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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nephis" data-source="post: 9219525" data-attributes="member: 20459">Pa'avu watches both scenes, apparently impassively, but within herself her mind is whirling with possibilities and scenarios, while her gut is roiling with memory. Whether that priest is Omthalan or not is not of import to her: his vile and unnatural act of altering the living into the not-quite-dead is abhorrent to her core belief in the natural order. Death happens, sometimes gloriously so. Life happens, and it is not always easy. But what this priest is attempting to create is a being in both states and outside of both. That must not happen: as a child she witnessed such acts and her tribal family's quick dealings with such corruptions. She can still viscerally recall her l'pahb'gin shuddering in horror at seeing flesh change color, at expression turn from lively to dull ... but still breathing!In addition, there are the two children. While Pa'avu's role in their capture was inadvertent, her expectation has been that the gracious upbringing of these two young ones would lead to their being bondsman and maiden to those who would use their skills well, not bondage to one who is himself in bondage to necromancy and other unnatural acts. These two are too young to have participated in their parent's misdeeds against the merchant-prince and should not have to pay thus. Life is servitude and work and sweat, but it should not be poisoned by association with such wickedness. The goliath turns her thoughtful focus back to the hidden scouts, wondering if they and their kin could somehow be the answer to the quandary of what to do. Could the Grimtooths be convinced to parlay with them? To do so, Chanvati would certainly need to disguise himself: while Pa'avu's tribal history of dealings with them hold memories of a kind of honor, she is all too aware of their distaste of the residents of Bantouk ... for good reason, she feels. Her affection for Chanvati does not cloud her own distaste for the fineries and entitlement of the wealthier classes of her adopted land. Pa'avu turns to her companions. "These two - your sister's progeny - are yet young, and thus their minds are still fertile and malleable. They can be grown into strong warriors or poisoned and made weak by unnatural teachings. I've seen this in the captives of the Grimtooths, I've seen it in the palaces, I've even seen it - very occasionally - in my own people: this early time is crucial for influencing them one way or another. I propose we use the opportunity to parlay with these feral raiders in our midst to take care of the taint of that necromancer, while we take those two - as your kin or as my charge - into our company. It is possible that belonging to you - being of Bantouk - is not an advantage in this moment."The goliath looks back at the two scenes they are witnessing before continuing: "Farzin and Para are no longer pampered younglings and deserve the opportunity to grow into their destinies - possibly great ones. But this is not possible if they remain in the taint of corruption they are presently in, nor if they are beaten down by Grimtooth captors. We must at least make the attempt to obtain their freedom."Chanvati stares, open-mouthed for a moment, for never has he heard so many words at once from his bodyguard. Whole days, in fact, have gone by without so many utterances from her!"Darling, close your mouth. You're gaping," observes Bita-Bousseh."Why, yes, Pa'avu. Whatever you think here," he responds after recovering himself. He does not care either way about the rituals of Omthalan priests in the desert. Nor of the age-old grudge of reptiles against mammals. His concerns are of a grander scale: the threat to civilization that the approaching Horde poses to Bantouk ... and his family's holdings and interests.* * *Pa'avu can still recall a few occasions in her childhood when her tribal clan encountered individual clans of Grimtooths. These often were times the goliaths were interrupting - possibly intentionally, sometimes definitely not - ambushes the group of lizardfolk had planned to enact (never on the Goliaths themselves: the Grimtooths would have been foolish to do so, especially since their poison bite did not seem to work as well on goliath biology). Upon finding themselves observed, the Grimtooths usually sent a party to parley with Pa'avu's people. Pa'avu, using her noteworthy skills of observation compares the dress she observes in these scouts with her memories of these encounters. While she cannot see any of the soft white condor neck feathers worn by the elders who had come to her clanfathers and mothers to negotiate, she does see the exceptionally long tail feathers of that enormous bird. The Grimtooths traditionally wear them in headdress, the feathers hanging down their backs like the long black they never had. The heads of these scouts are similarly adorned. Pa'avu nods to herself, then turns back to her party. Catching the eyes of both N'Gauthak and Or'lia, the goliath gestures to them to join her. While awaiting their arrival, Chanvati's Sahtree turns to her Gosb'tar and requests the loan of one of his zils. Puzzled, Chanvati complies and steps back to make room for the new arrivals. A brief back and forth in giantish ensues, then both N'Gauthak and Or'lia nod at their leader with feral grinsPa'avu looks at the slightly confused faces of Chanvati and Bita-Bousseh with a small smile. "I do actually have a plan. You'll see: they will come, and ... I am confident... they will come for parley."Then, the three goliaths climb up to the ridge, accompanied by Pa'avu's beloved and enormous hound, to a place where they will remain unseen by the humans below but where - with flash of sun on a shiny zil - it will become obvious to the scouts that, not only they have been seen, but they have been seen by dangerous folk."[HR][/HR]Chanvati's reaction/thoughts above are input from [USER=1282]@darkbard[/USER].[USER=6696971]@Manbearcat[/USER], we are - obviously - going to attempt some kind of parley with the Grimtooths to allow/facilitate the raid on the Omthalan party, while claiming the children as payment. Primary Skill Perception check to confirm identity of these particular Grimtooths with protocol known to Pa'avu: +17 + 2 (within 5 squares of Chanvati) + 2 (circumstance bonus, Feral Raider background) = Autosuccess vs. 18 Moderate DC</blockquote>

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