Her fingers drummed against the tankard for a time, thoughts drifting in and out of her mind as she looked over the map on the table. It was out of date by now, a last known location to her on the movements of the Gnoll she eagerly wanted to hunt down. If it was tied to recent rumors she hard in the north, then she would need to make uncanny allies. The Enemy of her Enemy. Yet she didn't want to make any unnecessary allies or promises just yet. Not until she knew more, saw more. Her mind, going through every step of military tactics while keeping to her own faith, she needed to be prepared for any scenario that might come her way. The gnoll wouldn't have stopped his rampage simply because she had been unwell...he wasn't honorable enough to respect that of the Old Shaman. No, the Gnoll would have had the perfect chance if she had not stayed within places or around others. That chance was lost now that she was back to her normal self. Mentally going over what she knew of the Gnolls behavior, Na'Karia tapped a finger on the tankard still.
Rhulg was arrogant, driven by the hunger of his nature if not by some third party factor. Yet he kept hold of the blades blessed by her lord Kossuth. Blades that once belonged and were bound to the Old Shamans soul. Part of her wondered about the blades. She knew that anyone else outside the Shaman wouldn't be able to withstand the flames of the Blades. They would burn and consume the wielder from the inside out if they were not the Old Shaman. The same would go for her if the Blades weren't bound to her soul. Yet for some reason, Rhulg held onto them...adamant in his belief that he could master them and be their master. That he was strong enough to endure. Yet he was a coward for taking the blades from the Old Gnoll rather than earning them the right way. The honorable way. Na'Karia pondered in her seat in silence. Her golden red gaze fixed on the map still, fingers drumming and tapping the tankard in hand.
"...He mourned the loss though...part of him is still there...the part raised by Skorlan...The Arrogance of the Son, must pay for the Sins of the Father..." She softly spoke to herself before tearing her gaze from the map with a sigh. She recalled the Old Gnolls last words to her. About how the tribe had been in turmoil for a long time, about how she was like something more than just a flame to the Gnolls Loyal to the Shaman. How she didn't seem them as monsters like others did and acted selflessly with them. Her mind then drifted to the question the mossy gnoll asked her once.
"...Does she not want to lead? To be more than a servant? ..."
To lead and be more...that wasn't her call t make. She was not a gnoll herself, Favored by her god yes for reasons no one knew but Kossuth himself...but she did not feel as though she was fit to lead anymore for any reason. Her gaze fell onto the burns on her right wrist, how it oddly reminded her of a shackle. As if she was still bound to something by some means. Softly she ran a hand over the burn, simply noting the bumps and groves that now formed in that area. How the skin stitched itself back together and pulled tightly at whatever it could to form new skin. Would the gnolls even recognize her now? Would she smell differently to them? She knew dogs had a heightened sense of smell, so was the same for Gnolls? She wasn't sure if she really wanted to picture the idea of a Gnoll sniffing her...not without the attempt of biting her head off in the mix. A quiet sigh escaped her as she placed a hand to her head.
"...The Gnolls nearby, corrupt to their Core..."
Still the voice of the hallucination she saw during her affliction came back. How she wanted to forget that existed. How she wanted to burn that out of her mind. The gnolls she was aiding, the Gnolls she had helped a number of times in the past and put first before herself, they weren't the same as the Gnolls in the Reaching Woods or the Gnolls near the FAI...her gnolls were different...She wanted to believe that. If they could fight their nature and be something else, who's to say the same couldn't be done for others. It was ambitious of her to keep this idea, to hold onto the hope that there could be something more to gain. She wanted them to have freedom of choice, to not owe anyone anything and be their own little black sheep faction...but she knew...she knew others wouldn't view it as such. Others would see the mas a threat no matter the actions done. No matter the intentions. No matter how she tried to look at it in a positive light, all she was met with was the reality that others simply wanted to Kill the gnolls or use them for their own selfish gain.
"We are over thinking again...getting to far into the realms of negativity. People are not black and white, we know this. Some may be like that. Others not so much. We should be more lenient in our thoughts on this matter..."
"She worries for them, the silence is not something she is fine with...they have not responded to her...she may have to Seek them out soon instead of waiting..."
"If she waits to long...something bad will happen. Best to think about searching for them soon."
"And if they're already dead?"
"Who ever or what ever did it...They'll know..."
"They'll know the wrath of the Flamelord as it manifests from her. She will not let anyone escape her ire and all who were apart of their deaths will be slaughtered. Burned in the Holy Flames."
"Before we go insane and start a war path in flames...perhap it would be wise to scry for our gnolls first...
"...She does have a scroll for that..."
"She didn't want to waste it though...she wanted to trust the friend shaped gnolls..."
"...Friend shaped...really?"
"...Apologies..."
