The big German turns and appraises Vibria with fresh eyes. "Perhaps you should see me for a more personalized fitting session," he grunts. He then offers a salute to Carmen, a nod to Esteban and Vocis, and a big forearm-clasp for Guillaume, before heading back to the smithy construction.
Vocis politely accepts your offer of a fitting and is presumably ignored because he lacks breasts. 
Esteban says, "I can ride. I can teleport, a little." He holds up a thumb and forefinger.
Then, to Carmen, he adds, "What's an owlbear?" 
It's a magical mutant, a type of Chimera. A chimera being the term I was taught to refer to a beast that combines the features of two or more animals. Like the pegisus or a griffon and the like/ Never seen an owlbear, just heard about one that my father fought once. Imagine a bear with an owl-like head and talon-claws. I was told it was the creation of a mad magus many years ago that bred wildly up in the mountain woods.
A lovely young woman approaches, adjusting her scarlet beret carefully atop her halo of golden curls. A small brown puppy follows at her feet.
"Pardon magi... Fedora mentioned you are embarking on a diplomatic excursion today. I wondered if perhaps I might be of assistance?" She smiles timidly, but warmly.
Carmen: One of the new Redcaps, I see. I would like you to see what steel we are made of. Though attacked, we kept the Mercere assets intact. You can tell Harco they can have no fear or worries with allies such as us. We do business with Dragons 
.
Tiana's cheeks color slightly. "Begging your pardon maga, but I am no spy. I believe the Tribunal needs a strong Hermetic presence here, and should this endeavor fail the Order may suffer as a whole. My offer of aid is sincere, though if you wish me simply to observe I would be content to do so."
Which Tribunal? Provencal or Iberia? Still, I invite you to participate, but observe as you do so.
So, I'd like to push on with the visit to the dragon. Accounting for everyone and probable travel times, I am guessing it will take three days for everyone to get to the lair.
I seek a volunteer to roll a Stress Die, with which I will gague the likelyhood of any unfortunate encounters or problems (a botch bad, high roll is good). On a 0, roll three botch dice.
Here you go:
Rolled a 1, followed by an 8. So 2x8=16. This is either going to be really good or really bad.
Looks like Peregrine was rolling at the same time and my post got sucked into the void. I wonder when the forum will get fixed.
Yeah, it's either an 8 or a 16. Either way, I think we're (hopefully) good.
Growf
Almost all the way there, when you come accross a pair of ogres. Really mean ones! Savage and dangererous...
And dead.
Yum! Yum! Yum! chuckles a large fat firedrake as he happilly chaws down an ogres leg. Another, a visciuous looking brut a bit larger than you expected, he snarls at the group but offers no challenge.
The thrid approaches you with a smile.
Greetings magi, it seems we meet again.
Or does it? I only seem ro recognize the one of you, the golden hair. (sniffs at Vibria)Something seems familiar about you though...
I am Maurice, this is my brother Venkath the Vengful and my other brother Simon the Simple. I presume you cave come to see the grandfather?
((For some reason, when I first saw this, I thought "Gleep!" And then almost immediately after, the Pfoglio dragons that graced the borders of Dragon Magazine waaaaaaaay back when.))
Vibria looks at Carmen with a raised brow.
That is exactly where it comes from. And I have the infamous "Sex & D&D" strip! All the "What's New? w/ Phill & Dixie" were eprinted in two volumes (two issues of a comic) back many years ago, and that long promised but never delivered strip was included at the end of volume II.
And the little dragon did growf a lot 
Yeah, these are the three I said were off limits. They have been helpful in the past. They are all intelligent, a rarity for drakes. Even the chubby simpleton. Who ate the whole box of vis last time, if I recall 
[color=red]"That's horrible!" Vibria exclaims. [color=red]"I could have...we could have used that!"
I wasn't there, but I heard the story. Khyron the efreet was demanding a ransom of ten thousand pawns of Ignem vis, each pawn imbued in a gold coin. The other magi were attempting to make a fake ransom treasure chest, a hundred pawns in gold they planned to trick out and make look like much more. Guess who ate it all?
Simon: growf Youse guys makin' fun a me?
Maurice: Easy brother. The tale is greatly egaggerated. You did eat a fiew oieces of spicy-gold back then, if you remember.
Venkath: smolder
Vibria looks at Carmen with a raised brow.
[/quote]
(BTW, they are referring to their grandfather, the Dragon Sigmundo, and have no idea of your shared heritage)
Tiana bows politely. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Maurice, Venkath, and Simon. I am Tiana of Mercere, and the others here you don't recognize are Vocis of Tremere, Guillaume of Flambeau, Esteban of Jerbiton, and Vibria of Flambeau. You have presumed correctly-- we would indeed like to visit the grandfather."