Juliet didn't get a word from the blonde woman immediately as she winced in pain from the fresh welt upon her backside. Tears welling up in her eyes from the sting however she would not allow them to fall. She gave a heaving sigh to cleanse herself which made her soft bosom rise and fall with a perky bounce. Cherry red nipples were erect from the chill or was the whipping turning her on more than she cared to admit. Either way she spoke in a whisper.<strong>"Yes, from Vaulitar. Sent ahead to greet and provide comfort for the champions of our city."</strong>So it was true, what those bugbears said.<strong>"I was startled from my beauty sleep in my private tent by the sounds of bellowing brutes and snarling beasts. There was only one champion there at the time and had managed to slay a few before she was brought down. They hauled me, my fellow merchant underlings, and the servant girls out into the cold night air and bound us up like sheep."</strong><br/><br/>She then spoke of a much more disturbing topic she bore witness to.<strong>"They... helped themselves to one of the girls. Made us watch and told us that if we didn't want to wind up like her, that we would be quiet and not give them any trouble. We were put into shackles and hauled off to their camps, held there by totems and made to serve them food and booze stolen from our own camp."</strong>She said with a shudder as she then tried to recall anything else worth noting.<strong>"I heard them say that the directions to our camp were spot on. Someone, a man by the words they used, told them where we were. I don't know what happened to the rest of the champions of our camp but the one with us managed to free herself a night later and escaped with her gear. I think it was because of another woman playing coy with the raiders. She didn't have any fear in her whatsoever and seemed to derive some pleasure from what they were doing. She held and spoke like a highborn but... Maybe it was the Whore Queen after all."</strong>She had nothing left in her immediate memory for Juliet to milk for at the moment. Not unless she jogs her memory good. As they pass through the gates and the checkpoints Juliet now saw the camp in all it's "splendor" just as Nayla did.<br/><br/>A keen eye might have seen one of the tarps of the more ornate looking tents move on its own...<br/><br/>Nayla found herself in a rather lovely looking place all things considered. Fortunately the rather stern looking hobgoblins in steel scale and plate armor didn't notice her move past them. Thank goodness for invisibility. The interior of the tent had flooring, a tarp used to remove the cold dirt and moist grass from the ground. She saw a table with a plate with a small cheese wheel, bread, some grapes, snd a few apples. Fresh wine was chilling in an enchanted bucket of ice with two chairs pointed. The cups and plates looked to be made of silver and ivory. There was a exquisite looking bed of fluffy pillows, fine satin and fleece blankets. Lavish accommodations for a mere raider, so clearly whomever this was playing home to was an important guest.<br/><br/>And indeed she was not alone in the tent. There was possibly one of the most devilishly handsome looking hobgoblins one could lay eyes on. He could make a tiefling jealous with such inherited looks. Chiseled cheeks and a strong looking jaw, eyes of yellowish amber were focused upon pouring some of the wine into a pair of cups. A crown of raven black hair was cut short and seemed windswept with some of the locks bent forward to better frame his brow. Red scales were spotted upon his dusk tan muscles, complimenting the sides of his face, and the sides of his arms and legs. Almost like they were ritualistically adorned to his bare skin. A cloak that hung from one of the chairs wore the colors of the banners outside indicating some kind of nobility. Currently for a shirt he wore nothing, allowing her to see the red scales upon his skin. He was however wearing black boots with blood red leggings and a heavy looking belt of tanned leather.<br/><br/>As she moved about investigating the area, another hobgoblin in full armor came in and knelt before him.<strong>"What is it?"</strong>He asked, his voice deep and resonates with both authority and power.<strong>"Lord Melchiah. The bugbears have brought in a captive you need to be made aware of. It is the Queen of Valkyr."</strong>That got his attention.<strong>"Oh? Do they have any idea of who she is or even if they care?"</strong>The hobgoblin knight shook his head and says<strong>"No. I don't believe so. They plan to auction her off to the highest bidder soon though."</strong>The hobgoblin known as Melchiah took a sip of the wine for the moment, his platinum ring with a black onyx soon coming into view on his hand when he lowered the cup.<strong>"Tell them I will pay 75,000 gold in order to procure her for myself."</strong>The hobgoblin looked up in puzzlement<strong>"My lord?"</strong>Popping a grape into his mouth he continued to speak.<strong>"A woman of highborn blood, a woman whom is well loved by her own people and their ruler is worth much more than what I offer. As is tradition amongst nobles, we could ransom her back for a very handsome sum. However she must of course be well kept and unspoiled. Tradition when holding a key figure hostage."</strong>He heard the rumors and stories of course of her other names but he had enough tact to resist making a derogatory about Vall of House Ha'la, Queen of Valkyr.<br/><br/>The hobgoblin knight has one more thing to report.<strong>"The reports from the Black Talons Raiders continue on. The bugbears have been making use of the information fed by those adventurers."</strong>Lord Melchiah grumbled an obscenity and took another sip of wine to push his anger down.<strong>"Truly the notions of sportsmanship are lost on that sort. And these bugbears reap all of the short sighted golden benefits. And until our accords and treaties are upheld nothing holds them back."</strong>The hobgoblin rose up.<strong>"That is all, I have your orders on me."</strong>With a curt nod in thanks for the report and the significant scrap of information, the soldier leaves and Nayla was by herself with the unaware noble.