Kaheksa's ears twitch at the fairy's words. "Oh. You already met her." She sighs. "No, she was the only one who was sufficiently... enthusiastic... about insects that her gift related to them. And of course, being a druid, her tastes naturally ran to shapeshifting already. And- well, you'll have to forgive me, but we didn't go swallowing each other and so I haven't the faintest notion if our gifts may cause some unfortunate consequences to the revenous." She takes a small waterskin out of a fold of her cloak, taking a long drink as Eiyre joins in the questioning. "What do they want? What, madam, does anyone who believes something that they worry in the back of their heads may be an insane or wrong idea want but to be surrounded by others who believe the same thing so that they can gain security in their own beliefs through sheer numbers? They see the children as converts, little else; fresh bodies, minds, and souls for their rituals to venerate the master in their own way. I expect if they finish with them, within a year's time they'll just take over the village and start expanding. As for receiving a gift-" she eyes Eiyre sidelong for a long few seconds. "I don't think you'd be suitable."<br/><br/>Ain flaps away into the night to get a higher eye on the surroundings and to keep watch while interrogations occurred. As Albali gets to the heart of the matter, Kaheksa leans back with a thin-lipped grimace. "Understand that I have not seen them in more than a month," she begins slowly, "and my information is out of date. All of them are magic users, and at least decently powerful. I don't know much about tactics, so I can't quite help you there. My sister-" She pauses. "She has a... powerful affinity for fire. She looks the most like she did... before... and in turn the changes are the most subtle. Very resilient, able to breathe fire... she made herself more beautiful, I think, to help lure converts. I suspected some ability to compel obedience, but she never dared try me. Two sisters were the first we brought to our side; their gifts are similar. They, perhaps, were the most eager to explore what it meant to no longer be chained to a single form, and rather than choose one fixed gift, they instead have made themselves powerfully<span style="font-style: italic">malleable</span>. I can't even begin to wonder what form they've taken by now; it seemed to amuse them early on to be different races for a few days at a time, just to "get to know them". Magically, they tend to focus on manipulation as well, especially in making others stronger or weaker with tweaks to their bodies. I don't suggest letting them get their hands on you. They... were the ones who made those dryads." She sighs. "The last was a dwarven mage, one who enjoys playing with the world and perceptions of it as much as his own body. The only male to receive a gift so far, incidentally. He seems half chameleon; give him time to set up a room and pepper it with illusions and shape it to his whims, and you'll stagger around for hours trying to figure out where he is. The saving grace is that he himself has only a limited ability to fight on his own. Still." After another pull of water- hopefully water- Kaheksa adds, "As for escorting the children, while I would be honored, I could not engage in violence even to protect them. That might well limit me."<br/><br/><br/>[[Note: I will roughly sketch out a map, but I am out of time for the morning<img alt=":lol:" src="./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif" title="Laughing"/>]]