EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei nodded. Given that Jerrick was expecting for this attack to happen sometime that night, they needed to work quickly to prepare. Before doing anything, however, they had to lay out the details of their plan. "I understand. I can make a scroll with the soul gem, and a welkynd stone could be useful for the illusion. Unfortunately, my entire pack cannot be lying in wait, as I doubt we would be able to hide them all. I do have one member who is skilled in stealth, however. We just need to choose where to do this. We need somewhere that would not be strange for you to go, preferably somewhere that no one, even your wife, would normally be expected to bother you. Perhaps some late night logistical work, or something of that nature. Is there anything like that which you do at least occasionally. Also, you may wish to avoid eating for the rest of the day, at least nothing from your own stocks. My pack still has a small amount of food with our belongings that you can have. It should be safe." As Harriet's claws and teeth cut into Lorag's body, he retaliated with the same kind of slashes and bites. Both were becoming fairly cut up, and while Lorag had a slight advantage, they both seemed fairly well-matched. Harriet did manage to shove Lorag off of her for a moment, but the way he landed, he was able to keep his feet on the ground and pounce back immediately. Harriet had not completely made it to her feet, though she was in a better position than lying on the ground. He grasped both of her shoulders and tried to force her down once more, all while snapping at her with his teeth. "I am Kaleeth-Rei." Kaleeth said after the other introductions, though she shied away from contributing any more to the conversation. Instead, she simply took her seat and tried to keep Leaps from escaping her arms. According to Ahnasha, they needed to be subtle about gathering information, and she was too afraid that she would miss something about Imperial culture that would make her seem suspicious. Ahnasha was more open, smiling as she gave her name. "I am Ahnasha. I think Meesei went to talk with your Alpha. Likely about tracking Vile's servants. Sabine I think has found a few friends," She commented, glancing over to the group Sabine had found to check on her, "and Lorag, well, you probably saw where he went. He is not the kind to refuse a challenge. You will probably never meet a more...Orcish Orc, and he prides himself on it. Although, Harriet seemed very eager to deliver the challenge. Is that normal for her?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei nodded in understanding. "Najirra, he is the Khajiit who is skilled at dealing with mental trauma, yes? If you can write a letter that he will know is from you, then that will be helpful. You might also consider writing to a few others you trust, that do not have that level of influence. As long as Najirra is among them, then their testimony will only strengthen his word. Just be sure you can trust who you write to. Ideally, though, we will be saving your life, not avenging it. I agree that you will likely need to be present, but that does not mean we need to put you in unnecessary danger. As long as you are present, I might be able to project an illusion of you. I would need a source of power to sustain the spell; a filled soul gem or welkynd stone would be sufficient. You might also carry a scroll of invisibility. If you do not have one, I can make one. I can offer no guarantees of safety, but at least we can try to push the odds in our favor. But...well this is your life we are putting on the line. Intimidating the traitor could save you for now, but it might be more dangerous in the future. I may be Champion, but it is only right that I respect your input in the matter." Lorag's feint was at least marginally successful, though it was not likely to be the move that won him the duel. He was in a better position than her, but she reacted quickly to minimize her disadvantage. Even if it wasn't a strong advantage, it was an advantage nonetheless, and Lorag decided to capitalize on it. He pounced at her as well, from a bit better of a position, with a bit more force. His intent was to grapple her and use the leverage he had to force her to the ground. It would still be a fight from there, but he had a few more tricks he might use. Ahnasha was cautious with Fendros' suggestion, mostly because she did not want to do anything to sabotage their investigation. Obviously, they had to talk to people in order to do any investigating, they just needed to make sure their approach was intelligent. "Yes, just...let's be cautious. The conversation needs to be natural. Let's start with Harriet, since she's...topical." Ahnasha whispered silently enough that it could barely be heard even by their own campfire.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Hmm...I do not know if intimidating the traitor would be best." Meesei said, pausing a moment to think. This was an all-around difficult situation. It was true that they might be able to delay the traitors plans, but she was unsure if the extra time would pay off in the end, as the traitor would get just as much time to plan. "Right now, we have the advantage that the traitor does not know that we suspect them. If we intimidate them, then they will be able to plan for us. There is no telling how long this traitor is willing to wait. If it is Darahil, for instance, he might plan for years. I think it might be best to confront them tonight. We can find a place for you to stay, then set an ambush. It is risky, I admit, but we might just be able to save you. But...just in case, I also think it would be best to have a backup plan. Something to...make my task easier, in the event you do not make it. I assume you have told no one but me about this, but you know the traitor is a part of your inner circle, yes? Is there anyone outside the circle that you are close with, or that you otherwise trust? Preferably, someone that holds respect among your clan. Someone that does not have a motive to betray you. If so, you could write a letter, something to deliver to him or her that explains everything you have told me. Something that explains what we tried to do tonight. You could include something that only the two of you would know, to prove that it is from you." Because Lorag had been prepared, he was quick to respond. Using his free hand, he shoved Harriet back while also dashing backwards himself to avoid her counterattack. Between the two, he ended up putting a fair amount of distance between them. From the outside, it seemed that neither of them had gotten anywhere, but Lorag was getting some sense of what she was like in a fight. After only a brief pause in the fight, he was once again the one to charge, but this time, it was going to be a feint. Just when it seemed like he was going to pounce, he would leap just to the left or right and see if he could attack from the side or back.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei stood silent for quite a while, mulling over this revelation. Jerrick seemed certain of his death, though Meesei was not so dismissive of his survival. No prophesy, no matter the source, was absolute. Still, what he said was greatly troubling. Such a large clan needed strong leadership, and just as Jerrick was suggesting, if he were to die, it would leave a power vacuum that could tear the clan apart. Under normal circumstances, it might be easy for the Champion of Hircine to draw together the disparate groups, but if his death was at the hands of a traitor, that would make things more difficult. "If what you say is true...there is certainly some kind of preparation we can make. You know it is going to happen tonight, correct? Could we not have someone watch you and at least attempt to stop it? Even if they do not succeed, we would at least be able to identify the traitor. A prophesy is not absolute, and you might yet live, but regardless, we do not have to go into this unprepared. In the event of your death, we might be able to do something now to make rooting out the traitor easier." Meesei suggested. Lorag transformed at the same time as Harriet, and if he could smile in this form, he would have been. "Good, I was hopin' for a challenge." He commented in his wolf form's deep, gruff voice before making his charge. Despite Lorag's tendency towards being direct and brutal, he was not without strategy. After all, he had been military trained in the Legion. For an opponent close to his level, he needed to test her defenses. He made a heavy slash towards her torso, but did not actually care if he hit her. Rather, he was ready to evade a counterattack at a moment's notice. He just wanted to see what kind of response she gave.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei was going to say more about the story and her reason for telling it, but it seemed that Jerrick had something to speak to her about. It seemed like it might be important, and she was finished with her meal, so she could talk with him. Although, before standing up, she glanced over to Sabine with a bit of concern. She could not imagine that Sabine was comfortable with the sudden attention. At the moment, she seemed to be with a group of people close to her age, but she was not certain if she was truly there willingly. As she was standing up, she leaned over to Janius beside her. "Janius, could you please keep an eye on Sabine?" She requested. Turning back to Jerrick, the two started to walk away from the main crowd. "I suppose now is a good time to move on to more serious matters. I have thoughts on how to track our enemy, but first, what is it you wish to say?" Lorag said nothing through Meesei's recollection of their slaying of the Orc, though he did think she was downplaying some parts. He was most of the way through a cut of steak when he heard his name shouted. The Orc in Jerrick's circle had issued him a challenge, and in a reaction that surprised no one, Lorag started to grin. "You want a challenge?" He said as he stood to his feet. He kept his grin as he started to pop his knuckles and chuckle slightly. "Oh, it's been too long. Come on, let's do this. Which way's that big room again?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Indeed, Fendros is correct. The battle did not remain so strongly in our favor forever." Meesei commented after finishing another part of our meal. "Pushing through, deeper into the cave was a fight, but it was not a great challenge. We were fighting in the hunters' home, but as it seemed, they had not been prepared to face us. After the first room, they armed themselves and we were fighting on equal ground, but our skills were more than a match for theirs in that situation. However...we then met the Orc. At first, he seemed to flee. He left some men behind to fight while he retreated further into the cave. Once we killed those men, we caught up to him only to see him collapse part of the cave between us. We thought he intended to escape through an alternate exit, so we took on our werewolf forms and tossed the rocks aside until we made a passage we could crawl through. From there, we dashed ahead with as much speed as we could muster. We did catch up to him, but he was not the coward he made himself out to be." Meesei paused to take a drink. She guessed that the next part of the story would draw the most attention, in particular due to the suppression gas. Undoubtedly, there would be more questions on the gas, perhaps even from the members of the inner circle. As much as Meesei wanted to give Ariel credit for her great contributions in destroying it, for her own protection, it would be best if her name was not mentioned. "The Orc was not only brutally effective in combat, but he was crafty and intelligent. His apparent retreat had been a ruse to lead us into a trap. The hunters had at their disposal a gas that, when breathed in by a lycan, suppresses our beast spirits. When the Orc released it, the gas, painfully and immediately, forced us all to revert back to our normal forms. Right in the middle of him and his men. We were naked and unarmed, and surrounded and outnumbered by the Orc and his remaining hunters. The Orc himself had his silver spear, and a myriad of other silver blades tucked away in their sheathes. This was a man whose very clothing was made from the hides of fallen lycans. At that moment, he had once again become the hunter. If any part of this tale can be thought of as 'heroic,' it is this. But, it was not only me that overcame the Orc's trap. True, it was me that was leading us, and my magic that protected us from the volley of arrows and spellfire, but it was the strength of all of our skills working in tandem that defeated the Orc. We fought back with magic and what weapons we could scavenge from their corpses. Despite all of their advantages, one by one, they started to die. But even as his men began to fall, the Orc himself fought to the very end with a fury that cannot be described. He had unnatural strength, speed, and reflexes, perhaps from his master's influence. In the struggle, he impaled his spear completely through my stomach, but even so, I landed the killing blow with one of his own blades. He was the one who had killed Hircine's previous Champion, and it was from his finger that I took the ring that now rests on mine." Meesei had more she wished to say about the story, but decided again to pause for a moment to continue her meal.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei was concerned when Sabine got up and moved, but as she was in the middle of the story, she could not stop until it was complete. Instead, she moved on, giving a slight chuckle to the person who had spoken out. "Oh, it would have been unwise to get close enough to see. These hunters were fighting on their terms, in their own ambush. They were prepared and ready to fight and kill lycans, and it was very likely they had others in the shadows, just waiting for something to go wrong. Let it be a lesson, the enemy we face, their lycan hunters, are very efficient in their own element. They know all of our weaknesses, and how to exploit them. When they lay a trap, when they are fighting on their own terms, you should never underestimate them. No, what we did was to move our attack to our own terms. " Meesei gave a brief pause to take a few bites of her meal, then continued. "We tracked the hunters and followed them to their hideout, a cave in the side of a mountain. Like the other pack probably intended, we were going to charge into their lair, but unlike them, we made certain we were not expected. We caught them completely off-guard and charged into their hideout. A lycan hunter's advantage over us is diminished when they lose the ability to plan ahead. It was only their silver weapons which gave them some kind of edge. If you can overcome or subvert a lycan hunter's plan, that is when you should press your advantage. We are stronger than them, faster than them, no matter our form. In a tight, close range environment like that cave, the hunters became the hunted." She decided that was a dramatic enough point to give a pause for the crowd to react, and to give her a chance to take a few more bites of her meal.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Once Meesei and her pack were settled the crowd was quick to follow. Their curiosity, especially about the story of their slaying of the Orc. Most of them were the younger lycans and initiates, but soon enough Oswall showed up to hear the tale. As well, there were other members of the inner circle who were watching from a distance. Meesei grinned as she looked over the crowd. "All of you wish to hear the story of how I became Champion? Well, I think I can oblige. It was indeed a harrowing experience, wrought with danger and bloodshed. But, if you are expecting the classic tale of a hero facing down some terrible beast alone, well, this is not that tale. No, this is a different story. Now, it does have some of those classic elements, like a greatly formidable foe, perilous battles, a divinely beautiful heroine..." She joked, producing some brief laughs from the crowd. "...but I was far from alone." "I suppose I should start with our arrival in Northeastern Morrowind. We were not the first pack to arrive; there were others who had recieved the same vision from Hircine. Just like us, they were strong and motivated. They scoured the city, searching for clues as to the Orc's wherabouts. One pack did find those clues, but unfortunately, they brought them to their doom. You see, the Orc's hunters had its eyes and ears in the city, and those "clues" they found led them straight into a trap. Near nightfall, this pack left the city towards what they thought to be the hunter's lair, but along the way, they were ambushed. These hunters were brutal and efficient, true professionals at their craft. They set upon them with silver weapons. Barbed crossbow bolts shot out from all sides, each of them attached to ropes tied to trees. They could not move, could not fight, and were killed in but a few moments." Meesei told her story loudly enough that the room could hear. She paused briefly after describing the death of the other pack to allow her description of the hunters to have more impact. She wanted to be sure to convey how dangerous their foes were.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Even for Meesei, the walk into the dining chamber was a wake-up call. In her mind, she had known what being Champion meant. She had known that it signified that Hircine found her to be the strongest among his hounds. She had known that it was a station his followers would look up to, something they might even idolize. Now, however, she was seeing it firsthand. The ones that were running up to meet them were mostly younger initiates, but even the older lycans had their attention firmly on her. Of course, the rest of her pack were also receiving their own share of the attention. Kaleeth was nervous at the sudden barrage of questions and stuck close to Janius silently, but Lorag and Ahnasha were much more open. Lorag initially was annoyed by the questioning, but as soon as he realized that it was an opportunity to brag about his own exploits, he started giving some mostly-true answers. Ahnasha responded similarly, though she also had to worry about calming Rhazii. To Fendros' comment, she simply looked at him and nodded with a slight chuckle. Meesei was receiving most of the questions, to the point that she could not answer them all if she wanted to. She was holding on to Sabine's hand, and it was clear that she was not comfortable with the sudden attention. Meesei had to put on a public face, an attitude with which to address the crowd. She had to find something that was a mix between friendly and assertive. Her position was one of strength, so there was no circumstance in which she could allow herself to be viewed as submissive, but at the same time, she did not want to be known as a cruel or distant leader. She wanted to be someone they could approach or admire, but she had to be sure that she was always seen as being in charge of the situation. Meesei raised up her hand and spoke in a voice that was not harsh or rude, but loud and firm enough to demand attention. "Now, even I cannot answer you all at once." She began to bring them to relative silence, making sure to continue before she was interrupted. "I am sure you all have many questions, and there will be time for answers. We are here to help protect your clan, to bring our might down to bear upon its enemies. We will be with you for some time, so for right now, let us sit and eat together, as brothers and sisters of Hircine's blood."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I don't know, it's different." Kaleeth began, uncertain of how to voice her thoughts. "I mean, there are a lot of people here. It is crowded, but not like the other places we've been. The cities and towns are filled with people that don't know each other and aren't really...connected. But here, everyone is a lycan, and lycan packs are supposed to be like a family, right? It kind of feels like a really, really big village. Well, if a village was in a giant Ayleid city. I've never been in one of these before; I've just seen them from the outside. I never expected they would be so big inside. Meesei said it used to have thousands of people living in it, right? That closed off area must be huge too. I like the way it looks, the stones and the way it is built is just beautiful, but the thing I really, really like about it is that its warm. I hate the cold. People who live in the cold are just insane." Meesei stopped as she started to answer Fendros' question, since it was not best to discuss the matter in the halls. "We are newcomers here, and we do not know exactly what we are stepping into. No one is above suspicion, even the leadership. It does not seem likely to me that all of the inner circle would be under Vile's influence, but anything is possible, and I am not going to assume anything. According to their own word they have all been in their positions since before this trouble with Vile began. A good place to start would be to see how accurate that word is. When talking to others, we may wish to ask around for opinions about the clan's leadership...subtly, of course. If we start getting too much variety in the answer for how long they've been here, we may need to focus our investigation on them." She recommended.