// Before leaving to the Calling Horns or following the giants, like Angel said - we should have Rip attune to the divining rod and see if he can focus on something that his kids would always have with them. //

// As for Calling Horns or follow the giants, I'm okay with either, but we should let Rip decide. It's his family. //

// Sounds good—apologies, I didn't realize Angel meant to follow the giants now. //

"We need to go back to the Calling Horn and drop off RIp's dad. If milady will come with us on this rescue mission maybe RIp's sober dad can watch the kids and we will have one more sword, two if you bring your squire with us. Good experience for him." 

"He isn't a drunk or anything, i think it was more the only liquid he had available. Lets give this rod a whirl!"

"Appreciated," grates out Lady Hawkwinter, "but I must be off with my squire. We still have giants to hunt...as regrettable as these halflings' situation is, our quest is to kill giants, not to track down barbarian rats or their prisoners."

It is dinner time by the hour you reach Calling Horns, and Lady Hawkwinter makes straight for the inn, where she'd told her squire to stay with the two halfling kids. 

"Pity, I thought you had potential. Keep in mind though that not all giants are evil." Marav notes.

"No worries Lady Hawkwinter, I'm indebted to you for the help you have already given us."

Angel just shakes his head before saying something in Celestial that only he understands. 

//Nobody else speaks celestial right?//

Quote from jr_el_leon >>

// Before leaving to the Calling Horns or following the giants, like Angel said - we should have Rip attune to the divining rod and see if he can focus on something that his kids would always have with them. //

// As for Calling Horns or follow the giants, I'm okay with either, but we should let Rip decide. It's his family. //

Quote from Awaypturwpn >>

// Sounds good—apologies, I didn't realize Angel meant to follow the giants now. //

Quote from Gimpster >>

"He isn't a drunk or anything, i think it was more the only liquid he had available. Lets give this rod a whirl!"

// You'll need a short rest for Rip to attune to the rod. We can rewind the narrative if you'd like? //

//Short rest is good by me, I can get my wild shape back. Unless everyone wants me to do the talking at the inn?//

//How about we say we do that (out of range of the stone giants), because I would think, both narratively and strategically, it would make sense for Rip to check while in his town.  It has a limited range after all (1 mile)... sorry for making a stink of it, hopefully everyone is cool with it. //

 //The Giants would not have liked us sticking around, also with a natural 20 I think we can assume Marav would have known if they were with a mile//

// Rip, just let me know how you'd like to handle this. You do have two of these mysterious rods, so you can attune to one and allow Ink to keep his attunement to the other, if you'd like to try and take the time for a short rest. //

//assuming we followed the trail a bit and are safe from giants for now, Rip will short rest and attune to spare rod and search for the matching lockets Rips kids should have, if nothing comes up we go to calling horns and get Jib a bath, food, and non-alcoholic liquids and form a plan//

Lady Hawkwinter declines to rest with you, instead insisting that she must press on and recover her squire. Papa Jib, meanwhile, passes out cold and begins snoring.

After an hour of resting, Rip has formed a connection with the unknown adamantine rod. Hefting it with considerable difficulty, he searches the area for lockets belonging to his children. The closest one is within 5 feet of him. 

"hey I got the hang of this!..... nothing nearby though. let's head back to the inn, Papa Jib can watch the other two for us while we recover everyone else"

Ink packs the rod into the bag of holding and begins to march. 

On your way into Calling Horns, Jib sobers up enough to ask a semi-conscious delirious question: "Jimmy...where's your mother? And the young ones? Where's Sarah?"