Guillaume is rather curt but does acknowledge and reply to Gardaitis. "Guillaume Flambonis," he says before turning to the corpses. "We should not waste the vis, and we should be sure to have arcane connections to this brute. I assume Maurice would like a taste." However they decide, Guillaume can cast Divide the Gathered Essense to move the vis around, leaving some in one body for Maurice to eat. He's then considering how to take the wounds with them without having to haul ogre carcasses about. "Do we know which way he headed off?"
"There's no vis left. The thing consumed all of it, presumably to stave off Acclimation." Gardaitis keeps watching faces with a slowly growing look of puzzlement.
Vocis gives him a nod. Vocis filius Fineas, follower of Tremere. I believe you've already met my familiar, Celeste. Do your people require assistance?
Int 2 + Order Lore 3 + roll 5 = 10...I'm going to assume Vocis has heard your name in a negative context, but no gory details.
To the north. He won't be hard to track, but I'm sending Celeste ahead to keep an eye on him regardless.
(Vocis is in no hurry to chase this thing, at least until 10 minutes have passed since that Painted with Fire spell. 
)
Esteban says, "Since the drakes have been unable to affect the Brute with fire, might I suggest we plan an attack according to the School of Vilano -- or Ramius. We may need more men."
Gardaitis stiffens, looking at Esteban in disbelief. Guillaume's rudeness he could, and did, take in stride. But this man -- presumably a magus by his speech, and perhaps even a Flambeau -- has just delivered a 'cut direct'. Gardaitis had seen a variety of responses to him introducing himself, but a bare-faced deliberate snub is a new one.
And then there is what Esteban had actually said.
Ah. I see. They were after this thing to begin with, and came to my aid in exactly the same accidental fashion the thing itself did. All except this Vocis fellow, maybe.
Gardaitis turns to Vocis.
"Thank you for asking. I think we'll be all right if you can point out the road to..." He pauses for a fraction of a second, and then finishes "... to Arans."
Per 2 + FK 3 + spec 1 + roll 6 = 12. Awkward...
(OOC - I'm delaying my response to this in case someone else notices Gardaitis's anger and speaks up.)
Hair blowing in a wind that seems to eminate from within her, scowling blue eyes glarings ias if reflecting the lightning; Carmen Perez of Flambeau steps forward besides Estaban and Vocis.
What is your intrest in Arans? State your name and what business you would have with us, for I speak on behalf of the Covenant of Andorra which is at Arans.
"I did state my name. I'll repeat it , just in case you were not paying attention. Gardaitis, filius Decima, follower of Flambeau.
As to what my business is with Andorra... I was intending to request membership. The Mercere said you were recruiting. However..."
He looks at the other magi present, two of whom lacked the common courtesy to so much as introduce themselves -- then looks back at Carmen, who was similarly lacking in courtesy and jumped down his throat with both feet to boot.
"However, that idea is beginning to seem dubious. So at the moment my business within Arans is to find an inn. With a room. And a bed. And a hot meal. Does that answer your question, oh great defender of the grand Covenant of Andorra?" His voice, which was mild when he started speaking, is tinged with acid at the end.
(And now for something completely stupid.)
Vocis steps forward and bows slightly to Carmen. I apologize, Pontifex. I should have made our visitor aware that you were part of our hunting party. He quickly turns to Gardaitis before giving Carmen a chance to respond. Sodalis, you have the honor of addressing the Pontifex of Andorra Covenant, Carmen of Flambeau. Please accord her the proper respect. As Gardaitis begins to turn purple, he quickly continues I also beg your indulgence for my sodales, who are dedicated hunters on a fresh trail of a very dangerous opponent. The focus necessary for such an activity sometimes forces social niceties aside. A warrior such as yourself has likely been in similar situations in the past. Perhaps you and I could step aside and discuss matters while they are about their work. I'm personally quite curious why a magus such as yourself has come so far and where you found your companions. Refugees of the wars, unless I miss my guess. One of them reminds me a bit of my youngest. He gestures away from the group, hoping Gardaitis will come along, and glances over his shoulder. By your leave, of course, Pontifex.
So...
Com 1 + Charm 3 + roll 7 = 11
I realize PCs are welcome to blow him off no matter what the dice say, I just wanted to see if Vocis avoided a botch.
((Don't know what she should be aware of, being from Iberia and not Rhine, but anyway: Int 1 + Order of Hermes Lore 1 + die roll of 0 (botch check is a 4) = 2. She has no clue.))
[color=red]"I am Vibria filia Fulminara of Flambeau," a voice comes from within a bundle of fur robes which are practically shimmering with heat, melting a circle of snow around her. Before she spoke, Gardaitis may not have realized that it was a woman. [color=red]"It is an honour to meet you, sodalis."
((Sorry for not being as active as I would normally like to be...reality sucks stinky monkey butt these days.))
Wow. How is it that Guilaume is less rude (he did acknowledge the magus and introduce himself) than several others? I must be playing him wrong. 
Looking at what remains of the bodies, Guillaume tries to find a small enough wound, perhaps that struck bone, that he could cut off a portion of flesh or bone to take with him. Then he turns to Maurice. "How would you like to tangle with this brute while invisible? I can manage that for you if you would like."
(( Not stupid at all. Very nice attempt to salvage the situation. I'm going to give Marko/Carmen a chance to react before replying, but it's probably going to work. 
))
(The stupid part was stepping between two angry Flambeaux. )
(Where else is there to stand in this crowd?)
Carmen frowns and says to Vocis "I leave him in your charge". Then she turns away and investigates the ogre corpses with Guillme. "What do you think?"
Marice looks intrigued "You would teach me the secret of invisibility??
Gardaitis inclines his head to Vibria the furry-bundle-o'-Flambeau with exquisite politeness, and follows Vocis, stepping a pace or two away from the group. A small smirk hides itself in his moustache. Dangerous opponent, hah. Raided the covenant and ate their entire supply of cordiality, no doubt.
Out loud, however, he responds "They are refugees, yes. You're a man who's raised children yourself... you probably understand why I want to get them under cover as soon as possible. It's a tad chilly out here. My story..." He shrugs, voice calm and level. "I've no objection to telling it," -- or at least certain parts of it -- "but in my judgment it can wait until they're on the road. We can talk till they're out of sight, or perhaps even afterwards." His mouth twists wryly. "Whatever the result of my dealings with your covenant, we're going to be pretty much stuck in Arans till spring."
Vocis leads Gardaitis off toward the woods. Once he thinks he's out of earshot from the rest, he says Well my friend, that certainly could have gone better. I stepped in because you seem like a decent sort, given your traveling companions, but I'm just as concerned about losing a potential ally for the covenant. If you've heard the Mercere are recruiting, you've presumably heard why - Andorra was recently attacked and very nearly destroyed. Several magi have joined the covenant in recent weeks in an attempt to salvage and eventually avenge it. Needless to say, the situation has everyone on edge. Carmen in particular, as she is the only remaining long-term resident of Andorra, meaning it was her home that was attacked.
Now, I have no doubt that if you had encountered us at the covenant this would have gone differently. As it stands, my more militant sodales are quite focused on this hunt and how to overcome the Brute. An unknown magus appearing on the scene and demanding courtesies did not sit well, though you had no reason to anticipate that reaction. And while it is perhaps rude to mention this, I have heard your name before and it wasn't spoken in a positive light. I know no details, but it's possible my Flambeaux sodales know more of your past than I do. In sum, there are many reasons for the unfavorable first impressions we just shared. I would hope that you and I can put them behind us for the moment. If you would be willing to tell me your story and what brings you here, perhaps I can continue to play mediator and bring you and Carmen together on more agreeable terms when the hunt is concluded.
"I am considering a three-pronged attack. Some, such as Maurice could attack up close. Some, such as you, could control the battlefield or assail him from afar without fire. Others, such as myself, could focus on stopping his regenerative powers. Coordination could be tricky, but we should be able to overwhelm him easily enough."
"No, that I could not manage. But I can shield you with invisibility while we track and fight him. Of course, there is no promise he cannot detect invisible things."
Vibria looks out in the direction that the monster went, wondering how long it would take to track it down and if they were powerful enough to take it out. She wonders if that could be the undead ogre that Sigmundo had mentioned, but doesn't believe that it is. She glances over at Gardaitis's gaggle of refugees, and she can almost literally feel the great dragon's promised treasure slipping away through her fingers; the thought brings tears to her eyes.
((Gardaitis is very willing to follow, and talk, as long as Vocis actually points out which is the right road and the refugees can get moving. I'm going to proceed on the assumption that this happened and wasn't an intentional omission. ))
(( Bit of OOC clarification here. Gardaitis was expecting a certain base level of courtesy, that's true. He got irritated when it wasn't forthcoming, that is also true. You could infer it from his reaction, yes. However, he never actually said that's what he expected, much less demanded it. And it was no more than the absolute base level -- Guillaume's introduction, while definitely rude, didn't faze him a bit.))
Gardaitis shrugs. He has a number of things to say about courtesy, but this is neither the time nor the place.
"It is a long story. I'm not being cagey: it's hard to compress twenty-five years into a few sentences. Short version is... I saw a situation which I felt posed a threat to the Tribunal: the establishment of Terra Mariana, and the Livonian Crusade. The other magi of the Tribunal either did not agree with me, or were too busy with realpolitik to get off their duffs and do something about it. I undertook to do something about it myself."
"I don't know what you heard exactly. The truth is, I didn't break the Code. However, I did bend it so far it squeaked. That is also truth." He makes this admission without either flinching or sounding proud -- it is simply a fact, stated as such. "The rest is... truth and lies in equal measure? Don't know the exact proportion, don't particularly care." His voice is dust-dry. "Anyway, by the fact that the Crusade is still going strong and I'm here, you could infer how successful I was. They're up there, pushing the Dominion forward with great gusto, and I'm here, looking for a covenant to join."
He takes a deep breath and looks around at the forest and the sky before returning his gaze to Vocis. "I thank you for your kind offer of interceding for me with the Pontifex. However, I would ask you to not do so. If I am not a good fit for Andorra, or Andorra is not a good fit for me, then it would be best for the Covenant and myself both if I were to look somewhere else. And if that is the case, it is best that we find that out now rather than down the line."