"Then these are dark times, indeed, if Prince Henry has gone to such hideous measures," Gavin said.  "For all we know, you're Eleniel the traveler, and our story won't change, not even if the knights of the crown came here and demanded a confession."<br/><br/>Elena paced back and forth.  "It looks like I can't go back to Fourtrees now," she said.  "I don't think I can just go back, after all that's happened.  Princess, this might sound sudden, but I must come with you."<br/><br/>Elena cried a little.  "I'll need to write a letter to my family back home, explaining my leave of absence.  Not for the real reasons, but something more happy.  Nar always had a good academy, I could tell them I got a scholarship there.  Far enough away from simple travel."<br/><br/>"Are you sure?" Gavin asked.  "You should think on this decision."<br/><br/>"I'm certain about this.  I can't have it on my conscience that our fair Pelluria might have fallen under the hand of Hell while the last legitimate survivor of the royal family is on the run."<br/><br/>She laughed a bit.  "I've always been kind of a patriot.  Thank you, Gavin, for all that you've helped me over the years.  And thank you, Princess, for saving us."<br/><br/><br/>It was hard to get back to sleep that night, but Elena knew that they needed adequate rest before the journey tomorrow.  Leaving the monastery was hard, especially after the horrid events which just happened.  "They're with the gods now," Gavin said mournfully.  "And some day we'll join them, as all living creatures do.  Death is but a journey to greater things."<br/><br/><br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">The Triben Highlands (Northern Pelluria)</span></span></div><br/>Home to the imposing Dragontooth mountains and Pelluria's seafarers, the Triben Highlands were the domain of giants in ancient times.  Their clans ruled all they surveyed, including the human villages who labored under them as serfs.  It was not until the wrath of dragonfire that their kingdom fell, their foundations permanently broken and reduced to meager mountain holdings.<br/><br/>Even to this day their ancient structures stand strong, their foundations sized for inhabitants more than twice the size of a grown man.  But their knowledge and lore were claimed by the humans and eventually incorporated into the greater Pellurian culture of art, science, magic, and architecture.<br/><br/>The roads were more traveled than the south, and the mountain chain could be seen for miles amid vast stretches of fields and plains.<br/><br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;">Encounters</span></span></div><br/><strong>Michael the Merchant:</strong>Along the way Aelwen and Elena met a traveling merchant driving a horse-drawn carriage.<br/><br/>"It's good to see fellow souls on this journey," he said.  "My name's Michael, and I deal in a variety of goods.  Perhaps I might have something of interest for either of you."<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Merchants</div><div class="spoiler_body">Aelwen can sell off her treasure and any other equipment to Michael.  She can also buy any manner of equipment from him.<br/><br/>I'll repeat the treasure you currently have:<br/><br/><em>Matching gold earrings (25 gp each)<br/>Emerald ring (100 gp)<br/>Silver Anklet (75 gp)<br/>Amber necklace (150 gp, given to Elena)<br/>2 moonstones (75 gp each)<br/>Onyx gem (50 gp)<br/>4 Portraits: from a proud antlered deer overlooking a grand view on a rocky outcropping; a satyr playing pan-pipes as woodland creatures frolic about; an elven shrine of marble columns with grass and vines overrunning the complex; and a spider weaving a night-time web illuminated by the light of a full moon. (30 gp each)<br/>Blood-red ruby crystal (155 gp)<br/>Cracked shiny rock (2 gp)<br/>Cosmology tome (60 gp)</em><br/><br/>If you sell all but the amber necklace given to Elena, Aelwen can get 762 gold pieces.  With the 60 gold pieces she previously has, that adds up to 802!  Or hang on to some of them.  The decision is up to you.<br/></div></div><br/>If asked for her opinion, Elena would recommend selling off the jewelry and buying some more practical supplies or keeping the coin.  "Fine clothes and accessories are good to have when one's having a meager life," she said.  "But we can't afford such luxuries while on the road.  But that tome you have, why don't we hold on to it?  I'd like to give it a look over next time we set up camp."<br/><br/><strong>Giant Ruins:</strong>While traveling north, the two spot one of the remnants of Triben's original rulers on top of a hill.  "Such keeps are numerous around here," Elena said.  "It should provide for adequate shelter, although we should be careful in case the ruins have been claimed by new inhabitants."<br/><br/><em>Aelwen can opt to explore it for a bit, or continue on with the journey.  It won't be a full dungeon; just a little side encounter.</em><br/><br/>Should Aelwen opt to see the area, she'll notice that the keep's front door is incredibly tall.  The doorknob's handle was well out of reach of either of them, but the lower portion of its frame has been bashed open into splinters by previous visitors.  The interior had rooms of crumbling stone, its carpets, portraits, and libraries ransacked in ages past.  Only the impractical items, such as the over-sized furniture, remained untouched.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Searching the Ruins</div><div class="spoiler_body">If Aelwen rolls a 1-4 on a 1d6 roll, she finds a secret passageway in the wine cellar.  It leads to a private room home only to a large table and chair, upon which rests an oversized tome (twice the size of a regular book in height.  Its text is written in the Giant script, distantly related to Dwarven.<br/><br/>Elena cautions that the books is ancient and should be handled carefully.  She can offer to translate it with one of her spells, <em>Read Languages.</em><br/><br/>"Ah, this tome was the private journal of Lord Estark, about 200 years before the founding of Pelluria.  Hold on, let me get my ink and quill, to copy this into a more durable book."<br/><br/>After a day of writing, Elena finds out that Estark ruled during an era of warfare, as successive land grabs and skirmishes with neighboring giant clans expanded his reach.  His younger brother showed the spark of magic, a trait Estark did not possess.  He feared treachery, and prepared for the day when his sibling would attempt to claim his throne.  The journal ends at an entry of rumors of a mighty dragon laying siege to the people of the west, but he dismisses such talk as lies intended to halt his expansion, probably spread by his brother.  Lord Once it's confirmed that a dragon indeed plagues the land Estark announces that he'll be traveling west himself to lead the next campaign, hoping to take advantage of the chaos to claim even more territory.<br/><br/>Elena sighs.  "Mighty as they are, it seems that even giants fall prey to paranoia and greed.  They don't sound so different from us."<br/><br/>Aelwen gains 100 experience points for this discovery.</div></div><br/><strong>Camp:</strong>Nightfall approaches.  Whether they stay in the keep or out on the road, Elena offers to gather some firewood and build a campfire.  She warms her hands by the fire, along with the meat of poached game bought from Michael earlier.<br/><br/>"So, Princess, I've been meaning to ask you something, but I don't want my curiosity to intrude where it's not wanted.  I was just wondering..." she pauses, wondering whether to continue.  "You know, I never spoke with a member of the nobility before, much less the royal family.  Fourtrees has a mayor and tax collector who report to the King and Queen, but they both came from the community itself.  It was never a skill I needed to know, but now that we're together...is there anything I should do in my personal conduct as befits a lady of your stature?  I do not wish to show disrespect, even if unintentional."