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

[Muttonhawk]

"Hrrmph, they can try," Oswall grunted. "If the Thalmor have been trying and failing to eradicate Talos worship for this long, how should Vile be able to succeed where they failed?"

"Eradication," Darahil answered bluntly. "The Thalmor have always approached it by outlawing the worship of Talos. They know they cannot overextend to massacre Imperial citizens. Vile had no scruples with massacring lycans, he will have no restrictions to outright destroying the Talos faith." Darahil's eyes spun to the others. "And Talos worshippers are not organised like us. They cannot form a resistance like we can. Even the Stormcloak rebellion was quashed before a decade passed."

Oswall growled in thought. "I see. Well, I suppose the obvious measure we should take is to protect them where we can, and continue pushing back against Clavicus Vile's cult. Perhaps take a few into our captivity to ensure that we truly put ourselves between Vile and Mundus."

"Whatever the next step may be, I have a concern, Meesei," Vera said, raising a hand to hold Oswall and Darahil's conversation. "This mission was alongside the Imperial and Dominion representatives, they must know what Areldril said. This revelation surely puts our ties with the Dominion under strain if we know what their long term goal is. And...well, we are not going to let Mundus be consumed, whether by Vile or the Thalmor. What can we count on from them? Will we still receive supplies and protection? Are the Empire going to prefer that we stay out of this matter if their citizenry, not to mention the world, are under threat? This is a complex diplomatic situation. One wrong move could undermine any efforts we decide to make."

[EliteCommander]

"The Thalmor are not going to be informed of what we have learned. They will hear of this mission as a failure." Meesei said, firmly and decisively. She did not wish to speak too in-depth about Lunise, but there would likely be no way to avoid informing them that they had an ally within the Dominion. Fortunately, everyone in the room was someone whom Meesei trusted completely.

"With the information Areldril gave us, we were able to develop an...ambitious plan. It will be dangerous beyond question, will likely sound insane, but it is the only way to ensure that Vile will not be able to threaten Tamriel in any capacity for centuries to come, at least. We are going to invade his realm of Oblivion and...kill him, in a sense. As much as one can kill a Daedric Prince. Hircine can attack him directly, disrupt his form, and cause him to lose most of his power. Our role will be to help close the gap in power between Hircine and Vile, and ensure that it is Hircine that emerges victorious. To that end, Areldril offered some help. We can use the blood of Clavicus Vile, in the form of one of his artifacts, infused with the power of another Daedra, to hurt him. There is an artifact known as the Rueful Axe that was created by Vile; Areldril was able to place its last known location in Hammerfell. We need to find it." Meesei explained, though she was sure that her council would have plenty to say of her audacious plan.

[Muttonhawk]

Vera looked at Ri'vashi on her left, then Oswall and Darahil on her right, then switched back to the rest of the council. They did not have any trace of understanding, and she reflected as much to Meesei in her incredulous expression.

She gathered her words as carefully as she could. "Champion...Meesei. You know we all trust you. We know what you are capable of and that you have saved the lives of countless lycans across the entire continent. In that light, you must understand..." She shook her head and spread her arms, a strain on her expression. Sincere, whispered words emerged. "What you are suggesting sounds nothing short of insane. I cannot profess to have as much knowledge on the nature of Daedric Princes as you or this Areldril, but even on face value, using an axe to stroll up and hurt our patron enemy will require more than a quick word. Please, tell me you have more to hear you out on in this."

"And the Dominion," Darahil added. "I would prefer to know what exactly the measures were that you took with their representative. When you are ready to answer."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei remained just as respectful as she usually was with her council, but she was uncompromising both in tone and posture. If there was anything in this war that she needed to convince them of, it was this. "All I need is for you to understand the vital importance of this. This is not simply a discussion of battle plans or strategies. We can refine those aspects of this plan as we move forward. What I am saying is an explanation of what has to be done, not only for us to survive, but for every man, woman, and child in Tamriel to survive. We cannot just be safe and stay uninvolved. If invade his realm and fail, our souls will be claimed by Vile. But if we are too apprehensive, too frightened to do what needs to be done, then our souls will still be claimed by Vile, along with everyone else."

Leaning forward, Meesei placed her hands down on the table and cast her intense gaze across the room. "And not only will we be protecting those still alive, but we can finally have a chance to help those that Vile has already killed. Think about every lycan that has been killed by the soul tearing gas. Every single one is now trapped in Vile's realm. Everyone you have known that was a victim of the gas is now a prisoner of Vile: a tool to further his power. But if we invade his realm, if Hircine can destroy his form and destabilize him, then all off them will be freed. All of them will go to their rightful place in the Hunting Grounds. We have a responsibility to our fallen brothers and sisters we failed to protect, and I am not going to be too afraid to help them."

Ri'vashi had been silent thusfar, contemplating every word that Meesei spoke. Out of everyone in the council, she had lost more friends and family to the gas that anyone. The majority of her clan had been wiped out, so the fate of their souls had weighed on her mind for years. The prospect of being able to help them, despite the obvious, almost insane dangers, was not something she could ignore. "We could help them...save them from Vile." She commented before looking around at the others. "Then why is this a debate?"

[Muttonhawk]

Meesei's reasoning had Vera running her fingers down her face. While the shock of Meesei's proposal was still present, she sat quietly to think, giving pause for Ri'vashi to comment. She eyed Ri'vashi, holding her hands together over her chin.

Oswall was still, staring at the table in front of him with a deep frown. Darahil only betrayed his visage with a long, telling blink. Pierrete was silently pleading with her stare at Vera. Tola held a dagger by the blade, levering out splinters from the table's surface idly.

The answer was clear in Vera's mind.

"We have all lost so much to this war." Her low voice softened the room. "Friends. Family...Loved ones. Even with the upper hand, precarious as it is, none of us can see the end of it. There are always more hunters to fight. More clans in danger. More of that gas." Her eyes flicked up to Meesei. "We have come too long to trip up and fail now. But we have been fighting for so long that waiting for a miracle would be eternal." She took in a slow breath through her mouth. "I would not know what the end of this fight would look like if I tried to imagine it. But I trust you. We all trust you. You have not proposed a plan half-baked without certainty before, so I cannot assume this is the case. We would hear the details, of course. However, if you can end this, once and for all, none of us will allow you to try unless you had everything possible at your disposal." She raised her voice. "Do I speak for the council's consensus!?"

Usually, the council's response to a proposed ruling was to take turns declaring their agreement.

This time, they all spoke at once. "Aye!"

The room was silent once more.

"We will all be depending on you, champion." Vera spoke low and severe once more. "What do you need from us? Tell us everything."

[EliteCommander]

Though she remained mostly stoic in her expression, perhaps visibly determined, Meesei was inwardly relieved. The hardest part of the meeting was over; she now simply had to explain more of the details of her plan. "When it is time, we will need everything. Every clan, every single soldier and hunter we can gather from all of Tamriel. Every ally, every weapon and tool. To invade Oblivion will require nothing less. But for now, we require patience and preparation. We are going to need to inform the other clans, but we will need to do so delicately. Saras, I need you to inform the other clan alphas discretely. It is vital that nothing we say leave this room until the appropriate time. At the very least, our intentions are bold enough that Vile will not expect them. When we attack, we will have the element of surprise, so as long as we do not reveal our intentions early. If Vile is allowed to learn of our plans, then he will prepare, and we will have failed before we began.”

Meesei turned her attention to Darahil. “To answer your question, I should mention again that it is only the leadership of the Thalmor that are aware of their ultimate goals. The majority of the Dominion are ignorant of what they are working towards. We have at least one ally in the Dominion who does not wish to see Tamriel destroyed. But it is a delicate situation. We still have the Thalmor’s support in stopping Vile, and it would not be wise to risk that advantage. Once we have stopped Vile, we can work to end the Thalmor’s plans, hopefully without another large-scale war. Without widespread chaos that would harm our Dominion clans. Trust me when I say that I do not wish to drag us into another war. We can take on that issue without troops and battles.”

[Muttonhawk]

"Very well," Darahil stiffly nodded. "As long as the Thalmor representative is not going to be a rogue element in this case, we may operate without worry, I shall assume. If we need all the resources we have, I suggest that our Imperial contact provide what he can. If we are to lead the effort to stop Vile, it is in the Empire's interests to help us. Although, I hope they do not undercut our efforts either."

Pierette finally spoke up, albeit apprehensively. "Even with our infrastructure, informing everyone and gathering our forces without showing our hand will take some time. Supporting our gathered strength shall also be a difficulty, with supplies and such." She looked to Meesei. "How long do you expect this search for the Rueful Axe to take?"

[EliteCommander]

"There is no way of knowing for sure." Meesei answered. "We have leads, but I cannot say if they will pan out. We know the axe made its way to Hammerfell, and it is has some distinctive properties, so we may be able to use that to narrow our search. I and my pack will see to the axe personally. There are other resources we will need to gather, so we will need to have other teams working on them. Most notably, we are going to need a fair collection of sigil stones. The barriers between Tamriel and Oblivion prevent even sigil stones from creating portals directly between the two realms. However, there is one exception of which we can take advantage. A portal can be created from Tamriel to Oblivion if the Daedric Prince invites and allows the portal. Obviously, we cannot ask Vile to invite us into his realm, but Hircine can allow a portal to his Hunting Grounds. The barriers between two realms of Oblivion are not nearly as strong as those between Mundus and Oblivion, so from the Hunting Grounds, we can use the sigil stones to stage our invasion."

The scale of what Meesei was proposing was certainly greater than anything they had done before, and would involve making a journey to what would essentially be their afterlife while they were still alive. However, Meesei had a feeling that the next part of the plan would be somewhat more worrisome for them. "The Rueful Axe is going to need to be empowered by a Daedric Prince, but if Hircine empowers it, he will be weakened for his fight against Vile. We will need another Daedra to empower it, so after we acquire the axe, I am going to request our...ally, Molag Bal, infuse some of his power into the axe."

[Muttonhawk]

Vera was past the point of raising concerns of sanity with the invasion of a plane of Oblivion. Her curt nods to the sigil stones and the entry via Hircine's Hunting Grounds were joined only with ever-growing worry in her brow. The last detail of the axe caused her to press the side of her white-clenched fist to her lips.

"If anyone can bring a great number of people to the Hunting Grounds, it is you, champion," Darahil spoke. "However, the Hunting Grounds are not a place to stage an army for any time longer than absolutely necessary. We shall need to be there only as long as it takes to open the portal to Vile's realm. I should not need to say why."

Vera interrupted. "It's not that." She closed her eyes. "Molag-Bal will know why we need what we need. He'll ask for something in return. Something he knows we will be forced to supply him. I can only hope it is not something that will make our victory in this war pyrrhic. Or, in the end, tainted beyond meaning."

Finally, Oswall brought his own point forward. "We should know, before the end, whether those invading will return if they are successful. At the very least, I would not have more lycan souls being delivered to Vile's lap if we cannot finish him. But any volunteers would have to understand if they are paying their lives when they set foot outside of Mundus."

The council did not leave Meesei much room to answer the questions in isolation. Although such a plan was inevitably going to cause these issues to rise.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei certainly understood Oswall's fears, but she did have a good answer for him. "Fortunately, there will be nothing to fear if we are successful against Vile. The Oblivion Crisis, for all the turmoil it gave to the world, also gave scholars ample time to research the nature of Oblivion. Sigil stones give a connection between two planes of existence, and if one is destabilized, or the stone is destroyed or removed, then everything that came through the portal will be returned to where it came from. During the Oblivion Crisis, when soldiers managed to remove the sigil stones from their towers, all of them were immediately returned to Tamriel in an apparent flash of light. According to Areldril, if we successfully destroy Vile's form, the ripples it will send through his realm will disrupt the connection of the sigil stones and send us all back to the Hunting Grounds. It will also give Hircine the chance to reclaim the lycan souls that are rightfully his for his own realm."

"As for Molag Bal.." Meesei continued. It was clear that she was not quite as certain on the topic as on the sigil stones, but neither was she making uninformed guesses. Their relationship with Molag Bal over the years was best described as distant. They mostly coordinated only enough to make sure they did not accidentally harm each other, but Meesei was still well-informed enough about the actions of Molag Bal's followers to get a sense of the Daedra's disposition. "His followers have been fighting this war as well. They are not as close to it as us, of course, but Molag Bal has been offended by Vile, and he is a far more...emotional Daedra than Hircine. He has been offended, angered, and will want revenge. The cost may not be as great as you fear."

[Muttonhawk]

Oswall gave a determined frown and a nod. "Then I do not believe we shall be lacking in numbers. What an excellent opportunity to show Vile the consequences of bringing more beast spirits into this world!"

Unfortunately, Oswall's enthusiasm lasted only as long as it took Meesei to address Vera's worry. Meesei took her time wording a response, and Vera took her time to respond. She had heard Meesei's account of their forging an alliance with Molag Bal. By her averted, fearful eyes, she was evidently trying to find some other way to exclude Molag Bal.

She breathed out, giving up. "I hope you are correct, Meesei. Molag Bal may be an ally, but his domain is cruelty."

"If Molag Bal should make unreasonable demands, Meesei, just remember why we are fighting." Darahil peered up from his head angled forward. "Do not let him corrupt that. No matter what other cost we must wear."

It was not often that Darahil spoke to anything more than cold pragmatism. If he was speaking from such sincere concern, then Meesei could be certain that everyone else was invested in her proposals, despite their worries. The hope of a conclusion had grown quickly.

[EliteCommander]

"I understand your concerns, and you have my word that I will not agree to anything that will bring harm to the clans." Meesei answered.

Saras had been writing notes throughout Meesei's explanation of events. Like Darahil, he normally had an impenetrable expression, but even he was showing some concern about the plan's reliance on Molag Bal. Had Darahil not spoken up, he likely would have. Regardless, he had no better plan to offer, at least at the moment, so they had other matters to tend to aside from worrying about the Daedra.

"If I may, I believe we are getting ahead of ourselves." Saras interjected. "We still need to find the axe before we can empower it, and it will be no simple task to locate a unique Daedric artifact. If you would give me Areldril's notes, Champion, I will have them copied and brief my best agents on the situation to assist you in your search. We should take the time now to clarify and discuss all of the details of this plan."

Given the multitude of issues they would need to deal with moving forward, the meeting lasted another several hours. They dealt with how to go about the search for the axe, the sigil stones, how to inform the clans and support their soldiers, and much more. By the end of it, even Meesei was feeling tired of having to deal with logistics.

After the meeting was finally adjourned and as everyone was leaving the chamber, Meesei kept alongside Fendros. Regardless of how long the meeting had lasted, she still intended to keep her word to Fendros. In fact, she felt that some training would be a nice change of pace from planning. "Will you be ready for your next training session soon, Fendros?"

[Muttonhawk]

The end of the meeting was a trail of sighs and fatigue. None showed it during the meeting for the importance of the discussion, but without food and with only occasional moments to stand up and stretch, everyone left without wanting to see another meeting for another week.

Meesei's pack was no exception. Sitting still and relaxed for long periods was not in their nature. Fendros left wishing that he had brought a cushion from the beginning. His look of momentary realisation at Meesei's query suggested he had forgotten she mentioned it that morning.

"Oh, well..." Fendros glanced to Sabine. "I suppose I am ready. Though, I didn't expect the meeting to drag on like it did. Sabine and I had planned to be underway by now."

Sabine caught up on the other side of Fendros. She smiled encouragingly. "We can still have a lesson. I would first like to eat something quickly, though."

"Ah, right," Fendros put a hand over his middle. "Good idea. I think I'll check up on Rhazii and Leaps as well. I won't be long."

"Come to the main gate when you are ready. There is a clearing we can train on." Sabine's wide eyes went to Meesei. "Is that okay with you, Meesei?"

[EliteCommander]

Meesei nodded briefly. "Certainly. I think I shall head to the kitchens and grab something for all of us. We can have a meal before starting. After...that meeting, I could use some time to relax as well."

The trio went their separate ways for a time, with Meesei going to get their meal. She was sure that the stress of what they had recently learned was weighing on her pack just as much as it was on her, or perhaps even moreso. As such, she decided that she would give them a nicer meal than they were perhaps expecting. A good portion of their diet in Blackreach consisted of chaurus meat, mushrooms, and anything else that was relatively easy to obtain. But, as Champion, Meesei had full access to all of their stocks. She grabbed an assortment of foods like mammoth steaks that were hunted from the surface, pumpkin bread, assorted vegetables, bottles of wine and ale, and even some preserved ash yams that had been traded from Morrowind.

When it was time for everyone to meet up again, Meesei had already set up everything in the clearing that Sabine had speken of. She had set up a fire and, this time, had decided to cook up their meal with a set of spices she had taken. Ahnasha, having heard their earlier conversation outside the meeting chamber, had decided to come along with Fendros as a spectator, and was rather glad to have done so.

[Muttonhawk]

With Sabine no longer needing to find a meal on her own, she accompanied Meesei to the larder to help gather food. She was surprised when Meesei gathered some nicer goods for them, but she did not complain. With a sack of food over one shoulder and her bag of potions over the other, Sabine arrived with Meesei at the clearing before Fendros.

Fendros and Ahnasha's arrival came with just the same surprise as Sabine had. The smell of freshly cooked meat, vegetable, and not to mention the spices, put a pleasant smile on Fendros' lips.

"Greetings," Fendros said as he approached. "I was not aware there would be a feast set up. Is this for all of us, Meesei?"

[EliteCommander]

Meesei smiled at Fendros and Ahnasha. "I felt we could use some time to relax. There has been much to worry about these last few days for all of us, and you in particular. Being my second is no small responsibility, but it is not one that should consume your thoughts at all times. Besides, chaurus has been growing old."

Ahnasha sat down cross-legged across the campfire from Meesei, taking in a deep breath of the meat that was cooking. "Agreed. The food at the Bravil castle was a nice change of pace, but I don't think the guards had the best chefs."

"Hopefully, I am at least somewhat better." Meesei chuckled. "We do need to practice, but this need not be all work. How are Leaps and Rhazii? I heard Rhazii got into some trouble while I was dealing with my business in Bravil."

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros sat down beside Ahnasha. He laughed uneasily as Meesei's question. "Trouble, yes, but it was a lesson for him in the end. He and Leaps are well enough in each other's company right now." He glanced at Ahnasha. "He and Julan sneaked out and found Janius' long lost little sister. One thing led to another and Janius' family had a reunion, I'm sure Janius and Kaleeth got to tell you all about it. While they visited Janius' old home, Rhazii tagged along and...from accounts, he was excluded from the conversation for it being a 'family matter,' and found himself alone with the young Khajiit house maid. Jatinha, I believe her name was?" Fendros raised an eyebrow to Ahnasha for confirmation. "They apparently got along well and Rhazii, being young as he is, got as far as kissing her, he admitted. He was responsible enough to bring a potion to cure diseases and to not reveal our nature, but he had decided not to tell Sabine that he was borrowing her potion." Fendros opened a palm to one side. "So we made sure he relieved the duty of a castle stable boy the next day."

Even with the odd story, Sabine chuckled through her nose at the absurdity.

"He was upset about leaving, of course," Fendros continued. "But he knew that we couldn't stay forever, so I told him to fetch a rose and write a note to his little flame before he left. Just to give the boy some closure. Of course, we did have to talk to him about what he needs to keep in mind in these situations for the future."

Fendros sighed and looked into the fire. "Even with him being a Cathay, he's growing up faster than we have been keeping track of, sometimes."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei grinned at Fendros' explanation of the events, particularly Rhazii's encounter with Jatinha. "Hmm, so he at least did not rush into things quite as much as your first day or two together?" She remarked towards Fendros and Ahnasha.

As she had been cooking for a while before they arrived, the mammoth steaks were nearly finished, as the scent in the air readily indicated. "Though, I think this may have had something to do with that." She added as she reached over, grabbed a bottle of wine, and offered it to them. Ahnasha laughed, then took the bottle and placed it between herself and Fendros.

"I suppose he was a bit more reserved, yes. That thought did cross my mind when we were talking to him about it. I'm glad he never heard that story, else he definitely would have had a better argument to avoid stable duty." Ahnasha responded.

"Well, I am sure you have things well in-hand. You two have always been great parents to him. Even when he misbehaves, he misbehaves responsibly. And he has now given you plenty of warning that you should be talking to him about such things. I would wager that it will not be too long before he is walking around the clan with his arm around a pretty Khajiit girl. It is just your job to make sure that you do not end up with more cubs too soon." Meesei said. "I do envy you, somewhat. It sounds like you were able to learn through a calm, casual conversation. My experience learning about my daughter's growing maturity was much more...startling." She chuckled, looking at Sabine.

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros smiled. "Thank you, Meesei." He reached an arm around Ahnasha's side, giving her a small grin. "For falling head-first into it, we aren't performing too poorly with parenting, aren't we?"

Meesei's last comment caused Sabine to shoot her a wide-eyed look. Her jaw dropped and a flush went up her face. With a motion crossed between a cringe and a laugh, Sabine looked ahead and spoke. "Meesei, that is still embarrassing."

Fendros couldn't help but chortle. "Oh, you didn't catch her in the act, did you? With Peiter?"

Sabine groaned quietly, covering her face with her hands. "Divines, no she did not! Not...exactly."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei gave a lighthearted laugh. "Surely it is not still that embarrassing, Sabine? It has been, what, over a decade by this point? I did not physically see her in the room with Peiter, but, well, let us just say I was naught but a few seconds off. That was something of a wake-up call for me. That my little girl was grown up. In all honesty, I believe I may have been more distressed about that realization than you were embarrassed by it. Besides, I can promise you that I went through far more embarrassing situations when I was young. "

With another chuckle, Meesei gave Sabine a quick pat on the back. "And you certainly should not be ashamed of it. I have not seen him in some time, but I recall him being a handsome man. Situations change over time, of course, but he was a good mate for you back then. Although, it does make me curious, have you had any...attractions of your own as of late, Sabine?"