OOC: Sorry, I've more or less lost track of this, since the Woad was not involved in the meeting in the cabin. Am I correct to assume we've all stayed the night in/at the cabin?
And what language does the dapper gent speak? I'm afraid the Woad wonn't understand him, if he speaks a local language 
Anyway, from what I could grasp of the situation, the Owlbears seem a lot more complex and interesting than mere monsters. Thumbs up
Marcellus steps forward to greet the man, continuing his appointed role as spokesman to the dragons.
"Hello, you must be Maurice. My name is Marcellus. We are from Arans Castle and were sent by the magi of Andorra to investigate sightings of the owlbears. Simon was kind enough to offer us shelter for the night, so we would not be attacked by them. I do not know where he is at the momemt, but I am sure he will be here shortly."
He also introduces each member of the party.
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All of them 
Everyone hears his voice as their own native language, their own specific dialect and accent. No one is immediately aware that others hear their own individual different tongues. So for example, The Woad hears Irish Gaelic in a Munster accent, and it seems that somehow everyone suddenly understands this language. He will quickly figure out that everyone is hearing a different language, and presuming he has a score in Magic Lore, he identifies this as The Gift of Tongues.
Indeed. Pleasure to meet all of you. Oscar, Roger, nice to see you again. So, I am presuming you are magi, and that your grogs have informed you of who I am. If you do not mind, I shall maintain this shape for ease of interaction. It would be obnoxious to converse as a dragon, and I doubt you would take me seriously as a cat.
Owlbears are my brother's pet project. And his pets. He even learned how to take the sape of one so he could scare the ogres off. That is probably what was sighted. There are a mere handful of the creatures remaining, and they do not range far from here.
...
hrmmmm...
I presume you have met my nephew then?
The Woad steps forward, holding his spear as casually as possible, point upwards, using it as a personal prop as the least weaponish and threatening he can.
He bows slightly as he greets Maurice.
The Woad greets the esteemed Maurice, and looks forward to continuing good realtions with you and your lineage. The Woad is new to this place, he comes from far off Hibernia.
The Owlbears present an interesting situation, their magical nature merits the attention of us as magi of Andorra.
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Ikelos nods to Maurice when he is introduced. It is a pleasure.
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Indeed, likewise a pleasure. You can rest assured that I have the situation under control.
Is that the Owlbear situation or your nephew?
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The answer is yes to both. The boy has the potential to bridge the gap, much as his mother has.
The Woad would like to ask more about the Owlbear situation. In fact he'd like to hear the whole thing, history and all, plus what the future holds. This may be something the magi of Andorra would be interested in, and can help with.
As for the nephew, the Woad is sure the boy will find his own way. He obviously seeks challenges, which can sometimes be misinterpreted as unruly behavior. But he is merely inadequately stimulated. Perhaps a guardian should set him more difficult tasks, so he must spend al his time and energy? That should teach him...personal balance...and hone his skills.
Anyway, do we have any idea how long Owlbear eggs take to hatch?
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Those questions should perhaps be asked of your seniors, Vocis and Vibria. My brothers and I used to eat the things, but when their maker was killed, the numbers started to dwindle. My little brother has a softness to him, unbecoming for a dragon, but it is what it is.
My role in all of this is merely to convince my brothers to accept the Transformation and learn to shapeshift to human form. To that end, I agreed to hellp Simon if he agreed to take the mists. I keep helping him to prove my word. My older brother is being stubborn and refuses. I keep trying to make a deal with him, but he has trust issues. So as I said, with Simon I am demonstrating I am good for my word.
See, like my father, I see this as the only way our people can survive. Humans are puny, yes. But they are many and banded together they can be an unstoppable force. And some humans can learn powerful magic. Venkath can roar and terrorize all he wants. Eventually a knight or wizard will take him down. Being human is the best chance we have for survival.
And that answered none of your questions. But that is the sole reason that I am involved in this.
Marcellus nods in understanding, before speaking in Latin so that all of the magi cn understand what he is saying. "We are in a somewhat similar situation. We were asked by the senior magi of Andorra to investigate sightings of the owlbears, which they thought were all dead. This lead us here, where we found out that Simon was protecting them and trying to help them multiply. And that Artur was involved in the project as well."
"For the most part, I do not believe this poses a threat to Andorra, except perhaps for a small detail. Simon mentioned that he was considering exposing the owlbears to the Terragen Mists and make them stronger, so they can protect themselves from Venkath. This may pose a risk, of Simon losing control of them. He, and Artur, could get hurt in such a situation."
Marcellus smiles, "Aside from that, I personally find the owlbears interesting and would like to learn more about them. I offered to help Simon and Artur study them. And keep Artur out of too much trouble."
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Exposing them to the mists was my idea. And yes, making them stronger is a consideration. But mostly I am trying to figure out a way to get these eggs to hatch. No one alive has ever seen it, and these eggs we have are fifteen years old. The fragmented notes I have make mention of some sort of catalyst.
I don't quite understand Hermetic magic, but I think the guy who designed this must have had a few rocks ratting in his head. Why the two step process?
How good are you at necromancy? The bones of the wizard are in Venkath's cave. Maybe you could summon his ghost and ask him a few questions?
"Me personally? Not good at all," says Marcellus with a shake of his head. "But I am fairly confident that one of the magi in Andorra might be able to get his ghost to talk, if we get the bones. But will Venkath cooperate and let us have them? From what I heard of him, that seems doubtful."
Marcellus rubs his chin a bit, scratching at a nascent beard from days camping out. "I also asked both Simon and Artur to see the lab notes -- which Artur apparently has. Perhaps I can find a clue there. They have been a bit reluctant, with Simon deferring to Artur and Artur being evasive. It may be that he does not trust me, or simply that he fears losing control of his experiment."
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Vibria and her family (husband Jaksic, son Artur, and daughter Maria) ate supper in their dining room, as is their custom. It was a quieter affair than normal (aside from Maria deciding she wasn't going to eat vegetables ever again). Jaksic and Vibria shot each other sidelong glances and surreptitiously watched Artur over the course of the meal. Artur noticed (eventually), but continued eating as though nothing out of the ordinary was going on.
After supper, Maria the Maid gathered the dishes to take to the kitchen; Vibria's daughter Maria went with her to keep her company (at Jaksic and Vibria's request). No sooner had the door closed behind them then Solomon knocked.
"Glad you could make it, Solomon," Vibria said as she stood to greet her sodalis.
Solomon greeted Vibria and Jaksic warmly, and smiled at Artur. "Good evening, Artur. How are you doing?"
"Well, thank you. And you?"
Solomon nodded. "You'll hear no complaints from me."
Vibria knelt before her son and put her hand on his shoulder. "Has anything unusual happened to you, Artur? Or strange things happen around you?"
"Besides my fire-breathing, Mama?" Artur thought hard for a minute, then related a couple of instances of what could only be described as Turbulences (Apprentices, p. 22). Once he finished, Vibria beamed as she stood.
Solomon nodded. "That's what I thought. His Gift manifested recently, but it may have been gestating for a few weeks. Unusual, but not unheard of."
"Gift?" Artur said. "You mean like you and Mama and the other magi?"
Vibria grinned. "Yes, dear. Not exactly like us, no two magi are alike, but with training, you could become a magus like we are."
Artur nodded vigorously. "That would be fun."
"Oh, you have no idea," Vibria muttered under her breath.
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As the Woad understands it, the leaders of Andorra covenant asked us to look into the case of the Owlbears. He believed they posed a threat, but since they don't - live and let live.
Now, their existence pose a mystery instead. He would like to know more about their nature and their ways, and offers his help as it is. Necromancy is unfortunately not a skillset he possesses. And even though magical beasts are not the Woad's focus area, it is interesting none the less, and tied into the history and environment of the locale.
Maybe an egg should be taken to a lab and investigated more thoroughly? It it has inherent magic, perhaps some investigative proces can shed light on the matter. And any old lab notes may or may not help, depending on the personal style of the magus who wrote the notes. Some magi are utterly incomprehensible, other write in systems which other are able to analyze and eventually translate.
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Please do forgive me for being doubtful. You guys had a few eggs for years and years, and did nothing with them. Same with your storm sheep. I am not blaming you, as you are new to the scene. But honestly, what will you do with them? You specifically. What is The Woad going to do?
If you guys want to hellp, then let us rebuild the lab that was here. Come with me to visit Venkath and obtain those bones.
No offense taken, the Woad assures you. He is not aware of all the details, for example that the magi of Andorra have had opportunties but no results. Whether it is because of difficulties or lack of trying, he knows not. But perhaps that is why they have set new magi with new eyes to the mystery.
The Woad admits he has more interest than competence for this matter, it is in no way a task in which he has trained. Call it youthful enthusiasm, or overconfidence if you will.
Rebuilding a lab is however a task he should be able to undertake, at least the basics. And he wagers a guess that Marcellus is better suited for advanced lab restoration, should that be the case, as well as researching the existing lab notes.
The Woad also offers his company in visiting Venkath and asking for the bones, but suggests delegating the actual necromantic magic part to someone else. Trained in the environment of conflict of Hibernia he is better at producing dead bodies than he is speaking with them.
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"We will have to inform the senior magi of Andorra and get their approval, of course," adds Marcellus, nodding, "but I see no reason why they would not agree."
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Edith has been quiet during all of this. But she speaks up now.
I know that spell. Whispers through the Back Gate. I am not a necromancer, just a Corpus specialist. I learned that spell last year because I figured it is easier to interrogate a dead enemy than a live prisoner.
But, y'know guys, this is getting over our heads. I was told specifically to avoid drakes. And here we are with two of them discussing meeting the third and most agressive one.
Behind her back, Modi and Magni are mocking her in pantomime for being cowardly.
"Dragons, sodalis Edith, not drakes. Please don't insult our hosts," chides Marcellus gently.
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