and leave immediately? If you want to leave, I'll need a group Wisdom (Stealth) check to open & steal out of the main gate, unless you have a plan that involves not opening the gate. //

Lydia will buy a set of pitons if the group doesn't own one already and then go with the climb over the wall plan that Nirzeg suggested.

Realizing the one exit might be a bit dicey, Nirzeg gestures to the wall with his head in advancing of taking point on the plan. In a few short moments, not only are a combination of old pitons from back in his day but also some out of the climber's kit are installed one after another as he climbed to the top before dropping over a rope. "No dilly dallying now. Time's a wasting, and we yet need get a hold of our airship if we are to beat our giant to this locale." He said aloud.

Once at least a fair distance away from the city wall a reluctant Nirzeg would pull out the scroll of sending and message Delsephine to come pick them up a ways from the city, as well as notify her to mind any sizeable army movements possibly seen below until the ship reaches their coordinates. Once all are on board Nirzeg is again politely insistent with Not-the-Weevil about his connection to the giant.

Delsephine follows your directions, moving the airship to the same heading to which you are running.

Minutes later, you hear some distant shouts from inside the walled village as the airship lands a respectable distance away, but the gate stays shut. 

The airship putters along towards the destination described by the bugbears, due west, towards Mt Hotenow. Delsephine tells you it should be about an hour. The foothills around here are mired in fog, so it is difficult to discern any movement on the ground. 

// If you have any preparations to make before you attempt to ambush the giant, make them now! //

The dwarf looks a little resistant, but eventually caves. He grumbles something about providing a service for the frost giants. "Found 'em the blodstone, told 'em how it worked, they never asked me what kinda magic it was, so how was I ta know." He grins as if you ought to understand him perfectly, and seems rather proud of himself.  

Nirzeg:

Nirzeg smirked and would pat the dwarf on the shoulder as they were already good friends. "I'm starting to see why you were so bloody of interest to so many." He chuckled and pet him a few more times, before withdrawing the hand behind his back. "But please elaborate my friend. While I can guess well enough given the name blondstone, how does it work? And how did you slip away before your giant friend found out too late the, eh, full extent of its magic?" He asked curiously. "For that matter, how did you end up in their service in the first place? Last I heard, you were hassling a King's Men a fair bit up north."