As they fly through the Varisian skies, Zoli spends a lot of time standing on her tippy-toes to look over the railing. "I still don't think I'll ever get used to this. What a cool idea, Eugeni!"
She also spends time playing and practicing with Wrathblade.
::I'm fine you finally were honest and told me what you are. Now, what can you tell me about what you can DO?
::You made me able to see super far in the darkness, right? Do you have anything else you can do? The more I understand, the better we'll be able to put that kabosh onto Karzoug and his Greedy Plans.::
"It is rather cool, is it not?" Eugeni says, in a rare moment of preening. "Hopefully we can make it even more cool once finish this Runelord business."
"I hope Ryli is well. In hindsight, perhaps we should have just found a safe area like Zoli's house to cast Fairy Ring Retreat and put Kallie inside. The nymphs would be her babysitters. We would teleport in every other day to check on them and renew the spell."
Between this and her "Let's use Titanicus to find Mhar Massif from the air!" plan, it seems that Setsuna got her analytical nature and ability to cook up crazy schemes from her mother.
"Well, I created Titanicus specifically to guard her. I suppose Kallie's safety is her mother's prerogative though. If Ryli were in trouble she would let us know somehow, surely."
Jeevika nods at Eugeni's point, "Of course. I just think we should have put more thought into it than 'Let's stash Kallie with a random herd of centaurs!' Wise as she may be, Ryli is not the best at negotiating, and we let her leave without diplomatic support; I'm admittedly unfamiliar with druidic magic, but I do not believe that she has an easy means to contact us like we do her. Meanwhile, Setsuna could sell a beach in Irrisen, and I've managed to speak to the Runelord of Wrath without somehow angering her. Without either of us around to smooth things over, I worry..."
Jeevika sighs, realizing that she's being needlessly paranoid and perhaps a touch arrogant.
"My apologies, Mr. Silva. As of late, it appears that I tend to assume the worst. I am certain that Grandmother will be just fine."
Lorthan folds his arms and shakes his head. "It's a sizable herd, so it will keep them safe from most threats. Especially with her magics helping them. But I don't understand why the Lady Ryli would want to join that herd. They have their women pull the tents like pack animals while the men range and hunt. She seems to accept it as their way, but I dislike it." He looks over to Elthariel once to see her reaction.
As a wilderness warrior and huntress herself, Elthariel is clearly unamused by the idea of being denied her life's profession and being stuck doing domestic chores and hard labor.
"I agree with Lorthan. That sounds very... demeaning."
Gritting his teeth, however, Chogra steps into the center of the tent. ”Earthmother! You have insulted the leadership of my father, our Chieftain! You dare to insult me! You dare to insult one who has earned their place in the Herd who wishes to do battle against our enemies!” he says as he draws forth a dagger and slices it across his palm! ”I, Chogra, son of Durkon, challenge you under Blood Rite! Choose a champion, or surrender your position and be Outcast!”
A painful silence falls over the room as the Warchief and Shaman glare at one another. Durkon’s eyes are also wide with concern.
The group moves out of the tent and into the center of camp. ”A Blood Rite has been called! Gather the Herd!”
The entire herd eventually gathers around the center of camp, each member holding a torch. To one side stands Chogra and Durkon, the pair standing defiantly. Opposite stands the Earthmother, her arms crossed. Once everyone’s gathered, she steps forward and cries out “Durkon and his line have failed us! They turn from the Old Ways and would guide the herd behind them to its doom! Who among you would see that the herd continues to run the fields freely instead of work them as slaves of men!”[/b]
A murmur rolls through the crowd, before heavy hoof falls cause the ring of centaur to part, and a centaur half again larger than Chogra steps forward into it. He glares at Chogra menacingly and says ”Blagrin will take the challenge! Blagrin will be your champion, Earthmother!”
By the Wheel, what have I done?!? Ryli thinks as Chogra enacts some sort of challenge toward the Earthmother.
"NO! Don't do this!" she shouts to Chogra, hoping that he will withdraw his challenge.
As the elders move out of the tent, she rushes up to Chief Durkon. "Can you put a stop to this? I didn't want this! I only asked for permission to leave and come back! You could have said no! I want peace for the herd, not this! Not on my account!"
Picking out Valuna in the crowd, she moves up to her. "I'm so sorry, I did not want this to happen! They won't fight to the death, will they? What will happen if Chogra loses? What if he wins? Is there anything I can do to stop it?"
Valuna replies softly to you, also not making eye contact, ”Earthmother has been scheming at supplanting the Chief for some time. Blagrin is her eldest son. He has long been rival to Chogra, but he is not as smart. Even so...if he gets the upper hand...But no, it is not to the death. First to yield is named an Outcast, and they as well as those they fight for leave the herd immediately. There is no stopping it. To do so would be to deny the Old Ways.”
The two men begin circling each other, stamping their hooves in mock lunges as they move and assess one another, before they surge forward and lock up in a grapple!
"Again with the Outcasts? I thought the only way was to leave the herd. How does this make the herd stronger if you banish a worthy fighter? What of his mares?" she whispers, trying to decide her next move.
The horror is clear on Zoli's face as she hears about the centaur customs.
"Well, maybe Ryli will help them to change their narrow-minded ways...?"
::Yes. That was me. But that is the extent of the power I have remaining. Now that my purpose in existence is fulfilled, the magic supporting my extra powers has diminished.::
As she answers, the two men continue to fight viciously. Punches and hooves this against one another as the men brawl. Despite his size, the fight appears quite even since Chogra is faster and more clever.
However, size appears to win out as Blagrin gets a grip on Chogra from which he cannot break free. Blagrin lifts him up off the ground and slams him down, knocking the wind from the Chief’s son! He rears up and brings his front hooves down on the man’s ribs, some of them audibly cracking and eliciting a cry of pain from Chogra!
When Chogra doesn’t yield, Blagrin stamps around to his human half and rears up again, ready to drive his hooves down on his more delicate humanoid structures. Just as he rears up to his peak, Chogra rolls beneath the larger centaur, whose hooves crash down past the smaller centaur and into the earth! Chogra grabs Blagrin’s hind hooves and wrenches hard, causing the man to lose balance and fall to the ground!
Chogra quickly rises, keeping a grip on Blagrin’s hind leg, and wrenches the larger man over to his side and twists the hoof painfully at an unnatural angle! Blagrin screama in pain and slams his hooves into Chogras side, the impact resonating through Chogra like the beating of a heavy drum. Chogra grits his teeth at the pain and repositions himself and twists the leg further, yelling ”Yield Blagrin!”
Blagrin thrashes his free legs in an effort to get loose, but Chogra has leverage over the man. The Earthmother shrieks out ”Get up! Get up!”
Chogra pulls on the leg even further, ”Yield, or I break it Blagrin!”
After a few more agonizing moments, Blagrin is forced to slam his arm into the ground, tapping the earth for in submission!
Chogra releases the limb, and Blagrin rises slowly, limping form the strain on the leg. As Chogra moves to his father’s side, Durkon calls out ”The matter is settled. Leave the Outcasts be. Elders, join me back in the Council tent. Ryli as well. We must conclude the meeting.”
The chieftain and other elders begin to file back into the large tent as the rest of the herd disperses, seeming to ignore the Earthmother and Blagrin. The Earthmother stands in stunned silence, and Blagrin limps over to the edge of camp, where he slumps to the ground to rest his leg.
Ryli watched the battle with her hearts thudding hard. She wondered about trying to clandestinely give Chogra aid, and let herself drift toward the back of the crowd to maybe slip underground in earth elemental form and give the warchief some spells to help his chances. It would have been a dangerous gambit, since all eyes were on the fight, so she hesitated.
Thankfully, Chogra managed to turn the tables on Blagrin. Her legs felt wobbly in the wake of the relief she felt in his victory. She looks sadly over toward Blagrin and the Earthmother, but can't maintain eye contact for long.
When summoned to the tent, she dutifully complies. She looks abashed, but is careful not to hang her head too far. She turns her eyes toward Chogra and whispers to him, "Would you like healing?" If he agrees, she places her hands on him and casts heal. It might have been a little overkill, but she decided a strong demonstration may be in order.
Besides her question to Chogra, she does not speak, deciding that opening her mouth started these troubles in the first place and that she was unlikely to be able to end them with words. She waits patiently for the chief to speak.
Once everyone is inside, Durkon says solemnly ”We now have two troubles to deal with. The first and most pressing is the loss of our Earthmother. We now have no shaman.”
A low muttering of agreement rolls through the elders, but Durkon continues ”The next is do we send a champion to deal with these star giants and their man master?”
The elders continue to nod and talk amongst each other. Several centaur warriors are named, Chogra being mentioned mostly. However, Chogra speaks up and says ”Father. Chieftain. I nominate Ryli Thunderhoof as Champion of the Herd in this task, and should she return, be named Earthmother.”
There is a low roll of dissent from the elders, but Durkon holds up a hand to silence them as Chogra continues ”They were her enemy before joining the herd. They are now even more so her enemy. She goes to protect the herd, who in turn protects her child. And if she can accomplish this, she proves herself capable of being Earthmother. If she fails, then at least we can make sure the child is raised in the Old Ways and not as an Outcast.”
There is more grumbling and muttering from the Elders, until one speaks up ”I call Chogra as Outrider!” to which there is a general consent from the leaders.
”No,” Durkon says bluntly, which creates a wave of silence through the tent. ”My time to run the fields of our fathers is soon approaching. Perhaps before this camp is moved and set. My life blood comes out when I cough, and I feel my spirit yearning to run those prairies. When it does, Chogra will be Chief. He will need to stay with the herd.”
The silence continues through the tent. Eventually another elder says ”Dakrota. He shall be Outrider.”
Another thumps a hoof and says ”And Jobun. He too shall be Outrider.”
There are a series of hoof stamps rumbling through the tent. Durkon looks to Ryli and says ”It is settled. Ryli Thunderhoof, you shall go as champion of the herd to protect it from this threat. Dakrota and Jobun shall act as your Outriders. If you return successful, you shall be Earthmother to the Herd.”
The horror is clear on Zoli's face as she hears about the centaur customs.
"Well, maybe Ryli will help them to change their narrow-minded ways...?"
"Perhaps. I will see about giving her some diplomatic and leadership training before we all depart ways for good. Or rather, I will help her review and renew what she once may have had; I actually remember Grandpa Rileon having quite a silver tongue."
She does not say much more on the subject aloud, but Jeevika finds herself hoping to hear from Ryli very soon.
Ryli's eyes bulge at the transpiring events in front of her. She hadn't ever thought that she could be made Earthmother, especially in such a fashion. She had assumed that she could eventually become a candidate for the honor, but only after a decade or so of living with them. Or if they'd all had a chance to witness her powers.
Still, she would have to survive, and that would not be an easy task. She'd died twice since embroiling herself in this business of Runelords; she could easily die a few more times before it's finished.
She had just time enough to idly wonder if females were often named Champions of the herd before they start naming Outriders to join her. She really didn't want a couple centaurs coming along with her. She already had Lorthan and Olympus, and their sizeable frames made things tight enough. She wondered if she could politely decline their presence, but decided to ask privately rather than risk another Blood Rite.
But then, she had also asked privately about being allowed to leave the herd.
Ryli watches Chogra to gauge his reactions. He had put her name forward as the champion, and it appears he would be chief soon. He looked troubled at the start of this debate; she wondered if it went the way he had wanted.
She turns to Chief Durkon as he makes his pronouncement. She nods in assent. If she survived, she would have a place here, and would be able to watch over Kallie as she grew.
"I will learn the Old Ways, and protect them to my dying breath if I survive to return," she says solemnly.
"Now, my chief, let me help you," she says, casting heal on the old centaur. "I cannot heal age, but old wounds and sickness will be made better," she tells him.
The sending is received. In response, Jeevika hears, Already? Okay. Things are complicated. Stay put and we'll come to you. Have Lorthan find a big tree and stay near it.
Jeevika relays Ryli's request to the group.
"Lorthan, Titanicus, let's look for that big tree!"
Once the big tree is located, Jeevika parks herself (presumably along with everyone else) next to it and waits...
"It's time," Ryli announces to the herd when it comes to a stop at the end of the day, unclipping herself from the harness. She moves off to the edge of the herd and casts grove of respite. She enters the freshly-formed glade and then begins the lengthy casting of the scrying spell using the pool of water in the grove as her device. Trusting that she gave them enough time to find a suitable tree, she looks upon Lorthan and the tree he's near.
Then, she casts commune with nature to learn of the nearest tree of the same species. "We'll need to run swiftly. They're waiting on us." She says her goodbyes to the herd and especially Kallie, and takes a moment for a special goodbye to her chosen mate, then heads off at a gallop toward the nearest suitable tree.
The sun is about set when she reaches her destination. She pauses to cast carry companion on Olympus if she has her Outriders with her. Then she travels the distance with transport via plants .
She steps out of the tree beside Lorthan, flanked by two centaur warriors. They goggle at the massive dragon taking a rest next to a ship hundreds of miles from the ocean. Ryli looks like she'd gone native, except for all her usual magical gear. She has various adornments around her neck, waist and tail, the most prominent being two massive canines almost looking like daggers hanging off her belt on each side of her humanoid hips. She doesn't look quite as soft anymore, with a fair bit of trail dust covering her and the evidence of being out in the sun on her cheeks.
Still, her eyes are bright and her smile is genuine when she sees everyone. She pops her ears and takes some deep breaths as she notices the difference in altitude.
"This looks like the Kodar Mountains!" she says after looking around. "I don't suppose you've found the city?"
"This is Jobrun and Dakrota, Outriders of the Thunderhoof tribe."
"Hey Ryli, good to see you again!" The little swashbuckaeologist looks her friend up and down.
"And good to meet you two, as well. I'm Zoli Tileani, of the Varisian Rangers, and these are Eugeni and Jeevika and Elthariel and Lorthan--but I guess you've met him before?--and this is Lion, my mouse, and that's Titanicus, Eugeni's mostly-real dragon, who carries our boat."
She holds out her hand to the massive centaurs as she introduces their cast of heroes.
"Oh, and while you were gone we figured out that Wrathblade here was Blade of Wrath--I know, it seems obvious once we say that. It's a bit willful, like intelligent weapons tend to be, but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to handle myself with it from here on out."
"Jobrun, Dakrota, it's a pleasure to meet you. As Zoli said, I am Jeevika Kailani, the group's medic."
Once introductions are out of the way, Jeevika explains the situation.
"We have not yet found Karzoug's stronghold. We are about a day's flight from the Vekker brothers' last known location, and I have divine confirmation that pursuing that lead is worth our time. Ryli, when we arrive, could you scan the area with that spell you used to learn about the island? Or better yet, could you use that stronger version Lorthan said you used to find the Thunderhooves?
"As I said earlier, someone or something murdered the Vekker brothers. When I asked about what dangers we might face, I received several Unclear answers. Personally, the fact that there were no outright denials is pretty worrying, so I highly recommend preparing for powerful enemies and potential undead. After what happened with Sabrina and from what Setsuna told me about that Foxglove insanity, murders in a remote, isolated region are practically a guarantee of undeath."
Jeevika might sound like a broken Permanent Image, but she is clearly repeating this information for the benefit of the new arrivals. Moreover, it has been well over a week since these topics were last discussed.
"Additionally, I would prepare a Life Bubble or two. High altitude will almost certainly be an issue."
"Far more than a medic," Ryli explains with a grin. "She's the glue that keeps this little group together."
She gives Zoli that motherly smile that shows concern for her erstwhile daughter's decisions while simultaneously supporting them. "That's nice," she says neutrally about Zoli's expectation of being able to handle the Blade of Wrath.
Ryli grows solemn as Jeevika explains the magics needed in the upcoming days. "I can perform either. But do we really need to know the surrounding lands for fifteen hundred miles? If we're only about a day from our first destination? Especially if I need to prepare magics to ward us against the powers of the undead."
She shrugs at the high altitude. "I can prepare some castings of that spell. I doubt Olympus will need it, and I can always become an air elemental if necessary. The Outriders, however, will likely be needing it." She looks back at them and gives them a half-smile. Her demeanor is pretty evident that she's not exactly happy that they're with her.
Jeevika smirks at Ryli's first question, "Well, here's the thing; I'm pretty certain that Xin-Shalast is somewhere within sixteen hundred miles of us right now, and doesn't that little spell Tectonic Communion have a quirk regarding signs of civilization? Something about making the caster 'aware of their location and existence'?"
The Holy Vindicator winks at Ryli.
"It's not just the high altitude," Jeevika clairifes. "These temperatures are probably some of the coldest of the region, and the atmosphere is very thin."
Zoli looks a bit put out when Ryli refers to Jeevika as the party's glue.
Maybe *Setsuna* was the glue that held us together...Jeeves has just been here for, what? A few weeks?
But I guess she's been here for Ryli's entire life...And she certainly does pull her weight anyway.
She edges a bit closer to Eugeni and squeezes his hand.
Ryli nods at Jeevika. "True enough, but I thought that Xin Shalast was supposed to be tougher to find than just casting a spell."
She catches sight of Zoli taking Eugeni's hand and her eyes twinkle in delight.
Zoli nods. "Yeah, a spell might give us an interesting clue at best. If it could find it outright, I'd be shocked.
"Still, it could be worth trying."
"At this point, I'm throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks. Who knows how long this... side adventure will take? I'm still of half of mind to hop on Titanicus' back and search for Mhar Massif from the air; again, it is the biggest mountain in the range, and going my Karzoug's boasts, unlike his Wrathful peer, there is still enough of his capital city left to brag about. Moreover, if the Vekker brothers had a base of operations in the area and convinced several backers that they had a route to Xin-Shalast, then that means Mhar Massif is in this general area."
Ryli's tail twitches as she paces around the tree she and the other centaurs had stepped out of. "Well, let's see if we can find these Vekker brothers first. If that doesn't give us any clues, then we'll scout the mountains. I figure between Titanicus, Olympus and myself as an air elemental, we should be able to explore a decent expanse of these mountains."
She pulls out a small figurine and breathes life into it again, and Olympus shakes his head and stretches his wings.
"Are we camping on the ground or sleeping in the ship?" She glances at Jobrun and Dakrota to see if they've found their voice yet. Though she wasn't crazy about their presence, she had to admit that they would be good witnesses to the tribe about all this Runelord nonsense. She gives them a wink.
"...Going my Karzoug's boasts?" Jeevika mutters under her breath, realizing her silly verbal typo. She giggles, "For the recent additions to our group, I sometimes speak so quickly that I epically fumble my words; I meant going by Karzoug's boasts. Anyway, as for where we camp, either place works for me."
Eugeni squeezes Zoli's hand back. "I am always partial to magical solutions, but if the spells fail then we can begin a manual search. I have my own daily life bubble, so there is no need to prepare that spell for me."
"As for where we will sleep, I will create an extradimensional mansion for us to sleep in. The entrance will be difficult to locate, and we can endure this search in relative comfort at night."
Ryli squeezes through the entrance to the magnificent mansion and explores briefly. Turning to Eugeni and the other Rangers, she rubs her shoulders uncertainty. "I don't know if this is really the place for us wild folk. I think my Outriders would probably appreciate my fairy ring retreat a bit more."
She steps outside the mansion and in close proximity to its entrance, she causes a ring of toadstools to spring up from the ground.
"In you go, Olympus," she instructs, and the roc dutifully hops into the ring and vanishes.
She waits for Jobrun and Dakrota to enter as well. Then she pauses before stepping in herself.
She gets a naughty smile on her face and switches form to that of a Garundi human woman. She drops to the ground and begins massaging her feet. "Oh, I have been wanting to do this for days!" Then she flops on her back, limbs splayed out wide.
From the moment the centaur arrive, they are stand-offish and often times outright rude to the humanoids they find in their company.
Any attempts at divination to directly find the city of Xin-Shalast are met with frustration and failure. It would seem that something very odd and very powerful is preventing detection of the city by such means.
On the day the group is set to arrive at the Kodars, Jeevika prepares herself by borrowing the Orange Prism and then casting Moment of Prescience, Visualization of the Body (Con), Visualization of the Mind (Wis), Magic Vestment on her buckler and armor, Greater Magic Weapon on Love Hurts, and Vindicator's Shield. Both Visualization spells are powered by Blood Money from Jeevika's Silver Spindle, which she tucks away as usual when finished using.
As expected, Zoli receives her own castings of Magic Vestment and Greater Magic Weapon; she also gets a Life Bubble from Jeeves.
With Ryli around to now cover Lorthan, Eltharial casts Extended Life Bubble on herself and Jeevika; apparently, her variation of the spell can be boosted by Jeevika's lesser rod of extend spell. She also borrows the Orange Prism for the casting.
Titanicus gets his daily Ant Haul.
"Alright, everyone, keep an eye out for signs of the Vekker brothers' base of operations. Titanicus, our destination should be somewhere along the Kazaron."
. . 8th—
. . 7th—spell turning[D], open, open
. . 6th—mislead[D] (DC 20), word of recall (Magnimar Embassy), heal, heal, heal
. . 5th—break enchantment[D], communal air walk, death ward,
. . 4th—freedom of movement[D], freedom of movement, good hope, good hope,
. . 3rd—borrow fortune[D],
. . 2nd—augury[D], lesser restoration, lesser restoration,
. . 1st—true strike[D],
. . 0 (at will)—create water, detect magic, detect poison, light
When the tumult of the Blood Rite is over and her appointment is settled, Ryli cautiously approaches Chogra.
"You looked troubled, even after your victory. Why is that? I mean, I understand not wanting to split the herd even more, and the loss of a great warrior is painful. But is there more? I can't help but think that there's more."
She studies him, and though her cheeks heat up and her nethers feel flushed, she shakes her head. "I don't know if the Earthmother should be allowed to choose the chief. Is that it? It would seem to tilt the balance of the herd." She leans in and breathes him in. "If things were different, I would. You know that, right?"
Ryli finally sits up, and after a little more stretching in ways impractical for a centaur, she returns to her true shape.
"Okay, I'm heading into the faerie ring. Anyone is welcome to join us, if mansions aren't your thing. Just hurry and get in here before I enter."
She holds off before entering if anyone is interested -- she takes a couple "come hither" glances to the nymphs at the very least -- then jumps into the ring.
Ryli gallops a few laps around the twilight meadow, then slows down and allows the faerie servants to attend to her. She eats her fill of the fruits and nuts while checking on the Outriders.
"Could you guys be a little more personable?" she chides. "I mean, yeah, they're two-legged, but it's not exactly their fault, right? It's not like they had a choice in what they were born as. We're all going to need to rely upon each other if we're going to survive this."
She sits and folds her arms, musing on the upcoming challenges. Ultimately, she had to determine how tough these Outriders were, she decides. "Hey! How about showing me what you can do?" she shouts out, then starts summoning.
She brings about hill giants into the field, and instructs them to do some mock combat. If they deal with them handily, she brings in stone giants. Hopefully without any serious injury to the centaurs, she gauges their relative strength.
When morning arrives, Ryli dispels the fairy ring and conducts her morning ritual to replenish her spell stores. She waits patiently while Jeevika casts her spells using the ioun stone, then reclaims it and goes through the complicated casting of tectonic communion. She chooses to learn about the terrain, the people, the presence of powerful unnatural creatures, and the presence of woodland creatures. Since the spell treats communities and signs of civilization as "dark and unknowable blots" in her perception, she stays aware of those possible places that would indicate an ancient city within the mountains.
Jobrun remains silent, but you can tell that he, too, is not pleased with the situation.
When you conjure forth combatants for them to spar with, they sneer at you but do not oppose your command. You sense that being your Outrider puts them in a position of servitude to you. Even so, they relish the opportunity to take out their frustrations, and handily deal with the hill giants. However, the four stone giants are a bit much and easily manage to restrain the two centaur.
For a long range to the south, southwest, and west, you can sense various creatures fitting all of those descriptions. However, to the north, northeast, and east, the spell fails to register anything for you after a short distance. However, one small blip of a "dark and unknowable blot" does register to you to the north just before the area in which the spell fails...
Ryli forces away the heat Chogra's touch had instilled in her and steps away. She smiles sadly to him. "I'll-- I'll give you some time for your grief. You should remain with your father as much as the spirits allow, in his last days."
She steps away, feeling more conflicted than ever.
Ryli arches her eyebrow at Dakrota. "Excuse me? What 'men' did you see? There were two elves, a halfling, a... something that's not a man, two nymphs and a dragon. There are no cities around, and the one we're looking for is a place we're going to attack, not take up residence."
She folds her arms and moves in close. Her voice gets low and serious. "Your mother was wrong. I am a Thunderhoof, and I go with allies to attack our enemy. Are allies allowed by the Old Ways? Because if not, I wonder how we survived long enough for them to become the Old Ways."
Ryli opens her eyes. "Everything to the south and west is as it should be. North and east, however, is blocked. I did sense a void in the natural order of things to the north before the spell was ended. We should check that out. It could be a settlement."
"That sounds like a good place to start. Titanicus, let's try looking to the north. If we don't find anything, we'll return to searching the Kazaron."
Ryli nods in agreement and heads over to the gangplank. She pauses, and waves the centaur Outriders over. "You're in for a treat. You get to fly above the clouds in a dragon-powered carriage." She brooks no dispute to get them on the ship.
As Titanicus bears them aloft, she has Olympus soar alongside the dragon. She goes up to the prow to search the lands, and invites Jeevika, Zoli and Eugeni to join her at the fore.
She switches to Thassilonian. "My 'Outriders' are going to be a bit of a problem. I'm not going to be able to recall any of my old forms within their eyesight. They already don't trust me; if they saw that I can become a two-legger at will, it'll get back to the herd and things will be even tougher for me.
"Worse still, they're not going to be much help against the serious threats that Karzoug will likely throw at us. I'll try to get them to stay behind, and guard the ship with Titanicus, but I don't know. They won't trust me going off alone with you. Maybe you can try to make nice with them? Show them that two-legs aren't all bad?"
She spares a quick glance behind her. "Oh, and if you talk to them, try to convince them you see me only as a centaur. They've got some real issues with the fact that I wasn't 'born' a centaur."
She then turns her full attention on the search.
"Given how pragmatic the other Thunderhoof leaders proved to be, it appears that Earthmother character really poisoned many minds in your new herd; she was certainly no Conna the Wise," Jeevika snarks, uncannily similar to how Setsuna would. She also speaks in Thassilonian. "If necessary, let me speak with your Outriders. Not to toot my own horn, but besides yourself, I strongly believe that either I or Titanicus are the ones most likely to win them over. In fact, I suppose it is technically my duty to speak with them; I am Her Majesty's emissary to all of Varisia, and they are part of the Thunderhooves' expeditionary force in our mutual war against Thassilon."
Interestingly, Jeevika has not yet revealed that tidbit; she only introduced herself as the group's medic.
"No offense, but they are only centaurs. If their primitive and xenphobic beliefs pose a problem for you or the group, there is not much they can do to us. I still fail to see how leaving Kallie with a bunch of weak monstrous humanoids is more safe than being guarded by a great wyrm. I also have extreme doubts that if they are unwilling to accept that 'two-legs' are people just like any other, then they will be even less likely to accept a five limbed, tusked abberation as a person."
Eugeni appears to either not realize he's being rude by telling Ryli how to parent, or is just too blunt to say anything other than what he actually thinks - rude or otherwise. It's hard to tell with his twisted amphiboid visage.
"If Titanicus was an actual golden great wyrm, then I would absolutely agree with you, Eugeni; however, that is not the case. Moreover, if Karzoug's goons attacked in force, could Titanicus fight them all at once and protect Kallie? Additionally, I think it is unfair to call the Thunderhooves weak. Ryli's Outriders defeated her summoned hill giants, Chogra deadlifted a dire tiger and then promptly beat it to death with his bare hooves, and the entire herd wiped out one of Mokmurian's war bands to the last. As you might recall, stone giants are strong enough to effortlessly rip grown men in half, casually toss chimneys like pebbles, and nonchalantly walk through wooden buildings like they were made of wet paper."
She takes a moment to let her point sink in.
"At least give me a chance to talk to them before writing them off as hopeless. Chogra and Durkon sound like ultimately rational individuals and leaders. If I had accompanied Ryli and asserted my title with a little finesse, then I imagine the four of us would have had a civil conversation. At least until the Earthmother got involved, anyway."
"Either way, it is not my choice. I believe Titanicus could face most of the threats we have faced. If not and he were somehow outmatched by a horde of giants, he could probably take Kallie and successfully flee from anything he could not defeat. Irregardless of who is assigned babysitting duties, I think our focus should remain squarely on stopping Karzoug, not pleasing some savages."
"That's fair," Jeevika concedes. "However, please be careful about casually calling other people savages. That sounds very much like the mentality Karzoug has displayed towards us."
"I thought Titanicus would have a sufficient 'wow' factor to him to bring them into line. Feel free to talk with them. I expected you to. I just wanted to let you know that my position is somewhat sensitive, so downplay my early lives."
Ryli's eyes go wide and she takes a step back. She takes a moment to process his words, blinks in astonishment, and shakes her head incredulously. "Have you forgotten that Kallie is 'only' a centaur? And that she is a soul birthed by the union between you and Setsuna?" She squares to face him, tail tossing in agitation. "I may be a centaur for this life, but Kallie has one life, and that's all she'll know. I want to give her a chance to choose what life she wants for herself. And that means knowing what she is. She can't learn it on the deck of this ship. "I can't even teach it to her, since I don't even know. But if I can stay with them, then I'll learn, I'll be there to watch over her, and help her choose the path she wants.
"And I can't be there if the tribe kicks me out."
"I most likely won't even mention your past," reassures Jeevika. "If nothing else, I just want them to understand the magnitude of the danger we face."