Just a quick reminder to everyone concerning thwat the dwarven prince Dumple just said (and 100 XP to the first person who knows where Redmod Dumple originally comes from.)
Dumple talks about "what happened in Istivin during the war". What he is referring to is the fact that the Giant King Galmoor conquered Istivin during the invasion in 584 CY. A year later, Querchard, having just been elevated to the title of Marquis by King Skotti of Keoland, retook Istivin, only to find that it had been completely abandoned by the enemy. Not only that, but unlike the rest of the towns, villages and holds of Sterich, which were flattened to the ground by the invaders, Istivin was basically intact. It only displayed the damages wrought by the initial attack on the city. It was almost as if the giants had never been there. This was never explained. Ever since then there has been a strange taint in Istivin which has grown over the years.