The Wildemount Irregulars (2020)

Alton, you communicate this through your images, and the giants seem to understand and nod agreement.  

Balassar, the elder giant points to your scimitar, and seems to be asking that you give it to her.

Alton, the younger giant points to your lute and also gestures to ask to take it.

At the same time, the younger giant regards Silent's sword long and hard, and shakes his head.  He instead points to one of the handaxes that you have either strapped to your back or hanging from a belt, and asks for it.

Balassar just looks at Silent "Something tells me these folk don't understand money like us." his attention moves back to the giant as she points at his scimitar. He just touches it hesitantly for a second before disconnecting the scabbard and sword from his belt. He holds it up to her "Just be careful please. My father gave this to me."

Alton pulls the lute from his bag and hands it over. It is a halfling size lute so it would be pretty small for a giant. "Do you think they want to take their home back?" Alton uses Prestidigitation to do try and show the giants fighting to take their home back.

Performance: 9

Silent is quite amazed at Alton managing to figure out the situation. He hands over his handaxe without objection, very glad that his sword was not asked for. To Alton's question he says, Seems kinda odd to take our weapons if they want us to fight for 'em, no? 

The elder giant takes Balassar's scimitar without responding to his words, seeming not to understand what he has said but understanding that the weapon holds value for him.  She touches the blade, and her finger seems to stroke it at first, and then trace lines and patterns in the metal.  At first there is no effect, but after a few seconds you all begin to see reddish-orange lines, faint but unmistakable, glowing in the metal of the scimitar.  A little while longer, and the glowing orange rune is complete.  She hands the weapon back to the dragonborn.

While this has been happening, the younger giant has done much the same, except he is less expert, takes longer, and seems less calm and more intensely focused as he traces the run onto Alton's lute.  The fact that it is a wooden item seems to make no difference; a rune, this one silvery white, appears on the wooden base of the instrument.  He returns it to Alton.

While the younger giant has been at work, the elder giant has completed a second rune, this one on Silent's handaxe; this one, just as complex as the others, glows bluish-white.  Silent, your weapon is returned.

Wash is watching intently, and tries to puzzle out what's going on:  Arcana 11

But it's not really his area of expertise.

Silent bows his head slightly as he accepts his handaxe back. He looks intently at the runic inscription for a few moments before securing it to his belt again. 

Alton takes his lute back and looks it over for a second before giving a bow to the giants. "Thank you."

Balassar just nods pulling the blade out of the scabbard to inspect the work "Beautiful craftsmenship. I'd love to learn how to do that."

He just slides the blade back in and reattaches it to his belt.

So, we gonna go hunting for goblins then? Where d'you reckon we should start? 

Alton tucks his lute back into his bag, "They did point in a direction earlier. Further up into the mountains, I think." He picks up a rock again and goes to the same wall he drew on; and sketches the cave they are in. Then draws two small paths, one that goes up the wall and one that goes down with mountains next to the paths. Once done, he uses Prestidigitation again to just show the image of a cave with the goblin-like drawings and points to the path going up the cave wall. "This way?"

Performance: 11 just in case it is needed

Silent, as you look at your rune, you feel strangely powerful... more than usual even... though it's not clear how exactly you are more powerful.

Alton, you feel... a strange sensation when you regard the rune, a tingling on your tongue, but only a few seconds and it's gone.  The rune remains, though.

Balassar, your scimitar seems swifter, more deadlier, but only a fraction.

The elder giant nods in response to Alton's illusion, rather than the question, and points to the path going up towards the unknown cave.  And she crafts a final, complex rune which again, only Balassar understands:

Balassar just looks at the rune and back to Silent and Alton "Something bout a path splitting in three and a chance to learn based off our choice."

Silent nods, scratching his beard. Nice and mysterious... just the way I like it. Guess we should find these paths then, eh? Pay back the favour for these weapons. You think they have any more information for us, or should we hit the road? 

Alton gathers his things, "Well, we aren't gaining any daylight if we keep sitting here. Let's at least go check it out." 

Alton, Silent and Balassar stand, and leave the cave.  The giants nod amiably but begin a conversation as you go, one that you cannot follow.  They wave but otherwise ignore you.

(Unless there's something else you were planning to do?  I interpreted what you said above as meaning that you want to set off now, though you didn't specifically say so.)

You head along the path indicated by the giants, further up into the mountains.  It's chilly but not oppressively cold, and the land is still green grass and wildflowers.  It's pretty, and the view is breathtaking at times; in one twist of the path you see the little town of Rilt below you and away to the west, though you're too far now to make out any details.

Can one person please give me a Survival check, another a Perception check, and the third just roll me a straight d20.

(OOC: Silent had nothing else he wanted to do. He has a +4 on his Survival so I can have him make that check.) 

Survival 20 

Balassar just waves as he leaves.

OOC:

Straight D20: 8

Alton bows to the giants as they leave.

Perception: 11

Silent takes the lead following the path; he's a decent tracker and on good form, but the journey will take longer than today.

Hours later, you are chilly but still in good spirits.  The sun will be setting soon.  Up ahead the faintest of trails continues round the mountainside.  Off to the left, Alton catches a glimpse of a ruined structure perhaps five hundred feet of your path, a cottage or tower.  Continuing ahead during the night is an option, but potentially a dangerous one; you've passed by some pretty precipitous drops already.

If Alton relays what he sees to the rest of the party, Silent will suggest scoping out the ruins in an attempt to find shelter for the night.