[IC] Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

[Muttonhawk]

Even if Lorag sounded a little jaded, the answers he was giving were at least informative. Gallus itched at his temple with one finger while he pondered a response. "Well, he certainly sounds formidable if he's going to be hard to predict. Experienced, too. I won't admit to knowing much about Imperial tactics short of what father taught me. Even that wasn't tempered with much first hand experience." Gallus narrowed his eyes and thought to himself for another few moments. He eventually leaned his chin on his fist and looked to Lorag again. "Can you give us an example of a time where he used unconventional tactics against the stormcloaks? A time where, perhaps, it looked as though the odds were not in his favour at the time?"

---

M'ibasa's guardians sounded kind enough. The assistant did indeed sound odd, but if La'khay could be a painter then there was little that could feasibly stop him writing. At least, if he didn't want to trouble himself in actually trying to distribute books.

Regardless, Tzirret's thoughts were replaced when Ma'tanza kissed him. He put his arms around her torso and kissed her a few more times. He didn't quite feel brave enough to give her a longer kiss out in the open, although he did succeed in relaxing. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against Ma'tanza's, simply enjoying the moment.

It was only at that point, after spending so much time moving around after a sleep-deprived morning that he realised how fatigued he had become. That ended up reminding him of one more thing after pausing in a silent embrace for long enough. Tzirret took a slow breath in and spoke quietly, "Uhm, hey. Did S'nishi end up finding something to hang the token from? The one Tzirret carved for the three of you. He hopes it was no inconvenience."

[EliteCommander]

Lorag finished off the rest of his ale and tossed the bottle aside. He was becoming steadily less reluctant to speak about the current topic the longer the conversation went on, and the more he drank. "It was sometimes hard to see how the pieces of his plans fit together, just being a soldier like I was. I was more focused on bashin' in the traitors' skulls than seeing what my commander's grand plan was, but...there were a few times that I saw enough. I guess one of 'em would be after that dragon attack. We were on the way to Fort Kastav, in the Pale. It had been a point of contention between us and the Stormcloaks; we'd gone back and forth on the place a few times, and built up the defenses more every time it changed hands. I don't think the Pale itself was all that valuable; it was a mountainous, frozen wasteland, mostly. But, Dawnstar had a port the Empire could use to bring in more supplies, and that fort was a decent staging ground to mount attacks on Winterhold and Eastmarch."

With a brief pause, Lorag started to eye the bottle of ale Gallus was holding. "Anyway, we were meant to lay siege to the place, but that dragon had cut us down too much for that. Do'rhajul, though, he didn't back down. He came up with a plan, and didn't tell most of us what it was until it was already happening. In the dead of night, he had a portion of our troops get down in the snow, cover ourselves in it, and start crawling towards the fort. It was dark, and he had us stop just behind a small hill as close as we could get without bein' seen. I was one of 'em. He had the alchemists make us some kind of potion to help with the cold, but that was still the coldest I think I've ever been. Knowing how many supplies we lost to that dragon, it might've just been flavored water, to trick us into thinkin' we were warm. Still, it was better than Do'rhajul's job. See, Fort Kastav was a prison for war captives, since trying to escape into that frozen wasteland was practically a death sentence. So, we dressed up some of our Nords in some Stormcloak uniforms we'd taken from enemy patrols, then had them escort some more of our soldiers as "prisoners" straight up to their fort. Do'rhajul made himself one of the prisoners. It was too dark for them to read the orders we forged from the top of the walls, and they thought the group was too small to be a threat if it turned out to be a trick, but...they were wrong. As soon as they were inside, they overpowered the gate guard to keep the gate open. Now, I couldn't see from where I was, but I heard the stories about the fight. Unarmored, and with a sword undersized for his body, our commander put himself at the front of the defense to hold the gate, with every Stormcloak in sight bearing down on them. We charged as soon as we saw the signal. Stood up out of the snow, ran straight through a volley of arrows, and stormed in straight through the open gate to reinforce them. By the time I got there, Do'rhajul had taken an enemy shield and claymore, and kept leading the attack from the front, all while in prisoner rags."

---

Ma'tanza nodded briefly. "Oh, Ma'tanza just found a bigger cord to hang it around her neck. Well, it's more of a rope; this one just took the cord you had and tied it to a rope around her neck. That seems to work fine."

Seeing Tzirret's rather exhausted demeanor produced a yawn from Ma'tanza. She was not as fatigued as him, but she did feel like laying down to relax. She pulled away from Tzirret briefly to reach into her tent and drag her bedroll outside, just in front of the tent. Sitting down on the bedroll, she reached back and started to unwrap her torso. "You do look really tired. This one hopes you don't have to work this much every day of the march. Ma'tanza doesn't see how anyone could do that."

[Muttonhawk]

Gallus took another swig of ale as he listened. Once Lorag was finished, he passed the bottle to Lorag and held his fingers together, thinking for a long while.

"I take it commanders don't usually take part in such dangerous parts of their plans? Hmm." Gallus thought out loud. "If he fights from the front like that, no wonder he commanded respect."

It would be admitted by Gallus that military analysis was not his forte. While he though as much about what his father would say he also hoped that Ri'vashi was eavesdropping so that her input could be given afterwards.

"So, it's sounding like security is something to watch for, at least." Gallus said unsurely, "Though, knowing these types, we'll need to be looking after all our weaknesses if we can find them. Perhaps try displaying some false ones? It doesn't seem like this character sits and waits for any longer than needed."

Gallus ran tongue over the inside of his teeth and looked to Lorag again. "Was there anything that set him off? Any indication of anger or frustration while you served under him? Out of the ordinary discipline for commanders, that is."

---

"Mmm, Tzirret did not get this way just from the work. He stayed up late last night, trying to finish carving the tokens." Tzirret didn't shift onto the bedroll until Ma'tanza had finished unwrapping in order to give her the space to do so. He had been with her long enough to be used to it. "This one tends to focus on little things like that so much that he loses track of time."

Empathetic to Ma'tanza's yawn, Tzirret did the same, though even more deeply, shutting his eyes and holding his breath until he could feel his heart nudging under his diaphragm. He then lifted his knees to lean forward upon them. His head rolled to one side on bis arms to look at Ma'tanza with one perked ear. "Tzirret will sleep well tonight, he thinks." He smiled slightly, "Is he making Ma'tanza tired as well?"

[EliteCommander]

Lorag shook his head. "He kept himself separate from his men. Professional. He didn't want to get mixed up in attachments with his soldiers. It wasn't like I was friends with him; I respected him. We all respected him, at least all of us that didn't care that he was a cat. He commanded that respect not because he wanted to be our friends, or because he was lenient, or strict, but because his actions demanded it. He was like...a symbol of Imperial might or somethin'. I respected him more than my own father."

Tightening his grip on the bottle of ale, Lorag took a drink with an increasingly frustrated expression. "It just doesn't make any sense, any of it. This isn't like him. Vile is a selfish Daedra that deals with selfish people. He appeals to greed, to pride, to people wantin' power and all that. Do'rhajul was never any of that. He served the legion with honor, and a purpose beyond gold. This can't be the same Khajiit."

---

Ma'tanza gave a slight giggle. "A little." She answered as she laid herself back on the bedroll with her hands behind her head. Her gaze focused on the stars above them, which, with the sun setting over the horizon, were growing brighter by the minute. As per usual in the desert, the sky was perfectly clear, so there was nothing to obstruct her view of the moons and constellations.

"You look like you'll be asleep a lot sooner than this one, though. Promise this one that you won't keep staying up like that on her account, though. You need to be nice and alert on a march like this, especially when it comes time to actually treat the wounded. As a healers' assistant, you can't afford to make any mistakes. A potion of healing, and a potion of fire resistance look very similar, but only one of them will keep someone from bleeding to death while they are waiting on a healer." She commented.

[Muttonhawk]

Even though Gallus did not know Do'rhajul as Lorag claimed that he did, Gallus responded regretfully. "I can't say for sure what is driving Do'rhajul if it is the same man as your commander, but...from what I've seen, Vile doesn't always appeal to greed. He appeals to desperation." Gallus looked down, "If it is the same man, and he is as you say, that is more likely the truth of the matter."

Gallus took in a slower breath, considering his words very carefully for his next point question. "I...do not want to sound callous. It is obvious that your respect for Do'rhajul ran deep. However, if we are to try and defeat him, we need everything we can." Gallus swept a hand lazily. "It occurs to me that he has to be serving Vile for a reason, perhaps we could use that. There are cures available, from what we have found out, so if there is anything that lycanthropy is preventing him from returning to, that wouldn't be it." Gallus rubbed his forehead, "What could it be? Revenge for his troops? A pact on his life? His soul?"

Shaking his head, Gallus felt like he was out of inspiration for now. He looked to Meesei to see if she had anything to ask.

---

"This one knows the difference," Tzirret groaned as if he was being lectured. He rolled his eyes and laid back alongside Ma'tanza, lifting an arm around her shoulders. He might have fallen asleep if it weren't for the stars looking so captivating. Tzirret continued with sincerity, "He promises that he will not make a habit of staying up late, though, if you ask it." He turned his head to look at Ma'tanza's eyes and smiled, "...but he wishes to stay here with Ma'tanza a while, if she does not mind." Tzirret's eyes flicked to one side and back, spotting an opportunity that he took with perhaps not the smoothest delivery; "She, uh...goes well with the stars."

[EliteCommander]

"I don't know!" Lorag shouted angrily. He sneered at Gallus briefly before shaking his head and looking away. His anger was short lived, and was replaced my a degree of emotion only slightly above apathy. "Look, I can't tell you his motivations, 'cause like I said, it doesn't make sense. If he just wanted a cure, then he'd know that others in their little cult are gettin' the same thing for a lot less, by the sound of it. I can tell you about who he was as a soldier, but if it is him, then I can't tell you nothin' about him now."

Meesei interjected, trying to sound as encouraging as possible. "Tell us that, then. About his career as a soldier. His motivations are not really our concern; only how to stop him. How he performed in the war would give us the best idea of how he will perform now."

Lorag grumbled briefly before taking the time to down half of his remaining ale. "Fine, I'll give you all the war stories I've got. Might as well write them down or somethin', so you can...study 'em, for all the good it'll do."

---

Ma'tanza laughed once more. "Tzirret, you try too hard." She said, motioning for him to lay down beside her. As soon as he did, she curled up next to him and rested her head on his upper chest. The air would start to cool soon, so Ma'tanza would likely want to head into her tent and stay under her blankets soon, but she seemed quite content for the moment.

"Ma'tanza...hopes we will be able to relax like this often." She commented.

[Muttonhawk]

Gallus flinched back a little when Lorag shouted. He wished he hadn't but it was a reflex. What he further wished he hadn't done was tread on Lorag's worries as he did. Gallus had never witnessed him get so worked up about anything.

To spare Lorag's patience, Gallus raised a palm and suggested, "We could deal with the abridged version for now. Scribing everything may take a while." Gallus lowered his hand. "Start from the beginning. Let us know what you remember. If we need details then you can let us know and we'll get some paper and ink later."

---

"This one hopes that, too," Tzirret murmured, wrapping his arms around Ma'tanza and watching the stars with her. He pondered to himself how he would never have believed being in this position before he set out from Bruma. So much had changed. He barely perceived himself smiling more contently than ever as his eyes drooped shut. There were always more things to worry about, but here with Ma'tanza, none of that seemed to be bothering Tzirret at all. Falling asleep was something he had no chance of detecting himself.

[EliteCommander]

Lorag let out a huff. "We've got weeks of walking to do before we even get close to this fortress; I think I've got plenty of time to write down a few stories. But fine, I guess I can tell you somethin'. After I finished my training in Cyrodiil, I was sent pretty much immediately to Skyrim, and I was assigned to his battalion. My very first posting was a fort in the Reach, protecting the roads to secure silver shipments. That far west, we had to deal more with Forsworn than Stormcloaks. Of course, I didn't get an assignment for at least a few weeks after I got there. When my group of Auxiliaries arrived, he took a few weeks to...break us in, I guess."

At this point, Lorag did not seem to have any interest in sharing his ale, as this bottle was getting close to empty as well. "We went through the usual that new recruits could expect. Surprise barracks inspections, inevitable group punishments for failures, constant drills that were completely pointless except to create discipline. It was like being in training all over again. The thing I didn't expect was that, after about a week, he held something of a contest between all the Auxiliaries; a pretty comprehensive one. Hand-to-hand, swordsmanship, spears, archery, magic, any aspect of fighting. Aside from the, uh, private betting pool the Auxiliaries made, the rewards were just some extra rations and lenient assignments for mundane duties, but I think the point of holding it was so he could learn about what we could do. When it came time to give us actual, important assignments, he used that to assign our roles. If this General is the same commander I knew, don't expect there to be many holes in the defense. The people defending the walls will be doing the jobs he thinks they're best at."

[Muttonhawk]

Gallus listened on with his elbows leaned forward onto his legs where he sat. Using competitions to assess the soldiers was a clever move. It never occurred to Gallus as lycan warbands tended to train so much in one place that the leaders would get to know their troops well anyway. Still, it indicated that Do'rhajul was very detail-oriented.

When Lorag was done, Gallus paused, gave Meesei a glance, and then spoke to Lorag again. "I can get you another ale if you want to keep going tonight. Or we could leave you with some paper and ink and follow up later. What's going to be best for you?"

[EliteCommander]

After Lorag finally finished off his second ale, he tossed it aside as well. He was not quite angry any more, though his expression as he looked at Gallus did seem to be at least mildly annoyed. "Unless you want to spend the rest of the night here, I had better just write out what you need. Won't be needing it all 'till we get to the stronghold, anyway."

With a nod, Meesei started to stand up. "Very well. I have some other matters to attend to for now, so I will leave you to yourself for now. With luck, the enemy we face will not be the same commander you knew."

As Meesei left the tent to convene with Ri'vashi, Lorag looked down at the empty bottles in the corner and let out a sigh. "He isn't." He muttered under his breath.

[Muttonhawk]

Gallus stood up as Meesei did. He started exiting wordlessly at first, but he turned around at the entrance to the tent and acknowledged Lorag with a blank face and a small nod. "Thank you for your help, Lorag," he mentioned before leaving.

When he was outside, Gallus caught up with Ri'vashi and Meesei, but he did not speak a word until they were out of earshot from the tent. "He certainly fits what information we have, unfortunately for Lorag." Gallus glanced over his shoulder. "He's really hitting himself hard about this. Is he going to be alright, Meesei?"

Gallus turned his attention up to Ri'vashi afterwards. "I take it you were listening in?" he asked, "What's your take on this so far?"

[EliteCommander]

Ri'vashi looked around to see if anyone was paying particularly close attention to them before answering. "Ri'vashi sincerely hopes that Lorag is correct, and this General simply shares that name by coincidence. If not, it will be difficult to overcome him. Having the element of surprise may not even be enough, depending on how far ahead Do'rhajul has planned."

"If that is the case, we will just need to be as unconventional as him." Meesei commented. "Lorag will be fine. He understands duty better than most, and he will let nothing get in the way of us accomplishing this mission."

Though worried about what they could potentially be facing, Ri'vashi would face the issue just the same as she would any other. "Once Lorag is able to write what he knows, we should meet again with Ra'jorr to discuss it. We can look for patterns, and try to find some approach that Do'rhajul's enemies have never tried against him."

[Muttonhawk]

"I agree," Gallus responded to Ri'vashi, "Lorag may not have known exactly the way he thought, but maybe we can glean something from his history." Despite Gallus' words, he did not seem particularly confident. "I just hope that there is an opportunity or odd plan that comes to our minds when we arrive. We are already at a disadvantage by being the attackers. We will need to push something before the ambush force realises that we are not headed in their direction and reinforce the stronghold. If the ambush force is still where they should be in the first place."

Gallus walked alongside Meesei and Ri'vashi for a short while longer before they passed his own tent. At that, he slowed down momentarily. "Is there anything else to discuss for now or should we get ready for tomorrow? One of us ought to let Ra'jorr know what we've found out so far."

[EliteCommander]

"I will inform him." Meesei answered. "For now, you can get some rest. We do still have a long journey ahead of us, so we will have time to complete our planning. I expect we will have many more meetings over the next few weeks to finalize our plan of attack. Now, rest well." Meesei answered before separating from Gallus and Ri'vashi to speak to Ra'jorr.

---

As expected, there were many more meetings during the next week about most aspects of the march. Some were simply about small changes to their planned route to Corinthe, while others were more detailed discussions about how the command structure of Ra'jorr's forces would interact with those of Ri'vashi. Lorag took some time to write out the most comprehensive description he could think of regarding Do'rhajul. It was only after he was confident that he had given all of the information he could, about a week after they left, that they could make more detailed plans.

This time the warband set up camp, they were actually able to get some kind of respite from the days of wandering the desert. They were still over a week from reaching the Tenmar forest, but they had happened to reach one of the Oases along their path just as the sun was beginning to set. As such, they were able to make camp somewhere other than an endless sea of sand. There were a variety of grasses, flowers, bushes, and even a large pond right next to their camp.

Meesei found Gallus while he was still setting up his tent. "There you are. When you are able, I would like you to join us in the main tent. I have gathered the others for a meeting; it is time to decide on a concrete plan of attack for the stronghold itself. At least, as much of one as we can make with the information we have."

On the other side of camp, Ahnasha and Fendros had just finished putting up their tent. Ahnasha had been going through phases of discomfort and worry from being separated from Rhazii, but for the moment, she appeared calm enough that Irenya finally felt comfortable in approaching them. She rather poorly attempted to hide her nervousness as she walked up to the pair. "Good evening...you two. Has everything been going well on the journey so far? Any problems you have encountered?"

[Muttonhawk]

Gallus was knelt down with a mallet, just about to hammer a peg down when Meesei spoke. He looked up with a high brow to listen. If Meesei words indicated anything this far from the stronghold, there was new information that they needed to work around. Gallus hoped it was good news.

"Alright, I'll be just a few minutes," Gallus said as he lifted the mallet once more and began to strike the peg.

True to his word, Gallus turned up in the command pavilion after spending a short while pitching his tent. He lifted the flap, peered inside, and smiled as his eyes adjusted to the lower light. "Today we begin, eh?" He said as he stepped inside. He addressed Meesei first, "I take it we've worked out something new?"

---

While the journey progressed, Fendros had distracted his own worries about Rhazii by diving into whatever tasks he had been assigned with all he had. On the other side, he tried to be a comfort for Ahnasha even though there was little reassurance for either of them. However, Fendros had been getting better as Ahnasha had.

As for Irenya, ever since Fendros had last talked to her on the matter of marriage back at the clanhome, their interactions had only really been in passing. A social visit caused Fendros to look somewhat surprised, but he found no reason to be uncivil.

"Oh, hello Irenya," Fendros said, noting her anxious demeanour. He looked at Ahnasha and shrugged before returning to Irenya. "We've not really had any problems, no. It was hard to say goodbye to Rhazii for such a long period but we're managing just fine." Fendros put a hand on his hip and found himself mirroring Irenya's uneasy expression. "What...brings you to this side of the camp?"

The end of Fendros' sentence was interrupted by the sound of a splash of water as some people dove into the pond nearby. Fendros thought he heard Tzirret and Sabine's laughter amongst it.

[EliteCommander]

"We do have as much of a description of Do'rhajul as we can get, yes. But mostly, we simply need to develop our plan before reaching the stronghold. Once we are within range of the stronghold, we will need to act quickly, or risk losing the element of surprise. We will scout it once more when we are in range to make final adjustments to the plan, of course, but we should have this discussion well in advance." Meesei answered. Along with her in the tent were Ri'vashi, Ra'jorr, Lorag, and the leader of the scouting party, Miranor. Between them all were piles of documents stacked onto a small wooden table. On top of the pile was the map of the stronghold that the scouts had drawn from their observations.

Ri'vashi leaned over the table and began to point out features on the map. "The stronghold is not exceptionally large, about the size of a village in land area, but it is well defended. It has tall stone walls, and apart from our werevultures, we will not be able to scale them without ladders, even in our lycan forms. There seems to be only one entrance: the main gate. It consists of two massive wooden doors reinforced by iron, but even so, our stronger lycans could perhaps break through it. However, there also appears to be a grate above the gate itself, with large pots that could be filled with boiling oil. Inside the walls, there are rows of small, wooden buildings. They could be meant as quarters, or for storage, though we do not know for certain. About half of the area inside the walls is taken up by large stone keep, which is most likely the command center of Vile's forces in all of Elsweyr. It is about twice the height of the walls, and may have some of its interior underground. It can be accessed by another set of reinforced wooden doors, as well as two bridges to the walls on opposite sides of the keep. At the time our scouts were observing the area, they seemed to be starting an expansion project to increase the stronghold's size, but unfortunately, it does not seem to present a weakness. They are building on new structures outside the walls, and are extending the walls around them, but they are leaving the old wall standing, likely until the expansion is complete. As you can see, the stronghold is located in the depths of the Tenmar forest, but the enemy has cleared out all of the trees in a fair area around the stronghold's outer walls. Since we cannot afford the time required for a siege, we will need to find some way to get our forces in quickly."

---

After the initial nervousness of her greeting, Irenya's demeanor started to slowly become more normal. "I have simply been asking around the camp and checking on everyone I can, making sure that no one is close to suffering from heat stroke, or the like. The members of the Orcrest clan have exceptional constitution in the heat, but some of our clan, and the Senchal clan, have been having some problems since we first set foot in the desert. She will not admit it directly, but I know Uthri is not well-adapted to the heat."

Ahnasha, while not openly hostile to Irenya at this point, was still suspicious of her. With how she acted when they first met, she felt that this sudden, casual demeanor of hers was nothing like the Dunmer she had spent all those weeks avoiding. Still, she did not speak up, and allowed Irenya to continue. "I have also been...debating with myself on my role in this attack. We will need healers to stay back at our camp outside the stronghold to treat the wounded that can be carried back, but some of us will also need to join in the attack as well. Otherwise, there would be no one to stabilize the badly injured, heal smaller wounds that would be otherwise debilitating. Given my experience in combat, I believe I would be best suited for the latter option."

[Muttonhawk]

Gallus leaned his hands on the edge of the map and studied it closely. The humour had gone from his face as he concentrated. It was a few moments before he started thinking out loud.

"So we have the gate, the walls, or the top of the keep as means of entry," he repeated. "And I take it there were no underground entrances that were found, hmm." Gallus took a moment to itch his chin. "Every point of ingress appears defensible. Anyone approaching would be under arrow fire. The enemy is expecting lycans as well."

Gallus stood up straight and looked to the others. "It seems to me that if we cannot rush the gate before they close it and organise a defence, a frontal assault is going to be the most difficult route." Gallus quickly traced the expansion wall with his fingers. "If it should come to that, the expansion may provide concealment from arrows for a small number, but I, for one, would like to explore..." Gallus turned his wrist to coax the words from his mouth, "...what did you call it, Meesei? Unconventional options."

Gallus then laid a finger on the main gate and the gatehouse above it. "Now, tell me if this is not feasible or not a good idea. This is both the strongest and weakest point, by the looks of it. Is there any way to get a small force in there and hold it long enough to open the gate? Perhaps our element of surprise should be employed as far as it will take us."

---

To Irenya's first point, Fendros was blunt. "I've not been worried by the sun at all. Dunmer skin. Ahna is Khajiit as well. Janius and Kaleeth are more likely to have problems."

The question of Irenya in the attack was surprising to Fendros, though he only raised his eyebrows at it. "Well, I..." Fendros wasn't sure why she was mentioning it to them, if he were honest. "As long as there are still expert healers behind the lines, I don't see why the latter isn't a good idea."

Fendros walked around the tent to Ahnasha and put a hand on her shoulder, looking to Irenya. "Unless otherwise ordered, we're going to be with the archers."

While he tolerated Irenya's presence for the moment, Fendros knew how Ahnasha felt about her. He hoped that Irenya would get to the point of her visit soon, if there even was one.

[EliteCommander]

"You are correct that it is a potential weak point, as the main gate would allow us the quickest way in." Meesei answered. "But, there are, obviously, some difficulties. From our scouts observations, the crank for the gate is not located directly above it, which means it must be in the wall on one side of it. But, that does not mean it is inaccessible to us. It would not be far from that gatehouse, in any case. If we could get someone to that crank, and if they could defend it, then it would not take long for our forces to start storming through the gate."

Miranor had her eyes on the same spot which Gallus was pointing to, but was quite visibly concerned. "Getting that gate open would be the fastest way for us to get inside, but only a werevulture could get over those walls, and as far as lycans are concerned, we are not the most...hardy. We do not have as much strength, our bones are easier to break. We can overpower a Khajiit or Human, certainly, but we are not well-suited for frontline fighting. I do believe we could get in quickly enough to reach the crank and open the gate, but if they saw us coming, which they certainly would, then their response would be quick. I do not think we could hold against a counter-attack."

---

Irenya nodded. "Sensible. I have heard of your skills. I am assuming that packs, and prides, will be positioned together as much as possible, since they can work together more efficiently. I will be with my pack, more than likely. Though, I am sure we should be prepared to work together with all of our brothers and sisters."

To her credit, Ahnasha was making a solid effort to remain civil with Irenya, though she did not answer beyond nodding along with the Dunmer. Regardless, Irenya did not show any signs that she was intent on leaving soon. "At any rate, I...was merely wondering if you felt like talking. On a journey like this, it is good to take some time to relax. Mental health is almost as important as physical health, after all."

[Muttonhawk]

Gallus crossed one arm to prop up his other as he cupped his chin in his palm and continued staring at the map. "Very well, perhaps there's another way to deal with the crank."

There was a long pause for thought. Gallus tried his best to think of ways that didn't involve quite so much brute force. It was difficult, but there were some other options. He simply thought out loud rather than dismiss any outright. "Is there a way to break the crank mechanism so it can be left alone rather than defended?" Gallus interrupted himself before answers were given. "Although, that would be easier if it was struck while the gate was open. They can't keep their only way in or out closed indefinitely. That might necessitate doing so right before the attack begins. If we have surprise on our side then there might be an opportunity to sneak in, or use the night, or..." Gallus' eyes flicked to Meesei and he lowered his hand curiously. "Meesei, I am curious about something. You remember when defending Bruma that a fire was set within the cave to choke the entrance with smoke? This is..." Janius chuckled to himself at the thought, "This is open air, so I have no idea, but is there some kind of natural looking smoke or mist that magic can provide? Anything to help hide us?"

Being unaccustomed to magic of course had Gallus forgetting about invisibility and its countermeasures.

---

Sucking in a breath through his teeth, Fendros awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. His pause betrayed his ambivalence to Irenya staying around, but there was not much he could really do about it. If he made an excuse, Irenya would just come by later, most likely. At the same time, he didn't want to be rude.

With no apparent input coming from Ahnasha, Fendros conceded. "Okay," he said slowly. He gave Ahnasha a subtly apologetic look before continuing. "What did you want to talk about?"

[EliteCommander]

Ri'vashi moved the map to the side and started to look through some of the other papers. By the quick, almost frantic nature of her search, she was looking for something specific, but she had no luck in finding it. "Without knowing what kind of mechanism they are using to open and close the gates, it is hard to say if we can damage it effectively. Some mechanisms are more resistant to sabotage than others. It is possible, but we cannot plan on it being an easy possibility."

"As for concealing our approach, there are some possibilities in that regard." Meesei added. "Creating a mist of that scale is not a well-known magical technique, but it is possible. Still, instead of obscuring the entire area, it may be more practical to simply obscure our infiltrators. Invisibility, or a strong chameleon effect, could mask their approach. They would likely be revealed once they open the gate, but their soldiers would not have near as much time to mount a defense. Of course, this assumes they are not detected. They could still be heard, and life detection magic could discover them prematurely."

"That is true, but..." Miranor began, leaning her hands onto the table. "In my experience, such defenses are rarely directed directly upwards."

---

Irenya, though there was some awkwardness in her expression, remained casual. "Well, I did not have anything in particular in mind, but...we have been traveling together for some time and I do not feel like I know either of you very well. I know you are both Cyrodilic, and I know of some of your skills, but not a great deal more. Where did you first start learning those skills?" Irenya asked both of them, though she was looking directly at Ahnasha.

With slightly widened eyes, Ahnasha was surprised to see Irenya's attention directed at her. She knew that Irenya had some kind of motivation to speak to Fendros, with him being Dunmer, but she did not know why she would want to give her any kind of remotely positive attention. "I'm self-taught." Ahnasha answered simply, and abruptly.