Rukeewei laughed. "Well, that is why we eat them. I've always been glad that the finest ingredients in the Marsh can be found right here in Thorn. It is a port city, so we have trade all over, really."

The slugs were nothing new to Meesei, though they did conjure up quite a bit of nostalgia for her. Their scent alone, much like the bergamot extract, brought her mind back to her childhood. To her village. The memories of traditional Argonian meals with her father were not unpleasant ones, but still bittersweet for her to think about. For the moment, though, she simply took a drink of wine as she sat back, listening to the others. Rukeewei, meanwhile passed a few curious glanced between Sabine and Karl. 

"So, um, how did you two meet? I mean, your sister did mention what you said in your letters, but I think stories are always better told in person." Rukeewei asked. 

[hr]

"Hmph, and that's why I'm here." Hal-Neesa remarked, thoroughly enjoying every sour look that Teroiah gave.  "All that [i]experience[/i] you have fighting back against Dagon will end up being a false friend to you if you end up trying to rely on it. This isn't going to be the same. See, the Prince of Destruction is arrogant by [i]Daedric Prince[/i] standards, so it's enough for him just rush straight at his problems with overwhelming force, bash in their skulls, burn them alive, and all that nonsense. The Dremora are his dogs, and any Daedra is a reflection of their creator. The Dremora were happy to just throw themselves at all the mortal 'weaklings' with nothing but their own skill and ego. Really, there's a reason that no other being has failed to capture Tamriel more than Dagon. Vile likes to try to be more clever, though, just like his servants. The Skaafin are physically similar enough to the Dremora, except that they look like the unholy offspring of an Altmer and a goat, but they're going to be more clever. Those...'pertinent differences' you mentioned ripple throughout his whole army. They're going to use formations, they're going to use tactics. They're going to have trained the more bestial Daedra and use them more strategically. They may or may not be [i]good[/i] strategies, but they're not just going to run at you mindlessly. So, you're going to have to out-think them like any other army; oh, and every single one of their soldiers is still an immortal being who does not fear death, so that still factors into their tactics."

A grin crept across Neesa's face as she paused, reaching into a bag she was carrying, which was just as colorful and out-of-place in the cave as her fine dress. Though, even stranger was the object she produced. It was a fairly large orb that appeared to be made of blackened glass, with a deep red, crystalline interior. Now that it was out in the open, a faint humming could be heard emanating from it if one listened closely enough. Teroiah certainly would have had enough personal experience to recognize it as a sigil stone. "Which is why it would be wise for you to add that same kind of power to your own forces. You see, my lord Molag Bal still has plenty of Dark Anchors at his disposal from his...attempted Planemeld. They may not be able to breach the barrier into Mundus any longer, but with just a little help, they can breach through into the Fields of Regret. I received this stone directly from my master, and it is bound to a matching stone within a Dark Anchor in Coldharbour. Place it at a spot in Vile's realm with even the tiniest of liminal fractures, and my master can call forth a Dark Anchor to create a dolmen on the stone. Then, you will have your own fearless, immortal Daedric allies straight from Coldharbour."