"I think it is important to remember that neither Vile nor his followers are omniscient." Meesei commented. "Packs such as ours are inherently difficult to track. We rarely stay in one place for more than a few days at a time, and we have a wide range. Even a Daedric prince such as Vile cannot know exactly where we are; he must operate through his followers, and they are restricted to the same means of tracking as us. As long as we show appropriate caution, Vile should not be able to track us through the wilds. It will likely be some time before he learns a new Champion has been named...however, I do believe you are correct about the war following us. Or rather, we will likely follow the war. The title of Champion shows that we are the best he has, the greatest of his hounds. Together, we will be the spearhead of his efforts against our enemy. It is not a responsibility to be taken lightly."
Meesei looked across her pack mates with a soft smile. "But, for now, we have no orders other than to strengthen ourselves, and I would rather not focus our time to relax on such serious talk. If I may ask, where in Black Marsh would the rest of you like to go? This ritual can occur essentially anywhere there is a Hist tree. I am not ashamed to admit that I have a bit of pride in my homeland, and I would enjoy showing it to you."
"Would Thorn be too far out of the way?" Ahnasha asked almost immediately. The descriptions she had heard of the city had filled her with curiosity as a child, along with Tear to the north.
Meesei smiled more brightly. "No, it would not. Thorn is reputed to be a beautiful place. I have never seen it myself, but I certainly would not be opposed to it."
"What's the biggest thing you got down there we can kill?" Lorag asked suddenly. He had been quiet for a while, though that was mostly because he didn't want to let on how much he was enjoying this pool.
"That would be a swamp leviathan, but...that is a major undertaking.They certainly live up to their names. That is a prize reserved for the strongest of hunters...one I would like to take as well. I will have to think about that; it is a tempting suggestion." Meesei answered. "What of everyone else?"
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Meesei shook her head. "No, we have no other specific goals. You never know what we may find, though. Hircine could set us on a task while we are in the area, or he could send us all the way to Hammerfell. I never know when or where our next task from him will be. Either way, I definitely intend to take us on multiple hunts of the marsh's creatures. They tend to be dangerous, and often hard to kill. Herbivores and scavengers can kill you if you upset them, and even many plants are dangerous. Mostly, the dangerous flora is simply poisonous, but there are some plants that will try to eat you just as much as the predators will. Overall, the entire marsh is a test of any true hunter's mettle."
Ahnasha's expression seemed to sadden through Meesei's explanation, once she thought about how long it would be before they would arrive there. "Unfortunately, I do not think I will be able to enjoy the hunt; I will likely be stuck just dealing with the negatives. It will be months before we get there, and I won't be in any condition to go on a hunt at that point, especially against any kind of worthy prey."
Meesei cleared her throat, preparing for a long explanation. "That may be true, but the marsh certainly isn't all negatives. It is a beautiful place that is full of life and energy. I know other races do not like heat and humidity as we do, but you will at least never be far from a swimming hole. Some of the waters do carry dangerous creatures, but I can tell you which ones are safe. After living there most of my life, I have an eye for such things. As for the people, there are many different kinds, but I can tell you about all of them. First and foremost, the one thing you should not do, no matter where you are, is to harm a Hist tree. If you are looking for an execution, that is the fastest way to earn one. I'll be sure to point out what they look like once we get there. Otherwise, different Argonians carry different customs. The most familiar places to you will likely be the cities. Most were established originally by the Empire long ago, and that influence can still be seen today. All cities in the marsh are Argonian, with Argonian customs, but the Imperial origins are obvious. They have buildings and structures that serve the same purposes as those you would find in Cyrodiil, even if they have different architecture. They have city guards, marketplaces, and pretty much everything you would expect from a city. Most residents speak both Cyrodilic and Jel, even non-Argonians to as much of an extent as they can. Most of the non-Argonians you will find in Black Marsh live in these cities. Next, there are the smaller towns. They are often located on trade routes between cities, so they expect visitors from time to time. They are permanent settlements, so they have buildings like you would expect, but they are designed to withstand the stresses the marsh places on them. Still, there are very few towns in the inner marshes, as wooden structures simply cannot stand for long deeper in the marsh. Usually, few non-Argonians live in the smaller towns, but you will see them from time to time. Not all of the townsfolk will speak Cyrodilic, but enough do that you should be able to manage just fine. They are often more 'in-touch' with Argonian traditions than those in the cities, but as long as you are respectful, you should face no problems. Lastly, there are the small Argonian villages. You often find these in the inner marshes, but some, like my own, exist in the outer marshes. These villages follow Argonian traditions completely, and it would be very, very rare to find a non-Argonian here. You can only really expect the leadership of these tribes to know Cyrodilic, as they do not often get visitors. Regardless, most small villages are peaceful and are simply looking to survive. Just as with the towns, you just need to be respectful. I will warn you, though, that there are some tribes who are openly hostile to outsiders. They will attack on sight, but fortunately, they are not the norm."
Ahnasha's expression seemed to sadden through Meesei's explanation, once she thought about how long it would be before they would arrive there. "Unfortunately, I do not think I will be able to enjoy the hunt; I will likely be stuck just dealing with the negatives. It will be months before we get there, and I won't be in any condition to go on a hunt at that point, especially against any kind of worthy prey."
Meesei cleared her throat, preparing for a long explanation. "That may be true, but the marsh certainly isn't all negatives. It is a beautiful place that is full of life and energy. I know other races do not like heat and humidity as we do, but you will at least never be far from a swimming hole. Some of the waters do carry dangerous creatures, but I can tell you which ones are safe. After living there most of my life, I have an eye for such things. As for the people, there are many different kinds, but I can tell you about all of them. First and foremost, the one thing you should not do, no matter where you are, is to harm a Hist tree. If you are looking for an execution, that is the fastest way to earn one. I'll be sure to point out what they look like once we get there. Otherwise, different Argonians carry different customs. The most familiar places to you will likely be the cities. Most were established originally by the Empire long ago, and that influence can still be seen today. All cities in the marsh are Argonian, with Argonian customs, but the Imperial origins are obvious. They have buildings and structures that serve the same purposes as those you would find in Cyrodiil, even if they have different architecture. They have city guards, marketplaces, and pretty much everything you would expect from a city. Most residents speak both Cyrodilic and Jel, even non-Argonians to as much of an extent as they can. Most of the non-Argonians you will find in Black Marsh live in these cities. Next, there are the smaller towns. They are often located on trade routes between cities, so they expect visitors from time to time. They are permanent settlements, so they have buildings like you would expect, but they are designed to withstand the stresses the marsh places on them. Still, there are very few towns in the inner marshes, as wooden structures simply cannot stand for long deeper in the marsh. Usually, few non-Argonians live in the smaller towns, but you will see them from time to time. Not all of the townsfolk will speak Cyrodilic, but enough do that you should be able to manage just fine. They are often more 'in-touch' with Argonian traditions than those in the cities, but as long as you are respectful, you should face no problems. Lastly, there are the small Argonian villages. You often find these in the inner marshes, but some, like my own, exist in the outer marshes. These villages follow Argonian traditions completely, and it would be very, very rare to find a non-Argonian here. You can only really expect the leadership of these tribes to know Cyrodilic, as they do not often get visitors. Regardless, most small villages are peaceful and are simply looking to survive. Just as with the towns, you just need to be respectful. I will warn you, though, that there are some tribes who are openly hostile to outsiders. They will attack on sight, but fortunately, they are not the norm."
If you need a visual for what the ship looks like, think something kinda like the Katariah from Skyrim. It has the above decks level, which I suppose counts the captain's cabin, since that is raised above. Beneath, it has an upper deck and a lower deck. In this case, though, it doesn't have all the luxuries of that ship. After all, this isn't the emperor's ship, so the interior design is different.
As for the demographics of the NPC crew members, they would match the demographics of Leyawiin. The city has a high population of Argonians and Khajiit, as well as Imperials, so they would be common races, with a mix of others as well.
As for the demographics of the NPC crew members, they would match the demographics of Leyawiin. The city has a high population of Argonians and Khajiit, as well as Imperials, so they would be common races, with a mix of others as well.
The moment Sharee finished off her first opponent, she was on to the next. To her left, near the bow, there were two East Empire guards, a Redguard man and a Nord woman, who had managed to draw their blades and ready themselves. She rushed up the short staircase leading to the very front part of the bow and rushed at them, swinging her sword at the Redguard on the right. He, of course, blocked, while the other swung towards her neck. Almost without effort, Sharee parried the Nord's blade with her dagger, then quickly slashed her cutlass across her abdomen while the Redguard was recoiled from her strike. The armor put up enough resistance to prevent her blade from sinking too deep, but it definitely found its mark.
The Redguard slashed diagonally towards Sharee's torso, but in a move that obviously surprised her attacker, she managed to immediately duck low and to the right at an angle that looked like it would throw her to the ground, but with her tail as a counterbalance, she remained on her feet. While she was evading, she slashed her blade across his knee, then stabbed it through his throat when he started to fall. Predicting that the Nord woman would be attacking by now, she looked to the left and readied her dagger as she brought herself back up to a standing position. The Nord had indeed gone for a thrusting attack, but Sharee once again managed to parry the attack. The woman went for another strike, but it was considerably weaker than before and easily blocked.
"I...what did you..." The Nord began with a mixture of exhaustion and confusion. Sharee's fast acting poison had already started to sap her energy. The effect would end shortly, bringing her back to normal, but Sharee did not need that long. A strong swing was all it took to cause the woman to lose her grip on her blade, and a stab through the chest was all it took to finish her.
With a quick glance across the deck of the ship, Sharee surveyed the situation. Some of her recruits were dead or wounded, but for the most part, it was the East Empire guards who had fallen. The surprise from their attack had taken out a good portion of their number immediately, and the rest were disorganized. On the far side of the ship, however, she saw one who was a definite threat. Near the stern of the ship, the captain had emerged out of the door from his cabin. He had already slain one of her recruits, and was facing down two more. He blocked a strike from one of the recruits at the same time that he delivered a strong left hook to his face, then immediately lashed out against the other recruit as the first stumbled back. He clashed blades with the recruit, twisted his blade with practiced precision, then nearly cut off the recruit's hand before slashing his throat. This was someone Sharee needed to deal with.
Sharee could have ran across the ship to face down the captain in open combat, to duel him to the death, but as she looked up at the ship's masts, a different idea came to mind. She sheathed her dagger to free up a hand, then ran and jumped, grabbing on to one of the wooden beams and pulling herself up. With their current arrangement she could run across to the other side, ending up nearly right above the captain. With the sails not currently raised, she would be more easily visible, but with all the chaos below her, it was reasonable to expect that she could get across without him noticing. She ran across the narrow beam with skill and speed, as if balance was a non-issue for her. When it came time to jump to the next beam, she landed it perfectly, not even slowing down. Even so, the captain had managed to slay the other recruit and was now fighting another who approached. This one, an Argonian male, wielded a shortsword and a small, wooden buckler. He managed to block a few of the captain's strikes, but when he decided on a thrusting attack, the blade pierced straight through the wood and into the Argonian's arm. He screamed out in pain, both as the blade entered his arm, and when the captain removed it. However, before he could finish him off, Sharee reached the point where she could strike.
Leaping from the mast, Sharee fell onto the captain and sunk her blade into his spine in a single attack. It was over in an instant; if the captain was not dead, he was paralyzed and would be dead soon enough. The fight so far had been short, but bloody. All of the ship's crew on the deck were either dead or dying, but there were certainly still more below, but he turned and ran back down immediately as soon as he saw how outnumbered he was. From the splashing she could hear in the water below, some of the crew were already abandoning ship through the portholes, but the guards would probably remain to recapture the ship, especially since they did not know exactly how numerous their attackers were. They would need to move quickly to clear them before they decided it was a lost cause and decided on any kind of sabotage. As a result, Sharee rushed over to the open hatch, then grabbed the attention of the two closest recruits to her, a pair of Khajiit.
"You two, get the sails raised. Once the rest of the crew gets on board, tell them to go ahead and get us out of the harbor. Everyone esle, on me. We're going to clear the pests from the lower decks." Sharee ordered. Once the sails were raised, that would be the cue for the non-combatant recruits to make their way on board, followed by the recruits that were holding off the guards on the docks. They didn't have time to wait on the lower decks to be cleared, so they would need to get started preparing their departure immediately.
The Redguard slashed diagonally towards Sharee's torso, but in a move that obviously surprised her attacker, she managed to immediately duck low and to the right at an angle that looked like it would throw her to the ground, but with her tail as a counterbalance, she remained on her feet. While she was evading, she slashed her blade across his knee, then stabbed it through his throat when he started to fall. Predicting that the Nord woman would be attacking by now, she looked to the left and readied her dagger as she brought herself back up to a standing position. The Nord had indeed gone for a thrusting attack, but Sharee once again managed to parry the attack. The woman went for another strike, but it was considerably weaker than before and easily blocked.
"I...what did you..." The Nord began with a mixture of exhaustion and confusion. Sharee's fast acting poison had already started to sap her energy. The effect would end shortly, bringing her back to normal, but Sharee did not need that long. A strong swing was all it took to cause the woman to lose her grip on her blade, and a stab through the chest was all it took to finish her.
With a quick glance across the deck of the ship, Sharee surveyed the situation. Some of her recruits were dead or wounded, but for the most part, it was the East Empire guards who had fallen. The surprise from their attack had taken out a good portion of their number immediately, and the rest were disorganized. On the far side of the ship, however, she saw one who was a definite threat. Near the stern of the ship, the captain had emerged out of the door from his cabin. He had already slain one of her recruits, and was facing down two more. He blocked a strike from one of the recruits at the same time that he delivered a strong left hook to his face, then immediately lashed out against the other recruit as the first stumbled back. He clashed blades with the recruit, twisted his blade with practiced precision, then nearly cut off the recruit's hand before slashing his throat. This was someone Sharee needed to deal with.
Sharee could have ran across the ship to face down the captain in open combat, to duel him to the death, but as she looked up at the ship's masts, a different idea came to mind. She sheathed her dagger to free up a hand, then ran and jumped, grabbing on to one of the wooden beams and pulling herself up. With their current arrangement she could run across to the other side, ending up nearly right above the captain. With the sails not currently raised, she would be more easily visible, but with all the chaos below her, it was reasonable to expect that she could get across without him noticing. She ran across the narrow beam with skill and speed, as if balance was a non-issue for her. When it came time to jump to the next beam, she landed it perfectly, not even slowing down. Even so, the captain had managed to slay the other recruit and was now fighting another who approached. This one, an Argonian male, wielded a shortsword and a small, wooden buckler. He managed to block a few of the captain's strikes, but when he decided on a thrusting attack, the blade pierced straight through the wood and into the Argonian's arm. He screamed out in pain, both as the blade entered his arm, and when the captain removed it. However, before he could finish him off, Sharee reached the point where she could strike.
Leaping from the mast, Sharee fell onto the captain and sunk her blade into his spine in a single attack. It was over in an instant; if the captain was not dead, he was paralyzed and would be dead soon enough. The fight so far had been short, but bloody. All of the ship's crew on the deck were either dead or dying, but there were certainly still more below, but he turned and ran back down immediately as soon as he saw how outnumbered he was. From the splashing she could hear in the water below, some of the crew were already abandoning ship through the portholes, but the guards would probably remain to recapture the ship, especially since they did not know exactly how numerous their attackers were. They would need to move quickly to clear them before they decided it was a lost cause and decided on any kind of sabotage. As a result, Sharee rushed over to the open hatch, then grabbed the attention of the two closest recruits to her, a pair of Khajiit.
"You two, get the sails raised. Once the rest of the crew gets on board, tell them to go ahead and get us out of the harbor. Everyone esle, on me. We're going to clear the pests from the lower decks." Sharee ordered. Once the sails were raised, that would be the cue for the non-combatant recruits to make their way on board, followed by the recruits that were holding off the guards on the docks. They didn't have time to wait on the lower decks to be cleared, so they would need to get started preparing their departure immediately.
Sharee has a set of skills created from a childhood dedicated solely to the act of killing. Of course, the way she approaches situations may not cause her skills to be displayed immediately. She tends to take the path of least resistance.
I really should have considered how tired I would be at midnight before I said I would post later. I'll start working on mine now, but I may not post it until tomorrow.
For my next post with Dirssi, it would probably be best to collaborate it with Witch and Frettzo. Do either of you happen to be on at the moment (though I am going to have to leave in a few minutes)?
I think I'll adopt the strategy of waiting until later tonight for my next post again. I won't be ending the fight, but it will essentially move to a different phase.
A very nice post, that. I find myself unable to describe things in such detail.
Ahnasha shook her head. "No, we do not often find our way into cities, so there is little opportunity. Although, I suppose Vos is the first city we have really been in since we got together. Fendros has only been with us for a bit over a month. Our usual territory is in Cyrodiil, though, so I doubt we'll face many problems there; it is probably the most cosmopolitan place in Tamriel."
"We will probably be heading to Black Marsh soon." Meesei added. "If you face any problems there, it will not be because you are a Dunmer and Khajiit couple, it will be because you are Dunmer and Khajiit. Of course, it has been hundreds of years since their have been hostilities with either group. We do not have the lifespans of elves, very few Argonians today were alive when the Dunmer were causing problems for us, and it has been centuries since the last conflict with the Khajiit. Tensions are not nearly as high there as they used to be. That being said, Argonians are a very independent people. Respect their ways, and you will probably be fine, but be careful not to offend. Some clans can be more dangerous than the marsh itself."
"We will probably be heading to Black Marsh soon." Meesei added. "If you face any problems there, it will not be because you are a Dunmer and Khajiit couple, it will be because you are Dunmer and Khajiit. Of course, it has been hundreds of years since their have been hostilities with either group. We do not have the lifespans of elves, very few Argonians today were alive when the Dunmer were causing problems for us, and it has been centuries since the last conflict with the Khajiit. Tensions are not nearly as high there as they used to be. That being said, Argonians are a very independent people. Respect their ways, and you will probably be fine, but be careful not to offend. Some clans can be more dangerous than the marsh itself."
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