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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ilium" data-source="post: 2961439" data-attributes="member: 40124">"Right then," Viktor says with a grim smile.  "Let's go."  Viktor, the four adventurers and and a few local volunteers make their way into the forest and start backtracking the fathach along the lake shore.  The tracking isn't difficult near Highdale and even those without much experience at it see signs of the giants' passage.  Viktor, however, easily keeps to their trail even when it crosses the streams and rocky slopes leading ever upward into the mountains to the East of the town.  Just before noon, the party comes upon some of the fathach's handiwork.  A cottage near the treeline is found burned out and nearly flattened to the ground.  A few families live out here, far from Highdale's protective walls, to hunt game and gather the forest's other bounty.  This family seems to have been unlucky enough to be in the giants' path.  Their modest belongings are scattered across the rocky ground, trampled under oversized boots.  As the group spreads out to search through the ruins, Girble is surprised to find [SBLOCK=For Girble]A fathach lying dead, covered with a piece of the cottage's collapsed roof.[/SBLOCK]Of the family members themselves there is at first no sign.  That changes when one of the men comes running up to Viktor to report, but can't form words to describe what he's found in the well...Erethinol, meanwhile, is searching the the site as well and her sharp eyes note something the others had missed.[SBLOCK=For Erethinol]While the entire area is a mess, one thing seems to be missing:  There is almost no food from either the house or the small shed that stands open nearby.[/SBLOCK]The trail leads on from the homestead yet further up into the mountains.  Viktor turns to Sirius and Lucas, who happen to be nearby.  "It looks like they came straight down out of the high mountains."  He shakes his head in dismay.  "We don't have the equipment or supplies to go up there.  Not at this time of year."  He takes a long drink from his waterskin and looks up toward the nearby lofty peaks, where snow has already begun to creep down the mountainside.  He shakes his head and says sardonically, "Maybe there really is a giants' pass."</blockquote>

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