Guillaume seems to be pacing a little, trying to bide his time. Eventually he digs a small stone or something else from the ground and says to the nearest magus, "Astrid and I will be back in a few minutes. It doesn't look like anything will happen immediately." Guillaume will use Leap of Homecoming to return to Astrid. Shortly thereafter he will use Leap of Homecoming on her followed by himself to get both to the campsite.
When back at the campsite Guillaume extends his Parma Magica to cover Astrid. Then Astrid turns into a wolf and starts sniffing around where the brute had been to catch his scent.
I did not know that was what was happening. Must have missed it. But in any case, say Celeste did follow him for a while. Halfway around and up the hill he dissolves into a whirlwind of snow.
Astrid wanders around the location of the fight to see if she can pick up the scents of the dead ogres well enough to recognize ogre scent in the future.
After Vocis's comment Guillaume replies, "Ah. Now I see why Maurice suggested using ogres as bait. I like that idea. It certainly seems like we will have to draw the brute in."
Vocis nods. I'm afraid so. I would rather draw it out with illusory ogres, but it acted as if it could either see through illusions or simply sense magic.
I teleported in at some distance under a Veil of Invisibility, yet it looked right at me when I arrived. It's possible it heard me, but it's also possible it sensed the teleportation magic.
Carmen is riding along with Vulcanus, and they catch up with the other two drakes (Venkath and Simon). The refuges make it to Arans safely, and everyone else involved in this matter have gathered together at the base camp. The sun is setting, the wind howls with whistling cold through the mountains, and the moon rises.
((Before I reply, I have completely lost track of who's where and with whom. Can I get a quick...not so much a recap, as I have a vague idea of what's going on, but a re-setting? Thanks.))
The magi went to the Lair of the Dragon Digmundo in order to negotiate continuation of the Drake Hunt Treaty. He said
So the magi went out in search of the creature. Vocis sent Celeste ahead to the general region of "Bone Hill", purportedly the creature's lair.
Meanwhile, Gariatus was on his way to Arans to seek shelter for the refuges he protects and perhaps to seek membership in our covenant. He was nearly ambushed by a trio of marauding ogres, when the creature intervened and slaughtered the three ogres. Celeste the Familiar arrived on the scene and viewed it, guiding Vocis there. The description of the creature reminded Vibria of Gulio the ghoul, a nursery rhyme / fairy tale character. Carmen asked the group to set up a base camp as she returned to the covenant to inform others of the changed plan and to round up a few grogs. Some of the almogavars lead the refuges to Arans, the rest set up a proper base camp under the leadership of Alexandro. Carmen rides along with Vulcanus, buzzing his ear about the fairy tales of her childhood.
And now everybody is at the camp. A bonfire blazes, sentries on patrol, the sun setting as the moon rises, the winter wind getting colder, Bone Hill is but a mile away around the ridge. The three firedrakes grow impatient. Simon is hungry, Venkath is cranky, and Maurice seems af he is scheaming.
(( So the magi 'take care' of the giant ogre, and the dragon will in turn 'take care' of them. Sounds legit... ))
If no one else thinks of it, Gardaitis will wander up to Carlos and quietly offer to cast 'Eyes of the Cat' on his almogavars -- or at least the sentries -- after sunset. (It's not a stressful situation -- simple die on casting -- or he can do it as a non-fatiguing spontaneous spell.)
No, not on all of us. They need more training and experience. But for now, it will be something they are unused to and unprepared for. It could throw them off. Just on two of them, Edgar and Alanso, the men I set aside for recon. Edgar is a bit more experienced. He worked in Barcelona for several years specializing as a hierling sword to magi passing through. He has had a few adventures with miscellaneous miscreant magi adventurers, so he is familiar with such tactics. Alanso is a bit younger, but he is a veteran soldier and ogre killer. Cat eyes are a good tactic, I want him to get familiar with it.
After the sun goes down, then, and he's reestablished his Parma, Gardaitis will go hunt down Edgar and Alanso. Explain what he's doing, tell them it won't last past sunrise, and cast the spell. He'll tag himself with it, too.
He'll also go around the camp, picking out some nice tall trees at the perimeter, and mark each one with a small blaze on the camp-facing side.
Carmen sets her Parma up too, and I will presume that others do so as well.
At this point, I need to know what "Sun" duration spells you are preparing yourself with. Offhand, I know Carmen has a few personal wards to set up. I will check back on that.
Garditius meets with Edgar and Alanso, and it is just as Alexandro predicted. Edgar has had this and other low-level spells cast on him before, by various magi in whose service he was employed in his past. Alonso is enthusiastic and fearful, if that makes sense. The idea of willingly accepting a spell worries him a bit, but he is corageous and looks forward to having nightvision powers.
And the bit with the trees...
Esteban replies, "Good question. We had better come to agreement on that one."
To Maurice, Esteban asks, "At the risk of belaboring the obvious, what exactly is the problem this Brute is causing for you? Keeping you away from the best hunting grounds, or something else?"
I should clarify. "Blaze" in this case means a handspan of bark chipped off to visually mark a tree. Doesn't mean a small fire.
"Madam Pontifex. I feel I could contribute more if I knew more about what it is you're planning to do. You are hunting this creature, yet no one seems to be willing to say what it is you will do with it once you've caught it... or for that matter, why the hunt is occurring. The fairy tales seem to suggest it is not a threat, and my observations seem to bear that out. Vocis did go as far as to say it was an obstacle to the Magi of Andorra, but also said he was not at liberty to tell me more. I was hoping you would be."
Parma, of course. Robes Proof Against the Cold, to try to avoid the -3 to her Stamina checks. Other than that, she doesn't have much in the way of Sun-duration spells. Anything else she needs, she'll cast when she needs it.
Eyes of the Cat and Gift of the Bear's Fortitude, the latter of which is probably Enduring through the night anyway. Vocis also had Eyes of the Eagle on. Is there any reason he can't have Cat and Eagle effects simultaneously?
Both should be fine. Eyes of the Cat is a Muto effect that allows nightvision by physically changes the human eyes into cat's eyes, while Eyes of the Eagle is an Intellego effect that heightens your existing senses. If both were MuCo effects they'd be incompatible, but only one is, so both can work together.