"It's unlikely. Magic is rarely useful for gathering knowledge. I've had to rely on rumors, oral tradition, and my own exploration for that."

"That's unhelpful. What sorts of things can your magic do?"

"Protection, poison, healing, and changing shape."

"Sounds like sort of the same things as werewolves."

"You could say werewolves originated as a pet project of druids- and then others decided to sabotage it so their ideas could take root, others tried to steal it, and yet others tried to bury it."

That's his best theory, anyway.

"Messy. So this Darach, if it is one. What would their purpose be? What do they gain from killing?"

"The Darach and the Druid can both gain power through ritual. Most likely, the Darach will kill three people for every one thing it wants power to accomplish. The number three gives power to the ritual, and blood...blood is always the easiest route to power. Someone desperate and vengeful and heartless enough with the knowledge of a Druid would try that first."

"They should be stopped. Any way to do that short of finding them?"

"I don't have anything. This Darach has clearly amassed a great deal of power that I don't have already." 

"I'll find them, then. Any common identifying characteristics?"

"Do you believe you could teach your goddess to identify magic? It might be more useful for her than for me, finding people that way." 

"Depends how hard it is. Does it take any special aptitude?"

"No, I can just tell you what to look out for. I just expect her to have more ability to find people than I do."

"Well, she doesn't have an avatar here yet, so it'd be just me walking around, really."

"How long do avatars take?"

"It varies. Human ones are complicated and expensive, animals are less so."

"An animal with her intelligence behind it could be very useful for sensing magic."

"Okay. What sorts of birds are common here?"

"Pigeons and crows are fairly ubiquitous."

Pascale listens to her vial a moment, then says "She'll make a pigeon. What does she have to look for?"

"The signs of heavy magic use are subtle, since magic is so limited. A major sign is the way plants and animals react to our intent and our will. The more complex the mind, the less passive influence we have. But a Darach will have plants turn to them and animals follow them. These signs can be fairly subtle, when magic is not being actively used, but they are always there if you look."

"We'll keep an eye out for that. Can I offer you a blessing as thanks?"

"I would appreciate that."

"You can have your pick of stamina, speed, vision, memory, cold and damp resistance, or waterwalking."

"I could use stamina. I'm not getting any younger."