Esmee picks up the abandoned tent gear and resumes putting together the small canvas that she and Eikis share, while the other halfling girl chats at Torg. She's pretty efficient so it's not long before the camp is mostly set up and Esmee nods at the suggestion of some hot soup to eat. 

Torg greets Vicious "Hello Vicious. You are a clever fellow aren't you. Very impressive." Looking up to Eikis. "From this direction you'll just have to go down the cliff. As long as you have gear to do so it shouldn't be difficult. I can not go with you. There are very few beyond the pass who know of my kinds existence in the mountains. We would like to keep it that way."

Ed, takes some time to do his ritual and starts searching for an animal to speak to. Now that you're focusing on it the forest is oddly quiet, but after a few minutes you're able to find a weasel hunkered in it's den.

Ed will take out a bit of his rations and gently approach and offer some food to the weasel saying: "Hello little friend. Are you hungry? May I ask you some questions?"

After Esmee is done with all of the set up and Ed has moved off into the forest, she moves cautiously closer to the Giant's elbow where he sits and chats with Eikis. Hesitantly, she taps his giant, stone arm, hoping to get his attention. He'd said earlier that her group could give their mentors the information they discuss, but as of yet she hadn't really heard anything new from the Giant.

"Excuse me, mister Torg, but maybe instead of our mentors you could give us your message? I don't think you've told us anything yet that we hadn't already discovered for ourselves.  What else do you know about what's going on?"

Barmo heaves a sigh and nods at Ed, "Start the meal, stop the meal, start the meal, I just want to eat!" The big halfling then begins to replace the ingredients, making the contents nice and small so they would cook faster. 

He adds a few herbs, a pinch of that a shake of this. His mood changing more upbeat as he gets in to his passion.

Ed, the weasel snatches up the food quickly it's projecting a deep hunger and gleefully eats while it waits for your questions.

Replying to Esmee Torg says "I'm sorry little one that I don't have more answers for you. I'm looking for answers myself. I don't really have a message for your teachers I was hoping to see them so they could answer mine. I know they travel all over so I was hoping they would know what is going on with the animals and maybe have ideas on how to fix it."

Ed will ask the weasel: " do you know why some of the animals are acting strange? What have you seen, little friend?"

Ed. in answer

Ed will let the others including the giant know what the weasel told him. He will give the weasel the rest of the ration pack and say: "Here little friend no need to be hungry. We will check about the creature that drove you from your home." He will say to his friends: "The poor little creature was driven from it's home - further in the pass. He communicated to me it was large creatures with 4 legs and wings. It attacked everything, not for food as it left the carcasses."

Torg perks up at the mention of the winged creatures "Sounds like griffon. There is a mated pair in the mountains north of here but they don't usually range this far south." 

"Sounds like they're just victims too, not the source of the trouble," Esmee says looking troubled. 

She looks around at her companions. "Guys if we really think we might meet up with our mentors along the way, we should probably try and do that sooner rather than later. If Torg doesn't have any more information than we do, something must be really wrong."

„I‘m not so sure I want to be the one asking a pair of potentially rabid griffons if they know what infected them,“ Eikis says meekly.  She perks up at the idea of meeting her mentor, though.  „That sounds like a great idea! But I think our first priority should still be finding out what the humans know.  It sounds to me a lot like something bad is coming out from the mountains.  Or maybe under them, and maybe hitting the forest and the city on the way out first.  Hickorydale really might be in danger!“

"You might have the right of it" He says to EIkis "Your folk are wedged in between the mountains and the river. It's usually provides good protection but with the flaming ships coming down the river and the animals acting strange in the mountains Hiclorydale is caught in the middle."

Ed will agree with his friends, saying: "Yes I think we need to stick to the plan and head to Wayport. We might run into our mentors there or on the way to there." He will ask Torg: "How far away are we from Wayport? What would be the best route there?"

"You are still about 8 days journey from Wayport. I can tell you what path to take until you go down the cliff because that's clear for me to see from the mountains. Past the cliffs I can just you what I've heard." He starts scrawling a crude map in the dirt. "After the pass you will go almost straight south. On the other side of the pass you will be able to see three tall peeks jutting from the hills. Stay between the middle and the eastern peek. Continue heading south to the cliffs staying half between the mountains and the river. When you get closer to the cliffs you will see land is cracked and broken. The cliff is the result of the land heaving many many years ago. At one time their were ancient cities and towns, long ago fallen into the chasms left behind. You will have to make your way around them. From the lake you will be able to see a lake in the distance. I'm told the eastern side of the lake is dangerous so stay to the west. Closer to the small river that flows toward Wayport." 

(DIrt scrawled map coming soon)

Dirt map

"Hmm," Eikis says, committing a miniature version of the map both to memory, as well as a scrawling on a good-sized stone she picks up in case memory should fail.  (Magical Tinkering 3/3)

"What sorts of dangers do you think we might expect to meet on the way down there?  I mean besides the wildlife gone crazy," she adds, fidgeting nervously.  "And... y'know, maybe we should all try to be sneaky while we go through the forest, just to be on the safe side.  I mean normally I'd be all excited to see the wildlife here, but avoiding any unnecessary encounters is sounding better and better by the second!"

Torg eyes the little map on a rock with interest while speaking "I think avoiding wildlife would be a good idea and the animals could be the biggest danger. There is an area, to the west of the three peeks you don't want to travel to. You can recognize it easily by the huge towering tress. There are other giants there who are not as civilized as me. Dimwitted brutes who are little more than beast themselves." He shakes his head while grimacing in disgust. "Your teachers have said that there are creatures that inhabit some of the ruined cities. They insured me they wouldn't trouble my folk in the mountains so I didn't ask them more. I'm sorry. If I had known I would meet you I would have asked for more details"

"But that sounds so far," Barmo protested. He looked the crude map over and tried to ascertain, hopelessly, a distance. "Though we are in your debt Torg. Thanks for your insight and advice."

"Of course. No thanks needed. I owe your teachers much. They have provided me with wise council as well is giving me and my people many useful magics, such as the Ioun Stone so I may speak with you. I hope your journey is safe and you find out what troubles Wayport. I will do my best to keep an eye out for you on your return" He then pulls a very large blanket (the size of a party tent to you) out of a seemingly small pouch and lays it down on the ground a little bit away from the fire. He gets comfortable "You should all eat and try to rest. You have a long journey ahead of you"