EliteCommander

The Depths of Deception

Rareth gave a chuckle. "I think your memory might be a bit fuzzy on that, or who knows, maybe it's mine that's off? There was an awful lot of adrenaline pumping through me at the time. I remember the Masulu teleporting onto me to get me with that spike. I think it was a telekinetically enhanced blow, though I resisted with my own telekinesis. The others tried to shoot him, but he teleported away. Honestly, though, it's doubtful he'll survive long with the fleet sweeping the station." Once Shiva was finished with her healing, Rareth brought herself up to her feet and started to stretch out her muscles. Nothing felt wrong, which was good, though the anesthetic was still having an effect. "Well, I'm still kind of numb, but everything seems in order. I think I will go get a shower as well, maybe a nice meal. Just remember, if you can, meet me in my quarters later today. I have something I'd like to say then." Rareth glanced quickly over to Telmeck. "Also, what are your plans?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei waited for a few minutes after Vera left, using detect life to ensure no one else was nearby. Once everything was clear, she focused on Jerrick's plate, then lifted up a sample of each type of food telekinetically. It was difficult to grab on such small objects at such a range, but with enough focus, Meesei had relatively little trouble bringing up a sample of each to her. She took special care when lifting his drink up to her and only ended up spilling a small amount of the liquid inside. She even pulled up the cutlery Vera brought him; she had read "A Game at Dinner," and was not going to take any chances. From there, she set the samples out before her, then took bites of each, sampled his drink, and even touched her tongue to the cutlery to see if they had been poisoned. Whether or not the potential poison had a taste, she could focus inward with restoration on her own body's energies to determine if a poison was present. If there was, then her body would react immediately to neutralize the poison. Lorag seemed stunned, and somehow even more confused than when he was shaken awake. At one moment, he was tired and groggy, and now he was tired, groggy, and had Harriet wrapping her arms around him. He heard exactly what she said, but had a hard time believing it. "Uhh, wait...what?" He commented.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As soon as the door opened, both Meesei and Ahnasha tensed up. It was Vera, Jerrick's wife, who was honestly the last person Meesei wanted to see that night. She was the person that Jerrick knew best, but who was also the one most likely to be successful in killing him since he trusted her. Indeed, if she was the traitor, she was going about it perfectly. A poison in his meal would kill him without any chance of fighting back and allow her the time to set up the scene however she wished. Unfortunately, neither of them could strike based on the suspicion alone. It was also perfectly reasonable that his wife would bring him a meal, especially if she noticed he had not eaten. Meesei watched from above, ready to unleash her magic at a moment's notice. She just had to hope that Jerrick could see the danger. Poison was a strong possibility, so he needed to avoid eating the meal at all costs. If he thanked her and allowed her to leave, Meesei could test the meal herself. She was immune to almost all poison, and Vera, if she was the traitor, would have no reason to prepare for poisoning an Argonian. If Vera became too insistent that he start eating immediately, that would certainly raise suspicion in Meesei's mind. She just needed to be careful. If Vera was not the traitor, then accusing her could cause problems. Even so, if it looked like he was about to eat, then she decided she would telekinetically force the food from his hand. She had one idea in mind of how to preserve the ambush if Vera turned out to be innocent. Lorag grunted with the kick before reluctantly sitting up and returning Harriet's sneer. "You better have a good reason for wakin' me up.' He grumbled, slowly bringing himself up to his feet. "I know you're not used to it, bein' in the 'inner circle' and everything, but I don't take orders from you."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As Meesei predicted, her own preparations did not take a great deal of time. Once she obtained a large enough parchment, she enchanted a scroll of invisibility quickly, and Sabine was just as efficient with her ointment. As the day drew closer to night, Jerrick finally came by and gave the signal. As quickly as they could, Meesei and Ahnasha applied the ointment, then left the room under the cover of their own invisibility spells. Since Ahnasha did not have quite the magicka reserve as Meesei, she used the welkynd stone as a source of power along the way to prevent her from fatiguing herself, in the event they needed to intervene quickly after arriving. Meesei and Ahnasha were entirely silent and unseen as they made their way into the meeting room. Jerrick might not have known they were there, had Meesei not approached once she checked to make sure they were alone to drop the scroll of invisibility on his desk. "Remember, once the assassin has been revealed, use this to escape. We need not even kill the traitor here and now. Once they are identified, they are powerless to tear this pack apart as long as you live." She said at a nearly inaudible whisper in his ear. As for readying the ambush itself, Meesei was quick to determine the ideal hiding spot. As was common for Ayleid chambers, there were decorative columns, four in all, that went almost all the way up to the ceiling, but not quite the entire way. Normally, they would be quite difficult to climb without a ladder or rope, but with some strong telekinetic assistance from Meesei, both she and Ahanasha were able to climb to the top of two of the columns. Ahnasha climbed one closer to the entrance, while Meesei picked a spot nearer Jerrick. It was a hiding spot that served multiple purposes. For one, it allowed them to attack from an unexpected angle. Ahnasha could drop down to block the exit, while Meesei moved in for the kill. She had not been able to use the welkynd stone in the way she expected, but she still had it in her bag and could use it as a source of magical power if needed. The other purpose to hiding atop the columns was to put them as far away from Jerrick as possible while still being able to help him quickly. The traitor had no way of knowing that his or her intentions were known, so it would be unlikely that they would be on special alert for a trap, but just in case, being on top of the pillars could keep them out of sight from detect life spells. As powerful as they were, they only worked within the caster's field of view, and an assassin would have to look quite high up, away from Jerrick, in order to see them. Their plan was set, and they had made all the preparations they could. All they could do was wait for whatever was to come. Darahil's arrival outside the door put Meesei and Ahnasha at the ready, but for the moment, he seemed to leave when requested. There were no guarantees in this ambush, but they had pushed the odds as far in their favor as they were capable of. Lorag groaned as she was shaken awake. He had gotten a fair amount of sleep, which allowed him to heal considerably from their bout earlier. He no longer felt dizzy, just groggy and annoyed. "Ah, what is it?" He asked on reflex before his eyes focused enough to see who had awoken him. "What, you lookin' for another fight already?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei shifted her gaze from the plants to the enchanted lights above them. She began to smile ever so slightly with the surprise in Carana's voice. "Some of the most powerful beings in history have been mages. Perhaps I have a certain bias, but it is my thought that a mage can achieve more than one with simple might, especially if the mage can incorporate more mundane tactics as well. Once the clan has been secured against our enemies, I will be sure to speak to Darahil. This place is greatly interesting to me, in particular its magical artifacts. I believe I would like to contribute to your research, and perhaps learn from you as well." Since Sabine was now restocked, they were free to leave. After exchanging goodbyes, Meesei and Sabine left the chamber and traced their way back towards the main chamber. They needed to head up to their room for Meesei to be able to speak freely, but first, she diverted them in the direction of Ahnasha and the rest of the group. She needed to explain the plan to the others as well, but unfortunately, there was simply no way Meesei could think of for them to contribute. Any more than herself and Ahnasha would not be able to hide for the ambush, and there was nothing she could think of that they could help outside the ambush. If they tried to keep watch on the lieutenants, they might intimidate or otherwise delay the traitor. The most they could do was to be ready to deal with the aftermath of whatever transpired. Meesei did not want to call away all of her pack at once, so for the moment, she could settle for bringing Ahnasha with her. "Excuse me, but might I borrow you for a moment, Ahnasha? There are some ideas I would like to discuss with you regarding tracking the enemy. Come with me; you can leave Rhazii with Fendros, if you like." Meesei requested in a calm, polite tone. Given the nature of the investigation she had left the others with, she did not need to give any hints for the others to know that any request she made was important. "Oh, I didn't know he was that old. He sounds like he must be a mage, though I don't know what kind of magic..." Ahnasha began before being cut off by Meesei's voice behind her. She did not have any idea what Meesei wanted with her specifically, but given the situation, she was not about to question it. "Oh, sure." She commented as she quickly handed Rhazii off to Fendros and stood to her feet. No doubt the others had to be curious as well, but there had to be a reason Meesei was calling on her specifically. Perhaps it was to avoid making what they would be talking about seem too important? In any case, Meesei was quick to take the lead, so Ahnasha had only time for a short goodbye before following.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei calmly let go of the trama root, leaving it somewhat larger than it was before. She continued to inspect some of the other nearby plants, though she had no need to give any more demonstrations. "Before my turning, I was the Treeminder of my village. It is a title that can mean different things depending on the village you visit, but for mine, it was something close to what you might consider a shaman. My duties were not only to care for our Hist tree, as the title implies, but also to be the magical authority, and a leader for my clan. Since the day I hatched, my father gave me my instruction in the arcane. Our traditions involve magic that the rest of Tamriel seems to have forgotten, or never knew to begin with. It is magic that compels me to understand the forces that shape nature, from living to nonliving. Restorationists are only concerned with people, or animals, but plants, fungus, they are all just as alive as us. Their forms, their energies, are drastically different, but there are elements of magicka that connect everyone and everything. Of course, it would be...impractical for me to personally visit every plant here to stimulate its growth, but I know other methods of achieving the same end. It would take time to implement, however." Ahnasha shrugged her shoulders. "Personally, I think Lorag is becoming paranoid over his age far too early. I mean, he is not even yet in his late thirties, much less his forties. I think he is just worried that it will only be a few years before he starts to see limitations from his age, so he doesn't have too much longer to be in his prime. I think he is just as strong and fast as he has ever been, but I wouldn't be surprised if he has been tricking himself into thinking he has been getting weaker. The mind can do some strange things. If Harriet hasn't been worrying about it, it's probably because she knows she doesn't need to be. Maybe Lorag should go see Najirra? I would love to see how that would play out." She commented with a slight chuckle.

The Aesteria Chronicles

Ignis was only vaguely listening to Adonai, but neither was his attention greatly focused on rising tensions in the room, which were boiling over close to the breaking point. No, his attention was on something a bit more simple, and perhaps more selfish. He was watching the cook eagerly, hoping that the meal being prepared was one Helen would enjoy. If he were to tell that to someone else, it might sound perfectly selfless, empathetic, and even sweet, but his desires did eventually come back to him. Being a spirit, especially one as ethereal as himself, Ignis did not need to, and indeed could not, eat. It did not seem that food would matter in the slightest to him, but while he had no ability to consume the food, what he could do was feel, not directly, but vicariously through Helen. If she opened her mind to him to share her feelings and emotions, he could experience through her what he could never do on his own. It was not uncommon for him to take on almost a pitiful demeanor and personality to ask Helen to share her feelings, almost like a puppy begging for scraps of a meal. To most of his summoners, at least at first, that desire seemed like nothing but a quirk of his personality, or something akin to a hobby. However, the closer one became to him, the easier it was to see how much such a seemingly simple gesture meant to him. Ignis' attention was piqued upon the bell from the cook, but it seemed she had been paying more attention than himself to the argument that was brewing around them. She wanted him to head over to Alan and keep an eye on the situation. Normally, he would have no problem fulfilling the request, but now it was a bit disappointing. Based on her tone, she probably did not want him distracted, so he wouldn't get to enjoy her meal. Nevertheless, he did not want to upset her, so he had no choice but to comply. "Alan? Oh, yeah, I can, uh, I can do that. Sure." Ignis stammered out in Helen's mind. Taking his leave of Helen's body, Ignis floated across the tavern as an invisible cloud of heat. He could not be seen through normal means, so he was free to get in close to Alan's table. In particular, he found he liked to hang around Alan's spirit, Seru. Being a spirit of fire, she was quite pleasurably warm, and he was quick to absorb the excess heat into himself. It was not much, overall, but if he did need to break up a fight, he would take every little bit of energy he could get. He did not actually have too great of an idea of what was going on since he had not been paying attention, but since Helen told him not to hurt Alan or his friend, he assumed he was supposed to be on their side. In any case, he supposed that, even if he couldn't enjoy a meal, something exciting might happen.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei would have to get used to receiving these reactions, at least for a while. The longer they remained with the clan, the more accustomed to her presence they would become, she reasoned. Still, she maintained the same, calm demeanor as normal and continued with the conversation as Sabine pointed out the ingredients she needed. "So Darahil would be the person to speak to about this sort of request? I will keep that in mind. Jerrick is simply who I asked. I do not wish to take any more than your clan can reasonably afford to give, so I will make sure to bear in mind your leaders' recommendations on your stocks." Meesei commented. To divert attention away from the items Sabine was requesting, she started to pace around the room, looking in detail at the plants, Ayleid artifacts, and books surrounding her. It helped that her interest in their research was quite genuine. Scattered on the tables were enchanted ancient elven jewelry and weapons, rubbings of Ayleid carvings, several welkynd stones, and even an artifact Meesei believed was called a varla stone. Even if they were more common, the stones interested her in particular. Their functions seemed so simple, and yet none had yet been able to replicate their production. As tantalizing as the magical artifacts were, Meesei believed she could grab more attention by walking over to the ingredients growing in the planters scattered around the room. They each used a similar set up as the food crops the clan grew, but on a smaller scale. "Although...I wonder, when I find myself with more time, if I might be able to help improve your stores." She said as she approached a planter with a sample of trauma root growing within. The root was alive and growing, but as the Morrowind-native plant thrived in ashen soil which the clan could not perfectly simulate, it was not terribly healthy. Meesei placed her hand around one of the thorny roots, her hand glowing with a form of magicka that did not perfectly match the commonly accepted "schools." To a mage, it would feel like a derivation of restoration, which was not entirely false, but this was magic that seeped into the energies of nature itself. The root contorted and grew as she lifted it up to inspect it more closely. Again, what Ahnasha remembered abou the lieutenants was matching up with what they were hearing. There were still others to ask about, but those would probably be best saved for a different group to avoid suspicion. Regardless, she continued with her own comments. "If Oswall was an adult when he joined, and has been a lieutenant for that long, he must be getting up in age. He might be older than Lorag. Orcs have an...unsettling view of age. They tend to want to die before they grow old and feeble. Personally, I think Lorag will be a strong warrior for a long time yet. After all, lycans' bodies are hardy; we're not immortal, but we can stay healthier for longer. Still, I do worry about what Lorag will do when he gets to that point. I wouldn't guess Harriet is old enough yet to start worrying about age, right?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei and Sabine did not stay still for long, as she could detect others drawing closer. In such a crowded place, it was hard to find places to be alone, at least in the main areas or the passages between. There were likely some unused rooms away from the main chambers, but anywhere else, it was hard for a private conversation to remain private for long. Once downstairs, Meesei had to ask around to refresh herself on where exactly the alchemists would be. It was not long before they found their way to the proper chamber. Looking around, it was easy to tell this would be a place Meesei would like to spend time. Not only were there collections of ingredients and planters with strange and unique plants growing within, but also supplies for enchanting, shelves worth of books, and other kinds of research materials. Meesei had been told there were an entire group of scholars in the clan, but there were only two in the room at the moment, a Bosmer woman, and an Argonian man. Both seemed engrossed in their own studies, and based on what they were doing, the Bosmer seemed to be the alchemist. As they approached, Meesei paid attention to something notable. It could have been something from the concoction she was making, but the Bosmer's scent was not quite what she expected from a werewolf. She was definitely a lycan, but it was possible that her form was different from any Meesei had encountered before. "Excuse me, might I have a moment? We have come to restock our supplies of ingredients, and I would appreciate help finding the right ones. Jerrick has assured me that there should be enough to satisfy my pack's needs. We do not need much." Ahnasha laughed. "And I have no doubt he would accept. He's always looking to prove himself. I wonder which one won the fight? I imagine either one would create just the same stir from the crowd. If you're right about how Harriet views violence, I'm not sure I know which would be better for him." Taking note of the other conversation, Kaleeth decided to add her own input. "Lorag will fight anyone. I don't know if it is winning he likes, or just fighting itself. I think he would say fighting. He likes to say he is a "true Orc." Though...he doesn't seem to like fighting me, for some reason. Janius does most of my training."

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Meirin was quick to catch up to Lyn, so there was no risk of her escaping and becoming lost. Therefore, Ssarak turned his focus back to helping end the battle. The pale guard was already dead, or close to death, and the blood-soaked necromantic entity that was Lyn's toy gave a strong hint as to why. Darius had the other guard completely at his mercy, but from his shouting, he seemed suicidally defiant in the face of death, which was especially strange, considering the situation. Regardless, the largest threat was still the robed man. At first, he seemed to be fighting Alaira, but just as he was about to take off to flank him, he noticed something that stood out in the water, something that was the same color as the man's robe. It did not take long for Ssarak to make a guess as to what was happening, as he knew well the capabilities of psychomancers. The robed man had either created a doppelganger to distract them for his escape, or had chosen the especially bold strategy of making a doppelganger escape to trick them into chasing. Normally, Ssarak would have just let the man run away, but even if Alaira was fighting a doppelganger, it could still be a threat to her in particular. Psychomancers' magic could still be cast through doppelgangers, and he was not sure how much more Alaira could take. This entire fight was her fault, but as much as she deserved to be punished, Ssarak did not wish her to perish. Alaira might not be able to see the escaping psychomancer from her perspective, so he needed to chase down and, at the very least, distract the psychomancer. Unfortunately, Ssarak could not exactly swim in his armor, so he needed help. "Darius, in the water! The psychomancer is escaping. He is still a threat to Alaira." Ssarak said telepathically, knowing that the Human could end his fight at any moment. Provided Darius was capable of swimming, he could get to the robed man; Ssarak just needed to slow him down. Getting a running start, Ssarak took off and flew just over the water after the psychomancer. Since he did not know how much effort it would take to break the man's wards, Ssarak focused on bolstering his own wards while giving chase. He was quick to catch up, then swoop down right over the robed man, swinging his hammer beneath him. He did not intend to kill, but it might be necessary to protect Alaira. As well, he readied himself to quickly pull up, if needed.