Everyone took a seat, whether they were part of leadership or not. Gallus was one of the first to be seated, so he weaved his fingers together on the table and opened up the discussion. "There are three main points we need to cover, in which order I will allow Meesei and yourself to choose. There is the matter of the stronghold of Vile's forces in the region, it was located by us and we require numbers to attack it and eliminate further threats to the packs and clans of lycans in Elsweyr." Gallus tilted his head, "The second is the matter of this impostor and what has happened, but I think it may hold merit to focus on the last point first..."

Gallus looked to Ri'vashi, now with less of a joking tone, "I take it you have been informed of the encampment to the east? Beyond the hills? Those are all lycans. They are the remnants of the Senchal clan after they were attacked. They had been in hiding for months by the time we found them. They need shelter, but they also still have a cohort of warriors which will be necessary to destroy Vile's stronghold."

It was then that Gallus leaned back into his chair, "Like I said, you and Meesei can decide what to talk about. We may also require an update on the situation of your clan. As well, it may answer questions if we were to recount everything since we landed in Elsweyr, but it is a long story."

Ri'vashi took a seat near the end of the table, though she left the ornate stone chair open for Meesei. She did not care too much for the symbolism, but Meesei sat in it regardless, if only to be nearer to the clan leader. For Ri'vashi, she was suddenly given quite a few revelations all at once, which was compounded with the reveal of the impostor less than half an hour prior. Understandably, it took her a few moments to process the information.

"That...is quite an array of good and bad news. It is wonderful to know that at least some of the Senchal clan survived, and that we actually have a target to strike against, but...based on what this one was told about the group to the east by her scouts, she can gather that there must have been...many casualties." Ri'vashi responded.

Meesei gave a nod. "Yes, about a third of the clan remains. We have been traveling for close to a month, and we are running low on supplies, especially clothing. I would like to bring the remainder of the Senchal clan into your stronghold, at least until we can secure a more permanent, and safe, home for them."

"Without question, Champion." Ri'vashi answered immediately. "It will not be easy to take on such a large number at once, and this one's council may not like it, but we will find a way. Ri'vashi will not allow the Senchal clan to suffer any more than they already have. It will take time to find space for everyone, but we have food, and more than enough water. If you want to send someone right now to alert them, this one will make sure to be ready to receive them by the time they arrive."

"I can go," Uthri offered, beginning to stand up. Official meetings like this were not her speciality.

"Wait." Gallus waved Uthri down, "I...actually think it prudent to wait for another hour at least," Gallus brought his hands up to his chin. "I would suggest letting the guards finish searching the clanhome unimpeded than with a crowd streaming in. Someone could get out in the confusion."

However the situation was resolved, Gallus rubbed his forehead and took a deep breath. "Alright, I think the pressing decisions have been made now. Perhaps we should slow down for the moment." Gallus lowered his hand and looked to Ri'vashi, "I think we may have caused a bit of chaos by just walking in. With all the frayed thoughts, a danger we face is rash decisions driven by a lack of information. Shall we recount the events of the past few weeks to you, if only to make sure you have all the information available, Ri'vashi?"

"Very well. Ri'vashi does not expect that the search will take too much longer, but we can wait all the same. Once this meeting is concluded, this one will check on the search's progress." Ri'vashi answered. "And yes, she would appreciate any information you can give her. She is sure you will want to know more as well."

Following Gallus' offer, Meesei started out the explanation. "We set out from Bruma a few months ago, after I received a vision from Hircine that Elsweyr would need my direct assistance. As soon as we arrived in Senchal, we found a group of what we thought were lycans. All of them, apart from one, were agents of Vile masquerading as lycans. The last was a prisoner by the name of Sees-No-Colors, who they had been forcing to help lure messengers. He helped reveal their treachery, and after we killed them, we rescued his pride. In that rescue, we managed to learn the location of Vile's primary stronghold in Elsweyr. It is a fair distance northeast of Corinthe. We have not been able to scout its location, unfortunately, but it is the best lead we have."

"And you will need Ri'vashi's warriors to help in the assault." She commented with an understanding nod. "Well, this one certainly wants to eliminate Vile's presence from this nation. Fortunately, this one may be able to dedicate her forces freely. It is still possible that Vile's forces as a whole may not know our exact location. The impostor did not come directly to us. Rather, she met some of our scouts in Orcrest. They may not have known precisely where to find us, and since they have not left this stronghold since arriving, they have not been able to report in."

"That much is a relief, I imagine we will need all the help we can get," Gallus commented, even raising a smile.

After a few moments Gallus decided to pick up where Meesei left off. "After we found the Senchal clan, we knew that to stay would have them living on borrowed time. They could not defend themselves, so we explored our options. After deliberation, and some lucky inspiration, we hatched a scheme to sail around Elsweyr to its northern tip by tricking black market slavers into smuggling us. We took over their ships on the Topal sea and sailed up the Niben into the Larsius river, disembarked, and made our way south. It held its own risks, but no one died, as they might have had we simply attempted an overland journey through the central deserts." Gallus' smile faded, "It did not go perfectly, however. There was a loose end we found in the form of a regular family from Senchal stored in the hold." Gallus glanced away as the memory of their living conditions came back, "We managed to drop them off in Leyawiin without revealing entirely what we were or what we were doing, but they spotted someone transformed. That may or may not prove to be a problem, but is less likely to be a problem than what happened after we landed up the Larsius." Gallus ran his teeth under his lips and swallowed awkwardly, "A border patrol found our tracks and caught up with us. Our sentries harried them off in a panic, so they came back with a group of Anequina mounted soldiers lead by a Thalmor official. We apparently succeeded in lying to them with our established cover story - that we were a desert tribe that escaped slavers. However, the agent left us with a section of soldiers to escort us to Orcrest. Without any other options, we had to drive the soldiers off with a few days to Orcrest. We only gave them enough water to get to Orcrest if they hurried, so we know they did not follow us, but we suspect that there is an effort from the local guard to search for a group of our description. We are unsure how successful they will be."

Gallus ended with a look to Ri'vashi. No doubt she had questions or otherwise.

"This one can see why you would be worried, but the Thalmor will not find this place." Ri'vashi said reassuringly. "No patrol has ever come close. Even with an active search, you should be safe as long as you are within this stronghold's walls. Is that everything that brought you to this point? This one supposes you will want to know more about the impostor."

Meesei leaned forward onto the table and clasped her hands together. "Yes, that is everything of importance. The impostor, for how long as she been here? I am sure she would want to attempt some kind of sabotage in this infiltration."

"She has been here just over a week." Ri'vashi answered. "Ironically, she said she was here for much the same reason as you: to bring our forces to fight against Vile. We have spent most of the past week gathering supplies and preparing our warriors for a march to the south. We were going to be leaving within the next few days on a long journey of our own, but the place she described what not quite in the same place you mention. It was almost as far away, but to the northwest of Corinthe."

With Ri'vashi's explanation, there were a few possibilities on what the impostor's plan might have been, the most obvious of which seemed to be an ambush, which was Ra'kalesh's first thought. "That sounds like an ambush to this one. He would be willing to wager that the place she wanted to take you had terrain favorable to an ambushing force. Not to mention, your soldiers would be fatigued from a long journey upon arrival."

"I would still like to question the prisoners, but that does seem likely. The question is, what do we do about that possibility? There may be some way we could turn this to our advantage." Meesei suggested.

"An ambush is certainly an apparent possibility," Gallus said, leaning forward onto his fists and staring at the table in thought. "However, I could see it turned to other means. Personally, if I were in charge of an army of monsters that I wanted wiped from the face of the earth, I would direct them to attack the largest powers in the region. In this case, I would have the Orcrest clan attack the Aldmeri Dominion military. It would reveal the scale of our own organisation and rile the fury of arguably the greatest power on the continent."

Gallus looked up and waved a hand, "Ah, but that is just conjecture. If we keep on our toes, we should be able to spot such a trap before falling into it, especially with our timing here." Gallus shifted back in his seat again, "But yes, if we continue running with the assumption that our enemies believe they are in control of us, that could be powerful indeed." Gallus' eyes went to Meesei, "I would assume that the purpose of drawing out this clan's warriors would be render this place less defended, much like the ruse at Bruma a few years ago, but more permanent." He extended a palm up and uncurled a finger to Meesei, "That means they will have to get its location from you, their informant. That's when we can turn the tables. If we can feed the enemy false information about our numbers, our positioning, and in particular the position of the clanhome, we could set up an ambush for them instead. Any force we eliminate or distract in such a way is likely a force we will not have to deal with at the stronghold we want to capture."

Though he wasn't really an expected participant in the meeting, Fendros leaned forward and gave a cautious comment. "Do you think...well, I would not think that the Meesei impersonator would be the direct contact for the enemy. She is in the public eye too much. Do you think they would try to establish contact with one of her companions instead?"

Meesei rested her chin on her hand, thinking about the speculation that was going around the table. They did not yet know for certain of their enemy's plans, but they had the potential to turn the situation to their advantage. It was possible they would be able to interrogate the prisoners and learn their plans, but it was not a guarantee. Even if they coaxed an answer out of them, there was no way to know if it was the correct one. Perhaps, she reasoned, the best way to handle it would be to find an option that would work regardless of the enemy's plans.

"Indeed, I would not expect the Argonian woman to be the leader of this group. Her only importance to them was her resemblance to me. Although it is possible she is a high ranking member of their group, it would be unlikely that she would just happened to be a leader with something close to my appearance. We will need to interrogate them all, but we cannot count on them sharing accurate information. It could be possible to feed the enemy false information, but any contact with them does increase the chances of them learning that their infiltrators were compromised. Perhaps our best option would be to simply take advantage of how they have distracted themselves? The location Ri'vashi describes, just northwest of Corinthe, it sounds reasonably close to the enemy's main stronghold. That is what leads me to believe that they plan on ambushing us with their own forces. They would be able to have troops from their stronghold there is just a few days, so they would be well-supplied, and well-rested for the fight. But, that also means that some of their forces will be away from their stronghold. If we attack then, we will have an easier time overcoming their defenses. As long as the battle does not become a siege spanning several days, they would not be able to reinforce their stronghold in time." Meesei proposed.

Gallus hummed in apparent agreement, "For the planned ambush against us, I would say that going straight for the stronghold is the safest option in terms of what they could have been planning. As for whether it could be taken quickly, that would largely depend on how the stronghold is built and manned." Gallus brought a hand forward and pantomimed troop movements on the table as he continued, "If the defences are not too tall, or leave the attacker too open to arrows - if they can be feasibly scaled by climbing lycans - I could see a swift capture. Any other attempt would require construction of siege equipment, likely rams, but perhaps even towers on wheels to overcome walls if we must. That will also take time as they must be constructed on the spot rather than carried. And that is assuming that there is wood available to build them from. No, committing to the stronghold on a time limit will be a gamble in that sense. We simply do not have sufficient information."

Taking another breath with another thought, Gallus lowered his brow and asked in a curious tone. "We might try being adaptive in our approach? By the time we get within range of a scout, we could scout the stronghold itself and decide whether we want to take it outright or try find and eliminate the possible ambush force in order to press our advantage in that way."

Gallus' points about the complications that could arise during the attack were valid. Ideally, they would be able to perform a quick, surprise attack before their fortress could be reinforced, but they could not simply plan on the ideal. "Those are fair points. Additionally, I would not want to rely on any plan that requires the use of a large number of transformed lycans. We do not know how much of the suppression gas the enemy has, but we have to assume they would be able to use it in their defense. We can make use of our lycan forms, but only in a limited fashion." Meesei commented.

"Suppression gas?" Ri'vashi asked curiously.

"Oh yes, I suppose you do not yet know of it. The enemy posses a gas that can force a lycan out of their transformed state, or keep us in our normal forms." Meesei explained.

Ra'kalesh had been silent in thought as Gallus had been pointing out the dangers with the plan. He certainly did not debate the validity of his points, but he did have an idea for a way of giving them more information. "It would take us weeks for our entire force to cross the distance to reach this fortress, but there is a way we could scout them sooner. Werevultures can cover large expanses in a fraction of the time as any ground force. If we send teams of werevultures as scouts, they could be there and back in a week. This one knows that they are capable of flying high enough to remain out of sight."

Ra'kalesh's mention of the capabilities of werevultures caused Gallus to grin widely. "Aha, I had not thought that! So they can fly that distance on their own? That would be a fantastic plan." Gallus looked to the others, "If we send these scouts out as we head south, we can have a better idea of where we would want to strike far sooner." Gallus then lowered his voice, "Or if it feasible to strike at all with such a force."

With that last thought out loud, Gallus stopped and considered futher. "Hmm. Should we move out with the scouts and meet them on the road on the way back, or should we wait here while the scouts are on their mission?"

While Meesei did recognize the advantage of leaving sooner, there were too many unknowns for her to say for certain where their soldiers should go. "Since our plans could change rather drastically depending on what those scouts report, it would be best to wait until their return to commit our forces."

"Agreed." Ri'vashi said with a nod. "There are some werevultures among this one's clan, but not a great many. They would likely only be able to scout either the fortress, or the point the impostor was sending us to, in that time."

Ra'kalesh chimed in. "Our clan has trained werevulture scouts as well. They may not be happy to take on such a mission after such a long journey, but he knows they will be willing to for the benefit of the clan."

"Well, then we have a plan for now, then. We should attempt to have them ready to leave by tomorrow." Meesei suggested.

Gallus nodded, as satisfied as everyone else with their plans thus far. He lowered his hands to the table and addressed Ri'vashi. "Right then, it is good that we were able to discuss this. I hope that what the scouts find will be a solvable puzzle to face. Thank you for your assistance, Ri'vashi. And thank you for your welcome of us and the clan we brought with us." Gallus itched behind his ear with one finger, "Perhaps, while we have the time, we could give you the exact numbers we have of the Senchal clan and organise their accommodation in advance. Unless there is something else you would discuss with us first?"

Ri'vashi nodded. "Yes, please. It is going to take a lot of effort to make the kinds of accommodations necessary for such a large number of people. One moment, let me grab a parchment." She answered. Stepping away for a moment, she walked over to a corner of the room with a table, and a series of bookshelves. Compared to the table at the center, it was rather disorderly, but she did not seem to have issue finding a blank parchment and writing implements. Once she returned, Meesei and Ra'kalsesh began answering any questions she had about the clan and what they would need.

---

Once the meeting was over, they all left out of the room to start on their tasks. Uthri and Ra'kalesh were going to head back to inform the clan to pack the camp, then head inside the stronghold. Ri'vashi, while she had quite a few responsibilities at the moment, was first going to find her council and make accommodations for the Senchal clan. Meesei was going to check on Irenya and the Argonian impostor, while everyone else would have the chance to simply familiarize themselves with the clan and the stronghold itself. They would all be separating in the main chamber, but they were all still walking together through the hallways at the moment.

It was close to being dinner time, so the hall was moderately crowded. Without her robe, Meesei was easy to identify, so there were a few that stared at her as they passed. Likely, most of the clan had heard of what happened when they arrived. However, it was not likely that they had received any official explanation, so Meesei could only imagine what notions they had in their minds. Their expressions were certainly varied.

Just as they were about to reach the main chamber, Ri'vashi started to look closely at an individual that was approaching them. He was acting no differently from any of the other clan members, but nevertheless, she seemed to be staring him down. He was a Human man, likely Imperial, in a simple brown hooded robe. He had his hands clasped together in front of him, and his head slightly lowered. As they drew nearer, however, Ri'vashi's eyes widened.

"Champion!" She shouted, drawing her blade just as the man pulled a dagger. He lunged for Meesei, but Ri'vashi's blade was quick. It was a long, curved blade: an Akaviri katana. It sliced through his forearm, stopping on the bone, but nearly cutting the muscle in half. He dropped his knife, then fell to his knees.

Gallus snapped his head to look at Ri'vashi at the cry of alarm and his eyes caught the attacker's blade. He did not pretend to know the nature of Ri'vashi's sword as it flashed seemingly out of nowhere, but he wasted no time kicking the dagger away as soon as it clattered to the ground. The attacker was apparently incapacitated and in pain, though Gallus did not assume as much. He shot out an arm and grabbed the man in the neck with enough force to throw him back onto the ground, pinning him.

By this point, the rest of the group had caught up with the situation. It was a relief to see that no one but the assailant was hurt, but it was so sudden as to be a shock. They circled around the man, while a couple of others kept close to Meesei and peered around the crowd, looking for any other potential attackers.

"Looks like we found another," Gallus commented, looking wide-eyed at the man's face. "Is everyone alright?" Gallus hazarded a glance up to Ri'vashi, giving her sword another look. "Is this one of the impostor's companions?"

Ri'vashi held the bloodied blade out towards the Imperial in the event he intended to try anything else, though he seemed too preoccupied holding his hand over the deep gash in his arm to actually attempt another attack. Not to mention, Gallus was keeping him rather securely pinned. His arm was bleeding heavily, even with the pressure he was applying to the wound. "Yes, it looks like he caught wind of what happened. Ri'vashi recognizes this one. He was the most...curious of their group. He was always asking questions, about the clan and the stronghold. He painted himself out as being a scholar."

Meesei stood over the Imperial, keeping her expression calm, but intense. She looked him over carefully, paying close attention to his face, and the severity of his wound. Untreated, death by blood loss was a possibility, but simple bandages would probably be enough to staunch the bleeding sufficiently to allow him to heal on his own. A greater threat would be infection, if he was not a lycan like the Argonian. However, they could allow him to survive that as well. "Well, I hope you are satisfied with what you have learned about this ruin. You shall not be leaving it."

The Imperial leaned his head back and let out an exaggerated, almost delirious laugh. He did not seem outwardly angry, though he still paused a few moments to give her a threatening glare. He was obviously defiant, and wanted to make sure that was clear to his captors. Since Meesei was too far away from him, he turned his head to Gallus and spat in his face.

"Hmm, that's dangerous knowledge-"

Gallus scrunched his eyes shut as a reflex. With the hand that was not planted on the man's neck, he wiped the spit off his face and looked at it. There didn't appear to be anything in it as far as he could see. "Ri'vashi, if you please," Gallus did not turn to her, but seemed unsure how to react to being spat on, "May we have this one locked up as well?"

With a sigh, Gallus shook his head at the man. "That was childish, what you just tried. Why don't you take some time to think about your failure."

"Are we going to keep that one alive at all?" Uthri asked no one in particular, "It sounds like he knows too much if he is the one gathering information."

"He probably told the others." Gallus said, "It is no use treating him any differently."

Meesei stared at the Imperial, speaking firmly with an uncompromising glare. "He will be locked up like the rest. Treat his wound...sufficiently enough that he will survive for the moment. Make no mistake, he will die. That part of his fate is sealed. But, there are worse things than death, and his cooperation will decide how many of them he experiences." She threatened.

Once again, the Imperial started to laugh. Just as Meesei had not acknowledged him directly, so too did he not acknowledge her. Instead, he looked at Gallus once more. He was gritting his teeth enough that he could not hide his pain, though that did not stop him from trying. Despite his situation, he seemed confident, with no shortage of defiance. "Childish? I guess so, but at least I'm not a...savage like you beasts. Uncivilized wretches...hiding out in some hole under a hill. Like rats, pests. You're mongrels, walking around in scraps of leather and hide, trying to act like people. And you...Imperial, or Nord, or whatever you are: you want to kill me. I can see it in your eyes. And I think you're afraid, not of me, but of that...lizard whore you submit to. You're a tool to be used at her whim; A puppet whose strings she is pulling. You jump in front of her at the first sign of danger, like a well-trained servant." The man taunted, before beginning to laugh even more loudly.

"Or maybe you admire her?" The Imperial continued with a particularly condescending voice. "Maybe you want to serve her like a good little dog to earn her attention, or affection? I guess I could see how you'd be attracted to her...if you like animals."

While waiting for guards to arrive and take the man away, Gallus couldn't do much to shut him up without hurting him. He at least kept his head back so he was out of spitting range, but the words would be heard regardless of how the man was held.

It was all awfully stereotypical to Gallus. This man had clearly given up after his ill-fated attempts at assassination failed. Appropriately, Gallus gave the man an endearing smile, as if he was humouring a child. He did not understand Gallus and his motivations, much less his disposition towards Meesei. In fact, once he tried probing the possibility of him holding affection for her, Gallus broke into an involuntary chuckle. It grew into a laugh, genuine enough to counteract the gallows laughter that the assassin sounded.

"Creative, very creative, sir," Gallus said with a grin, wagging his finger, "I think I'll come by to hear more of it later. Do keep thinking of new things." He then pat the man on the cheek and allowed the guards and a healer to take over.

"To think..." Gallus said, barely containing the remains of his laughter as the man went out of earshot, "I come all the way across Tamriel to escape my relationship problems, and he suggests that I would pursue the champion of bloody Hircine." Another small peal of laughter escaped him, "It's too perfect. Too perfect." In that moment, Gallus remembered the seriousness of the situation and cleared his expression. "Ahem, but, yes, that was a close one." Gallus nodded to Ri'vashi, "You have fine reflexes, clan leader."

Meesei continued to avoid acknowledging the Imperial until the soldiers had taken him away. It was only once he was out of sight that she spoke to Gallus. "He was simply taunting you, goading you to attack. Regardless of your opinion on me, he assumed you would take offense. Likely, he wanted you to kill him. We will need to keep a close eye on him to make sure he cannot finish himself off before I am ready for him to die."

Nearby, Ri'vashi produced a small cloth from her pouch and ran it down the flat of her blade to wipe away the blood. The sword had an intricate design on its hilt depicting what appeared to be dragons, if examined closely. The blade itself was clean, apart from the blood, and had been shined to near-perfection. In response to Gallus, she paused and stared at the blade for a few seconds before returning it to its scabbard. "Ri'vashi had a good teacher." She commented.

Ri'vashi remained on alert as she continued, though with all of the soldiers now surrounding them, another attack was unlikely. "With luck, the others will have been found by now. This day...has been nothing but an embarrassment for Ri'vashi and her clan."