Explorations of the New

Game Master Herkymr the Silly

Sorogar, after taking final stock of the items, sighs. "There's much of this we can't use that well. Perhaps if we could sell it somewhere... or take it back to the cave. Hm..."

Over the next week, she spends almost all of her downtime working on the headband Kuraderi left her, only interrupting it to join Ohime for alchemy, cooking and idle chatter, Krokkin for training sessions, or Brek for his advice on the arcane matters and the mysterious tome they found on Prissterica.

This artefact was hard to enchant, but the process was going well... she thought, going so far as to even work straight through all the nights with her earlier crafted potions of Keep Watch.

At the end of the eighth day, following the group packing camp belongings, she tries on the new headband and smiles. "Everyone, I wanted to hare something with you. I had a dream in which Kuraderi spoke to me. And I think I can do something special now..." She looks up with an excited twinkle in her eyes. "Does anyone fancy a swim in a nice lake?"

Her voice, infused with arcane power, echoes through the clearing...

...And the party disappears!

She casts communal water breathing, then teleport, back to the Lizardfolk village. If it works, after some relaxation, she will teleport the group back to the cave for selling items and finally back to the vicinity of where they were, or further closer to the supposed hobgoblin tribes location if possible.

Teleport roll, low is bad: 1d100 ⇒ 10

That makes it, assuming it is within 900 miles and that Sorogar is at least somewhat familiar with the village we spent in.

The spell works well enough to get you to the lizard's village. However, after several days of rest and negotiation, you are able to sell the remainder of your loot. When you try to teleport to the cave, the spell simply fails.

You spend 2 weeks in the village talking and reestablishing connections. Now there is a small outpost across the river from the village. You are able to garner the rough locations of atleast 2 hobgoblin villages. Your use of the spell puts you closer to the villages than you were.

Using your knowledge of nature and the instructions you were able to garner you figure that you are somewhere with in a weeks vicinity of the villages you were informed about.

Ohime is glad to see everyone at the lizard village and is happy also to be able to give report to their own people at the small outpost. Ohime will take the opportunity to travel through both locations with her spell that detects guises of all sorts to root out any lingering or new Rakshasa in the encampments. She also would want to confer with her companions on whether or not they should tell the Mother about the glade with the summoning stones.

She enjoys her time in the village. There is something about waking up and not being concerned about your watch, having a fresh bed, or a fresh bath for that matter. It seems like a vacation, not that she's ever had such a thing. A resort for the wealthy would blow her mind at this point. In any case, she enjoys sitting in the sun, singing, and learning tales of this unique land. Who knows when such things will come into play?

Brek spends mostly this time in deep meditation though he gave his companions a fright as the reason for his sore shoulders manifests themselves in a shocking way.

He blew up.
From the dying embers of where he was meditating which unfortunately was far enough from everybody else so nothing else was damaged.......Brek walked out with two enormous flaming yellowish orange wings tinged with black flames at the tips.

Angular with feathers, it takes but a moment for everyone to realize that the wings they were seeing were after images as the wings were in perpetual motion. The wings of a humming bird. A flaming Humming bird if such existed.

Brek of course took this time to explore his new wings for a day and he found flying a thrill even though his wings looked like they were mostly in the same position.

He also found new powers unlocked and mediated on them once more , seeking to understand the new powers his blood had unlocked.

Finding that Sorogar had teleported them back to the village was exhilarating but he realized that he needed some space so he went into retreat at the far corners of the village to get use to his new powers.

Krokkin spends much of his time in the village practicing his skill with the new weapons to gain familiarity. He also accompanies Ohime on her walks thru the town using his nose to see if he can detect any enemies as well.

Part of the reason for the intense and long hours of practice is to work out the fear and anxiety from the magic that Sorogar did to move them from where they were all the way back to the village in a blink. Krokkin was not prepared for this change and it cranked his anxiety to 11. He tried not to show it but moments after the spell had finished he became fluffy. Days later he still could not think about that moment without shuddering. From the tip of his ears to the end of his wildly whipping tail all his hair stood up on end. What made it worse was that he was wearing his armor and helm at the time and so only exposed areas could be seen.

When they teleported out of town Krokkin was exhausted as he had worked himeself extra hard to make sure that he did not react the same way again. He also felt better knowing that he may not be the only point of interest if they teleport near people. Breks wings look really cool and definitely draw the eye of anyone who see them.

sense motive: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26

Brek
It would have astounded Ohime to see Brek with wings. To a point, it kind of made her worried. She would want to know what the end result of this change would be. Would he altogether become a phoenix? She would watch him flying around with caution and ease whatever fear some of the lizard folk would express.

"It is a normal change for one of his bloodline," she would explain, but there was little surety in her words as she herself didn't believe them.

-----------

Krokkin
Eventually, she would focus on Krokkin to ease the anxiety she senses in him. Music would be a balm for such things as well as her assurance in Sorogar's abilities.

"I can see through simple spellcrafting that Sorogar is casting her spell properly. You shouldn't be any more afraid of it than any of the other spells we cast upon you. I trust her." she expresses to the catman. "I thought my eyes deceived me, but you grew large in that last fight. Did Sorogar or Brek cast a spell on you and I missed it?"

------------

Sorogar
When alone with Sorogar, she would express her stresses.

"It seems our team is uniquely changing...I'm still the same ol' me. You learned some new spells after seeing all of those dimensional beings?"

There was a legend I heard as a youngling krokkin replies hesitantly. As he speaks his hesitation disappears as he is lost in the memories.

Kunyis Vuslotha was one of our mightiest warriors. It was said that her prowess was unmatched. Her fury on the field of battle could turn battles. After many years of battle it was said that she could go into the thick of battle and feed off the battle to the point where she seemed to grow larger. The enemy would break within moments of her devastation.

He pauses for a moment before continuing.

I always assumed that she would go into a rage and that is what turned the tide. Now I wonder if she actually grew bigger. It was strange, I was tapped into my battle rage as usual and all of a sudden I found something like a dam holding my rage in check. I have run into this before but it never occurred to me until that fight that I could break thru it or what lay on the other side. I have been testing this new found ability out and while it is a wonderful it is also limited. For example I can not make myself larger if I am not already in a rage. I cannot make my self larger more than once a day, however I can only tap into my rage for a certain period of time, but I discovered that once I trigger this enlarged state I can hold it for about 10 minutes even if I am no longer enraged.

There is much to think on, why is this happening to me, how can I use it for the good of the team, How does this knowledge help me to understand the riddle I was given, and How will this help my tribe when I return.

Krokkin realizes that he has rambled on for quite some time.
I apologize for rambling, thank you for letting me get that out.
He looks at her hoping that he can return the favor.

Sorogar

When alone with Sorogar, she would express her stresses.

"It seems our team is uniquely changing...I'm still the same ol' me. You learned some new spells after seeing all of those dimensional beings?"

"They are," Sorogar look up from her reading and nods, seeing Brek fly with his fiery wings. "I... well, part of it was from this tome we took from Prisssterica. It's a lot of dark magic, but reading it helped me understand some of its principles. Wizards are rare among orcs and tribal humans... so it's the best I'd get for a teacher, I thought. That was until Mother Kuraderi talked to me, and our minds touched. In that moment, I could sense her vast knowledge. Concepts she'd long ago mastered. Ways to twist reality itself to suit ones own needs. And I feel... I feel like I'm getting closer to understanding it all, one fragment at a time."

She closes the tome and takes a deep breath. In that moment she looks tired, wary, perhaps slightly confused. More like the barely adult half-orc girl and less like the slayer that had fought the Wolf Queen, the thing from the abyss and then the Succubus in rapid succession. "Say, Ohime? Do you think I'm worthy of wielding such power, smart enough to do with it as it best for the world? Or is that me thinking too highly of myself?"

Glancing forward, she looks past Krokkin training on the beech and the huge lake ahead. "If I'm honest, sometimes it almost feels too much. A month or three ago, this was still all about capturing a bird for a rich man from across the sea. Now, it's about rooting out a clan of Rakshasha infiltrating who knows how many tribes of powerful beings, while at the same time fending off a demon invasion we just stumbled on to. Was that dumb luck, or something guiding us? Have we truly been chosen for something? And why us, specifically? What made us special enough to be entrusted with such high stakes, and by who? We've talked to beings akin to gods , even... and they're seemingly depending on us. When I consider that, I can't even find it in me to go to the village elder here and be angry at her for inflicting us with the Geases. I need to stay fully focused on my studies, every moment. But I find that I just can't, these last few days."

She trails off, unsure how to continue. "I try to never let it show. But at the same time I keep wondering. Am I really strong enough? Can I support you all well enough? What if I fail? What If I die and the gods' faith in me was misplaced, if it was even there to begin with?"

Later, alone with Krokkin.

"Hey, Krokkin?" Sorogar calls out to him, carrying along a pair of practice swords. "I've... ah, noticed you've been avoiding me, right? Is there something you want to talk about?"

She throws one of the swords to him and assumes her stance, just as he'd taught her over many a time on the way.

You arrive from Sorogar's spell in a wooded vale fairly high on the mountain slopes. From what you were able to garner, the villages should be in the valleys below. There is a faint smell of smoke hanging in the air but it seems old.

There is a path leading across and another leading almost directly down the slopes. Both look rugged but well used.

With Sorogar
He catches the sword and drops into a defensive form. Begins circling her and trading attacks. He starts simply and slowly and as they work the forms he begins to speed up a little at a time when as he judges that she is ready for more complex sequences.

after a minute or two he finally replies to her question.

You fly now and teleport not only yourself but our whole group. Your power has grown so quickly. I don't know how I can protect you in up coming battles. Also the transporting does something to me inside and I don't feel right for hours afterwards.

"No...nonsense. Don't apologize," she chuckles to Krokkin. "I like understanding you better, especially when I see you grow extremely large as you did. There are many kinds of magic in the world. Some stem from the arcane. Some from the divine. Some I believe stem from heritages and bloodlines, and some from ancestors and spirits. Perhaps the spirit of Kunyis Voslotha travels with you? Or perhaps the spirit who traveled with her is in you? Who can say? Perhaps Sorogar? You should go ask her..." Ohime hints, trying to distract the nervous kitty from his thoughts by hooking up with the half-orc. How they were not an item yet, she didn't know. She would attempt to fix this herself if she can.

------------

Ohime can see that her sister is distressed and comes close for sisterly contact and a hug as she talks. The feeling is mutual in her words. As she trails off, Ohime looks up to the sky.

"Take the gods, the spirits, the ancestors, and the myriad of other powerful beings out of the picture. When I look at you, you had a choice to delve into the darkness like Prisssterica. You had a choice to give the succubus what she wanted. You could have let demon invasions or Rakshasa continue taking over. You chose to fight instead of looking for some stupid bird. Now, either you are pig-headed and stubborn when faced with opposition, or you might just be a decent, and cute might I add, half-orc. Or maybe both!" She snickers. "You speak to the spirits, and they probably constantly remind you of failure, but you aren't branded by failure like me. Do I listen to it? No. I'm going to live my best life right here and now." She shrugs and shakes her head, pulling her hands to her lap as this is a serious topic for her. "If the Gods, spirits, or whatever else is else is out there wants to kill me, they have the ability and right I suppose. Who am I to argue differently? Does the ant argue with the one who made it? In the meantime though, I'm not going to give two shakes of a bird's wing what they think of me and my choices in life. If they are so invested in me and my victories, they could tell me as much, but they haven't. All I've heard from Yig is how I'm a curse, so why should I care what he thinks? All I've heard from spirits is how useless I am in our various trials. All I've heard and seen from these other beings is how they don't trust us until we 'prove ourselves'. It's all a joke."

She takes in a breath and looks back to Sorogar.

"If they like you, then it's because it's who you are. You don't have to worry about impressing them. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm right. I don't know, and I don't care."

She pats her sister's thigh with a slap.

"Now...what about Krokkin? He's an impressive fighter now hmmmmmmMMM?" It is clear she's prodding Sorogar to talk about Krokkin's other qualities for gossip.

"When I look at you, you had a choice to delve into the darkness like Prisssterica. You had a choice to give the succubus what she wanted. You could have let demon invasions or Rakshasa continue taking over. You chose to fight instead of looking for some stupid bird. Now, either you are pig-headed and stubborn when faced with opposition, or you might just be a decent, and cute might I add, half-orc. Or maybe both!" She snickers. ... You speak to the spirits, and they probably constantly remind you of failure, but you aren't branded by failure like me. Do I listen to it? No. I'm going to live my best life right here and now."

"So you'd say it's not fate, or any larger design. Just us happening to be in the right place in the right time to do something about these dangers and then just doing our best?" Sorogar looks up and smiles a toothy grin. "I think I like that take. It makes it feel a bit more grounded, and moreso to that someone else could take over if we fail. Not that we're going to, if I have anything to say about! And... for what it's worth, *I* don't think you're useless, or a failure. I think that without your advice, I might have cracked under the pressure by now. So for that... thanks, sister."

She pats her sister's thigh with a slap.

"Now...what about Krokkin? He's an impressive fighter now hmmmmmmMMM?" It is clear she's prodding Sorogar to talk about Krokkin's other qualities for gossip.

Sorogar gives a yelp of surprise and frowns at Ohime in mock accusation over the slap. "I, ah, Krokkin...?" She squirms under Ohime's stare and blushes. "Well... he's... pretty impressive. I heard he watched over me when I had to rest after knocking out those racists slurring you back at the camp. He also calls me 'broodmother' for this tribe... but, up until now I took it as an honorary title thing and-" she sighs. "Okay, I'll admit the thought crossed my mind. Still... he's a catfolk and I'm a half-orc. I've never ever thought about a mate who is not a human or an orc. Can something like that even work? I can probably shapechange myself into a Catfolk for a while now... to... well... sample the wares?" By now , the shaman definitely carries a full blush. "Still... that's only temporary... and I don't have much experience on that field even. What about you?"

With Krokkin.

"You fly now and teleport not only yourself but our whole group. Your power has grown so quickly. I don't know how I can protect you in up coming battles. Also the transporting does something to me inside and I don't feel right for hours afterwards."

Hearing the Fluffy bit, Sorogar laughs and attempts to touch his fur during practise to try for herself. "Oh, I don't know. You feel pretty soft to me as it is. I quite like it," she jokes, feeling rather nervous at the borderline flirtatious remark.

She shakes her head and tries to take the problem more serious though, as it was bothering him quite a bit it seemed. "But you've grown as well, haven't you? We've each taken blows that probably would have killed either of us not too long ago. And this practise is probably part of it, I'd say. But if it's lack of flying that worries you, I'm sure the Skyfather can provide for you..."

She momentarily closes her eyes and mutters a few arcane words.

The next moment, Krokkin becomes keenly aware of even minute gusts of wind flowing around him, and he feels as though he is no longer bound to the earth.

"Now... walk with me, and we'll practise in the sky."

Gently taking his hands, Sorogar flies up and back pulling Krokkin after her. He finds he can now walk in the air, his feet finding just the right resistance to support him for whichever direction he wishes to move in. Up to a 45 degree angle, as per Air Walk.

Having arrived in the glade, she sets her mind to the task and suggests that the group protect themselves before heading into the encampment. By lying in wait, they can perhaps stumble upon a traveler from the hobgoblins, see his personality and whether they are befriendable before waltzing into their city.

Time to insert comedic elements.

------------

Ohime can see that her sister is distressed and comes close for sisterly contact and a hug as she talks. The feeling is mutual in her words. As she trails off, Ohime looks up to the sky.

"Take the gods, the spirits, the ancestors, and the myriad of other powerful beings out of the picture. When I look at you, you had a choice to delve into the darkness like Prisssterica. You had a choice to give the succubus what she wanted. You could have let demon invasions or Rakshasa continue taking over. You chose to fight instead of looking for some stupid bird. Now, either you are pig-headed and stubborn when faced with opposition, or you might just be a decent, and cute might I add, half-orc. Or maybe both!" She snickers. "You speak to the spirits, and they probably constantly remind you of failure, but you aren't branded by failure like me. Do I listen to it? No. I'm going to live my best life right here and now." She shrugs and shakes her head, pulling her hands to her lap as this is a serious topic for her. "If the Gods, spirits, or whatever else is else is out there wants to kill me, they have the ability and right I suppose. Who am I to argue differently? Does the ant argue with the one who made it? In the meantime though, I'm not going to give two shakes of a...

Brek yelps as his wings palter out and he crashes into the ground. He just found out how long his wings lasted.

Shaking himself free of any dirt. Flame envelops him as he uses one of his one fire spells on himself to heal his injuries.
Most of it minor.

She momentarily closes her eyes and mutters a few arcane words.

The next moment, Krokkin becomes keenly aware of even minute gusts of wind flowing around him, and he feels as though he is no longer bound to the earth.

"Now... walk with me, and we'll practise in the sky."

Gently taking his hands, Sorogar flies up and back pulling Krokkin after her. He finds he can now walk in the air, his feet finding just the right resistance to support him for whichever direction he wishes to move in. Up to a 45 degree angle, as per Air Walk.

Looking up he sees two of his companions exploring. Soaring up to the sky. He remembers..a time he's buried deep within his memories.

Brek turns away and jogs off to leave the two to immerse in their moment.

For him. His hands were still stained red.
He had tried to keep the darker side of him sealed but at that moment where he gained new powers. The seal he's kept over himself had cracked.

The training and discipline he had locked away had seeped into his powers.
He knew this one.
Spellsteal
He had to keep it secret from the others. Despite his will to keep it locked away. It was slowly seeping out. He knew it was a matter of time before he had to use it. Its power was far too tempting.

He had died once. His blood had given him rebirth but it still hadn't kept that darkness away.

He hoped that both the females was immersed in their talks enough to just missed him crashing. He knew they would have given him a lecture.

At first as sorogar pulls him into the sky he tenses and his hands automatically clench givng Sorogar a death grip. His hackles raised and tail sticking straight out and rigid he howls in fright. The only reason he is not thrashing around and has his eyes open is that he truely does trust Sorogar enough to fight thru this fright.

He sees the grimace on her face and realizes he is squeezing her hand. His instinctual response is to let go to which his brain immediately screams You Idiot, and he starts clawing at the air like he is trying to climb a tree. His brain cant even process as instead of falling he shoots forward ahead of Sorogar like he is in a race and running on all fours.

he skids to a stop panting, wide-eyed, and tentatively steps to turn himself around to look at her. The first sight of her and the beaming smile on her face helps to calm him. While he doesn't take immediately to looking down and seeing the ground far below, or effortlessly floating thru the air he is soon enjoying himself. He tries to be close to her holding her hand and when he is the smile on his face is the broadest.

Later in the evening as he is standing watch his eyes wander back to where she is sleeping almost of their own accord. His mind replays the event over and over, his minds eye noticing her smile and the touch of her hand.
He shakes his head like trying to clear away fog.

what are you doing, there is no way she likes you in that way. You are reading things into something that is not there.

with that he would turn away and watch the surrounding area only to have his eyes wander back and start all over again.

Sleep is not much better for him and he wakes tired and in a bit of a depressed and sour mode. To everyone else he just seems more quiet than usual and his tail seems more agitated. Those that see him while he does not know he is being watched, see him every once in a while look at Sorogar when she is not looking at him and almost can see the turmoil of his mind in the way his tail twitches and his muscles tense and release. When approached he is a bit gruff and responds that he didnt sleep well.

The next day, it seems?

During the descent to the supposed location of the hoobgoblin villages, Sorogar at some point exchanges a worried glance with Ohime and falls back to talk to her in private. "Do you know what's wrong with Krokkin? He seems really agitated today. Maybe avoiding me, even? I thought he really liked flying in the end but he was pretty frightened at first... I think I might have upset him somehow, and we didn't even get a chance to talk about... well, things. I'm not sure why I didn't while we flew up there, as it was the *perfect* moment. I... guess I got nervous. It's not as easy as I thought..."

Fortunately for Brek, she was too busy talking when Brek fell, but as she doesn't see him any longer in the sky, she does wonder where he went. If he were to show up with cuts and bruises later, she may have wished to inquire/lecture, but since he healed himself, she wouldn't know any better.

------------------

Sorogar
Due to Krokkin not being the best bluffer, and Ohime being godlike in sensing people's motives, when her sister inquires to the catman's state of mind, she smirks as if this is a bit of a funny situation to her.

"You are just both so cute and ridiculous at the same time. You are constantly on his mind. See, how he looks to you constantly and has that ponderous face? If I had to wager, it is a far more positively engaged thought process than you'd think. You share the same face when you look at him. In fact, if I had to guess, you both are on the verge of torment. Just go up to him and say, 'I like you Krokkin' and let the words flow. You'd might be surprised at what happens." She smirks more. "I'd wager you'll see a catfolk blush, if indeed one can. If nothing else, you've told him..."

"Go on...do it now. No excuses," she commands in a sing-song tone, the very same that instills courage in them every time they are going into combat.

----------------

Brek
Instead of continuing down the hillside, she will call out to Brek.

"Hey Brek! Come here." Her intent is to give Sorogar a bit of privacy. If he comes over, and if once in privacy, she will ask him in a lower voice, "Are we to worry about your wings at all? Can they light things on fire? Like if we walk into this hobgoblin city, are you in danger of lighting things your wings touch on fire? Can you suppress them? It might be a bit intimidating to others or a neat trick to scare some people into knowing our power, you know what I mean? If these hobgoblins are anything like back home, we may need some intimidation."

On hearing Ohime call out to him, Brek jogs over to her sensing that she had some other intention beyond calling him over but unlike Ohime with her her godlike ability to sense people's motives, he only lived in the moment...

With her bombardment of question though he takes a moment to think about the answers.

"I have to call them out. It's not something that can last forever, they have a limited duration. The wings despite being flaming can't light things up and I'm not sure how intimidating they can be. Don't you need dragon like wings to give that atmosphere? Mine are humming bird wings. I'm not sure about the difference between your hobgoblins and the ones here but I heard they all respect martial prowess."

"Well, it's more that they might not be there one moment, and then there the next. That can be stunning, even if hummingbird wings. So, when they are out, do you feel any different? It's just an odd power...sort of like Krokkin growing large." If he didn't know why, she would explain it may have ties to his heritage or ancestors. She is wondering if it is the same with Brek?

Taking a deep breath, Sorogar nods at Ohime and is idly aware of her and Brek leaving somewhere. She gives Brujah a soft push to which the bat screeches indignantly as it begins flying overhead. Movah, ever walking near her, snorts though deciding to similarly back off.

She balls her fist and approaches the Catfolk walking at the front. "Say, Krokkin. There's something I've been meaning to tell you. I tried it subtly yesterday, but that didn't work out so..." she sighs, realising she was starting to ramble. "Oh, screw it."

She kisses him straight on the mouth.

Ohime, keeping a subtle eye on Sorogar, is surprised when the half-orc just goes for it. She grabs Brek by the arm and spins him around so he can quickly see before the moment is passed, then guides him back to face her. Ohime's cheeks are red and there is a smile on her face.

"Sooo...about those wingsss.."

"....Should take some time to be of use again but we should just fly off now." Brek grins ruefully after being spun like a top.

Pulling Ohime with him, he sets off on a random direction away from the couple.
His heart twinges but deep down he's happy that love has again found an unlikely root to grow from.

"I can tell you more about the wings if you want. They're a part of me yet isn't. I don't have to think about flying but I do have to control where I fly too....." his voice rambles on.

Walking at the front of the group and looking for danger ahead, Krokkin is startled and then a bit confused as Sorogar starts speaking from beside him. In all of his mental scenarios that have run over the last several hours nothing comes close to what happens next.

As she moves in and plants the kiss his brain locks up for a second and then runs thru the following thoughts in a flash.

Yes,yes,yes
Is this really happening
Crap, body stop Stop STOP.

As she moves in and plants the kiss his body sees that the brain is locked up and so it reacts on its own accord. He wraps his arms around her and pivots with the intention of hip tossing her using her momentum to help the toss. His brain catches up as he is twisting, so he does not release her but instead kicks off the ground using the build up momentum to spin with her and having him land on the ground first and cushion her fall. This causes them to roll over each other a couple of times before he throws one arm out to stop the roll with her on top of him.

He tries a couple times to speak but all that comes out is I,... i,.. um. He then decides that since his private area is loudly announce its intentions no matter what his brain says, he grabs her by the back of the head and presses her down into a long passionate kiss.

If she can be bold, then so can I. That is the last coherent thought that runs thru his head until the kiss ends.

At some point Sorogar disengages and looks down at Krokkin, blushing but with a happy smile. "So... I gather you feel the same? Because if not, after that, I will hex you into oblivion!" She then feels a rather stiff something brush past her leg, blinking and glancing down, she chuckles. "Well, it didn't take much to rouse your spear, hm?" swallowing remaining nerves, she gives it a tentative poke though his pants and enjoyed watching Krokkin squirm over it.

"You'll have to hold that back though, not with Brek and Ohime near. But you know..." She leans closer and whispers in his ear. "Be a good kitty and I might just have a reward for you. You're mine now, Krokkin, and I'm going to enjoy that to the fullest!"

Her smile shifts to an ever more devious one. "And to start... I think I'll take at least one more kiss before they get back."

Flash forward until the others get back?

Ohime catches one last glance at Sorogar and Krokkin as she herself is pulled off in a random direction.

"I agree," she chuckles at disengaging from the other two. When he offers to tell her more about his wings, she nods.

"So...kind of like your magic. It's a part of you, but its source is something drawn from elsewhere?" she asks, meaning that both being charismatic casters, they are the source of their powers, but they are pulling it by sheer force of willpower from the weave instead of logically deducing how to infer it upon themselves.

-------------

Not long after, she will urge Brek to return and Ohime will whistle to her birdy a bit of secretive language. It seems from her attitude, that Ohime is explaining something to the bird about Krokkin and Sorogar. Birds, after all, don't think in the same way as humans or human-like beings do.

Further down the way, she can see the hobgoblin encampment and tries to find a place where perhaps there is a road or well-traveled path for them to exit the city. Perhaps there they can find a straggler who can give them information via a charm person spell.

From what you were able to garner, the villages should be in the valleys below. There is a faint smell of smoke hanging in the air but it seems old.

There is a path leading across and another leading almost directly down the slopes. Both look rugged but well used.

The village that Ohime looks down on appears to be approximately 200 fighters. Atleast 3 clan totems are hanging in sight and there are a bunch of children running around playing at being warriors.

At some point, Sorogar approaches the pair along with Krokkin. There's a nervous kind of happiness around the two of them along with beaming smiles as they look at eachother. Rather than explain, she looks looks at her sister (and Brek, too) and gives them a grateful nod.

She gives Krokkin an affectionate stroke on the cheek as she walks forward and sees the encampment herself. "I see. Seems like we've found at least one of the villages. So... how do we go about rooting out the Rakshasha? Perhaps we could use the wand to charm one to ask them about what has been happening, before we walk into a potential trap?" she suggests, mirroring Ohime's unspoken thoughts. "We were unable to kill all of them back at the camp. It stands to reason the archer who escaped would have warned the others by now. Even as I saw him first, I sensed an overshelmingly evil presence. We shouldn't underestimate them or their underlings."

Ohime rolls her eyes at seeing the cheesy grin on Sorogar's face. She can't help but chuckle and beckons her close. The serpent will give her a kiss on the cheek and sling her arms around the half-orc in a way to communicate "see, I told you, I know what I'm talking about". She then will give a cheery smile to Krokkin as they start to discuss what to do next.

When Sorogar finishes, she speaks up:

"That is what I was thinking. We lie in wait and just try to be amenable first. They look like they are quite the warriors."

With the party agreeing, she will -as stated- set up a trap by a popular path used by the village. The trap being that they wait in the shrubs for a solitary commoner to come down the road and they can charm him or her to give them the answers they seek. It may be a lot of waiting, but that also will give Krokkin and Sorogar some time to spend together.

Stealth: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28 (Those who aren't decent at stealth might want to stay behind full cover. If need be, she will use the wand if Brek can't sneak.)

Krokkin is really be led along by Sorogar as the reach the group, he doesn't really notice that he is smiling. As they talk about plans of what to do next, krokkin finds it difficult to focus and is not able to add to the conversation in any meaningful way.

trying to focus and be in the moment he sorta blurts out quietly.

I am pretty good that remaining unseen where do you want me?

Only after saying it does he realize that he was looking at Sorogar the whole time and at her raised eyebrow, his cheeks flush and he looks down and away abashed.

Brek can't sneak well but he can cheat and use invisibility

Crossing his arms as he looks down upon the village.
"Warriors. Perhaps they adhere to a code of honor. Telling them of the Raksahkas directly might prompt them to act to weed them out."

Following the party though, he does proceed to stay out of sight.

Sorogar has the decency to blush at Ohime's good natured teasing, but does shoot a grin at Krokkin when she catches him staring - one which seems to say 'later'.

"We could do both. Charm one of the hunters, following their tracks. Get some information before walking in. Going in completely blind sounds a bit foolhardy to me. Unless you all would prefer to just boldly stride in, that would be my advice."

survival, track a lone hobgoblin hunter by tracks: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (1) + 18 = 19

Probably has her head in the clouds too much to do any proper tracking -_-

So GM, Krokkin and Ohime will set up on a small road and wait for someone to come by. Brujah or Birdy can scout out and tell them when something is coming. Sorogar and Brek can hide out of sight and behind complete cover (don't need to roll stealth), and then Ohime can cast the charm monster on a passerby.

stealth: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15
Krokkin tries but is too distracted to really put a good effort in at being stealthy.

Brek notices and places a hand on Krokkin.

"Here. Don't move. A spell to render us unseen." he whistles and something winged flashes by to cover Krokkin as well.

Tadah. you are now invisible too!

15 min or so pass and just when you think you might need to try another tactic, a young hobgoblin, roughly human age 12, comes meandering along the path headed to the village. He has a large shield, axe, and studded leather armor with him. He has several totems of various kinds hanging from his belt and necklace.

Ohime will cast a charm monster spell on him. As she does, Krokkin will be able to see the flowing robe she wears dance with musical symbols. Each symbol then lifts off the robe and they whoosh across the path and float in the youth's ear. Her birdy will begin a song of fascination at that time and in positively enchanting movements, she will raise up and join in the song.

Will DC18 for fascinate song. Will DC18 for Charm Monster.

"Great warrior. Great friend," she whispers and comes into view. As she does, she dances to entertain him. "What do you seek out here? Who are your people?"

Sorogar stands by, admiring Ohime's dance in the absense of an immediate threat.

The youngling stops and looks in fascination at Ohime. My people are those below. I come in response to the chief's outcry. Why are you here and not in the village? All are welcome.

"We are foreigners from a faraway land. We do not know who are enemies and who are friends. Can you tell us about the chief and this outcry? What did he ask you to do?"