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

[EliteCommander]

"Indeed, the timing of this is too convenient to be simple coincidence." Meesei commented, nodding to Fendros. "I suspect that whoever these visitors are knew when we would return, though I do not know how. We certainly were not followed. Hircine himself may have had a hand in this. Regardless, I cannot say exactly who these visitors will be; Hircine was not specific. He rarely is. But, it is not as if our clan receives many visitors, so they should not be difficult to recognize. Hircine did say they would be coming this morning, so we should not be waiting too long."

The group continued their breakfast, now with almost all of them showing some anxiety. Whoever these visitors would be, Hircine himself had seen fit to warn beforehand of their arrival. He did not commune often with Meesei, so any time he did had to be important for one reason or another. At the very least, Meesei was not wrong when she guessed they would not be waiting long.

Shortly before most of the gorup had finished their breakfast, two of the clan's Nord warriors in full steel armor came walking into the dining hall. Warriors generally did not wear full armor except when on guard, or during training, so they had most likely come straight from one of the guard posts. Meesei and her pack were close to the entrance, so it did not take long for them to spot her. The taller man spoke up, standing as if he were at attention. "Champion, we encountered a group of four intruders entering the cave. We thought they might just be lost travelers at first, but they knew we were here. They surrendered themselves to us immediately; we searched them and found no weapons, or any of that gas, but they're all wearing the same kind of black robes, so they might be mages. They...asked for you specifically, Champion."

Meesei put down the last scraps of her meal, then brought herself up to her feet. "Well, it is good we did not have to wait too long, I suppose. You can all join the meeting as well." She said to her pack. "No doubt whatever these visitors have to say will affect us all."

Most of Meesei's pack started to stand as well, or quickly finish off the last of their food. Though, Peiter showed no interest in moving. He was not part of their pack, and highly doubted that it was his place to be a part of any important meetings.

[Muttonhawk]

There wasn't much talk after Meesei explained further. Everyone was trying to work out who the visitors could be. By the time the armoured guards stopped by, everyone knew what their news was before it was spoken.

The pack stood up slowly, wiped their hands, and packed away whatever utensils they were using. Sabine gave Peiter a glance where he sat, and a look when she was ready to move. She leaned forward to look at his face and murmured, "Do you want to come along?"

Sabine didn't mind either way. She was easygoing in her tone.

"Black robes. That doesn't say much." Janius spoke as if avoiding that they all had some good ideas of the identity of these new characters. Some of the possibilities were not pleasant to consider. Janius addressed the guard before they all started moving. "What did these people look like, apart from their robes?"

[EliteCommander]

Peiter shook his head. "No, I...don't think I should be there. That's not my place." He answered, matching her tone. Though, it was uncertain if he was being genuine. He had not completely finished his meal, but gathered up what remained and quickly took his leave as Meesei and the others were starting to walk away. It seemed like he did not want to give her any time to try and persuade him.

The guard could not be very expressive in his armor, but what Janius could see of his face showed that he was uncertain. "It's...hard to say much about them really. Most of them were Imperial, I think. One Altmer. He seemed to be the leader. At least, he was the one talking to us. They approached calmly, said they did not 'intend harm', and surrendered immediately. They said they wanted to talk to you specifically, Champion. They haven't tried to do anything to us yet, but we're still assuming they're dangerous. We have their hands bound, and are keeping them under guard."

"Excellent, it is good to be cautious." Meesei responded. "But in this case, I believe I have been expecting our visitors. I have already called for a meeting with the Alpha and her lieutenants, so I would like you to have our visitors escorted to our meeting chamber. Under guard, of course."

The warrior looked even more confused than before, but he was not about to question Meesei's order. "Of course, Champion, right away."

From there, Meesei and her pack split from the warrior and headed up to the meeting chamber. Vera and her lieutenants, along with Ri'vashi had evidently been waiting for a while. Pierrette had been considering sending someone to find Meesei before they arrived. Meesei explained what was happening quickly, though it was only a few minutes before the warriors arrived with their intruders, so they could see them for themselves.

It was hardly standard procedure to bring a group of prisoners straight to the clan's leadership, so most of the warriors looked to be on edge, though all four of their robed guests seemed perfectly calm. The Altmer among them took a step forward, and did not so much as react when the guard to his right took a step forward as well and tightened his grip on his spear. Meesei, who was sitting at the head of the table, acknowledged the Altmer with a nod. "I am Hircine's Champion. I hope you can forgive the nature of the welcome you received, but I believe you should explain your reason for being here."

"It is my understanding that you have been expecting us, Champion of Hircine." The Altmer man answered, still without much of a hint of emotion. "It would be best to get straight to our business. It is not us who has an interest in speaking with you shifters, but rather the one we serve. If you will unbind my hands, I will give you what you need." He explained. The Altmer held his hands up in front of him, which were tied together by rope at the wrists. Meesei gave a nod to the guard beside him who, albeit reluctantly, untied the knot as requested.

Without any further words, the Altmer reached into the large satchel he was carrying over his shoulder and produced a rather sizable black book. It was rough looking, with a symbol printed onto the front too worn to make out from across the table. However, it was not until he placed it down at the center of the table and opened it that its true nature became apparent. The book was almost like a portal, from which a writhing mass of tentacles and floating eyeballs emerged. It filled the entire space above the table, and was contained within an ever shifting green and black aura. The eyes looked in all directions, at every one of the onlookers, though the largest, double-irised eyeball at the center of the grotesque being focused directly on Meesei. The first reactions of the guards was to raise their weapons towards the monstrosity, but none dared to make an attack. Meanwhile, each of their black-robed visitors dropped to their knees to bow before their lord. It spoke in a deep, almost gurgling voice. "I...am Hermeus Mora. Guardian of the unseen, and...knower of the un-known."

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine smiled. "Okay. I will find you afterwards."

Newt and Rhazii had already been dropped off with the the rest of the children for teaching for the day, so the pack did not have to delay any further before leaving for the meeting.

The meeting itself was nothing short of eerie at first. The intruders were not anyone that either Meesei's pack or the council recognised. The way they moved and spoke was unnatural -- almost unliving. The huge tome that the Altmer presented did not give any further clues until it was opened.

Everyone, even Darahil, was shocked into jumping at what poured forth from the Altmer's book. Sabine shrieked and charged a magical ward. Fendros and Oswall outright stood up from their seats and drew their weapons, backing away from the eyes and tentacles that seemed to follow them to take up more and more space. Janius stood up as well, but kept his knees sprung. Vera was shocked into paralysis, her eyes almost popping out at the eye in front of her and her hands clinging to the arms of her seat.

The panic brought on by the being's appearance did not subside after its introduction. The monstrosity before them, Fendros and Sabine recognised, was a Daedric Prince. This one was lesser-known, but its reputation was neither good nor evil. This one was tied to fate and memory. In coincidence to its theme, the appearance of this prince brought only more questions to Sabine and Fendros' minds beyond the immediate fear they held.

All were silent, save for their fast breathing. Meesei was addressed and they didn't dare interrupt.

[EliteCommander]

Even Meesei had not expected their visitor to be the prince of knowledge and fate. If anything, she had suspected that they might be representatives of Molag Bal, with whom they had a tenuous alliance. This was a surprise, but Meesei did not panic. She recognized the black book as soon as she saw it, so she was prepared for what had come next. She kept her seat, staring into the grotesque eyes of Hermeus Mora. Pierrette and Tola jumped up from their seats, and Ri'vashi had her hand on her blade. Kaleeth was startled into jumping in front of Janius to protect him, and Ahnasha had started charging conjuration energy through her body. Lorag had not even bothered drawing a weapon and looked like he was ready to fight a Daedric Prince with his bare hands.

Between all of the fear and surprise in the room, Meesei tried to maintain a sense of calm. "And I am Hircine's Champion, and representative on Nirn. Though, I know that you, of all beings, would know that. Your visit was not what I expected today. In my studies of history, the Prince of Knowledge has not been known to form alliances or wage war with other Princes. I...suspect that your intentions here are somewhat different." She said. Meesei took care not to appear rude, but she also did not want to showMora any kind of subservience. She was a representative of Hircine, not some worshipper looking for a boon.

Hermeus Mora made a strange, bubbling sound, like humming. One could also interpret it as a growl, though Mora was an unusual enough entity that it was improssible to read any emotions from him, if "emotion" was even a concept that could apply to a Daedric Prince. "Hmm...a bold mor-tal. You are...correct. I have no interest in the petty affairs of mortal beasts. Your...secrets are known to me, and your lives...in-consequential. But, your souls are...inconvenient to me. I am not inter-ested in warfare, but...Clavicus Vile seeks to upset the...balance. It is in my...interest, to give you a...gift. To help you contain Vile's ambitions. You need a new home, so I will give you the location of a place of...safety."

[Muttonhawk]

Meesei's composure in in the face of something so otherworldly was nothing short of astounding to onlookers. While there was no apparent intention of violence, everyone remained on-edge.

Sabine, having been taught about Daedric princes in the past to at least a rudimentary degree, gave Meesei a very worried look upon Mora's statement. Thus Daedric prince may not have been interested in conflict, but it had a reputation for trapping mortals in places from which there was no escape.

Of course, Sabine was too terrified to respond. No one else really knew what to say.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei was quite familiar with the stories and legends of Hermeus Mora, so she knew how dangerous he could be. He tended to attract seekers of knowledge, much like herself. But, while he often did provide said knowledge, those who followed him could become trapped in his realm by their own obsessions. He was not truly a good nor evil Daedra, but Meesei had no doubt that he was only making this offer for his own benefit. At the very least, Meesei did trust that any information the Prince of Knowledge provided stood a good chance of being accurate.

"I am sure you understand that, under other circumstances, I would have a difficult time trusting you, Hermeus Mora. Daedric Princes do not give charity to mortals. But, lord Hircine told me of your coming, and I trust my lord's judgment. If you are willing to share the location of a stronghold we can make our home, then we will be grateful for the knowledge. However, if there is a price for it, if you are expecting some kind of sacrifice, then I may have to politely decline." Meesei answered.

Mora gave another, gurgling hum. "Your...motivations are irrelevant to me. You will accept this knowledge. I...know it." Mora's largest eye disappeared, then reappeared on the other side, looking to his Altmer servant. "Give them the...key." He commanded.

The Altmer stood up from the ground, then walked over to one of his Imperial companions and pulled an object from her bag. Still as calmly as ever, he walked up to Meesei and handed her a strange engraved sphere made from Dwarven metal. Mora had referred to it as a key, though that function would not have been obvious by looking at it.

"This...attunement sphere will grant you access to the place known as Fal'Zhardum Din, in the land you call...Skyrim." Mora continued. "A place long for-gotten, like the Deep Elves who built it. It is the solution to the...problems you do not know you will have. My followers have a map that will lead you to its entrance. The only...price for this knowledge that I have given you is that you end Clavicus Vile's ambitions. You will defeat him before he becomes more than an...annoyance to me."

A few more of Mora's eyes focused on Meesei, and thought it was hard to tell for sure, it seemed like more of his tentacles were moving closer to her. "I have no more gifts for you, but...there is always more knowledge in my li-brary. You will keep this black book. If you wish to earn this knowledge I possess, then you need only to read it. Apocrypha is a place of great power and secrets, any of which could be yours. But...this is already known to you, Champion of Hircine."

[Muttonhawk]

By this point, the initial shock of Mora's arrival was beginning to wear off. Vera in particular was uncomfortable with what she was hearing. This daedric prince was asserting all of these things regarding her clan, half of which she didn't understand.

Vera leaned over the side of her seat towards Meesei, switching her eyes between the strange sphere and Meesei's face. "Champion, I don't understand," she hissed as if she could confide without the mass of eyes and tentacles listening in. "Deep elves? Attunement sphere? What is going on?"

"What will happen?" Everyone's attention was drawn to one voice that spoke out without fear. Oswall had his head angled forward into a serious expression at the eye that stared at him. It was unclear whether his courage was rash or justified. "If Clavicus vile harvests our souls and succeeds, what will happen?"

[EliteCommander]

Mora's primary eye, along with a few of the smaller ones, focused on Oswall as he gave another gurgling hum. "Your mortal souls offer...power. More than he needs to have." As knowledgeable as Hermeus Mora was, it seemed that he was just as cryptic as most of the other Princes, and he did not seem to have the patience to hold a conversation with a group of mortals either. "You have the knowledge you need. Any more you want from me must be...earned."

Without any further warning, the mass of tentacles before them retreated back into the black book, which promptly closed on its own. Mora had left them with many questions, but if he was being honest, then they apparently had all of the answers they needed. Most of Meesei's pack had at least somewhat calmed by the time Mora left, but there was still a silence in the room after he was gone until Meesei started to give her answer to Vera.

"The Deep Elves were the Dwemer. Mora referred to this sphere as a key, so I would guess that it gives access to a Dwemer ruin. One which would serve as a good stronghold for us." Meesei explained.

While Meesei spoke, the Altmer silently grabbed a rolled up paper from another of his companions, then unraveled it on the table next to the black book. "Here is your map." He said simply. It was a fairly basic map of Skyrim, but there was one point of interest clearly labeled "Raldbthar" in the mountains between Whiterun and Windhelm.

[Muttonhawk]

The council leaned in to see the location of this promised safe-haven. Those who were standing stepped up to the table to look over the shoulders of others.

"Dwemer. The missing dwarves?" Vera at least understood that much, but she wasn't any more sure of the situation. She leaned back in her seat and leaned her forehead on her wrist.

Darahil sat up straight and breathed in, but he stopped as his eyes found the robed servants still in front of them.

Vera took notice, turning her head to the Altmer and trying to level her tone. "Is there anything you can tell us about this place?"

[EliteCommander]

The Altmer did not give any visible reaction to Vera's question, though he did answer plainly and directly. "It was not our role to deliver this knowledge to you, so our lord did not share it with us. We know no more of this safe haven than you do. At least, nothing that he has told us. Based on my own, personal knowledge, I believe that 'Fal'Zhardum Din' translates roughly to 'Blackest Kingdom Reaches'. I do not know of this place, but it is certainly not Raldbthar."

Meesei nodded, looking over the map herself. "I am no follower of Mora, but I do know that he does not make guesses. If he is being truthful with us, then this Dwemer ruin is the right place to go to find these 'Blackest Reaches'. Perhaps it can be accessed through Raldbthar, with this sphere?"

"An adequate guess." The Altmer responded before focusing his attention on the council as a whole. "Regardless, we have fulfilled our purpose here. You are free to keep our lord's black book. With it, you can transport yourself to Apocrypha at any time you choose. Through it, you may access innumerable secrets of any aspect of reality. It goes without saying that this is a tremendous privilege, the likes of which is rarely granted to those not among his followers. You should feel honored by this gift. As for us, our lord has commanded that we abide any fate you choose for us. Release us, execute us, it is no concern of ours. It is just my...personal request that you not waste our time with imprisonment. In life or in death, I have better things to do."

Ahnasha gave an audible huff of both surprise and amusement, giving a quick glance to Fendros beside her. Not only were these zealots willing to die on a whim for Hermeus Mora, but they did not seem concerned at all by it. She was just glad that most of Vile's followers did not obey him with such fervor.

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros responded to Ahnasha with a raised eyebrow. He found it curious, not because the Altmer was so devoted as to lay down his life and the lives of his companions for Hermeus Mora, but because he was so nonchalant about it. He made it sound like an inconvenience, more than anything.

Vera gave the Altmer a dubious look. She glanced to Meesei, and then back to the robed cultists. "I'm afraid I can't just let you go immediately." She laid her fingers, without a sound, on the edge of the table in front of her and spoke with as much poise as she could muster. "Thank you for delivering this message and for your input. You will stay under guard in a single guest room while we discuss your fate. You should hear our judgement before the end of the day, but for now..." Vera inhaled a deep breath through her nose, straightening her back as she did. "We have much to discuss."

With a wave of her hand and a "Take them away, please," to the guards, Vera had he council room return to its more private setting.

While Vera was rubbing her temples, the others returned to their seats and Darahil spoke to break the silence. "This is likely a better option than most we might have, regarding our exodus. Dwemer ruins are known for their vast available space, strong fortifications and...unique defences." His arms folded into their familiar position. "If Mora has not cut a deal with Vile -- and that is the less likely situation here -- it might save more lives than anything else."

"Moving that many people through Skyrim, and Windhelm no less, will be dangerous," Oswall added. "The mountains are as tall as the Jerrals, if not taller. They are prone to avalanches, infested with wraiths, wisps, and trolls. Not to mention, getting our clan over the border may run us across Imperial patrols." Oswall glanced over to Meesei's pack. "It will not be so simple to sail, either. Not without specialised ships and crew to navigate the floating ice."

[EliteCommander]

With Vera's response, the Altmer showed actual emotion for the first time in the form of annoyance, even anger. He crossed his arms, sneering at her. Regardless, after a few seconds, he closed his eyes and let out a lengthy breath. "I can...accept waiting a single day. But, I will warn you that we will not wait any longer than that."

Despite the Altmer's frustrations, neither he nor his companions gave any resistance to the guards taking them away. After their guards left the chamber, the council quickly began its discussion on the many, many questions and concerns this meeting had created. Meesei likely shared most of their concerns, though she at least had a few answers. "Under normal circumstances, I would not trust Mora's motivations. He is not a malicious Daedra exactly, but he is selfish, above all. If he does anything for us, then it is for his own benefit." She said, eyeing the Black Book suspiciously. "But, I cannot deny the vision I received. Hircine knew that Mora would be coming here, and he told me to treat them as allies. I trust our lord above anything else, so we have to trust that Mora is being genuine. And, that also tells us that, whatever Vile is intending to do with the power of our souls, it is enough to concern the Prince of fate. We will have to find some way to evacuate our people to this place. There is no direct water route from here to Whiterun or Windhelm. We wound have to travel to the Imperial City, all the way to the south of Tamriel, then around Black Marsh and Morrowind. In this case, it would be much quicker to take a direct route. But, we do not have to do so alone. We can send word ahead to one of the clans of Skyrim for assistance. I believe the Riften clan is closest."

"If this one may." Ri'vashi began, looking closely at the map. "We do need to move everyone, but not necessarily at the same time. It is hard to say exactly how much time we have before Vile's forces attack us here, but we do have some time. If we start soon, we can move everyone in smaller groups to the Riften clan, to get everyone across the border. They could pose as merchant caravans, which would also let us move our valuables. We would have to deal with some taxes, but they would be able to move across normal trade routes, so it would be safe."

[Muttonhawk]

There didn't appear to be any outward objections to Ri'vashi's idea. Some of the council looked to those beside them for confirmation.

Oswall didn't change his neutral look. "If we can make it convincing, there may be some merit in that strategy. As long as it remains secret. If it is found out that we are separating our clan into smaller groups, well...there are weaknesses in that."

Darahil gave another concern. "Are we sure that no border guards will notice the influx of new traders past the border?"

"Nay," Oswall said, waving a hand. "Many people cross the border every day. The guard us not nearly as disciplined and strict as it was during the civil war."

All the while, Vera had returned to leaning in her hand. All these new developments were obviously causing her stress. "We have soldiers and we have warm clothing. We can get the gold if we...uproot what we have here." She sighed and looked up to Meesei. "I...this is not an easy thing, Meesei. There are a lot of things that we don't know about this. But...I trust your judgement. We can work out details all day, but I just need to hear it from you with certainty. Are you confident that this is the right path to take?"

[EliteCommander]

Ri'vashi shook her head lightly at Oswall. His concern would normally be merited, but she had a feeling that, since he had not witnessed the soul-tearing gas for himself, its power had not truly set in for him. "You have to remember, at this point, numbers no longer grant us much advantage like they used to. Even a small group of Vile's servants, equipped with the gas, could decimate any organized formation. Moveing everyone together would, well...it would be placing all of our kwama eggs in one basket. As impersonal as it may seem, moving our people separately reduces the potential harm an enemy patrol can cause."

Meesei, meanwhile, could not answer with the kind of confidence that Vera likely wanted. For a few moments, she looked ahead silently in thought. "I do not think it is possible to say anything with certainty. Anything could happen from one day to the next. But, we do not have many options. Every day we spend deciding is a day that Vile's forces draw closer to attacking this place. We have to act, quickly, and I can say that this is the best option we have available to us right now. We should send out a messenger to the Riften clan as soon as possible. Today, preferably. It is tempting to be slow and patient with a decision like this, but we cannot afford the time."

[Muttonhawk]

Oswall put his eyes forward and down. By the way his temples flexed it was apparent that he was clenching his jaw. "Let us hope, then, that no one is found in any case."

As for Meesei's answer, it may not have been the clear-cut result Vera wanted, but it seemed to make her shift. She slowly stood up straight and put her hands on her lap. After a quiet pause for taking a deep breath in and out, she stared at the table blankly.

"There is no reason to shut off other options, but..." Vera tilted her head. "This is the best we have." She turned her head to Meesei again. "We will send the messenger and get scouts to assess this deep elf stronghold. Preparations can be made for moving while they explore."

---

The control of information was tight from the council chambers. In order to keep everyone calm, not a whisper of the coming dangers and journey was told to the clan at this stage. The lieutenants had much work to do, though its purpose was unclear to all but them, Meesei's pack, and the few guards authorised in the council chambers.

After Mora's followers were released on the council's order, Meesei's pack was able to use the surrounding ignorance to return to relative normality. It would be temporary, but they took what they could get.

During the next few days, Fendros' thoughts became partly occupied with when -- if ever -- there would be an appropriate time to perform the wedding ceremony. Friends of he and Ahnasha gave comments on Ahnasha's new ring, so word spread about what they were planning to do. That just seemed to make it inescapable.

While trying to escape it for a short time, Fendros remembered something that he owed Ahnasha since Elsweyr. He sought her out after completing his rostered tasks for the day. Rhazii was still with the other children and the clan teachers, so they had a few moments.

Fendros lead Ahnasha by the hand to a storage room with a small chest hidden amongst the crates of linen. "No more keeping this a secret, Ahna," Fendros eventually explained. "I think you ought to see the letters Llarasa and me have exchanged."

Out of a belt pouch, Fendros pulled out a small brass key and held it out to Ahnasha.

---

In the main chamber of the clanhome, a far less peaceful scene had just unfolded. A burly redguard man lay groaning on the floor with bruises all over and blood pouring from his nose. A shadow passed over him before he raised one hand and shouted out. "No, enough! You win, Kaleeth. Again."

Around them, there were some shouts of triumph, some laughter, and some disappointed sighs. A small gathering around the scene began shifting to exchange some coins amongst them according to bets.

One stepped forward with a waterskin. Janius held the vessel out for Kaleeth with a half-smile. "How'd that one feel, love? You've won quite a few fights today."

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha had been taking some time to relax before Fendros sought her out. As one of the few people aware of the details of the clan's future plans, she of course had some responsibilities to help prepare for their departure. She had recently ordered some of the hunters to take a full account of all of their arrows, bows, and other ranged weapons. Since she had only recently returned to the clan, she could pass it off as her settling back into her role in the clan.

Fendros wanted to show Ahnasha all of these letters he had apparently been writing to his sister. It still made no sense to her why he would want to keep something like that from her. It was a security risk, granted, but as long as he was appropriately vague, it could be safe. She still felt some anger thinking about it, but it was tempered by thoughts of her own secrets. She had kept an entire necromantic laboratory secret from him, and had still not spoken to him about it.

Ahnasha sat down on a crate beside the chest and took the key. She did not know what to expect from the letters, but for Fendros it had apparently been enough to cause him guilt. "So these letters...what were you talking about in them?' Ahnasha asked as she opened up the chest, then the first of the letters.

---

Kaleeth sat down on the floor cross-legged, and short of breath. She gladly took the water, though she was just as keen on washing it over her face to clean the blood from her scales as she was drinking it. She tended to win her fights, but that did not mean she escaped unscathed. She had bruises and small cuts all over, a bloodied nose and what would likely become a black eye. Even her loincloth was scuffed up and torn. Overall, it was exactly what she expected for the day.

"Exhilarating." Kaleeth finally answered. "I don't even know if I feel the pain any more; it's just...energy. It's a satisfying challenge. What about you? Do you think you'll ever fight me?" She asked.

[Muttonhawk]

"Well..." Fendros put a fist to his hip and lifted his other hand in a shrug. "It was keeping in touch, mostly. I wrote about how things were going for us, she wrote how things were back home." Fendros blinked a couple of times, realising how strange it was to call his family's vineyard 'home' after all this time. " We...both use the letters to talk about things that were on our minds, too. Nothing that you don't know from our end, really. Like I said, I never got into specifics for the locations we were."

The first letter that Ahnasha picked up was the most recent one. It was dated to a time before they had left for Elsweyr. The words were written in beautiful flowing handwriting, though they were close-set and unbroken in order to fit them all onto the relatively small page.

Dear Dranas,
It is wonderful to hear that Sabine is reaching adulthood soon! From what you have told me, it sounds like she is turning out to be a nice girl, even considering what she has been through. You simply must keep me up to date on her development. It is also great to hear that you and Anwyn have been able to make a breakthrough with your old Khajiit friend. You know, you may not have noticed, but you do sound like you are a lot happier after working with him for this long. I can tell by your words! Things have not changed much here since I last wrote. Monderyn has been taking on many more responsibilities this season since father broke his leg falling down a ridge. I can tell father is in a lot more pain than he is letting on, but you know how he is. As for myself, do you remember that boy Ewan that I was seeing in secret? Well, we had a disagreement. He is Dunmer, but he is terrified of being known to mother and father. I am scared that he will leave if I do not do anything, so I have organised to meet him tonight and try to work things out. We have not seen each other in a week, so we have both had time to calm down. Wish me luck!
With love, Llarasa

"There's, um...a few aliases that we have ended up using," Fendros mentioned while reading over Ahnasha's shoulder. "You're Anwyn, the old Khajiit friend is Najirra. We have names for the rest of the pack as well." He stepped around Ahnasha and looked at the rest of the letters. "I replied to that letter before we left. The response might have been sitting in Bruma for a while by now."

---

Janius tilted his head and stifled a nervous laugh. "I should hope it's on good terms, if ever we do fight," Janius clarified. He shook his head and grinned, stepping to one side to look across the ring. "I don't know; I know I still out-skill you with weapons, but bare knuckle? With no protection? I doubt I'd fare better than the past five people you've beaten down."

With a thoughtful look, Janius paused, and then raised his eyebrows. "Although..." He slowly turned his head to meet Kaleeth's eyes. "Maybe I would have an advantage now. Surely you cannot be nearly as good after the string of fights you just had."

The crowd around them listened in on their conversation. One immediately went to the bookkeeper and threw down a coin. "One septim on Kaleeth."

Another approached the bookkeeper and put down two coins. "Nah, she's too soft to hit her mate! I'm gonna win my money back. Two on Janius!"

Janius had a reputation in the clan as an able fighter, but Kaleeth had a reputation as the strongest. The pair speculating a fight sparked so much excitement that the crowd grew a little even without them openly declaring a fight. Janius couldn't help but laugh.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha read through the letter in silence; although, other than the fact that Fendros had hid it from here, she did not find anything objectionable with the letter itself. Indeed, it seemed to cover every angle she could think of where something could go wrong. She supposed she had not read any of the other letters in the chest, but as a first impression, she did not see anything wrong. It still confused her as to why he had been so secretive. "Using aliases; that was smart. It would not surprise me if Monderyn went through her belongings if he suspected something was out of the ordinary. Looks like she is still trying to keep the letters secret from your parents, though. These letters do still seem risky, but to your sister instead of you. Let's just hope she is good at hiding them. I wouldn't want any harm coming to her over it; I remember that she was a good person."

Turning her head to Fendros, Ahnasha placed down the letter beside her. "Unless any of the other letters have something you wouldn't want me to see, I don't really see what was so important that you had to keep it a secret. It does look like your father isn't in the best shape. How old is he? Given how old you are, and how long Dunmer live, he couldn't be that old. Unless he did something really bad to is leg, I imagine he will recover eventually with healers. Though, I imagine that being injured would make him less likely to try something stupid if we happened to visit."

---

Kaleeth at first started to chuckle at the buzz of activity around them from those who had overheard them. Janius had said nothing to show that he was agreeing to the fight, but they were planning for it all the same. Kaleeth was not sure what she wanted to do, until the second person stepped up and denied that she was strong enough to hit her own mate. It was true that she did not like the idea of hurting him, and the thought of him being as bloodied as some of her opponents was not an appealing one. They had sparred many times in the past, of course, but this kind of fighting was something different altogether. Her physical strength had very obviously been proven to the clan, but she did not want them to think of her as weak-willed either.

"I can hit you just as hard as I hit anyone else. I'm not afraid. Come on, we should fight." She said, standing up to her feet and offering him her hand. "You can hit me, right? No going easy on me?"

[Muttonhawk]

"Oh, Llarasa is quite good at covering her tracks," Fendros assured. "Monderyn and I made sure of that after stealing her journal over and over when we were children." Fendros let out a nervous laugh. "Even if they were found, keeping in touch with some far-flung Dunmer friend is unlikely to raise eyebrows."

As for his reasoning, Fendros waved his arms low in a half-hearted shrug. "Well, you remember when I told you? It was really just trying to escape the possibility of visiting my family in the first place." Fendros looked down at the chest of letters. "I wish I could say I'm still as hopeful about seeing them as I was after I saw how well visiting your family was, but..." He bared his teeth nervously. "The more I think about it, the harder it seems. We've got so much happening at once right now -- going north, the war, raising Rhazii..."

Fendros gestured in the general direction of the chest. "Anyway, I can share any more letters with you, if you like. I have a feeling that Llarasa would like to see some words from you." Fendros lifted his face to give Ahnasha an encouraging smile. He hoped that the subject of a Cheydinhal visit would not be pursued, however inevitable it was.

---

Janius' eyes widened despite his smile. "What? Now?" He helped Kaleeth up with one hand anyway. He let out a laugh that was just as much out of amusement as it was staving off anxiety. "Alright, just..." Janius suddenly pulled on Kaleeth's hand and leaned forward to peck a kiss on her snout. On his way stepping back, he let her hand go, held his head forward, and smiled. His voice took a lower pitch. "...Try to keep up."

Before they began, Janius slid off his shirt and laid it to one side. Then, raising his curled hands, he began to bounce his heels up and down in place and assume a fighting stance. Knowing Kaleeth, she would probably lash out and try to throw him to the ground. He was ready to sidestep at a moment's notice.

"Ohoho, don't get too cocky, Janius. I've got five on you!" One spectator shouted.

The Redguard that previously fought looked over some shoulders with wads of linen stemming his bleeding nose. "Don't bake be fight you to get by bet back, Kaleeth!"