All heads turned quickly to Meesei as she silenced half of the entire chamber. Everyone knew her voice by now, even if it was a dominant and commanding tone. The two who were pushing each other around halted and backed off each other. The both looked at Meesei for the most part, but continued to shoot sideways glances at each other. The atmosphere seemed to tell of slight fear.

Though some of the groups members positioned around the back were backing off entirely. A young adult Orc, The ringleader of Harriet's group gathered enough courage to step forward. He shot a finger forward and spoke angrily, but with noticeably quivering knees. "You've got some nerve, champion! You framed Harriet from the start, didn't you? You found the body, you were there!"

Meesei gave no ground, figuratively or literally. She maintained her calm, but serious demeanor, despite the accusations of the Orc. She did not give in to emotion, but she was also careful not to sound too detached, as she needed the clan to be able to identify with her. "I understand why you would accuse me; you do not have all of the information on the events surrounding the murder. I wish I could share everything with you all right now, but there are some pieces of evidence that cannot be revealed before the trial itself. People are...afraid, understandably, and they may not be able to will themselves to see the full picture before acting. There is, however, some I can share."

Meesei glanced around for a moment at the crowd. At the very least, their attention was focused on her, instead of each other. Now, she just needed the words to at least partially pacify their fears. "I can tell you why I am not suspected in this tragedy. Jerrick was warned of his murder by our lord Hircine. He was warned that it would come after my arrival, but not by me. He told me of this. Myself and my pack tried to save him, but the traitor had already struck. In the brief time we had, however, we planned ahead. Jerrick wrote letters to certain individuals explaining all I just said, and more. He included stories or memories which proved the letters were from him. I regret I cannot tell you their identities right now. As the attack on Oswall has shown, they would not be safe. However, you could ask any of the lieutenants and they would tell you the same. Even Harriet herself does not dispute this. I know that she is your leader, and it is hard to believe that one so close to you could have done something so heinous, but I urge you to try to think about the possibility. The only reason it is Harriet I am accusing is because the evidence has narrowed the suspects down to only her. Based on the evidence, she was the only one with opportunity. I do not know Harriet in the same way as all of you, but I do know the depth of our enemy's depravity. Clavicus Vile is devious, and cunning. There exists magic that can warp a person's mind, to bend their will to match the caster's designs. Simple forms of this are the common calm, fear, and frenzy spells which I am sure you have heard of. But Clavicus Vile is a Daedric Prince with access to power beyond that of any mortal; he could craft far more insidious, more permanent magic. I cannot yet say if the traitor has been influenced by the enemy, but it is not a possibility which can be discounted. Harriet could be a victim in this, someone who might be saved." Meesei explained. It was not impossible that Harriet could be the victim of magical influence, though that is not something that one could simply accomplish in a few hours, even a Daedra Lord. She did not yet have any evidence that Harriet was not acting of her own free will, but it was possible, and if Harriet's followers could believe that Harriet could be a victim as well, then they might be able to believe her capable of committing the murder.

Given Meesei's experience with oration at this point, and the subject at hand. The witnessing crowd of people grew in size as she spoke.

At first, the groups of young people she was originally addressing were not satisfied with her answer. They believed and followed Hircine as a whole, but they suspected Meesei to be a liar. The young orc tightened his fists, but did not get an opportunity to get a word in. There was nothing he could really do in the first place. Even he was not rash enough to attack Meesei. As it dawned on everyone present what Meesei was eluding to, their demeanour collectively changed from anger to a suspicious fear.

"Wait, so you're saying that Harriet was...controlled by Clavicus Vile?" The young orc asked apprehensively, "So she didn't do it on purpose?"

Another behind the orc turned to his friend and murmured, "That would make more sense."

His friend responded, "But how did it happen? Could we be controlled like that?"

"I am not saying it is guaranteed, but it is possible that Harriet was acting of her own free will. There are ways of testing for such magical interference, and I intend to perform those tests before any kind of punishment is given." Meesei answered. She was glad that they seemed to be receptive to her explanation, but she had to be careful not to go too far. Convincing them that Harriet could have committed the murder would not be greatly useful if she also created a panic that there could be traitors everywhere. Fortunately, the actual likelihood of being able to magically influence a large number of people was quite slim.

"As for who could be under Vile's influence, it is not likely to be widespread. Gaining control of another's mind is neither a quick nor easy process, so fortunately, it is not practical on a wide scale. It can take days, or even weeks to gain control. From my understanding, Harriet is hands-on as a leader and will undertake missions outside of this ruin. If she was away for an extended time at any point, that is a possibility. Alternatively, there are ways of imbuing an object with magic which can influence an individual's mind over time. If someone spends enough time near the object, usually while sleeping, they can be influenced. Again, this is something that is not easy to do over a wide scale. If Vile wished to influence multiple people in this clan, he would need to smuggle in multiple objects, but that would be more easily detectable. An example from history would be Vvardenfell, in Morrowind near the end of the Third Era. Using the magical properties of corprus disease as a vector, the ancient being Dagoth Ur spread his influence across the island. For those that he wanted to influence in a less obvious manner, he created small statuettes imbued with magic that would influence the minds of those near them. However, even with the power of a dead god at his fingertips, Dagoth Ur could not influence all of Vvardenfell. Instead, he had individual agents spread across the island. If Vile wished to be effective, he would not concentrate all of his agents in one place. One traitor has been enough to sow chaos among this family." Meesei explained.

While the groups had enough respect to keep listening to Meesei, not many of them attempted to understand what she was talking about with the nuances of mind control. Those who weren't completely confused seemed consoled to an extent. One of the instigators of the original incident on Oswall's side, a young adult Imperial, turned to Harriet's followers and owned up with a hung head. "Well I guess if it wasn't her fault, there's no point fighting about her loyalty..."

There was a pause. With it, the last of the original anger seemed to disappear. The young orc itched the back of his neck and responded. "Alright, maybe we should spend less time pointing fingers and more time looking out for people who might be mind-controlled." There was a murmur of agreement and the crowd began to dissipate. "Wait," the young orc raised his head in realisation, then turned to Meesei, "what should we be looking out for?"

Again, Meesei needed to be careful with her words. The crowd had stopped turning on one another, but now Meesei had to make sure they did not give into paranoia. While not as bad as open violence between groups, a widespread fear of magically-influenced traitors was something she wished to avoid. She could not simply say that there was no possibility of other traitors, as that was simply untrue. However, she had to give them some satisfactory answer.

"As I said, magically influencing someone's mind is neither easy, quick, nor common. It is not as if there is going to be a traitor around every corner. There are ways of detecting said magic, though the examination also takes time. The most telling clue is simply behavior; is the person acting against the clan? Information gathering, sabotage, and the like would all work for the benefit of our enemy. However, the most important thing to keep in mind is that you should not take the enforcement of suspicions into your own hands. The attack on Oswall demonstrates how dangerous such vigilantism can be. I just urge you not to give into paranoia. Be cautious, and if you fear there really is a danger, report your suspicions to your leaders, but remember that there can be many innocent explanations for 'suspicious' behavior. I am sure that many of you can think back to something you have done that, if witnessed by the wrong person at the wrong time, would be considered suspicious." Meesei warned.

There were no more words spoken, but there were a few unsure nods from both sides. Slowly, they turned and went their separate ways, mulling over the new information.

Safina stepped up and craned her head towards Meesei as the people dispersed. "You did well to talk them down. I thought there was going to be a fight."

With the number of lycans loitering around the main chamber, Meesei had her pick of whom to select to guard Harriet. Given the tension between Oswall and Harriet's packs, the alphas present were uneasy about allowing any of their number to be taken under Meesei's command, but after much searching, there were a few that Meesei caught up with in private who had more loyalty to Hircine and his champion than their lieutenants. There were only about five fighting lycans among them, but it was heartening of them to volunteer.

The best candidate from amongst Harriet's followers was a grumpy looking Dunmer spellsword by the name of Hadal. He had no last name that he wished to share, but those present vouched for his skill. The one from Oswall's was a stocky Bosmer man by the name of Silenti. He carried a disproportionately large mace alongside a shield, but he expressed no effort in hefting them. He was far from quiet, despite his name.

The final four that Meesei had chosen regarded each other as strangers, but they had one question in common. They waited with baited breath for a briefing of what exactly to do.

Given all that had happened in the last few hours, Meesei was glad to have found a group willing to work with her, and more importantly, with each other. Since they were all in the service of different lieutenants, their testimony, taken together, would not be easily refuted if they were witness to something important for the trial. And, if one of them attempted to fabricate a story for the benefit of his or her lieutenant, the other three would be able to disprove it. Of course, Meesei was not going to tell them explicitly about their roles as witnesses.

"Thank you all for agreeing to help me in this. In times as tough as these, it is good to know that there are those willing to do all they can to help. I would like all of you, in addition to myself and one of my pack, to help in keeping Harriet safe until her trial. Until she has been officially charged with the crime of which she has been accused, I do not wish for any harm to come to her, and she is one of the most likely targets for violence in the clan. Even if she is charged, I intend to determine if she was acting under her own free will before doing anything else. As I am sure you have noticed, each of you come from packs under each of the lieutenants. I want the people to see that, no matter which whom they are aligned, they should act with fairness." Meesei explained.

With glances to one another and traded nods, approval permeated amongst the four recruits quietly, but confidently. That was until silenti gave it more hearty confirmation. "You can count on us, champion!" The Bosmer thudded his fist on his chest. The others seemed somewhat bashful in response, but at least it was nothing more than mild annoyance.

The rest of the days tasks were trivial. The second test of the poison gave results that were slightly different, but not so much that the time frame of the poison being administered opened up any further opportunities.

The new guards Meesei had recruited followed Lorag dutifully in attending an increasingly vulnerable looking Harriet. She gave no indication of understanding why she had a new entourage, rather she had other things on her mind.

Finally, Sabine was able to set up proper equipment and protections to inspect the last drop of substance in 'Clavicus' vial' whenever Meesei was prepared to relinquish it. The little jape of in the name of the object was one they both silently agreed was purposeful on Vile's part, but neither of them laughed. Sabine estimated having results in the early hours of the next morning and was not willing to leave the task until tomorrow.

If previous mentions were any indication, Meesei only had one task left in the day.

Once Harriet had finished with any business she desired to get through for the day, Meesei, Lorag, and the new guards headed with her to her room. It seemed natural enough to allow Harriet to sleep in her own bed, especially with the number of guards she now had, so Meesei doubted that it raised any particular suspicions with her.

Since she knew what to look for, Meesei could locate the hidden compartment, but she refrained from doing so just yet. Instead, she and the others started to go through the process of preparing for the night. They set up places for everyone to sleep, then spent over half an hour discussing their plan for the night. Meesei set up a schedule for who would be keeping watch, and when. She discussed with the others what to do if someone was found approaching the room depending upon how they were approaching. If they were simply walking up directly, the first reaction would simply be to tell them politely to move on their way and not to disturb Harriet. However, Meesei warned them not to let anyone get too close to them, as they might quickly draw a weapon. If someone approached with weapons drawn, or any other way that strongly suggested hostility, the plan would be to shout out and wake everyone as fast as possible. From there, Meesei could take over leading Harriet's defense, if she was not awake already.

It was only after finishing their planning that Meesei started to focus on the true reason she was present. She looked around the room, allowing a slight amount of curiosity to show on her face. "Actually, before we head to sleep, I believe I would like to look around for a few minutes." Meesei stated.

The new guards didn't have any discernible reaction to Meesei's curiosity, and at first neither did Harriet. She was rifling through a pile of clothing and took a few seconds to slow down to a stop. She had been quiet for a while now, but she managed to mumble a response after a few more seconds of consideration. "You mean it wasn't you and big boy who searched my room beforehand? There was someone here already, probably last night. Smells of another orc. They weren't all that careful with my stuff."

Harriet spoke with her back to Meesei, but she hadn't made any motion towards the broken tile on the floor, subtle or otherwise.

Harriet was perceptive, Meesei had to credit her with that. She knew her room had been searched, which presented a problem for Meesei's original plan. If the vial was hers, then she likely knew that there was the possibility it could have been found. This meant that it was unlikely she would be able to catch her off-guard to produce a suspicious reaction. Harriet might have already seen through her original plan, but Meesei was not without any more tricks. She still had options, and now that she knew the room held its scents for a while, she had another avenue of investigation to pursue.

"I did not search it, no." Meesei began, walking over towards the broken tile. There was no use going through the whole ruse of searching the rest of her room first; instead, she decided to go with her next best option. Kneeling down next to the tile, she lifted it up to reveal the hiding spot underneath. "But another did."

All that was inside the hole was a rag, atop which the vial had presumably rested before it was taken. Meesei had another trick, this time one much more subtle which a simple scent could not betray. As Meesei was examining the hiding spot, she rested her hand in such a way that, from Harriet's angle, it would block her view of where the vial had been resting. Meesei's posture looked perfectly normal and unremarkable, as if she was simply supporting her weight on her arm as she knelt down, and the fine details of what Harriet should be able to see from her angle could go unnoticed, especially if she already had response in mind before Meesei had even uncovered it. Beyond Harriet's reaction, there was also another thing Meesei was watching for, or rather, smelling for. A small, enclosed space like this hiding spot would hold scents even more easily than the rest of the room, such as the scents of those which had handled the vial. If the vial had been planted, Meesei would expect to find Gorlak's scent, along with an unfamiliar one, but if Harriet was indeed the traitor, then she would expect to find both Gorlak and Harriet's scent.

"What is your explanation for this, Harriet?" Meesei asked. Her tone was accusatory, as being aggressive in her questioning might lead Harriet to defend herself in a way that would imply she had saw the vial.

Harriet stopped to consider again. Her head and shoulders seemed to cringe forward slightly as she heard the scrape of the stone revealing the hidden hewn space. She dropped what she was doing and turned standing to face Meesei with narrow eyes. She seemed ready to spring to action more than full of any fear. She peered at Meesei's face, and then her hand that was obscuring the compartment. "What is it that you see?" Harriet said slowly in a low tone.

The compartment itself had greater traces of Grolak. He had obviously handled the rag as well as the vial. Harriet's scent was all over the room, but focussed examination found her scent on the rag as well.

Meesei lifted up the rag, taking in its scent deeply. As she stood back to her feet, she turned and locked eyes with Harriet. "It is not so much what I see, really. Of course, I did have someone search your room earlier, and what that person found was, well, troubling is an understatement." Meesei answered as she pulled the vial from her satchel. By this point, the eyes of all her witnesses were on the pair, which would give multiple accounts of whatever transpired.

"This vial contains traces of poison, and was found in a hiding spot under that broken tile. Interestingly, this rag, found in the same place, bears your scent. And, more disturbingly, the symbol this vial bears matches certain depictions of Clavicus Vile. What have you to say in response to this?" Meesei questioned. She kept her eyes locked on Harriet, watching for any hint of a violent move. If she tried something rash, Meesei had a plan to ensure she would not be touched. At the same time, she brought the vial itself up to her snout to take in its scent as well. As far as Meesei knew, the only ones to have handled the vial were herself, Gorlak, and the traitor, so those would be the only scents present as well. Since she had the rag to compare it to, Meesei knew exactly what scent she was looking for. The smooth glass would not hold a scent so easily, but the cork, will all of its nooks and crannies, would. Meesei expected to find Gorlak's scent, along with Harriet's at about the same strength as on the rag. Meesei's scent would also of course be on it, but it was rare that one could detect their own scent.

While there might have been fine traces of Harriet's scent on the vial previously, the way it had been handled and the placed it had been stored left only the glass, the metal of the stopper, and scents of Meesei and Grolak. Upon drawing in the scent of the cork, Meesei's throat was overcome with a coarse and overpowering sensation, as if she had breathed in a lungful of thick smoke. It was undeniably the poison itself that produced the scent, but it was so overpowering that any trace of other people's scents was impossible to perceive.

Harriet was still where she stood. The edges of her shape quivered slightly, containing some sort of anxiety, whether driven by anger, fear, shock, or a mix of feelings. Across her face, though, she held all other hints back behind her narrow eyes and inquisitive frown. She stood still for such a time that it almost seemed as though she would not say anything at all. She turned her eyes momentarily to her new 'bodyguard' and took in a breath to speak. She held it for a moment, then shifted her eyes to Meesei with her head still facing the others. "I'd say it's pretty damn convenient," she answered, her tone seething. "You got something to back yourself up, Champion? Or did you just want to say something insulting for kicks?"

"Certainly, I considered the possibility that this vial was planted. To do so would be a good way to shift blame onto another. That is why I made sure to come here with you without first telling you. As well, why would the traitor place it in such a well-hidden location if it was not meant to remain hidden? Planting evidence is only effective if said evidence is found, and this hiding spot could have easily been missed. Finally, this rag bears your scent, the scent of the one who I instructed to search your room, and no one else's. I am open to alternative explanations for what transpired, but this collection of evidence points to you." Meesei answered. Even now, she was certainly willing to accept that her accusation could be wrong if she was presented with strong enough evidence against it.

"Harriet, if you are the traitor, I advise you confess now. The deadline I gave for which you could have received exile has passed, but to do so would still be favorable. Even a traitor can receive redemption in the eyes of Hircine, if given the chance. Otherwise, you are going to need to do more than simply say it could have been planted. You need to produce evidence for your claims, in this matter, and for the rest of your trial. You are still free to build your case and find evidence; that right is one of which I will not deprive you." She added.

Clenching her teeth and curling her hands into fists was all Harriet could do to suppress the rage building behind her visage. She regarded Meesei for long enough that she was able to keep herself from exploding, but in her low, quiet voice, there was a fuse sparking away. "Alright, Champion. I've been patient, I've heard you out. At this point, I don't even care what your objective is, but if it's to piss me off to the point where I strike first so you can say that I'm a traitor, I won't give you that satisfaction." She pointed a finger at the vial, enunciating every word through her simmering anger, "I've never seen that thing before. Right now all I see is you trying to convince everyone here that some symbol of our enemy was found in that little nook in the floor. If you want to lie further, at least do me the favour of waiting until the trial." She closed her eyes and spoke through grit teeth. "It has been a long day. A frustrating day. I...need you...to leave."

"We are not going anywhere, Harriet. You know we cannot leave you alone." Meesei answered, slipping the vial into her pouch since it was no longer needed. She then unfurled the rag and held it by only a small part of one of the corners, reaching out to offer it to one of the observing guards. "Obviously, I cannot let you touch the rag, as that would contaminate it, but I shall let the others confirm that it bears your scent. Be careful only to touch this corner, as we do not want to put any more scents on it than necessary."

With the rag in the hands of one of the others, Meesei was free to focus on speaking with Harriet. "I am not here to fight you, Harriet. Nor am I here to lie to you, or anyone else present. That vial was found by one that Jerrick himself deemed trustworthy in one of his letters. No, what I want is the same thing I have wanted since this all began: the truth. I admit, when I was first showed the vial, even I was skeptical. It seemed almost too suspicious. But, so far, I have seen nothing that would suggest it was planted. It was too well-hidden in a hiding spot which bears your scent, indicating you interacted with it personally. Those are the reasons I am accusing you of being the owner of the vial, not because of some agenda you perceive me to have. I do not have a desire to convict you specifically, I want to find Jerrick's murderer. If this is a lie, Harriet, then I need you to convince me of the truth."

"I'm not wasting my breath until the trial. Your buddies can stay if they have to. I think you have better things to do." Harriet did not shift an inch. Even though she had the courtesy of hearing Meesei out, she was completely unconvinced. Her eyes bored into Meesei, only seldom blinking in necessity of the dust in the room, not for any anxiety.

The rag was passed carefully between the bodyguard and none of them sounded any protest. With nods and serious looks, they agreed that Harriet's scent was on the rag.

It took until the next action that Meesei made for Harriet to reach her wit's end. "OUT!" She shouted suddenly and threw her arm towards the door. At this point it was clear that Meesei was not going to get anything else from Harriet tonight.

"I am going nowhere, Harriet. At least, not permanently. If you do not wish to cooperate to build your case, that is your choice, but you are not in command of me. There is one more matter I must attend to before retiring for the night, but I will be coming back here." Meesei said calmly, but firmly. She stored away the rag, making sure to keep it separate from the vial. Likely, the rag itself would not be too useful as evidence, as it would undoubtedly pick up more scents, but she had more than enough witnesses that it did in fact hold Harriet's scent.

Meesei turned her attention to the others as she continued. "It is late, and it would be wise to be well-rested for the next few days. We will stay to the plan we made. We will rotate shifts for keeping watch, with at least two of us up at all times. If anything goes wrong, make sure to alert everyone immediately." She reiterated. Unless Harriet had any objections to Meesei's answer, she was about to go back to Sabine to allow her to begin her test. She did have one additional request to make of Sabine, though she doubted it was anything for which she would have to make any more safety precautions.