Colors laughed. "Oh, all sorts of things. Some of them are at least kind of believable, and others are just outrageous. My favorite one is probably the story of Meesei single-handedly taking out an entire enemy camp, with over a hundred mercenaries, by bringing down half a mountain on top of them. Now, I like that one because you can see how that one could have some truth to it. Maybe you all saw a place where you could cause a rockslide or something, and you set it off on top of them. But, the story paints her as some sort of legendary mage. Oh, and there was another where you all were the ones ambushed, outnumbered at least twenty-to-one, but as soon as they learned who they were facing, the enemy broke ranks and half of 'em fled straight into the swamps outside Morthal and were eaten by crocodiles. I know there are some lies in that one, since there aren't even crocodiles in those swamps. I've been there once. There are those big, strange insect things, though. Best part is, I can't honestly tell how much of it is true. I've seen you all in action in person before, but never really doing anything that can show off what you can do. Most impressive thing I saw with my own eyes was Kaleeth tearing through that wooden shack like it was made of parchment. I've never seen Meesei really letting loose with her magic."

With a grin, Colors pointed his finger towards Sabine. "Nor have I seen your magic. You have your own reputation. It isn't quite as grand as Meesei's, but you've been her apprentice for many years. I've heard people saying you can bend nature to your will, and things like that. I realize you might not want all that attention, especially if it's not all true, but there has to be some good parts to it. Having all these people looking up to you. I'd be willing to bet you have men falling at your feet trying to impress you and earn your attention."

---

Saras leaned back, carefully listening to each of Marod's points as they came. "Yes, I heard the stories of the events in Elsweyr. I believe the idea behind exposing the threat of Vile's agents was in the hope of encouraging the Dominion to search for them. Unfortunately, Vile's cult gained power there regardless. Our clans have been ousted from the area, as near as we can tell, Elsweyr is the current center of their operations in Tamriel. I do have a short list of Vile's infiltrators that we have identified, but cannot act against. I know you would likely need to conduct your own investigations, but that is information I would certainly not mind you reporting back."

Although Saras' expression did not change at all, he was focused intently upon Marod as he laid out his proposition for cooperation with the Empire and Dominion. It would not be the worst outcome that this meeting could bring, certainly, but it was something that Saras was cautious about. Trust was not something he could afford to have for either of their governments, and they in turn were not likely to trust him. Any deal they struck would likely be based upon the mutual fear they had for one another. 

"To start, I would like to say that I am perfectly willing to reach an accord for our mutual benefit." Saras began. "To the first point, we certainly want to bring this war to an end. Quickly and efficiently. I would have liked for it to have ended years ago, but of course, Vile's cult does their best to make that difficult on us. We do not, and have never, targeted your villages or cities. No matter what reports you may have heard. Do keep in mind that Vile's followers have more capabilities to hide in plain sight. Some have taken forts under the guise of being legitimate mercenary bands. Some hide as normal citizens. That small mining settlement that was destroyed in the western part of the Reach two months ago? The silver mine? There were no innocents there. As for taking in lycans, we will do so gladly. It has been our primary purpose before the start of this war. As I said before, we keep those who are lost and in danger in safety, and out of trouble."

Saras leaned forward, clasping his hands together on the table. "As for your last condition, I can say that I am willing to establish and retain communication with you. We are willing to follow reasonable rules for interacting with your people. But, there are some measures we cannot take. If our continued communication remains secret, and out of the public eye, I can agree to that. But, our clans cannot exist openly. Believe me, it is the dream of many lycans to be able to exist openly. To be able to enter cities without fear, or even if we had to remain separate, to be able to live in open communities with open trade. To not have to worry about one mistake from one member of the community bringing down the wrath of misguided hunters upon us. That is a dream we would all love to see in reality, but I believe we all know it is just a dream. The average citizen is superstitious and irrational. If they see something or someone as being different, they will latch on to it and blame it for all of their problems. Even if my some miracle the people were convinced to accept separate lycan communities, that would not last forever. I cannot have my people's fate bound to the current political climate. We are willing to cooperate, but not in the public eye."