Scene #8001: White March: Ogres

Owner	Pose
Captain Flint	The town of Stalwart's made a remarkable first few steps towards a resurgence, thanks to the Concord. The mine, a source of iron and sulfur, is operational once more. Homes and other buildings destroyed by a prior ogre attack have been rebuilt or else replaced by functional prefab structures. It's even undergone some terraforming, so that the town itself isn't as cold and inhospitable as the surrounding wilderness. Patches of green and even wildflowers spring up around dirt paths, between buildings, the fragrance just enough to overpower the smell from the fishery. As nice as it is, the atmosphere among is still one of worry. Neither the town's wooden buildings nor the prefabs will last against another attack. Docked at the port is a ship that looks like it fits in this world, but certainly not in a town this quiet. The Walrus is a three-masted, square-rigged frigate that seems both heavily armed and high on the water for a ship of its size. As sailing ships go, sixty-man affairs like the Walrus are on the smaller end, but compared to the fishing skiffs out in the water, it's massive. Pirates hurry to and from the ship, carrying weapons, tools and supplies into town to post up and reinforce the outer wall. John Silver directs and helps with the efforts in town, but the captain isn't with him. Flint's asked instead to meet with you to the west of the town, at the edge of the Russetwood--it's easy enough to find, if you stop to ask anyone in town. Following the widest of the dirt roads in town takes you to a hole in the reinforced palisade wall which surrounds Stalwart. The captain is just beyond it, where the pleasant cool and greenery begin to give way to cold and icy wilderness again. There are four men with him, which he introduces: the taciturn JOJI, a Japanese pirate with long hair and scarred arms; the well-liked, musclebound blonde boatswain BILLY BONES; OKO, a Garifuna man with decorative scars on his cheeks. Finally, PAXTON, a stout, brown-haired man looking alert to the point of suggesting active suspicion of his surroundings.
Captain Flint	Flint, and the men with him, are dressed for the cold in a layered mix of roughspun eighteenth century working clothes, some (including the captain) with long coats. As one hand rests upon the unusual, cage-like guard of his saber, the captain greets each of you with a nod. "Our destination lies at the northwestern end of a clearing in the Russetwood." Behind the captain, you can see how the wilderness got its name--a thick curtain of brown-leaf alpine trees expands outwards, green pines mixed in here and there. "Be careful on your way. More wolf attacks this year than in the previous three combined," continues Flint's gravelly English baritone. "The area also has a reputation as a refuge for those fleeing the authorities. I have people working to secure it, but they'll not finish in time to give us safe passage." Flint beckons with a hand, kneeling down and sweeping the snow from a patch of hard earth before him. Two stones are used to weigh down a paper map of the wilderness. Using a drawing compass, he circles in pencil two locations--first, your present location, then the aforementioned clearing. "The ogre clan lives within a cave complex here," he says, tapping a spot at the edge of that clearing. Looking up from the map to make eye contact, "The attacks began after the mayor began the efforts to breach the Battery, but we have no idea why that would provoke them. It's not known to be a holy site of theirs, nor have they shown any previous concern or appreciation for dwarven works." Once everyone's had a look, he rolls it up and stows it back in his coat. "Regardless of their reasons, the attacks cannot continue--especially with how close the clan is to Stalwart. My men and I are prepared to solve the issue with force," says Flint firmly, with a hard gleam in his seafoam eyes. "But given the previous semblance of peace," he says, glancing towards the treeline, "I'll not frustrate any effort to restore it by other means. Questions, before we get underway?"
Kukuru	For a while, Kukuru isn't at the rendezvous point. She's busy checking out the town itself, buying a little bit of food here, asking about the news there, buying a little more food over there, and so on until her pockets are full of stuff. Only then does she head to the Walrus, watching those pirates with sleepy-eyed curiosity for quite some time, and it's not until likely after everyone else has already arrived that she finally remembers that she's supposed to be meeting Flint. Once she does, she finds a dark corner to slip into, opens up a dark cloud, and steps into it so she can reappear a few yards over from where Flint and his men are waiting. She's actually dressed for the weather as well, bearing a thick wool coat and a knit cap with questionable heat-retention thanks to her horns constantly making it ride upwards. "They're probably just hungry. If we give them something tasty, I'm sure they'll come around." She suggests without making it clear whether she's talking about the wolves or escapees. She follows Flint over to look at his map, squinting a bit to try and make herself retain the rest of the details. "Ogres... Huh. Well, they'll understand once they see we're not the mayor. Then we can..." She trails off, clearly struggling with trying to come up with an actual solution. Kukuru snaps her fingers, though, after Flint mentions the violent solution. "Oh, yeah. That'll work! Unless... Peace would be nice, too." She pauses again to peer at the map for a while longer, then looks back up at Flint. "Do you know if there's any stuff they like? Like... Um. Certain kinds of food, or stuff, or things they like to happen?"
Hiromi	Hiromi has arrived, ostensibly, to aid Captain Flint, as a fellow Concord Partner. Of course, it can never be so simple. "These people." She stalks around the map, but encompasses the town in her gesture, still towering despite her menacingly almost-pouncing posture. "Coldness falls, yet they stay above ground." The cold doesn't seem to bother her in the slightest, despite that acknowledgment. "Tell me, why help them? Are they kin, by blood? Adoption? Do you seek something, of theirs? 'Friends'? 'A friendly port'?" There's an implicit 'why should I help them?' somewhere in there, though it may take some familiarity with Hiromi to spot it. "Wolves." When she says it, it sounds more like 'people' than 'people' does. "I will see them." There's a window to suggest some other course of action to her, but it'll take a bit to sway her fixation, before she runs off into the wilderness.
Rita Ma	Rita is uncharacteristically unfashionable today, swaddled as she is in a poofy red-and-gray jacket that's at least two sizes too large. Even with that, she's visibly not a fan of the cold; periodically she brings her hands up to her mouth to breathe on them, and shivers even with the concessions made to climate. Seeing Flint, his crewmen, and the others does perk her up though. Even though the four pirates have seen her before, she takes the time to greet them each by name (and with a little head-bow unless they offer a handshake), clearly trying to commit them to memory. The other Elites are greeted with a smile and a wave, similarly, though she's unfamiliar with Haseo and Chains Knight. Rita does her best to eagerly peek glimpses of the map around everyone else, standing on tiptoes if necessary, but Flint's description of things creates an uncomfortable ambiguity. Rita's starry-eyed attention settles into quiet unease. "You said... a 'clan', Mr. Flint? That would mean they're people, right, and not just monsters? Do you think we'll be able to talk to them?" Once the journey is underway and she's no longer holding things up, she adds: "I've been reading that book you gave me, Mr. Flint. I liked the idea that everyone has a 'right to well-being'. I'm not so sure about how he talks about making things, though." Also en route, she works up the courage to ask a very dumb question. "Do you like wolves, Ms. Hiromi?" If she hasn't drawn the connection by now, one might gather she's not entirely sure what they are.
Chains Knight	Chains arrives with the others. "Town building. Good stuff," he says, the helmeted figure nodding. "Regarding the ogres, how receptive are they to bribes to relocate? Become someone else's problem somewhere else?"
Haseo	Haseo is surprisingly dressed for the occasion, though it seems to be rather begrudgingly, a cloak hanging over his armor with a couple of slits cut out to help the spikes stick out. It seems he gave up somewhere halfway in the cutting of holes though, as the rest of the spikes were clearly forced through the fabric. It works well enough, and by well enough that means Haseo is still crossing his arms together to try and maintain warmth, but it'll totally definitely get better once he's in motion. Honest. "Ogres? Like, actual ogres, or is this the name of a pirate gang or something?" True to his MMO gamer roots, he's accepted the call for help without actually reading what it is he's supposed to be doing. Mostly because it's only fair to assume there's going to be some sort of nice payout in the end for this sort of work, but even if there isn't, he does suppose he owes Flint for helping out G.U. a while back. Either way, he's getting something done, or at least that's what Haseo's going to tell himself rather than having to cope with the fact he might just be doing free charity work.
Captain Flint	Rita's arrival is met with warmth from Billy and Oko, and something closer to Liza's 'Professional Acknowledgment' from Joji and Paxton. Flint is the one to answer her questions, however. "They're people," he confirms. "Ogres are usually solitary, but sometimes organize into clans under a matriarch." Actual ogres, Haseo may freely conclude. Kukuru asks if Flint knows any favorite gifts or observed customs. "I'm afraid I don't," he admits with a furrowed brow. "Customs are said to vary between clans--but I do know that trade between Stalwart and the Flames-that-Whisper wasn't unheard of, and I suppose there are worse offerings than food." That's Rita's second question answered, too--the captain must believe at least on some level that a dialogue is possible. "In the absence of any specific knowledge, respect can carry one a long way." The journey is underway. Were it anyone other than the Archwolf intending to run off into the wilderness alone, the captain might react differently. When someone called 'the Archwolf' wants to handle a wolf-related problem, however, he can be reasonably certain an expert is on hand. "By all means," he says simply. She doesn't search long before a scent trail pops up, smelling of fresh blood, and leading to a patch of red-stained snow flanked by a semicircle of pines. Sounds of breathing emerge from a cavern, and the woods nearby rustle with the sound of stalking creatures. On the route proper, Joji and Billy take point, one with a hand towards the hilt of a katana, the other with a modern assault rifle at the ready. Flint remains towards the center while Oko and Paxton guard the rear. "About making things?" asks the captain curiously of Rita. "Aren't those chapters towards the end? You must be a voracious reader," he says with an approving smile. "I shall have to read it once again, and we'll discuss it at length over tea." Hiromi's probably got the attention from most, if not all of the wolves in these woods--but there are other dangers on the way to the clearing. It's as if nature itself is somehow offended; for burrowing beetles, small ice-breathing winged lizards, and even a bear crop up at different points to stymie your progress. The beetles have tough shells and pincers that nearly snap Billy's plunging sword in two; the lizards are fast-flying and difficult to pin down. The bear is about what you'd expect.
Chains Knight	Traveling time! Okay, let's all smush together into a single overworld sprite... no? We're not doing that? Nevermind, then. Chains makes some light conversation with the rest of the group, and his head turns to track Hiromi as she runs off on a sidequest - but he decides to stick with the main group. He brings up the rear of the group, not even offering to take point. ("The armor doesn't actually have defensive stat bonuses," he says, if anyone asks.) "Ah, random encounters, very good," he says, as the first creatures make trouble. He seems somehow pleased, really. "And properly themed for the icy mountain biome. Not every world makes sense like that." Chains pulls his deck of cards from his belt holster, calmly shuffles it as battle erupts, and then tosses out a few cards - causing pikemen to pop up and attempt to skewer the beetles. "There we go." The bear, though, gives him some pause. "Is it an... evil ice bear?" he says, mid-shuffle. "Dire bear? Instead just... a natural bear, attacking a group of people?" "That makes sense in game logic, but I didn't think this was a game world?" He helps deal with it regardless, because an attacking bear isn't going to be stymied by facts and logic, but after that he moves up towards the head of the group and finds Flint. "Did you insult any nature gods or anything of that sort? Or maybe a local god in general?"
Kukuru	Hiromi, sounding interested in the wolves, gets an understanding look from Kukuru. "Maybe we'll find something good along the way for you to bring there." She suggests, although it's kind of unclear what she has in mind, Rita gets a cheery smile from Kukuru, and it takes a lot of self-control for Kukuru to stop at just offering her only a scarf (white, with some kind of vague red shapes on it) after seeing that shivering. Chains gets a homemade snack (slightly burnt brownies) and a pouch of juice (apple mix). Kukuru doesn't quite understand the whole meter thing, though, and it kind of shows when she starts looking him over without saying why. Haseo, too, gets a long look from Kukuru once she sees all the holes in his cloak. There's a longer pause as she digs around in her pockets again, then pulls out another scarf (black, with knitted skulls and intentionally frayed ends) and tries getting him to take it. On the topic of customs, Kukuru listens to Flint rather intently. He gives her quite a bit to think about when it comes to what to offer the ogres, and the only certainty she has in her mind is to give them something she's made rather than only giving them stuff from Stalwart. She'll just need to figure out what by the time they get to their destination. When it comes to dealing with the threats coming towards them, Kukuru's not going to do all that well with the beetles. Her claws are huge and her movements just as wide, making it kind of tricky to hit something that can hide basically anywhere. The lizards might be a little easier in comparison, but the cold combined with their icy breath means she's going to be bundling herself and everyone else up in more scarves if there isn't anyone more suited to handling them. The bear, predictably, is the most straightforward thing for her to deal with through her usual brute force methods of smashing, biting, and generally trading hits until it's dead. Kukuru does, however, insist on not destroying it and on bringing it with them instead. "You think the ogres might like this as an offering?"
Hiromi	Hiromi may be unaffected by the cold weather, but that doesn't mean she's immune to breath attacks by flying lizards. Being presently interested only in the wolves, and not the rest of the wildlife, she keeps ahead via speed, dropping to all-fours, and swiftly coursing through the woods in the form of an enormous, dark-furred wolf. She leaps and slams the bear in her way like she was shoulder-checking a defensive line, keeps tree coverage between her and fliers, and stamps lines of hard stone into existence beneath her feet, forcing burrowing beetles to turn aside or upward. But whichever way they go, it's easy for her control of the earth to trap a digger. The effect is mostly harmless, unless she's further pressed, at which point her teeth will be less kind. If they continue after her while she's meeting the local wolves, there'll be more than a few blood trails. She announces hereslf with a howl, carrying the full force of her 'verbal' introduction. She is Hiromi, the Archwolf. It is impossible to hear her name with anything less than its full set of overlapping titles, whether or not they can be understood as words. It's a concise self-description, more than anything else. It is also, implicitly, a challenge. The Archwolf is, by definition, the greatest of wolves. She ensures this by allowing any to oppose her. If they do not, or cannot, then they must submit, or they must flee. These are their three options, and there is no fourth. It is just as impossible to fail to understand this, even given nothing but her howl.
Haseo	"Real ogres, okay. That makes things easier." Haseo just mumbles to himself as they get going, but not before accepting Kukuru's scarf. There's an annoyed look on his face, almost like he wants to complain. He DOES want to complain, he doesn't need to be babied, but ultimately, he decides to bite his tongue. She means well enough, this isn't worth starting a scene over. "Random encounter? You got gamer brain rot or something, man?" The irony of him asking this question isn't completely lost on Haseo, but he feels like it's worth asking regardless. If anything, it serves as some small talk as he begins casting a spell to help deal with the beatles. A ball of fire builds up in one of his hands, before being chucked full force at one of the insects much like a pitcher throwing a baseball. Just as he's about to start casting again, he stops as Kukuru mentions leaving the bear alive. He blinks in disbelief. Is she stupid? Is HE stupid??? Well, whatever. Sure. It's fine. He exhales deeply in a desperate attempt to keep himself level headed. "What? Are you just gonna carry it all the way there on your back or something?"
Captain Flint	The captain's pistol is more modern than his world is capable of making, as is the case with much of the Walrus crew's firearms. With the M1911 in one hand and his cutlass in the other, he's able to pitch in considerably against the ice drakes while his men work over the beetles with Haseo. The bear is all Kukuru, but she does get some funny looks. "Ms. Kukuru... wouldn't that be easier to carry if it was, you know... dead?" asks Billy. "He's called Galawain," asides Flint to Chains on the matter of nature gods. Kukuru's prize is, indeed, a natural bear. "It's possible someone else offended him before we got here, and it would certainly explain the rash of wolf attacks. The gods of this world aren't known for being discriminating in their dealings with mortals." There's a tangible note of distaste in his voice and a sneering curl of his lip. Offering her challenge, Hiromi is met with four wolves who do not meet her challenge or flee--but rather, emerge from the forest to converge before her. Each one takes humanoid shape, and as they do, each fur-clad druid is revealed to be knelt before her. Each carries a spear. The howl from inside the cave can be interpreted just as easily--'I'm here, I'm listening, but I'm hurt.' That'd be why the others didn't fight or run--to do either would be leaving a packmate in potential danger. Without looking up, the eldest among them, a redheaded elf, speaks up. "What do you ask of these servants of Galawain, Archwolf?" The rest of the party doesn't so much encounter further resistance as much as signs that other people visit this wilderness. Snow-covered hunters' snares, one or two abandoned cabins. At one point, a tipped-over, emptied out cage, surrounded by armed men, each dead from apparent sword wounds. Across a frozen lake with a recently made fishing hole, there's a stony outcropping with a wide, yawning cave set into it--though it's not the same one Hiromi's at, it should be noted. Tanned hides and bleached skulls outside the entrance serve to mark it beyond reasonable doubt as your destination. "I'm told this is something of an ancestral home," Flint says, specifically to Chains. "And I'm uncertain how much value they place on money. Keep that in mind for any offers you might make." Of course, the immediate issue is actually getting into the cave. It's easy enough to just walk in, but you're not expected and probably won't be welcome, two things which don't tend to mix well for warm welcomes. "Are we to knock," asks Flint, "Or sneak in?"
Chains Knight	> Gamer Brain Rot "Have you considered that the actual problem is that you've spent too much time in the real world?" says Chains, though without much force behind it - it's a throwaway line, a jab in response to a jab. > The gods of this world aren't known for being discriminating in their dealings with mortals. Chains nods. "Yes." Comparisons to a GM at a table are clearly on his mind, but he doesn't feel that voicing them would be particularly helpful here. "Still, it falls to everyone else to deal with and appease them, regardless of who set them off, as waiting for the individual responsible to do so is an ineffective tactic." More tabletop lore. "Let's knock," suggests Chains. He unwinds the spool of chain on his belt, and preps it. "But at a distance. Stand well away, in defensive but unthreatening positions, just in case." He flings the chain caveward, causing it to slam into the cave wall a few times, making a loud sound not unlike 'knocking'.
Kukuru	"Um... Yes?" Kukuru replies to Haseo and Billy as easily as one would answer a question about if it'd be okay to get a glass of water from the fridge. It probably helps a lot that she's strong enough to just manhandle the thing until she's got her claws dug in on both sides of its body to prevent excessive thrashing, but not without some ripping and tearing and biting on both sides. Fortunately for Kukuru, she can heal a lot faster than normal bears can naturally. It's only when idea of actually bringing it along without the 'being alive' part actually crosses her mind does she finally realize something! "Oh yeah... I can do that. Ah, you're both so smart~" She beams briefly at Haseo and Flint, promptly squeezes down on the bear's head, and then starts lugging the corpse over her shoulders without having to worry about getting clawed at anymore. Upon reaching the cave, Kukuru eyes the hides and skulls briefly before looking rather satisfied with herself. "Oh, they're gonna love this. I think... That..." She starts to explain while keeping her voice down, pausing for a few moments before looking towards Flint with a concerned frown. "Wait. There's still one big problem here. Really, really big, if we're trying to talk to them and not just beat them up." She gestures at the entrance of the cave. "We can't knock, but it'd be really rude if we just snuck in, but... Isn't it rude if we're just inviting ourselves over, too? Especially if it's everyone at once." Chains answers the question of knocking, at least, and that gets a brief clap from Kukuru while still shouldering that bear. "Oh, good call! Yeah, let's let them see what we brought."
Hiromi	Has Hiromi ever captured servants of some foreign god, and bent them to her will? Yes, but that had the particular circumstance of 'they were invaders in her world' and 'they had the form of machines,' which is many, many rungs lower her evaluation ladder than 'wolves,' even if these ones have, unfortunately, turned out to be partly-human. Without finding this Galawain and establishing their relative strength, some polite caution is warranted. She has a better immediate impression and expectation than many past divine encounters, at least. No longer needing to move quickly over the land, she stands back up onto two feet, her form shifting in the process. She looks between those four, then walks into the cave while she speaks. "An ally helps the port," she says, clearly indicating 'one with whom she aligns, but not of her pack,' and 'in whose interests she is inclined, but not obligated, to aid.' "'Stalwart.'" The name is a heard-thing, rather than a full description. She doesn't know the port town, making it a thing she cannot so naturally communicate. "This territory." The surrounding woods. "Yours?" Within, a wounded member. They are not of her pack, but they are the most distant sort of kin, and closer than many. It's enough reason to aid them, if only to the extent of a small sip from the deep well of her unbreakable strength. She approaches, extending the claws of one hand to make a precise, practiced slice in the palm of the other. She lowers it to the ground, cupped, while blood shallowly fills it, before the wound seals itself shut. "Drink. This gift, given freely." Though she still has things she wants of them. "Your reasons. Your history. Who hurt you? What do you fight?" Those are separate questions. To fight is to struggle, to aim to overcome, to have a goal requiring one's effort.
Captain Flint	Chains knocks. It does actually work! Two ogres step out. They're several times larger than the average human--Flint or Billy might come up to their knees. Thick skin is covered with the tanned hides and furs of slain beasts at the lower half. Upon the upper half, red tattoos tell stories of clan and identity. "You people aren't very bright, are you?" asks the one on the right, armed with a club the size of a small tree. "After everything--wait." It seems you were mistaken for villagers, but only briefly. While Flint's men took Chains' advice, the captain himself hasn't moved to any safer ground. He is perfectly calm, even making eye contact as the ogres size him, and the rest of you, up. "Mercenaries?" asks the left ogre. "Couldn't be," says the right. "Stalwart doesn't have that kind of money." "Negotiators," says Flint coolly. "We've brought a gift for the clan, and request an audience with your matriarch." This draws a belly-laugh from the ogre on the right. "Negotiators," he says, the idea apparently so novel as to be amusing. "I'll tell you what, then, 'negotiators.' We can give you an audience with Beregan," he says. The tone perfectly conveys his faith in the fruit of such an endeavor--but Flint is undaunted. "Good," he says simply. With a gesture, Billy, Oko and Joji stand up from their prone positions and abandon the crossfire they'd set up. You're led into the caves by the two guards, one hefting Kukuru's bear over his shoulder. The air is clean, as are the general surroundings, when there's enough light to see them. The movement of air through the passage, coupled with the crackle of torches, creates a constant, quiet pseudo-murmur that carries through the caverns. There are pitfalls, which, in the interest of parley, are pointed out to you well ahead of when you'd need to avoid them. After about a twenty minute walk, you find yourselves at the bottom of the complex, in what appears to be a communal gathering area. Red paint traces lines and circles around a scrying pool, overlooked by a throne of leather and bones. Rising from it is an ogre woman with a towering tree trunk fashioned into a staff, and a mane of grey-white hair, her cloak of furs affixed with all manner of magical odds and ends. "Matron Beregan," says the bear-bearing ogre, "These folk bring a gift for the clan, and ask for an audience." Beregan's eyes bore holes into each of you in turn. "I'm listening," she says coolly. It seems your presence here is tolerated, but only thanks to the manners shown thus far.
Captain Flint	Hiromi, meanwhile, is given answers by the red-haired elf, who doesn't turn to look nor stand from her knelt position. "It is, for as long as we can keep it. The Lord of the Hunt favors strength and cunning, after all." In other words, it's theirs until something with the power or wits to do so comes and takes it from them. The wolf in the cave accepts her gift, and is healed. Before her eyes, it takes humanoid shape--shorter, wider, stockier than the others, a man with a braided black beard. "We fight for survival, and the sanctity of the great hunt within these woods. By now, you've no doubt noticed the creatures of the wood behaving in ways they otherwise wouldn't." "In our investigations," he continues, "We found that a totem sacred to Galawain had been stolen, and pursued the culprit." With some embarrassment, the dwarf admits, "He was too much for us--a druid, like us, but something was... wrong. Perhaps he was cursed for his transgression?"
Chains Knight	"(They could,)" comments Chains quietly to Flint. In regards to having enough money. "Peace," says Chains, stepping forward towards the matriarch. "Not a peace sought from weakness, a supplicant peace, but one of mutual foes we must ward against... and mutual riches to be gained." "And as a taste of those - may I?" he says, gesturing to be allowed to approach. "A pair of magical dice," he says. "Fix a category of something valuable or useful in your mind - like, say, animal furs, and then once per day, give them a hearty roll - like so." He tosses the dice onto whatever surface is handy - they come up with a 4 and a 1. A moment later, a small pile of deer furs pop into existence nearby. "A five - a medium reward. Perhaps you'd fare better." He gestures for her to try them.
Kukuru	'You people aren't very bright, are you?' "I'm not, but they are!" Kukuru chimes in cheerfully without missing a beat, waving lightly for a moment before adjusting her hold on the bear. She leaves the initial talking up to Flint, just kind of smiling pleasantly despite the somewhat bloody thing draped over her shoulders. It's only when the ogres agree to a meeting that she finally lets out a pleasant humming noise, not looking all too worried about the size difference in the slightest. "Oh, that's great, thanks! Ah, easy now." She passes the bear over to the guard with a gentle pat, then lets herself be a tourist again as they're being led further in. She actually seems to be pleasantly surprised by what she's seeing, too, but she's got enough sense not to gawk too much or stray off the path. The instructions on how to not make an ass out of herself are followed readily, and she even finds opportunities during that trek in to do a little bit of spot cleaning for anyone in the group that doesn't object to her fussing over them. It's not much, but making sure everyone's hair is a little fresher than before is better than nothing. When they finally encounter the matriarch, Kukuru greets her with a polite little curtsey before raising her hand in greeting (and also finally remembering to stuff her claws back into her pockets somehow). "He-llo there. My name's Kukuru. Ku-ku-ru. Nice to meet you, Beregan~" Kukuru introduces herself in her usual cheerful tone, but sounding a little more upbeat and considerably more awake than she usually does. "We're here because.. You know that human town way out over there? Over..." She points back the way they came from, taking several moments while silently mouthing 'northwest' to herself a couple of times. "... Southeast?" That's probably close enough. Directions clearly are not her strong point. "We've got friends of family there, so we'd really appreciate it if you and your kids stopped attacking them. It'd be a lot better for everyone if we were giving each other food and fun stuff instead of bruises, right?" She gestures at Chains' offering for emphasis, resisting the urge to poke at the furs before turning to Beregan again. "I don't like seeing my kids or their friends getting hurt, and I bet you're the same, right?"
Hiromi	I have noticed, Hiromi doesn't say, but the not-word is still understandable. She has a choice, then. They have their own hunt, but it has proven too much for them. Better they give it up, and cede the traitor's territory. But then, shouldn't a traitor still be punished? They are pursued, but it's this world's Lord of the Hunt that pursues them. Ineffectively, it does seem to her. This method lacks the personal touch she favors. Stepping on the earth, herself, feeling it beneath her feet, is much her preference, rather than to stay distant. The obvious answer, then, is that none pursue the thief that she should not head off, and take their quarry for herself. A 'curse' does pique her interest. But then, still. Maybe these five merely have not quite tried hard enough. Yes, that's it. She should aid their hunt, and see whether they or their wayward kin shows greater growth. It's settled. "Resume your hunt. Call on me, and I will hear, wherever you call. i will see, which holds more strength -- you, or this curse. Earth hears me. It will give you its secrets, now." Healing wasn't the only gift she granted, nor was that healing limited to the wound only just suffered. A degree of her own senses will be useful in tracking any prey. "Begin. I watch." She'll follow, find what trail they pick up, and then follow it ahead, should nothing else be worth following, in the moment. Or, if this proves too long, she can go and see how the others are faring, but Hiromi expects they'll be fine.
Haseo	"Smarter than you, dumbass." Haseo mutters to himself before being ushered into the ogres abode. Apparently, Kukuru was actually right in that bears make for good offerings, though what they're going to do with the thing is beyond him. Probably just make it into a carpet, if he were to guess though. It takes close to half an hour and almost all of his patience, but eventually they reach who they've come to see. Immediately, almost everyone attempts to talk their way through the problem, and Haseo somehow frowns more than he already is. Diplomacy is not his strong suit. It never really will be his strong suit, but if he knocks head now it's going to cause problems. So he's got to think on his feet. Improvise and adapt and hopefully overcome... Or he can just continue being the braindead brute he is when it comes to problem solving. That works too. "So I'm just going to put my offer out here if appealing to your maternal instincts or magical dice don't do crap for you. One versus one. Your strongest against me. Whoever wins has to listen to the other and do as they say. And before you go 'yeah but what do you have to offer', I own a guild if that means anything to you." A guild that essentially exists to help babysit noobs, but Haseo doesn't need to disclose that. It's not like he plans on losing anyway, assuming they even take up the offer.
Captain Flint	There's no time wasted on thank-yous, the druids evidently believing a successful hunt and the lion's share of the prize to be the most effective way of giving thanks. The trail they follow winds through the wilderness, the path more like that of an animal than a person. Unlike before, their shapes are a blend of humanoid and canine, the classical 'werewolf,' a form chosen for fighting rather than hunting. When the red beast has found the most recent scent, she cries out to the others, who converge on her location. Northeast of a wide frozen lake, there's an icy cavern that looks as if some giant's finger, ages ago, bored a hole into sheer glacier. The frosty, glimmering warren is the hiding place of the thief, it seems. Regrouped and recuperated, they command the ice and snow, funneling a howling blizzard into the cavern to force the thief out. He, too, is shifted as they are, but the spark of humanity is absent from his eyes. Working as a team, and with Hiromi's gifts, they manage to outlast and subdue the thief--prying from his neck a carved wooden idol. The smallest of the werewolves catches it in his claws, bounding off into the woods to return it to its proper place. Tracking his journey to the shrine of Galawain, Hiromi can tell the precise moment when the totem is returned. At that same moment, the unconscious thief appears to return to his humanoid form--apparently not a member of this circle as Hiromi might have thought, but, if his clothes are any indication, the son of some villager in Stalwart.
Hiromi	Hiromi isn't overly generous with her words under any circumstances. She walks out sometime a short while after the fight is finished, to sniff around the cave and the unconscious thief. Good is what she grunt-huffs, in passing. It is sincere praise, for its part. Her gift of regeneration allows one to continue fighting so long as the spirit is willing, and there is yet some to spare, but it does nothing to deaden one's sense of pain, on its own. The ability to endure all things is a gift she willfully withholds, to better test that spirit. There would be no point in leaving them with that gift, if they couldn't handle the pain of skirting death again and again. Galawain's business may be done, but her own business is not. The town is not the territory of the druid's circle, she can guess from only that short talk. She lifts the thief, binds him with ties in the manner she has seen humans of her own land do with criminals, where ropes more often take the place of manacles, and sets her own path back toward Stalwart on four legs, the end of the ropes drawn between her teeth for ease of carrying.
Captain Flint	"Peace? Who'd come asking for peace, that wasn't already--" It evidently dawns on her, who they're here to represent, based on the narrowing of her eyes. "Stalwart," she says to Kukuru. "I know it, and I respect that you speak to me as a fellow mother--but the days you're speaking of are gone." The dice get her attention. Enough so that she does give them a roll, just to see if she does pull better. Evidently, 'being willing to stake obviously valuable things' is enough to bring honesty to the table from Beregan. "We never wanted war with Stalwart. The Wolf-With-Many-Mouths clan started this, and the villagers are too stupid to tell us apart." So, her people are suffering for the actions of some other group, it seems. Haseo finds soon enough what the ogres intend to do with the bear. That is, to skin, disembowel and begin portioning the meat, with all the casual airs a Haseo-sized butcher might prepare a chicken. His offer draws laughter from Beregan, but not at all derisive. "The boy has some backbone. Here I thought the smallfolk gave the last of that up ages ago." Flint eyes Haseo, as would a venerable teacher looking at a promising student. Later. "He does. The people of Stalwart want only for a return to prosperity and peace--for operation of Durgan's Battery to resume once more." Beregan shudders at the mention of the place. "That's another issue. My dreams tell me that Stalwart's ambition will destroy us. That it will bring the wrath of the gods down upon us." Flint says plainly, with a glance to Haseo: "But history tells us that it was infighting among the dwarves, and not the gods, which destroyed the Battery. If history repeats itself, then the worst you have to fear is the villagers killing themselves." Some of the best pitches come from mixing big promises with little truths. The matron, already impressed by what Flint's allies are willing to stake on peace, offers a deal. "Peace between the Flames-that-Whisper and Stalwart, but only if you can truly convince the villagers that my people are not their enemy. One of mine will accompany this one," she says, pointing to Flint, "To the town, to make sure the message is received."
Captain Flint	Hiromi, for her part, soon finds someone to claim the boy. His father, in fact. A wounded hunter by the name of Thyrsc, he'd feared that the wolf which wounded him had also killed his son. As it happens, the boy is a druid, but not from the local circle. Accordingly, he should have known better than to steal from the Lord of the Hunt, and his father tells him as such quite sternly. Hiromi is invited into their humble home and offered a home cooked meal and a helping of cured meat for her trouble. She can be reasonably certain, with the totem's return, that the wildlife of the March will be less warlike, both with her allies and the townsfolk.
Kukuru	"Aw, come on. Humans aren't that..." Kukuru is about to deny it, but even she can't say that with a straight face without realizing it before she even finishes that statement. She does that sort of inhale and acknowledging exhale that knows that there's no way around that, but doesn't seem too worried about that with Chains and Haseo seeming to get on the ogres' good sides through their gifts and challenges respectively. It's the dreams Beregan mentions that gets Kukuru looking worried. "Why would the gods get angry over that? Wouldn't it... Yeah, that." She gestures at Flint as he sort-of clarifies that, nodding in satisfaction after thinking about it for a few seconds. "Yeah, that makes more sense... Humans fight over dumb stuff like that all the time, so... Yeah, that probably would happen before they even do anything here." It seems Kukuru, too, is buying it. Her face lights up when Beregan takes them up on that offer. "Aw, that's perfect! We'll get them to come around, and we'll take good care of your kid. It'll be like a little personal field trip to our place."
Hiromi	Thankfully, there's little for Hiromi to add, regarding the foolishness of wayward pups. Why this boy did such a thing, if for any deeper reason, is unclear to her, but it's the parent's role to impress such lessons, where the weight of the world's response is not enough. Better that he had learned, beforehand, but it's never the case that pups grow without making mistakes, she knows. This being the case, she is quietly approving of the response. She's appreciative of the meal offered, and accepts, taking again to her usual 'form that fits through doors' to partake. The sharing of food is a ritual not particular to humans, which makes for a reason greater than simple hunger. Some curiosity about the local tastes is there, too, for having not taken the time to hunt for herself, on the way there or back. It isn't a long visit, but she finds it a worthwhile one, taking the town to wilderness trip and back, as a whole. It only occurs to her a bit later, while laying over the roof of a building at the edge of town and looking out, that she hasn't seen the others she'd come with -- the knight, the boy, the girl of the sea, the captain, his crew, and the Kukuru -- since the start. Well, it sounds like they're fine.