Gurven's ambiguous advice
Gurven smiles at Sanae. "I find that people - outsiders - are a lot less likely to bother with those'at they think're a bit...cracked." His smile fades. "I come here a long while hence, t'be alone with my thoughts. To get away from the outside world. But ever' year the outside world comes a little closer to me. Whitecliff reaching from one end o'the river. Newthrone from the other. Have to move on, sooner or letter, I 'spect."
He looks surprised when Sanae accuses the Three Feathers of murder. "I've been here long enough, I thought I understood the lizardfolk. At least that tribe, a little. Much as any of us can, I reckon. They see the world different than we do. But I can't believe the Three Feathers would resort to butchering innocents. If they was blackscales, I could see it. Or some o' the Cold Sun tribes. But not the Three Feathers. Must be a reason for it."
Gurven casts a quizzical eye on Matilda. "Haven't seen a thing, with my own eyes. Just talked to the scout. He just said big bugs. And one other thing. That the bugs had a lek'sshareth." Noting the quizzical looks this term engenders, he explains. "I'm not sure I understand the word m'self, but from what I gather ever' so often one of 'em hatches that ain't male nor female. There's more to it that I don't quite get, but somehow they're different and the rest of the tribe look to 'em as a kind of spiritual leaders. Don't know how these bugs could have such a thing, but I gather that's how some of 'em, mostly the ones that couldn't run away, were enslaved."
Gurven gets up and stretches, gathering his gear. "Don't know how to advise you. More'n likely, whichever of 'em survived the bugs lit out to find a new home. They've probably got a camp nearby where the raids are." He hawks mightily and spits on the ground. "On the other hand, I don't know for sure if they've all left their village. Or if there might not be somethin' there that'll make this any clearer." A crashing in the distance momentarily attracts his attention. The large ridged back of a spike tail is just visible through the foliage on the opposite hill. Seeing that the creature is minding its own business and moving past, Gurven ignores it.
"If you want to look for their raiding party, they're likely to be camped out within a day's walk or less of their target. When on the move, they prefer boggy places, where they make a sort of...don't know what to call 'em...submerged hut kind o' thing. Now if you want to find the village, it's located near the east end of the ridge. Look for a place with four jagged lines of red sandstone in the cliff face. The Three Feathers have a story that the ridge used to be a dragon that angered Eberron herself. She turned K'Lethka to stone as punishment, and gashed his side in the bargain, that he'd always have to endure the pain, and be marked for all the world to see." He ambles over to the hole and begins resetting the camoflague. "Good luck, whichever way you decide."
