EliteCommander

The Depths of Deception

Let's just say the currency is valuable. They would be well compensated.

The Depths of Deception

Despite the blunt nature of August's question, Ghirn answered without skipping a beat. "Payment for most of you is being handled by the governments who sent you, and will most likely be the standard of whatever your government pays. For those of you who are independent contractors, the payment you have agreed to is outlined in these contracts...here"

With the press of a button, Ghirn activated holographic displays in front of every member of the team, each one of which displayed a contract drafted specifically for the person it was being presented to. "These contracts outline the terms and conditions of your service to the Assembly in this endeavor. For most of you, it essentially boils down to a simple non-disclosure agreement, though as I said, if you are a contractor, i also outlines your pay. You may examine it if you like, but we cannot continue until everyone here has signed the agreement. If you do not like the terms, you may leave now. Be aware that, after signing this agreement, if you reveal any classified information you learn during this mission, the Assembly will have the authority to detain and imprison you."

Rareth was no stranger to these agreements, so she wasted no time in signing her NDA. The holographic display was able to take her biometric readings for identification, meaning all she had to do was to give her thumbprint. As she was no mercenary, her pay was taken care of by the Rahn'Masser, and was no different from her normal salary. The wording on the mercenaries' payment contract was actually a bit complicated, but if they performed well, they could stand to make half a million credits for a year's contract.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Well, I remember a lot of sleeping, and a lot of eating. I...think we're almost out of meat. That probably means we'll have to stop and hunt before we get to Stormhold, unfortunately." Ahnasha commented to Fendros. While Meesei and a few of the others started packing up their belongings, Ahnasha sat up against the tree and beckoned for Fendros to sit beside her. It wasn't as if they could leave without Kaleeth, so they had time.

"So, we could become parents any day now, it seems. Unless it happens today, it doesn't look like the child will be a Senche. More likely, it's going to be a Cathay, or Cathay-raht. Like I explained before, both of those are humanoid. One is big, the other is really big. They're all born the same size though, thank Hircine. I don't think i could handle anything bigger than that. Whatever it ends up being though...it's not looking good for us getting to Stormhold in time. We might have to do this ourselves." She said in a worried tone.

Elder Scrolls: Terror of the Padomaic

I think I need to determine if some of the others are still with us. Also, today was the release of Destiny, so I was otherwise occupied.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For Kaleeth, her night involved her drifting in and out of consciousness while her beast spirit hunted. There were sections of her memory that seemed to be completely absent, though she assumed they were all the same as the parts she could remember. She often found herself waiting at the bottom of the river, or floating near the top with only the tip of her nose cresting the surface. Crocodiles were patient creatures and the lycan versions were no different. All she had to do was wait and something would inevitably come to her. She had no luck in finding something especially large like the dreugh during her first hunt, at least not in what she remembered, but there were some large fish that her beast spirit deemed worthy to catch. The most striking feature about the night that she remembered was how strong the beast spirit felt in her mind. Even her very first turning could not match the intensity of what she felt during the full moon. It was frightening; if the beast could take over her mind so completely and forcefully during a specific time, what was stopping it from doing the same thing at any time? Could Hircine give the beast spirits of all of his lycans the ability to overtake their hosts on a whim? Nevertheless, Kaleeth awoke in her Argonian form washed up on the side of the river, having lost consciousness after her beast spirit retreated back within her mind. Provided she was in the same river, she could find her way back to camp, though it might take an hour or two.

Lorag's group had a mostly uneventful night. They did not find any kind of spectacular or dangerous prey, but they did find enough to satisfy their beast spirits. For Ahnasha and Meesei, on the other hand, there was far more tension in the air for the duration of the night. Unlike Ahnasha, Meesei was unable to sleep or rest for a second. As peaceful and content as she seemed from the outside, Ahnasha was not in control of her actions. The appetite of her beast spirit coupled with the increased hunger from her pregnancy meant that Meesei had to make sure she had something to eat at all times, else she try to go elsewhere to satisfy her cravings. She ended up consuming the majority of the pack's remaining stores of meat. It was always a great relief when Ahnasha fell asleep for a nap, even if it was always short-lived. In a few instances, Meesei feared that the birth was upon her. She often shifted uncomfortably and let out pained whimpers at her discomfort.Each time, as cautiously as possible Meesei approached Ahnasha with her restoration magic to soothe her pains. At the same time, she made sure to examine her body to see if anything was out of the ordinary. Meesei could easily feel the child's life energy, as well as physically feel it moving within Ahnasha's stomach, but at no point did the birthing process begin. When the sun rose, Ahnasha awoke from a much needed nap, this time in her Khajiit form.

Ahnasha slowly opened her eyes, expecting to feel a great deal of soreness, but finding none. Meesei was sitting on her knees beside her with hands that pulsed with restoration energy. She gently rubbed them over Ahnasha's joints and stomach to negate the discomfort the transformation would cause. Though Meesei was not entirely sure, she guessed Ahnasha's current condition would magnify that pain if left unattended.

"So...I guess I'm not a mother yet, then." Ahnasha said in a weak, tired voice once she was cognisant enough of her surroundings to make sense of what was going on.

Meesei grinned, then lightly grabbed Ahnasha's hand and placed it on her stomach to feel the child kicking within, even though she was probably already well aware of that. "At this point, you're already a mother, Ahnasha. You just have to get through the formality of getting the child out of you." It was at that point where Meesei heard footsteps approaching, which she assumed to be Lorag's group returning.

The Depths of Deception

Ah, nice, there have been some posts. However, today is the release date of Destiny so...I might be delayed. If anyone else feels like giving their own reactions, feel free.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I need to decide what to do next. The actual hunting part won't be that interesting for any of the characters you actually control. I could write up the events that take place for the other two if you don't want to actually rp through it. Either way, it is late enough that I need to go to bed. I'll make sure to get up a post sometime before I start playing Destiny tomorrow...probably.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As much as Kaleeth wanted to stay, her desire to avoid harming the others pushed her to leave. As she was traveling alone, she was able to use a river to cover as much distance as possible. She swam for an hour for as far as the river could take her, being sure to pay attention to landmarks in her surroundings along the way. If she was lucky, her beast spirit would be content to hunt in the same river, as it would make it easier to get back, but she had to be ready for anything. Once she felt she was far enough away, she stopped and sat down by the shore to look up at the sky. Over the past few months, she had become less afraid of her beast form, but she was still far from having perfect, or even good control. From what Meesei told her, the beast spirit within her seemed to be less submissive than the wolf spirits they possessed. She guessed it had to do with the crocodile's greater independence. She had made progress, but none of that was going to matter tonight. Eventually, the sun lowered over the horizon, allowing the moons to shine even more brightly overhead. Looking up to them, she felt a rush of energy pulse through her, energy that called the primal part of her mind straight tot he forefront. Her transformation was quick, and just as painful as ever. Kaleeth herself was still conscious and could see what she was doing, but it was her beast that had full control. As its instincts commanded it, she dove into the water and once again brought herself to wait in ambush for her prey.

As the others left, Meesei did what she could to comfort Ahnasha. Even without her beast spirit to worry about, she was hardly comfortable as of late. All the walking they had been doing had exhausted her, though she suspected she would be tired regardless of any physical activity on her part. She passed the time until nightfall with small talk with Meesei, but her worries about the night were still on her mind. Meesei set out some raw meat beside Ahnasha in the hopes that it would be enough to placate her beast spirit, given her condition. After all, a pregnant wolf was no more active than a pregnant Khajiit. When nightfall finally came, all Ahnasha felt like doing was laying down, getting something to eat, then going to sleep, but as expected, when the full moons came, her body grew and contorted into its werewolf form...then she immediately laid down and lazily began tearing chunks off from the cuts of meat. As it turned out, her beast spirit's instincts at the moment did not drive it to take any real risks. Feasting on whatever was nearby was enough for it.

Lorag's group also put some distance between them and the camp, though not as much as Kaleeth. Even while not in control, they wouldn't be much of a danger to Ahnasha or Meesei if they wandered back into camp. Mostly, they just had to make sure they went in the opposite direction as Kaleeth .Lorag, looked out across the horizon as the sun slowly set, then looked to the others with a nod. "Alright, you all know the deal. Same thing as usual, except you'll be following me instead of Meesei. No sense in trying to make any plans though, it's not like we'll be doing the hunting."

Unlike most of the others, Lorag found himself looking forward to the night. Hunts under the full moons always had a certain intensity that normal ones lacked. He could find himself getting really into his kills, almost to the point that he felt like he was back in charge of his body again. The very moment the clouds parted and he could see the moons, he didn't even wait for the moons to start his transformation and instead began it himself.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

We could, though we may not need to. I believe Ssarak is out in the courtyard where he was training with Alaira. If it turns into too much of a back and forth, we can collab it.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

I was going to make a post in a bit having Ssarak go off alone, but you can have coco run into him if you like.