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"I think I'll stay here a bit longer, but I'll join you soon." Ahnasha said to Fendros as he left, before turning her attention back to the conversation.

Meesei lowered her gaze and let out a light, slightly depressed sigh. She held her hands clasped together just above the water, running her fingers over one another. "No, I have not, but...I have been thinking on that recently." She said. Her tone was not precisely sad, but rather uncertain. "I have been keeping a closer track of the date than usual, as I have been trying to figure out what the phase of the moon will be when it is time for Ahnasha to give birth. Today is Morndas, correct? Middas will be the twenty-ninth anniversary of my hatching. I am not old, and I know that, but...there will come a time when I can no longer produce an egg."

Looking around at the others for a moment, Meesei closed her eyes and shook her head softly. "I am sorry, I should not bother you with my worries. There are many years before I will have to worry about that. To be a parent is something I would one day want, but my responsibilities now are far more pressing, and important. At any rate, why do you ask? Perhaps I can still satisfy any curiosity you have."
We really might want to try to finish that collab. I don't know that we have much more time.
Meesei gave a slight grunt. "To use the sap in such a way...it is no wonder things turned out so terribly for them. Once cannot coerce the Hist into serving them. As for the sap, it has many magical properties and potential applications. One might describe it as the essence of the Hist itself. To Argonians, its most important application is the connection it provides to the Hist.To ingest it, under normal circumstances, provides a direct link between your mind and that of the Hist. They speak in the purest form of thought, to show you through visions what they wish to tell you. It also served a reproductive role. We place our eggs at the base of a Hist tree, then the Hist allows its sap to form what we call hatching pools beneath it. It helps to form a solid connection between the hatchling and the Hist. Eggs can be hatched without it, but they will not have that same connection. My position as shaman...well, that is always the term I have used to describe it to you, as it most closely describes my responsibilities. My actual title was Treeminder. Different Argonian villages have different customs when it comes to such positions. Some have multiple treeminders, others declare anyone whose responsibilities have them working with the Hist a treeminder. In my village, the Treeminder was one of the three leaders of the village and was meant to be the expert in all magical and spiritual matters. As a result, I am quite familiar with the uses of the sap."

Meesei's position within her village gave her insight into the Hist, but even she could not admit to knowing all they were capable of. "Of course, Hist sap has more than just those properties. The sap is a direct link to the Hist, and the Hist is more than just a collection of powerful trees. The Hist's essence, it's...presence, is almost uniform across Tamriel, perhaps all of Nirn, except for in Black Marsh, where it is concentrated the highest. For all I was taught, even I cannot say I fully understand the nature of the Hist. All I know is that it is an integral part of nature, so you can imagine what a dedicated and intelligent mage or alchemist might be able to do with the sap, how they might use it to manipulate the natural world around them."
I don't know if it would be appropriate in this situation to bring in more to that fight.
Hey witch, we should probably get to work on that collab. Frettzo, if you get the opportunity, you should join as well. We can use the same pad we used last time.
"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?"
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."
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.
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.
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.
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