Gai-len [IC]

[maestrodesigns]

Tralkor seems slightly surprised by the fact that the other being in front of him apparently doesn't speak the fey tongue. could this be one of them 'outlanders' then... perhaps... His attention turns from the pale fey in front of him to the other being and he takes an extensive look at it. it does fit some of the descriptions, but it could also be one of them half-orcs...

He shrugs and redirects his attention to both beings in front of him, switching to the common Orcish language:

Orcish

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"Ehm.. Yeh. As I said then. Hello there and nice to meet you. The name's Tralkor. Tralkor Kron, from the Black Sun Tribe to be precise. I am a shaman, or druid as some call it, from an oasis near here. I live there with my tribe, but I'm on important ...ehm... other... business now. Things are slowly changing for the worse and I've heard there was a group of outsiders that were involved in some incidents in the oasis near mine. I could use ... a talk with them. I'm curious to know what their involvement and their motives are."

"Ehm .. Yeh. Mar a dúirt mé ansin. Dia duit ann agus deas bualadh leat. An t-ainm ar Tralkor. Tralkor Kron, as an fine Sun Dubh a bheith beacht. Tá mé shaman, nó draoi le roinnt ghlaoch air, ó ósais in aice le anseo. mé i mo chónaí ann le mo treibh, ach tá mé ar tábhachtach ... ehm ... eile ... ghnó anois. Tá rudaí ag athrú go mall le haghaidh an níos measa agus chuala mé go raibh grúpa outsiders go raibh páirteach i roinnt eachtraí sa ósais in aice le mianach. raibh mé in ann úsáid a bhaint ... caint leo. Tá mé fiosrach a fháil amach cad iad ar a rannpháirtíocht agus a n-inspreagadh."

Tralkor takes a pause, frowns slightly while rubbing his head, peers at the two in front of him, nods in the direction of the frog and continues with a slightly distracted look in his eyes.

Orcish

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"Would you two happen to be acquainted to these strangers? Or able to tell me more about them perhaps? It would be a great help for both them and me ... I hope."

"Ar mhaith leat dhá a tharlóidh a bheith eolach ar na strainséirí? Nó in ann a insint dom níos mó mar gheall orthu b'fhéidir? Bheadh ​​sé a bheith ina cúnamh mór don dá dóibh agus tá súil agam ... dom."

OOC

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I used the Irish language as a substitute for Orcish.

[PersonMan]

Siel's expression, as usual, don't change, although she does feel confusion at the ogre's words. After a moment, she realizes that he may not even speak Common.

Orcish:

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Ah. Well, the 'outsiders' you speak of are my companions. We recently returned from an...well, an intervention of sorts, in another oasis. The one with me is Nala. I believe I made an error while communicating with you; the traveler's tongue I referred to is the language of humanoids. I am unsure about whether or not they speak the traveler's tongue of these lands.

Ah. Bhuel, is iad na 'seachtracha' labhraíonn tú mo companions. Táimid ar ais le déanaí ó ... go maith, le hidirghabháil de cineál, i ósais eile. Is é an ceann a bhfuil liom NALA. Creidim Rinne mé botún agus cumarsáid a dhéanamh leis leat; an taistealaí teanga thagair mé é sin le teanga na humanoids. Tá mé cinnte faoi cibé acu atá nó nach labhraíonn siad an taistealaí teanga de na tailte seo.

Siel turns to Nala and speaks, again in Common. It seems like he does not speak your tongue. Do you have a mastery of the Orcish language? She asks.

[TinselCat]

Nala’s initial thought when the ogre trips, is that she’s glad she’s standing out of range. But as the ogre stands and laughs and starts talking in that strange language she had overheard once from the fey, the look on her face changes to complete, unrepressed bafflement. This ogre makes absolutely no sense with everything she thought she had learned since coming to this strange place. Even with Siel’s translation, what she says does little to clear up the confusion. (Who names a frog? she wonders)

Tralkor’s introduction helps… slightly. She doesn’t know ‘druid’, but ‘shaman’ is something she recognizes and remembers the ogre from before saying. She expects he’s some sort of tribe doctor. What would he be doing away from his charges? His suggestion of “a talk” with the outsiders puts her on edge, but she does her best not to make her uneasiness noticeable.

Nala made as if to step in and say something, but Siel, not noticing Nala’s interest since she is standing in front of the human, continues on. Nala winces visibly as Siel readily identifies her, and then recovers. Up until that point, it seemed there was a chance that the ogre did not know what she was. Well, now there was no point in trying to fish for information subtly now.

“Labhairt liom a dhéanamh ar an taistealaí teanga de na tailte seo.” She looks over and up at the ogre suspiciously, speaking in her most unaccented orcish. “Agus tá mé ar roinnt ceisteanna. Cad é do ghnó linn? Agus conas a chuala tú duine againn?”

Orc:

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I do speak the traveler’s tongue of these lands. And I have a few questions. What is your business with us? And how did you hear of us?

[Derjuin]

Vrishchika stays back, letting the older people talk to the ogrey-looking thing. Maybe I won't need to use my amazing powers on this one, she thinks, a somewhat disappointed smirk crossing her face. She makes a mental note to review her orcish, just in case she actually needs to talk to it, or perhaps to other things in the land.

[maestrodesigns]

A happy smile appears on Tralkor's face after listening to the fey. Lovely, it appears I've found the 'outsiders' and even better, they seem to be willing to talk to me. He nods enthusiastically and then looks around. He spots at least one more of them 'outsiders' just a little further away. This is great. I wonder how many of them came here... This might just be the help I need.

As the one called Nala starts speaking he stares at her in slight awe. This has to be one of them ... what were they called again.... humans! Yeh. They kinda look like small and slightly frail Orcs... They don't seem as barbaric as the stories tell...Gheh

He quickly recovers again though and with a thoughtful look, he starts answering the questions fired at him by the supposedly human creature.

"Lets start with the easy one. How I came to hear of you. That one is actually dead easy. You see, with me being somewhat of a local doctor, I'm a one-stop-shop for wounded or troubled tribesmen. And as you might recall, you released two of my tribesmen after your assault on the other oasis. I'd like to thank you for that by the way. They told me of everything that happened there and that inspired me to contact you. And luckily for me my local fey friends knew just the person to speak to for more information; the one you call Froad. He promised me he would contact you and see if you're interested. And voila, here we are!"

Tralkor takes one more thorough look at the folks in front of him and then walks towards his cooking pot. "The second part is slightly more ... complicated so to say. I suggest we all take a seat, enjoy a nice hot cup 'o tea and I'll tell you all about it."

[PersonMan]

Siel nods when Tralkor suggests that he continue his explanation with tea. A creature such as herself didn't really have need for such things, but she was curious about what the ogre had to say and didn't want to delay the continuation of his story by arguing about whether or not tea was really necessary.

Then let us do so. The fey says, following the shaman.

[TinselCat]

Tralkor’s answer to how he heard of them is mostly expected, except for the part about him having contacts among the fey. The fey didn’t seem to her a kind of people that would interact much with the barbarians living outside the oasis. But even Froad had mentioned negotiating with an orc captain. Maybe there were a few reasonable individuals among the mass? It still takes her aback just to listen to the ogre speak.

“...Alright,” she agrees to his suggestion, although somewhat reluctantly. Her thirst for information is much greater than her thirst for tea, but refusing would be a hassle she doesn't want to deal with.

[Autopsibiofeeder]

Tralkor goes ahead and brews a nice cup of tea. Actually, this may very well be one of the nicest cups of tea you have ever had. This is for sure an ogre, and perhaps an (evil) barbarian. Nevertheless: He can brew. As you sit down and commence drinking your tea, you notice the rustling in the bushes you have come accustomed to here. Apparently, the fey, and perhaps some of the animals, are taking interest and attendance, curious about where this is heading.

[maestrodesigns]

Tralkor takes a long thoughtful sip of his tea and then looks at the 'outsiders' and their fey friend. They don't look too powerful, but then again, looks might very well be deceiving, I know that as no other, gheh

He then takes a careful look around, as if he's making sure there's no one listening in that shouldn't.

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spot (1d20+11)[18]

"Well then... Since most of you are new here, I'll go for the slightly longer version. You have come to a world probably quite different from what you might have expected. The 'monstrous' races" Tralkor deliberately accentuates the monstrous part "have actually become quite organised, civilised even. Especially the Orcs. Yeh... Especially them..." you see a slight hint of frustration, maybe even anger in Tralkor's expression, but he quickly recovers and continues "They are effectively the ones in charge in most parts of the world and even built a few of them huge cities to serve as a home to their leaders. Until now they lived in relative harmony with most of the local tribes and kept a healthy respect for our lands. Lately things have changed though it seems... As a matter of fact, I believe you folks have seen their newly found expansion drift first hand. Building permanent structures in the oasis... Attacking the local fey..." Tralkor lets out a deep growl "They really shouldn't have done that."

Tralkor pauses for a bit and then smiles. "I believe I haven't even thanked you yet for aiding the fey, and mother nature out there. So, eh... Thanks!
Which brings us to your question" Tralkor nods at Nala "As you might have seen ...and guessed I myself am a friend of both nature and fey. The violent invasions of nearby oasis lately are an outrage and have to be stopped at all cost! Alone, I won't stand a chance. With your help... Who knows...
So that's where we get to the answer. I'd like to join forces with you. In short: You could help me defend the oasis and I could perhaps help you find your way in these lands." Tralkor looks at the rest expectantly So, what say you?"

[TinselCat]

Nala listens with a bit of amusement to Tralkor’s tone. It seems that someone else isn’t a fan of orcs. It is surprising to know that not all of the monstrous races get along with each other, although it makes sense that there wouldn’t be all harmony and unity against humanoids over here. His proposal is very interesting: taking up the mantle of watchers and defenders of the oasis in return for the knowledge and help of a native to the area.

It doesn’t feel like a particularly hard choice to make. As hesitant as Nala is to run into something, no matter how good the deal sounds, she has a gut feeling that no matter how long she thinks about the deal, she is going to end up taking it eventually. Possibly the deciding factor: she and the remnants of the expedition have already decided to toss in their lot with the fey the moment they went to defend the other oasis, and here was a trusted friend of said fey, doing the same and offering his goodwill to them.

“Your proposal is very interesting,” she says neutrally, trying to keep all of these thoughts out her expression. “Not only that you came all this way at the first word of outsiders at the oasis, but that we seem to share a dislike of orcs and others who interfere with things we care about. It could be beneficial to build a favorable relationship with each other, but it also asks for a lot of responsibility on both sides. The decision is not entirely up to me.”

Nala turns to Vrishchika. “What do you think, Vrish?” Nala may be all for it, but she's not casting her vote until everyone else does. She wants to hear their opinions without being clouded by her own.

[Autopsibiofeeder]

Tralkor:

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You do not spot anything unexpected. You also don't really spot any fey, but they are there, fore sure. They are curious and nosy and, in the end, this is their home.

[Derjuin]

Stepping forward, Vrishchika brings one of her hands to her chin, looking over the ogre and pondering the proposal. Another chance to oppose the orcs would technically be furthering the original expedition's goals. And if the ogre's words rang true, perhaps it would bring in another ally. Maybe even more knowledge? A guide to the area and its peoples would be a great asset to the group.

But can he be trusted? The thought loomed in the back of her mind. The fey wouldn't allow him into the oasis if he wasn't trustable, would they? But maybe he's only pretending to be trustable, and is secretly in cahoots with the orcs...

Shaking her head, Vrishchika makes up her mind in a hurry, ignoring the prodding questions and (possibly paranoid) uncertainty. "I think we can trust him. He seems to be an enemy of the orcs' expansionism, and if he wants to join us against them, then all the better." Despite tossing in her proverbial hat, she makes a mental note to keep an eye on the ogre, just in case.

[PersonMan]

Siel doesn't really consider the ogre's offer in the same way her comrades do. That is, she doesn't do any sort of cost/benefit analysis or try to determine whether or not such an alliance would aid her in any sort of mission. Instead, she thinks of what this would mean for her mortal allies. If he betrayed them, no matter who won, there would be plenty of grief and pain. If he was a trustworthy ally, then they would be facing the orcs. The orcs were, if Siel was understanding the ogre correctly, the most powerful faction, in the area if not the entire continent. This meant that their conflict would be long and almost certainly result large amounts of sadness over time.

Then there was the aspect of his apparent standing with her fellow fey. He clearly was an ally (would-be or true) of her people, but Siel didn't have much of a connection with most of her kind. Froad was a cross between a patron and ally, but in general there wasn't really a connection. Siel was a being made from suffering, she fed on the grief and misfortune inherent in nature and sentient beings; she didn't really have much use for companionship apart from study (at the moment she had little to no interest in fey) or nourishment. Fey, while an adequate source of energy, were inferior to the mobile, self-refreshing banquets that her allies from across the ocean were.

However, Siel had never actually had much contact with ogres or orcs. This was a fairly good opportunity to increase the efficiency of her study, as well as...well, she believed that ogres had more in common with humans like Nala than fey like Froad, which meant that his soul would be like a ripe fruit, almost dripping delicious pain and easy to drain the energy she used to cast her spells with from. Even better, he would probably have a unique taste, just like the other two had. Nala's was strong, but matured, as one might describe a fine wine (Siel wasn't exactly sure what wine was, but her elf tutor had mentioned it and explained the basics to her), while Vrishka's was more subtle, less true misery and holding several interesting tastes. If the ogre had similar quirks to his feelings, then her hypothesis about the mortal races might be correct. If every single one had such a unique flavor, then...

I see no problems with an alliance. Is what Siel says, the supernatural blackness of her eyes making it easy to hide her though process. After all, who would expect her to be almost mentally salivating over the thought of thousands of new tastes, rather than considering how trustworthy the man before her was? As long as you have no problem with me modifying your emotional state to fuel my spellcasting, there should be no conflict. The fey adds, hoping that the ogre would be less suspicious than her foreign allies had been.



DM:

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So, here's the part where we run into a spot of trouble because I didn't ask you about this during, or shortly after, character creation.

I've assumed that, to survive, Siel sort of passively absorbs suffering from those capable of feeling it/those who have felt it in the past. As such, it would make sense for her to have a sort of sense for how much pain, grief, etc. a being has. If she had such a sense, she'd employ it now, as she's interested in how much nourishment he can give her.

So:

-Does she have such a sense?
-If so, what does she feel from Tralkor?

[Autopsibiofeeder]

Siel

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I am absulotely very fine with that approach. I think it adds something unique to your character and that is important in this game. The only restriction is that whatever you sense does not affect others, and that is far from the case here.

I must admit that I find it hard to tell about Tralkor in terms that fit how you see your 'ability' and how Maestrodesigns sees his character, but here goes:

For most people, the flow of pain is like a river close to the mountains. Often low stands, but also regular flash floods of emotions and a path of flow that changes and is to some degree unpredictable. Tralkor's flow is more like that of a river close to the sea. It is usually in equilibrium, stable and predictable. That is typical for people that are able to see the bigger picture, that wait with passing judgment and are able to relativize. However, when it does stir, it wreaks massive havoc: it can flood massive landscapes before calmly reverting to it's stable state. Apparently he has a few topics about which he is so passionate that he would resort to extreme means to undo what is wrong in his eyes.

He combines the somewhat primal intense emotional palette typical for ogres with the seasoned and balanced taste of meditating monastery-dwellers and patiently praying priests.

[maestrodesigns]

Tralkor chugs back the rest of his tea, wipes his mouth and grins wide. "Well then, I guess that settles it. I bet this could work out... work quite well even. Let's see how them cityboys like a little wrath of nature." His grin appears to grow even wider and he slowly cracks the coconut half he'd been drinking tea from in his hand.

He then suddenly slightly tilts his head somewhat in Siel's direction. "I have no idea what you just meant by the way, but I guess I'm not too fondly attached to any particular emotional state... as far as I know that is." Tralkor chuckles and nods at Siel. "So do whatever ye need little fey! Just not when I sleep if it can be helped, Burt tends to get cranky when we don't get our rest."

Tralkor then stands up, straightens his back with a satisfied groan and walks towards his pack. From there he grabs a bunch of stoppered coconuts and hands one of m to each. "Here ye go, a token of good will. These little concoctions will make you feel quite a bit better if you're trying to recover from a painful fight or something. And in the near future, if you ever find the need for more of my brewings, feel free to ask."

He peers around with a thoughtful look and mumbles a bit: "Now where's that Froad when ye need 'im?..."

[TinselCat]

Nala shifts uncomfortably a little at Siel’s blunt summary of how her magic works. Even though there hasn’t yet been any harm done to her from it, it still makes her uncomfortable when she thinks about it. She doesn’t like losing control of her emotions, especially to a force she doesn’t fully understand. Tralkor’s fast acceptance of it shocks her. His whole carefree attitude confuses her. Granted, she thinks, he doesn’t have to worry about his safety in this land quite like we have to…

But she accepts the coconut container from him, taps it, shakes it, sniffs its contents and eventually stoppers it again, satisfied that whatever it is probably won’t hurt her, unfamiliar a substance as it is.

“Do you have any particular plan of action already in mind,” she asks Tralkor, setting the coconut aside, “Or were you holding off on the planning until you were certain we would be helpful?”

[maestrodesigns]

Tralkor looks at Nala with a bit of incomprehension in his expression. "A plan you say... I ehhh. Well. ...ehm.. Right. I kinda thought we'd simply defend the oasis that would be in need of help. Aaaand... The fey could of course tell us which ones need help, and point us in the right direction. Yeh. Indeed."
His face clears up phew, talked me out of that one... "But if any of you'd happen to have a more strategic kind of plan..thingie... I'd be more then willing to adapt myself of course." he pauses and seems to think things through
"Perhaps Froad can tell us a little more about the troubles. He has a few more connections to the other oasis."

[Autopsibiofeeder]

After about two and a half hours Froad returns to the oasis. You see him walking, muttering to himself and not noticing you and the expression on his face is far from happy. As he notices you he forces a smile on his face and heads in your direction. "I see you have met. Very good. I hope you had a fruitful conversation." He walks around a bit, reorganizing some leaves on a patch of grass near the water. "It is always good to see strange paths combine and especially on a beautiful day like this. Isn't it a beautiful day?" He puts some effort into lifting a small log from the water to the shore. "I like to sit on this, but these water cows keep putting it in the water." He forces a small giggle. "Ah, let's call it their sense of humor, eh?" As you are wondering what on earth he is on about, you hear some voices shouting from the bushes in the Fey language: "Pastāstiet viņiem! Lūdzu!".

English:

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Tell them! Please!

"Right." Froad sits down and starts fidgeting and looks over the water. After a short moment he looks up, as if something just occurred to him. "Oh, yeah, there was something I wanted to tell you. There was a meeting today. I thought I was to meet an orc officer alone to discuss the recent hospitalities, but I guess I was wrong. It appears someone has struck a great metal mine somewhere in the jungles in the south. I don't really get it, but it appears this stuff is more precious than gold and I understand there is a lot of it. As a result the intensities of caravans will increase." Froad lets out a small sigh.

"So, there was the officer and some of his helpers. There were a few representatives of the ogre tribes, several goblinoids and three funny little men. They had the posture of a goblin, but no fur....actually, they had a scaly skin and pointy teeth. Like a reptile. Nervous, also."

"Anyway, the reptile people were there because they apparently own the mine. They had long lists of products they would want to get in return for the metal. The ogres were there to tell that they were willing to remain in business with the orcs, but if there was more fighting to occur they demand the orcs provide them with weapons and armor and financial compensation for loss of ogre life. The orc chief informed us that there were plans to create a good infrastructure through these lands. I heard a device has been invented that can carry more than ten camels combined! At various tactical points shelter and facilities are to be made in the oases. The goblinoids were upset, fearing they would lose their business in their towns, so they were there to demand that they would be involved and granted the right to exploit these 'Oas-inns' as they called them. The orc seemed not to care and granted everybody their wishes. I guess this metal is really valuable."

"Oh, yes. Me. I was there so I could be told that we were not to meddle with their plans and that any obstruction and violence would be countered by armed forces." Froad silences and looks over the water again. He clears his throat twice and sighs deeply. Then his shoulders begin to shake. ""Mēs visi gatavojas mirt!" he blurts out as he starts crying.

English:

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"We are all going to die!"

His grief is so intense and heart-felt that after a few seconds of enjoying absorbing it you have to shield yourself from it Siel, or become litterally overwhelmed. After a minute he eases, dries his tears and looks at you. "So, I guessed you'd want to hear how my day went..."

[PersonMan]

Siel gazes at Froad for a moment when he bursts into tears, her face almost expressionless. The only change is that the blue aura surrounding her eyes begins to spread rapidly, and soon her entire body seems to be radiating it, an almost invisible corona of blue quasi-light. As this aura grows stronger for a few seconds she turns to the mortals. As much as this was like basking in perfect weather, Siel didn't enjoy such suffering for very long. It was all too often tainted by other emotions, forming a blend of fear, sadness and shock. The resulting mixture was fine at first, but after a short time it grew bitter and entirely unpleasant. Better was the pain felt after a minor tragedy, almost entirely pure. Froad's pain had always had a particularly sweet taste, and Siel disliked feeling it reduced to such a pitiful mixture. She might have even gotten angry, although at most she felt mild annoyance. While extremes might bring her to feel more, for the most part her emotions were all but unchanging. Curiosity was one of the strongest responses to this new situation.

So, it seems as if we are in an...unfortunate situation. The fey says, considering her own situation in all of this. In her current state, she could survive it if the oases were made into pit stops for the new metal caravans. Siel would probably use her abilities to assist in making a relaxing, effectively anti-stress environment, sucking the day-to-day sadness from the workers as they passed. The other fey, however, would probably be in a much worse position. Those that lived might be able to find a place in the oasis-inns, but the ones that couldn't would quite possibly die fairly soon. We have a few possible courses of action. The first is resistance. Guerrilla warfare from the oases. This will almost surely end in all of our deaths. The second is acceptance. We attempt to cooperate, compromise, and adapt to the changing circumstances. The third is movement. We may be able to find a suitable place to stay on the other sides of the portal. Siel considers, her gaze traveling from one member of the group to the next as she speaks. We may be able to destroy the mines, I would place this under resistance, but with this discovery the world of the orcs has almost assuredly changed. Turning again, her eyes fall upon Froad once more. How many do they plan to build? She asks, her tone seemingly softened in a manner almost inaudible, round stone rather than the usual sharp granite of her expressionless speaking.

[Autopsibiofeeder]

"Huu?....Ten? I guess...." Froad swallows another outburst. "And we cannot leave. Most of us can't. We are tied to these places. As the oases get hurt...destroyed, we slowly die..."

[TinselCat]

Siel’s glowing is more than a little disturbing, so Nala turns her gaze entirely to Froad and tries to ignore it. But as the story unfolds, Nala completely forgets about Siel’s odd behavior. She listens with fascination and amazement at the story. Valuable metal? A device that could carry more than ten camels? What she would give to get her hands on either of those… but she decides to keep that thought far away from the distressed fey. She can understand that his worries are significantly different than hers, and that he must hold little to no interest in the technologies she wants to discover.

The fighter listens to Siel’s assessment of the situation. It certainly tells her a lot about how she thinks. Nala coughs. “I beg to differ on the guerrilla warfare point. I don’t recall is explicitly saying this, but one of the key purposes for the expedition Vrishchika and I were a part of was to engage in such tactics. However,” she continues, “even with the use of the portals, defending ten oases simultaneously would not be possible with our current resources.”

After saying that, Nala hesitates. When she had agreed to defending the oases, she had no idea that the fey were facing a problem of this magnitude. If everything she heard is true, they would be at this for a long time. The goals of the expedition would have to be put off until it is over. But, she thinks, looking over at Vrishchika, they were all that is left. Are they really an expedition anymore, or are they just the remnants of something that once was? She doesn’t want to accept the failure. Part of their orders had been to disrupt and resist, so this could certainly qualify as part of the expedition’s directive. We’re not dead yet, she thinks. We’re still on the right path.

“I do like the sound of destroying the mines.” Nala was impressed Siel thought of that. “There are significant risks to this: the mines are far from the oasis, they will almost certainly be guarded and in use. And we have no information about the size of the mines. And even if we collapse one of the structures – even the entire mine – if the orcs and lizards are dead-set on getting that metal, they will just start digging again. I don't think we can do anything to entirely remove this resource from their control. It will certainly delay them, though.”

“If acceptance isn’t an option – which Froad says it isn’t and I say it would be near suicide to agree to – we need to engage in resistance. There are many ways we can resist. It would be ideal if the early stages were difficult to see: equipment failure, difficulties in their construction. Things that they could attribute to other, less hostile, causes.

“Another thing I noticed from your story, Froad, is the fear of those goblins. Their fears of being left out can definitely be exploited. How do you think they would react if suddenly all of the goblins at the oases just started vanishing? Would they think that the orcs and ogres were trying to leave them out?

“I don’t want to give the false impression that this will be easy,” she finishes softly. “But this is something that we cannot afford to ignore.”

[maestrodesigns]

Tralkor patiently hears Froad and the others out while gently chewing on a reed. His eyes burn with an inner fire but his expression and posture both remain relatively calm. Although the situation appears to be as bad as he feared, maybe even worse now that he thinks about it, not all is lost. These new allies might be the unexpected wild card he'd need for a chance in defeating this threat.

Seeing Froad in such despair pains his heart, and his determination to battle those he once considered his allies is strengthened once more. The Orcs seem ruthless in their hunger for power and if nature and it's allies are to stand a chance they need a few powerful allies and/or defenders. He himself is definitely willing to be one of them and it appears the 'outsiders' will be as well.

He's kinda surprised at the fey's reaction. He expected something similar to the reaction of Froad and the other fey, but this one seems... odd... Apart from the strange glowing ...stuff.. it seems somehow slightly emotionless, or at least different in that matter. Even from a druid's point of view, this strange creature is quite fascinating... Nothing Tralkor encountered or heard of so far has been anything like this one.

The human on the other hand seems quite passionate. He can't put his finger on it's exact motives yet, but their goals seem to match for now at least. And.. from what I've heard, this human single-handedly defeated one of our tribesmen... Which is quite a feat for such a small creature in itself.

Tralkor disrupts his own train of thoughts and joins the conversation. He starts by addressing the poor Froad-fella: "Don't you worry too much little fey, things will be all right. I promise you we'll help you and your people defend the oases. One way or another, we'll be able to stop these invaders from defiling our lands. The elements shall be our weapon and nature shall be our protection."

He then turns to the human called Nala: "Nala was it, right?" not even awaiting an answer, he continues "You keep showing extensive tactical insights, far beyond anything I could ever come up with.
So. I'm more then willing to follow any plans you come up with that could potentially further our common goals.
I really hope we'll be able to defend the other oases and their inhabitants though. These fey are no match for the powerhungry and well trained Orcs and their allies. Soww... lots of casualties, ... on their side ..., can be expected if no-one comes to their aid.
If I can help you in any way with planning and prepping some effective counter strikes, please lemme know."

[TinselCat]

Nala nods at Tralkor. The first impression that comes from the ogre is an easygoing nature, but there is something underneath of a stronger nature. His defense of the fey and the meaning behind his words – if not the way he says them – hints that he’s more of a force than most might be led to expect. The ‘power of nature’ thing still threw her... but that might have made more sense to someone like a fey. “I agree that the fey would be vulnerable without our assistance. I’m sure your knowledge of nature will be essential to protecting the oases. I’d like to talk to you later about your capabilities. As a shaman I’m sure you have some ability to interact with nature,” that was the most neutral way she could put it without getting too much into speculation “And that could be particularly useful to us as something the orcs don’t have.”

She doesn’t want to distress Froad any more than he already is, but she turns to him once more. “I’m afraid, Froad, I still have a few more questions. The most important piece of information we are missing is a timeline: when they are starting and where they are aiming first. My guess would be the oasis closest to the mine, but some concrete information would be good to know. Depending on how much time we have until they begin, we can take advantage of it with preparations.”

[PersonMan]

Siel nods, turning to Froad as well, curious about what else he may have learned during the meeting.

[maestrodesigns]

Tralkor fills up another coconut half with tea and hands it to Froad. "Before you go into all the details that might help us, take this, you'll feel a little better."

Looking down at the half he crushed some moments ago, he chuckles and grabs another from his pack. "Good thing these things come aplenty around here. Ghehe." While his grin slowly fades from his face he looks at the rest "Anyone else for a refill?" and fills up anyone that looks even remotely interested.

He then sits back down and turns his attention back to Froad, awaiting whatever more the fey would have to say to them.

[Derjuin]

Vrishchika accepts the coconut from the ogre, eyeing it warily for a moment before setting it aside. After listening to Nala, Froad, Siel and the ogre, her gaze turns down slightly as she assumes the position of thinker. Though thoughts are flowing about her mind, a single dark memory hides in the back, unmoving. Stop being so useless. Do something with that intellect, girl. A scowl forms on her face as she seems ready to speak.

"Let me sort this out. There's a mine somewhere near this collection of oases that contains a large amount of expensive ore. The orcs and their toadies wish to mine out the location, while the goblins want to get on board purely for monetary reasons..." She pauses a moment before continuing.

"In addition, the orcs want to tear down parts of the oases to build their little towns," she feels the urge to pace back and forth, but resists. "And resistance would be met with retaliation. We can't protect everyone while we're away fighting off the orcs, and most of us certainly can't be in several places at once. It seems relocation is impossible, and cooperation will result in ...unfavorable, circumstances."

After mulling over their options, she seems to settle on one that piques her interest. "We could abuse the goblins' paranoia and greed, stir them to desire the mine for themselves. Egg them on with fake promises of more gold - or whatever monetary system this continent uses. Get them to 'rebel' against the orcs and simultaneously damage their relations with the orcs and surreptitiously increase our odds of resisting. Do you know much about the logistics of the goblins, Froad or ogre...uh, Tralkor? Tribe size, location, average intelligence, et cetera? These things could be useful to know if we are going to manipulate them into fighting for us." She gesticulates somewhat wildly during the less complete sentences of her idea.

Perhaps I'm thinking too grand," she mutters quietly, hoping the goblins aren't numbered in the millions or something crazy-unbearable like that.

[Autopsibiofeeder]

Froad takes a moment to process all the comments, plans and actions, takes a deep breath and starts answering. "I don't know that much about goblins, to be honest. I believe they tend to be subservient and a bit cowardish, mostly out of fear for the bigger and stronger races. But that's the small ones. The bigger goblinoids hold their own in the orc world. The biggest problem is that there are many, many of them. Unless you have some awesome tactic, I do not see how you could influence them all that easily. There are dozens of settlements with each over a hundred inhabitants and I think they prefer benefiting under the guidance of orcs over rebelling based on information provided by...outsiders."

"As for timing, I am not sure. Guess they will start building soon, within days perhaps. But I do know they won't be building all of the 'Oas-inns' at the same time. I think they will start with two building teams, each on one end of the route. This is not something that will happen overnight. The big carrying machine was invented somwhere far in the north and it will take at least two months to arrive here." He stops to think a little. "If you talk about demoralizing a component...I think Tralkor will agree that perhaps the ogres are the easiest target. They are in this for the money, but they can survive on their own easily. Can't say that about the goblins. If we could cause some heavy losses on their side, they will start thinking differently about the profitability of working for the orcs."

[maestrodesigns]

Tralkor sips his tea and listens intrigued to Vrishchika while she lays out some more interesting ideas. These outsiders keep amazing him with unexpected levels of intelligence and corresponding signs of insight in various fields of expertise. He always thought that the banished humanoid races would be more ... barbaric. More savage. Yet somehow they seem more in line with the orcs. Intelligent, calculating creatures that seem focused mostly on acquiring more power.

He slowly nods at the end of her clarification, his mind still trying to make sense of what he was learning of these outsiders.

Just before he's able to give a coherent reaction, Froad starts answering their questions and filling in some of the blanks. Most of it is familiar to him, and he nods and mumbles in agreement to the goblin and ogre statements. The timing and planning part was new to him too though and he tries to imagine what such a terrible machine should look like. The idea of some huge nature-swallowing device brings up feelings of fear and rage at the same time.

After Froad concludes his explanation with the suggestion of 'corrupting' the ogres, he feels it's time to step in. He slowly looks around while rasping his throat. "Yeh. I have to agree to most our friend Froad here just said. The goblins are just too large in number and too weak on their own, so encouraging them to rise up against their natural supremes, the orcs, is nigh impossible. It's like them deer, no matter how large their numbers are, they won't think of rising up against a handful of lions."

he scratches his chin a bit and stares in the distance "And about my brethren..." a wicked grin plays along Tralkor's face "I guess most of it is true. The ogre tribes are mostly independent, but most are on an orc payroll as mercenaries. We can either try to pay them more, but I assume you folks don't carry around huge amounts of gold, or, like Froad suggested, we need to dramatically reduce the profitability of their current business with the orcs. Be aware though, that the ogres are physically strong, independent and particularly headstrong. Pushing them away from their usual allies might be easier then with the gobbo's, but it most certainly won't be a walk in the park."

[Autopsibiofeeder]

At the end of his last sentence, Tralkor gets interrupted by a little voice in the distance swiftly approaching you. "Orcs...slēpt! Orcs...hide! Orcs!" Froad quickly gets up. "Bah...let's hide, guys." He heads towards one of the spots known to you as a great hideout from which you can spy on the water.

[TinselCat]

Nala, about to speak, instead clamps her jaw shut and nods, looking into the distance as if trying to spot the orcs. Making sure that everyone else is following, she trails Froad over to the hiding place. She pulls out her crossbow before getting low to the ground. Just in case they get spotted. With Tralkor's size, it's a pretty risky position to be in. What are orcs doing here? It doesn't sound like they are expected visitors.... She keeps her spear close at her side.

OOC:

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Good timing. You beat a post from me by just a few minutes.

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Hide check if needed: (1d20+4)[14]