Smiling tightly and breathing in through her nose, Ariel considered how to respond. After a moment, Ariel exhaled through her lips, "That's a lot of information, uhm..." She paused and looked into the water. "Firstly, I should say that not all witch covens are the same, in fact ours is something of an oddity in this land. It's normally Breton girls that are chosen as children to join us, but with less Bretons in these parts, there are a greater proportion of other races in the coven than usual, especially Dunmer. The hagravens told me that they find prospective girls by 'smelling' their magical potential. It's likely more a metaphor for detecting them by other means, but perhaps it would still be the best description for it." Ariel stroked the side of her neck and hummed flatly, trying to remember more details. "From what I was told, the coven shifted to Morrowind after the Vigil of Stendarr killed a great number of them in their previous lair near Riften, in Skyrim. They were forced to flee, even though the coven was strictly impartial in their dealings with Daedra. Ironically, Morrowind was more accepting, especially since they were still rebuilding after invasion and disaster. That's not to say that the coven is entirely trusted, but through a number of deals with the local lord, their presence is tolerated."

Ariel rolled her shoulders, "As for the magic... esoteric is apt, it's not really taught like the guild or other colleges. Our secrets tend to be closely guarded, as they are easily abused to the user's detriment. It's a very old perspective, you see." She leaned her head forward and looked up at Ahnasha, "I will say that turning Reachmen into those abominations isn't something we really practice, so no heart replacements, I'm afraid." Ariel leaned back and looked up at the wall, "Our magic is a very intertwined one, associated with many higher beings, both named and unnamed. Altering reality through pacts and agreements, curses and blessings. Going into specifics would require at least a week of explanation to scratch the surface, even if I fully understood it myself. The only real notion of 'schools' of magic comes into destruction magic, which we learn for self-defense mostly. I suppose in a nutshell I can say that our most powerful magics are associated with promises that are bound to the world and to gods. Molag Bal and Hircine have had many dealings with witches before. This has allowed some to bring their... blessings, or curses upon certain people associated with the coven in question. There have been plenty of cases of local lords and such becoming vampires or lycans after slighting a coven. Witches are foremost in channeling Daedric power, and the power of other beings. Some covens pledge allegiance to a particular being, but most are more careful, like mine. It's the price for self-preservation. That's why I'm concerned about hearing that they would be doing such a service for Clavicus Vile. There has to be some curse or threat, or maybe some very tempting deal behind it. I suspect the former."