EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei found herself quite curious about the pillars Gallus described, as she was for any ancient magical artifact. Purifying water was not exactly something vital to a lycan, but nevertheless, it was not something she knew how to do with magic, at least not without boiling it. Therefore, it of course caught her interest, but she would likely need to speak to Darahil if she wanted to learn more. As for the next chamber, Meesei could not tell if it was originally designed to be a pool, but she did know that Ayleid ruins sometimes contained large pools of water. What the Ayleids used them for could only be speculated upon, but the use the pack had found for it was no doubt good for overall morale. Meesei, and indeed the rest of her pack, knew well what kind of hard work it took to learn to gain control of one's beast spirit, so any leisure time was a blessing. Gallus' initiate, Tzirret, was obviously upset with Gallus' attempt at a joke. No doubt, there were many in the clan like him, as those who were turned unwillingly could be subject to intense trauma. Gallus mentioned that Tzirret was not too familiar with Cyrodilic, which made Ahnasha wonder if she could provide some kind of help. Deciding to take a chance, she spoke up in a light tone, and in Ta'agra. "Your turning was not willing, I assume? My mate, Fendros, was turned in the same way. I know it may not seem like it now, but it does get better over time, all of it. Your beast spirit can be controlled, no matter how unruly it seems."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The pack's new guide, Gallus, guided them back through to the main chamber, likely because it connected to most other parts of the city. Whatever purpose it once held to the Ayleids, now its use was fairly self-evident. Its sheer size was perfect for training, or large gatherings. And with how many lycans were apparently in the clan, they would need the space. It was so large, in fact, that most of the lycans that saw them pass did not take special notice of the pack, most likely because they were used to new faces by this point. Ahnasha nodded to Gallus as they walked along through the chamber. "Ahnasha, and yes, Rhazii is a werewolf. You said you first turned when you were in your teenage years? That is what I thought would happen. We still have plenty of years before we need to worry about that." She commented. Other than the training, there was little else actually happening in the main chamber, at least not at the moment, so the group simply exchanged introductions with Gallus as they headed into another corridor, then down the stairs to a lower floor. In addition to the general noise of people moving about in the distance, they could also start to hear the low, steady sound of flowing water echo through the spacious halls. The stairs ended perpendicular to a hallway with chambers on both the left and right on the opposite side of the hall. Just in front of them, they could see into the chamber that Gallus was guiding them to. It was well-lit, with a decently wide and deep stream flowing through its center. Given that the path the stream was flowing through was built into the ruin, it had likely always been the water source for the city. Apart from the stream, the other most notable feature about the room were the small glowing pillars on the sides of the stream, each with a welkynd stone at its top. They radiated magicka, but even Meesei did not know their function just by looking at them. From outside the room, they could also hear voices echoing through the halls to their left, but Gallus would likely take them there soon. "I take it this is the city's water source? I can see how this place would be an excellent home, given that it has its own river." Meesei commented. "Do you happen to know what those pillars do?"

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak Dyreackthanose and Meirin Kurenai --- As Ssarak was charging forward, he noticed Meirin use her magic to spring into position behind the guard captain, but despite the general noise of the fight and the fact that she was out of his line of sight, he reacted immediately, and with surprising agility. Had he not known about he might have assumed that the captain had very acute hearing, but as he sprang away behind Meirin, Ssarak recognized what was going on quickly, as it was a strategy he had used countless times himself. The guard captain had been warned by the psychomancer; something that would make this fight much more difficult. Before he even started to think of a counter, Ssarak rushed to help Meirin, though there was no way he could do anything physically in time. Thanks to his training with Satori, however, his mental reactions were almost as natural to him as any block or parry. To the captain, he gave an illusion, one that was subtle enough not to require a high level of detail. As he was beginning his swing, Ssarak attempted to alter his perception of depth enough to make Meirin seem closer than she actually was. Hopefully, his swing would either miss entirely, or at least not be ideal, and therefore easier to block. Meirin was sure that she would have been tripped the captain. Yet somehow he was able to jump over Meirin. Was this another illusion or did that really happen? She didn't think about it for long; illusion or not she didn't feel her weapon hit anything so she missed, and she couldn't see the captain in front of her so she needed to move. Meirin dodged to the side and felt a tug on her sleeve. When she looked she saw that the captain had just her arm, but just barely. Nothing that would stop Meirin but it was very close. If she had to guess the captain must be getting help from the Psychomancer. There was no way he could have seen Meirin get behind him. She had to be careful too however; that Psychomancer could do the same trick to Meirin, as she could still see the demons trying to attack her. She had to block them out from her sight and try not to flinch everytime a demon took a swing at her. "This is getting annoying Ssarak... I know these demons aren't real but they're getting in the way." The worse things these demons were doing were just blocking her view. She made some weak swings to "knock" them away, but they were presistant. She at least knew were the guard captain was at and made sure that he didn't sneak an attack on her while the demons pestered her. The guard captain noticed something off with his sight. He couldn't tell what, but whatever it was it made him miss the red haired girl. It was two against one now and he knew that both his opponents were very skilled. The red haired girl was one of those warrior monks from the mountain, so he knew she was a fighter. The eysire was obviously a threat. The worse thing that could happen to the captain was if he left himself get flanked again. He had only a few seconds to weigh his options and charged the eysire. While he had no doubts that one solid blow could kill the warrior monk, she was fast, likely faster than he was, and if he tried to focus his attention on her the eysire warrior could land a blow that would kill him. No, the captain would need to make sure to take advantage of his speed against the larger warrior rather than match speed with the warrior monk. Keeping his shield arm between him and the dragon warrior the guard captain juked to the eysire's left. As he did so he also stabbed his sword into the a fold in the eysire's leg armor. He wanted to try to peirce the flesh, but failing that he could at least get his blade lodged in to try to trip up the eysire. Given that Meirin was not armored in the same way as Ssarak, he had expected that the guard captain would go for her, but he was ready for his attack nonetheless. The captain was ill-equipped to deal with an armored opponent. Slashing attacks were all but useless against, plate, which meant the only way he could be effective was with thrusts. Therefore, as soon as he dodged to the side, Ssarak had a reasonable guess as to what kind of attack was coming. As the captain was starting to thrust forward, Ssarak grabbed onto the head of his maul with his left hand and yanked it upwards, acting as a lever to snap the haft down onto the blade, hopefully knocking it to the side. At the same time, he decided to give his own, unique counter. In a more direct application of psychomancy than he had been using, Ssarak concentrated some of his magic into a psychomantic breath attack, which shot out through the small, grid-like holes in the front of his helmet. The collection of generally calming effects it produced could make him rethink his decision to fight, or at the very least, its effects would certainly not be helpful in such a fast-paced fight. The captain had put Ssarak between himself and Meirin, but it would still only be a few seconds before she was on him as well. Either Meirin was scarier than she gave herself credit for or the guard captain was trying something when he attacked Ssarak first. She at least could guess that he was trying not to get stuck between him and Meirin since he tried to put Ssarak between them, but Meirin was fast enough to follow him. Just as Meirin got into position to attack Ssarak countered but not in a way she had ever seen him do before. He breathed some sort of smoke into the captain's face. She knew that Eysire could use breath attacks based on their magic but she had no idea what a Psychomancy breath attack would do. Whatever it was though, it would at least blind the captain. Instead of attacking the captain directly Meirin took this chance to use a weaving movement. She thought back to her lessons Ghell and one technquie that would be most effective here. She needed both hands however so she had to drop her monk's spade and took her stance. First she focused on the captain. Than she held her hands close to her center, like she was holding a ball between had palms. She rotated her hands around the center of her body until a small spinning orb was formed between her hands. Than she launched this ball towards the captain, where it grew as Meirin continued to motions until the captain was surrounded but a sort of wind barrier. Normally this was a technquie used defensively, but Meirin learned how to use it offensively by sucking the breath out of those caught inside of it as well as pushing objects away from the orb. Ssarak would feel the wind pushing against him, but the purpose of this technquie was to make sure the guard breathed in all of Ssarak's breath attack. Meirin continued to maintain the movements until she felt that the captain was no longer a threat, or somehow escaped, whichever came first. The guard captain stepped back from Ssarak when his attack failed. He was about to try to get behind the eysire to attack his wings when he breathed a thick smog in the captain's face. This certainly caught him off guard as he raised his shield to try to block the attack, but still breathed in the smoke. His eyes watered and he began to cough as the effects of the smoke immediately began to try to take hold of his mind. He waved his shield around trying to blow the smoke away but than Meirin's wind vaccum prevented that from working. The gas surrounded him, forced him to breath in Ssarak's breath. The captain's vision became blurred, his mind was starting to go blank. Thoughts and visions flashed before his eyes as he both tried to keep fighting and wanted to do nothing more than drop his weapons. The captain flailed forward in an attempt to break out of the wind tunnel, but after he did he collapsed. He was foaming from the mouth and his eyes were blood shot. His last memory was that of a woman that he knew back at his home. Slowly, he closed his eyes as his faded from consciousness.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei remained silent through Jerrick's explanation of his rules. Given how different such a large clan would be from a normal pack, it was sensible that it would have a defined list of rules, with some variation from the norm. Each rule was simple, practical, and likely necessary for the continuing function of his clan. However, Meesei was careful in how she worded her response. She agreed with each rule, but she had to avoid seeming submissive. "My pack will remain respectful, I will be sure of it." Meesei began before turning towards her own pack. "I am Hircine's Champion, granted his authority to lead our kind through these troubled times, but this is Jerrick's clan. He and his people are the ones who have built this formidable clan into what it is today. As long as we are his guests, we shall respect his customs and rules." She said, her voice containing the same kind of authority as Jerrick. She had no doubt that her pack could avoid causing trouble, but she needed to reassure Jerrick just as well. Meesei looked back at Jerrick as she continued. "Rest assured, Jerrick, I am not here to supplant you, if that was a fear in your mind. I know the arrival of new alphas can cause...tension, at times. But, no matter my position with our lord, I respect that you are the leader of these people, just as it should remain. Myself and my pack will start by helping to eliminate the presence of Vile's followers in the area, both outside the clan, and within, if his agents have managed to infiltrate. As outsiders, we may be able to gain information and perspectives hidden from your own people. I do also have some ideas on how to track down our enemy's lair." Meesei paused and glanced to Oswall with a slight grin. "And I may have time to share stories. Actually, there may be a good reason to share that particular tale. But first, I would like for us to be able to get settled in."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As expected, Jerrick and his lieutenants were all diverse in their skill sets, as would be necessary to maintain such a large clan. Provided their self-assessments were all honest, Meesei could certainly make use of their talents. More importantly, they all seemed to have earned their positions years, or centuries, in Darahil's case, before the troubles with Clavicus Vile began. Of course, corruption was still possible after any length of time, but it seemed much less likely. Having an agent of Clavicus Vile in the inner circle could be disastrous, and while Meesei would still remain cautious, she could be more at ease. Meesei was not a person who liked to brag about her own talents, unlike Lorag, Ahnasha, or two of Jerrick's lieutenants, but nevertheless, it would be best for her to present herself as being capable. "Well, being that my pack is much, much smaller, I make all of my pack's important decisions. From the day I was hatched, I have been trained to be a leader. I was to be Treeminder for my village, which also entailed a great deal of magical training. I have been training and using my magic for every day of my conscious life. Some of my village's magical traditions seemed to have been lost by Tamriel as a whole, or were never known to them, but I still retain them. As for my pack, it is fairly young, actually. It was about seven years ago that it was formed, they all very skilled, or have exceptional promise for growth. I shall let them introduce themselves." She said, gesturing first to Lorag. "Ah, well, I'm a warrior, if the hammer and armor didn't give it away. Father was a warrior, mother was a warrior, and I ended up in the Legion as soon as they let me. They sent me to Skyrim to fight in that civil war they had a while back. I got infected up there and after about ten years on my own, Alpha found me. I can fight, and I can do it well. Nothin' more to say than that, really." Lorag explained. Ahnasha started next, once she had enough time to think about how to describe her skills. "I've been a hunter since I could hold a bow. I was young when I first learned about Hircine, and I knew from then what I was meant to do. I'm quick with blades, pinpoint with a bow, and am capable of Illusion and Conjuration as well." Kaleeth was significantly more nervous to speak up than the others. Unlike them, she did not consider herself especially good at anything, and she did not want to disappoint anyone by making herself seem weak. "Oh, well...I don't really know what to say..." Sensing Kaleeth's anxiety, Meesei quickly interrupted to give her own decription. "Kaleeth is the newest member of the pack, apart from Rhazii, of course. She is still very much in training, but as I said, she has great potential. She was trained to be a hunter in her village, so she is not without ability. Being a werecrocodile, she also has a distinct physical advantage. Save for another werecrocodile, I doubt anyone could outmatch her physically."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei listened intently to Jerrick and Harriet's explanation of recent events. It was encouraging that the clan was not only aware of the danger, but had been fighting against it. However, despite their apparent successes, the clan was nowhere near out of danger. The size of Clavicus' forces and his overall influence was unknown, so there was no way to know how much power was arrayed against them. The idea that Vile's cult might be inflicting their own with lycanthropy to serve as spies was particularly concerning. Any member of their cult willing to become a lycan would either have to be very ignorant, or very devoted, as a lycan's soul unquestionably belonged to Hircine. No matter how fervently they worshipped Vile, they would be bound to his hunting grounds in death. It could be that Vile promised them a cure, or some other way to steal them from Hircine. Even if it was not possible, Vile was known for tricking his followers. "Hmm, I see. It is good that you have been successful so far, but we still really do not know what we are up against. Vile is a trickster, and direct attacks may not be his only avenue of approach. I trust you are already keeping a close eye on the new bloods, but even so, it may be only a matter of time before this place is discovered. Still, this place is very defensible, and a direct attack would be difficult. I will need to take time to consider the best approach, but my first instinct is to focus on other potential weaknesses, and of course, rooting out any spies. So...yes, I would like to get to know more about this clan, to get familiar with it. I suppose I should start with you. How long have you all had your positions within the clan; how did you earn them, and what are your skills?" Meesei asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei did not exactly distrust Anders and his entourage. At least, they had done nothing to make themselves seem suspicious, but as they were walking into an exceptionally large clan of lycans, she could not be too careful. Clavicus was an underhanded and crafty Daedra, so it would not be impossible for him to plant informants within the clan if he managed to learn of its location. Overall, Meesei was very aware of the actions of those around her. At least with Jerrick's inner circle, she could likely assume that they had been with him for quite a while, though she would need to ask in order to confirm. "It was not Hircine who told us to come here, actually." Meesei began. "We have been working against Vile for some time. Most recently, Hircine directed us to a cult of Molag Bal, a Daedra that is neutral toward both Vile, and our lord. We gained a sort of alliance with the cult, and through them, learned that Vile's followers tried to do the same. Through them, we learned that Vile's followers likely intended to come here, to make your clan a target. Our purpose here is both to warn you, and to aid you against their efforts. Now, what is it that Hircine told you?" Meesei's tone was polite and friendly, and as long as Jerrick was just as civil and cooperative, it would remain that way. Jerrick was the Alpha of his clan, and Meesei had no intention of taking that from him, but if he or anyone else in his clan started to defy her, she would have to show that she had the authority.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Walking through the halls of the ruin seemed to confirm everything their guide said about the place. It was large, in every sense, with tall ceilings and massive rooms. Other than the Dwemer, it seemed that the Ayleids were one of the most adept civilizations in history at building underground. If the ruin had been undisturbed since it was abandoned, Meesei could only imagine what secrets it might have held. She hoped that the pack, or perhaps more appropriately, clan that currently inhabited it had scholars who cared enough to preserve its relics. Given the sheer number of lycans present, that was more likely than not. Once they were led to the clan's Alpha, one of Jerrick's lieutenants was quick to spot the ring on her finger. Fortunately, the greetings from all of them, an Altmer excepted, were either pleasant or surprised. The Alpha himself mentioned that he had been told to expect her, likely by Hircine himself, by Meesei's guess. Prior to that day, they had not even known their exact destination, and while Meesei had not communed with Hircine about the issue, she doubted that he needed to talk with her to know the movements of his own Champion. "My name is Meesei, the Champion of our our lord Hircine." Meesei said, starting with her introduction before continuing on. "This is Lorag, my second. That is Janius and Kaleeth-Rei. And that is Fendros, Ahnasha, and their son Rhazii." She said, gesturing to each of them as she said their names. "Oh, and the strange lizard in Kaleeth's arms is Leaps-On-Elves, a wamasu hatchling. That one is a bit of a long story." Meesei gave a slight grin, but quickly returned to her more serious demeanor. "There is quite a lot I would like to know about this clan you have built here, but it would likely be best to start with our business here. You said you were told to expect me; our lord Hircine, I take it?" Glancing behind her at the entourage that had escorted them, Meesei adopted a similar stance to Jerrick as she turned back to him. "With the sensitive nature of our business here, I believe we should hold this conversation in private. Your inner circle and my pack may be present, of course."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Well, as far as the structure itself, it's purely a fairly large Ayleid city. It has been cleaned up, but it's not like the vampire lair which had been lived in for thousands of years. This one does show the wear of time, especially in higher up places. They do bring in furniture and such from the outside, which would bear Imperial and Nordic influences. In the lower floors, there is a sort of underground river that flows through a few chambers that serves as the city's water source. Beyond that, it's pretty much just an Ayleid ruin.

The Depths of Deception

Once her internal injuries were dealt with, Rareth shifted herself on the cot, both to get to a more comfortable position, and to see how it felt when moving. Of course, given that she was still under the effect of the anesthetic, she was still numb, so she would have to trust Shiva that she was in good condition once more. After Shiva asked about the scar, Rareth nodded to her. "Yeah, go ahead and fix it up. Scars aren't really my thing. I've been scarred on many occasions, in many ways, but I always get them fixed up. There was a fad about a hundred years ago where they were in style, so I did have some for a few years, but I ended up getting them removed. I think my scales look much better smooth an uninterrupted." Rareth glanced over to Telmeck. She wasn't surprised he came to check on on her, though she had already said her injuries were not serious. She was not the type to lie about her wounds. Regardless, she could forgive him for being worried. "What about you, Telmeck? What do you think about scars?"