EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Throughout their meal, Meesei was noticeably and unusually distant. Indeed, she had been distant for the past few weeks, though it was mostly due to her responsibilities in that case. She had of course spent a good deal of time with several members of her pack while tracking Harriet, but even then, she had been driven and focused on their goal. Idle conversation had been sparse, at least where she was involved. Besides the hunt, Meesei's other responsibilities had taken up nearly all of her time. Over half of the day after she returned had been spent dealing with the Nord prisoner, Arnora. She had been free with her information, and in return, they agreed to release her with adequate supplies. Some were not happy with the decision, but Meesei understood that a simple mercenary was not their true enemy, and she intended to remain true to her word.

Even after dealing with the problems that had fallen to her, Meesei did not stop herself from taking on new ones...many new ones. Nearly every aspect of the clan, she was finding herself involved in. She helped to inspect and fortify the clan's defenses, and began work on creating enchantments in the area around the ruin's entrance that would serve to offer early warnings against intruders, or at least large groups of them. She met with both Oswall and Darahil to organize larger expeditions into the unexplored sections of the ruin, with the eventual goal of making the whole of the ancient city safe for the clan. She spoke with Pierrette and Vera to lay the foundation of her plan to expand the clan's economic capabilities in County Bruma, and perhaps beyond. She intended to look for clan members who had connections that still might be used, as well as opportunities for acquiring land in the mostly uninhabited wilds. The unusable equipment from the mercenaries who attacked the clan, particularly the silver, could be sold for a considerable amount of gold, so the clan would be receiving a boost to its treasury soon enough. As a related goal, Meesei began work on organizing envoys to other clans and packs to establish lines of communication across Tamriel. She personally only knew of how to contact the clan in Black Marsh, south of Helstrom, but there were others who knew how to find some of the other clans. Still, it would take some time to locate and communicate with all of Tamriel's clans. She did anticipate that there could be resistance to her plans, or even her right to authority in general, from some other clan leaders, but with Hirecine's blessing, Meesei expected to be able to bring them all together eventually. Though, perhaps the most daunting challenge Meesei intended to face was the restructuring of the clan itself. The factions that the clan had fractured into were obviously an exploitable weakness, but it would not be easy to undo an entire social structure. The livestyle of lycans naturally lent itself to compartmentalization, so it would be difficult to overcome that instinct. Still, lycans were also rational beings. It could take years, but Meesei had a plan to slowly bring them all together.

In their current conversation, Meesei heard what the others were saying to Sabine, but was unusually silent on the matter. Normally, she took great interest in anything related to Sabine's progress. Most of the pack likely expected her to give either encouragement or cautious advice to Sabine on what could be a major event in her life, but for a while, she said nothing. Adding to her strange behavior, she had only eaten about half of her lunch before stopping, despite having skipped both dinner the evening before, and breakfast due to her work with the clan.

"I trust in Sabine's judgment." Meesei finally said, but with half of her meal still remaining, she stood up from her seat on the floor. "My apologies, but...I have something I need to tend to. I will talk to you all as soon as I can, I promise." She said, and without another word, walked away.

As Meesei left the room, Lorag shook his head and let out a sigh. "Alpha's going to work herself into an early grave."

Ahnasha was obviously concerned as well, but she was trying to think about it optimistically. "I know she has a lot of work to do, but...I'm sure she will be fine. She is wise enough that Hircine himself trusts in her abilities; I'm sure she knows what she is doing." She began before looking to Sabine. "And I think you'll be fine as well. We're always here for advice if you need any help."

---

Meesei stepped into the pack's room and quietly closed the door behind her. Leaps raised his head up for a moment to look at her, but curled back up on Fendros' bedroll to continue his midday nap. The pack was going to be given several separate rooms soon enough, but with how hectic the past few weeks had been, Meesei and the rest of the clan leadership had been too busy to bother with it. Meesei sat down on her bedroll with her knees pulled up to her chest and buried her head in her arms. She felt her whole body shudder as she tried to erase her worries from her mind, even if it was only briefly. It was a moment of weakness to which Leaps was the only witness.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Alright, sounds good. I suppose since those few days would not be enough to get in range, you can just skip ahead to the final set of scenes before the skip. I'm thinking a week or two ahead, enough to give the clan time to get somewhat close to normal. If you had anything in mind you wanted to do, feel free. Otherwise, I had things in mind for Meesei and Sabine, and Kaleeth and Janius; a few things without the same dire mood that has been present for the group for the past few weeks. I of course want to do something for the others as well, but I don't have anything specific in mind for them.

I suppose there is also the matter of that Nord prisoner, but I don't know precisely when to do that. Perhaps we can just summarize the results of that event?

On an unrelated note, I also bought a game on steam called chivalry. It's 80% off this weekend on steam.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For clans, I'm thinking there would be at least one or two large ones in every province Perhaps three, in some cases. In Cyrodiil, being the central province of the Empire would likely have three, one in the southeast, one in the southwest, and the Bruma clan. Valenwood, being the central province of the Dominion (in geographical terms) would also likely have three. Some provinces may have only one large one if it is in a central location, though it would have a larger population. Regular packs would of course be all over the place, and there may be small groups of packs collected in other places as well. It is Meesei's goal to establish lines of communication with the other major packs in each province, then attempt to expand out connections from there. And of course, there are also other followers of Hircine who are not actually lycans. They will play a role in the war as well.

I haven't seen anything that says Argonians definitely cannot have children with other races, so I'm inclined to say yes. It's not like races in ES evolved like in reality. They were created by magical means.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It would depend. They would prepare to track her for quite a while, including stamina potions. If Meesei recovers the ring used to track her, then she would be willing to follow for much longer. If they are within the ring's range to track her, then they would not stop until they were upon her, and would use those stamina potions to keep up beyond the point where Harriet would have to rest. If they are out of range when she finds the ring, but there are signs of where she went, then she would be willing to spend a few days tracking.

It is probably also important to note that, if she is in range to track the collar, then she can also activate it. Meesei wants to confront Harriet first, but she may activate it if necessary.

Failing all of that, Meesei will just send word to the other clans of Harriet's description, once she starts establishing connections with them.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

You can timeskip to wherever you feel is best. Meesei would join in recovering the ring and finding Harriet, and likely as many members of her pack as are physically well enough to join. If that number was too few, she might also ask for one or two others from the clan to join, but it would just be a small group this time.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Agreed, there is yet more we need to discuss. For instance, we will need to promote others to return your council to its former number, but that can wait for the meeting tonight. For now, I am sure we all have duties we must attend to. I would recommend announcing your appointment to Alpha at some point today, after the clan has mostly calmed. I will return to the infirmary, and will likely remain there for some time should you need me." Meesei answered as she took her leave. She already disliked having to be away from the wounded for any time, and did not wish to extend it any further.

As per usual, Meesei would have quite a few matters to worry about over the coming days. Tending to the wounded took precedence over other concerns, after which she would need to deal with Harriet. She would certainly have a head start, but that did not mean she could not be tracked. Alone, Harriet had few options, and would be stuck with the collar until she could find a sufficiently skilled enchanter with enough time to study the enchantment in-depth. Of course, Meesei had not directly mentioned that removing the collar would activate it, so if Harriet did not assume that was the case, then there was always the chance they would stumble across her corpse. Meesei was not entirely certain what she would do with Harriet when and if she found her, but she did not intend to let her escape justice. She would also need to deal with the Nord prisoner when she had the chance, and while the work certainly would not be finished, it was possible she might actually have time to rest after it was all over.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

“Indeed, the world would be a more orderly place if it could be ruled through logic alone.” Meesei commented. “But regardless, I can respect your reasoning. I merely needed to know it. There may not be a perfect choice for this situation, but if Vera is as receptive to the counsel of her advisers as you say, then she may be the most well-rounded option. There is also the matter of other lieutenants to consider. The clan has lost two of its leaders in this whole sordid affair. Vera will be receiving the role of alpha, but that leaves the clan with two less lieutenants than before. I would advise against allowing yourselves to become overwhelmed with responsibilities, so others will need to rise to fill those roles and help shoulder the burden. But, we should rejoin the others before discussing that topic.”

With that, Meesei rose from her seat and prompted Darahil to follow her back into the hallway. Vera and Oswall were silent when she stepped out of the room, though she could only guess at what they had been thinking or speaking about. Both of them had their attention raptly on Meesei as she approached the pair, so she wasted no time in giving them the answer they were waiting for. “With Darahil’s counsel, Oswall’s recommendation, and my own observations, I believe that you, Vera, are the one who is best-suited to take on the responsibilities of being the alpha of this clan. You have considerable experience in handling the clan’s internal affairs, and a willingness to heed the advice of your peers. Jerrick obviously considered you to be a woman of good character, and I believe it is you who will most likely be able to unite the fractured groups that make up this clan. With this appointment, however, I also have a warning. The years to come will not be like those of the past. We are entering into a war for our survival, and the entirety of the clan will have to dedicate itself to the effort. Not all will fight, but all will play some role in the struggle. It will be a significant transition for the clan, and it will be your responsibility to facilitate it. It will not be easy, but you have your advisers and will not be taking on the burden alone. I can say that, unless lord Hircine commands me otherwise, I will be remaining here with my pack for quite some time.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I probably need to get to bed. I'll likely respond after class tomorrow, if you've posted by that point. Goodnight.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Darahil's summation of the other lieutenants' traits was certainly consistent with Meesei's experience with them thusfar. Given that Darahil had known them much longer than herself, she trusted the additional details he provided. Namely, those regarding Vera. Meesei had only really been around her after the death of her husband: a greatly emotional event. Granted, Meesei had been impressed with how well she managed to reign in her emotions after the initial shock of his death, even while being a suspect of the murder. However, Meesei did not know of her personality before the tragedy.

"Yes, I do." Meesei answered with a nod. "I did witness the behaviors you describe with Oswall. During my investigation, he did disobey my order to help maintain the peace when he gave a vague 'warning' to some of his followers. Had events transpired differently, it could have compounded the harm to the clan. Were it not for that event, I would likely consider him much more strongly. Indeed, he does have some strong merits for leadership. In all likelihood, he would make for a better war leader than Vera, but I do not believe it would be worth the tradeoff. If Vera is as open to the counsel of her peers as you say, then that may serve to counter her comparative disadvantage in matters of war. As long as she does not begin to ignore Oswall's advice for combating the followers of Vile, then she may be best option available."

Pausing for a brief moment, Meesei leaned forward and looked at Darahil more intently. Vera was certainly not a bad choice for the position of alpha, but there was another line of questioning Meesei intended to follow before rejoining the others. "But, I do have one more question. What of you, Darahil? You said that you do not want to take the role of alpha. That is a position I can certainly understand, as leadership, especially of a clan this size, requires taking on many stressful responsibilities. However, those who desire such power are often not the ones who are capable of handling it. With the war against Vile, the situation we find ourselves in is not one of wants, but of need. The clan needs a strong and capable leader. I know you do not want the position, but it is a position that needs to be filled by the most capable among you, regardless of desire. What I want to know is why you believe yourself to be less qualified for the role than the others?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Hmm, I don't think we will be persuading Meesei one way or the other." Ahnasha answered with a slight chuckle. "That being said, we don't really have a reason to go anywhere else for now. It's not like we have any leads on Vile or his followers. In fact, we would probably have a better chance of getting that kind of information with the support of the clan. If we do leave here, it will probably be following the orders of lord Hircine himself, so...there would be no changing her mind in that case. Still, I know I would like to stay here as well. Since Rhazii was born...I've just always felt nervous out in the wilds. Here, there would be safety, and other children for him to play with. Not to mention, plenty of people to help watch him if we are ever...occupied with anything." She grinned. "It will probably get too cramped for Leaps eventually, but, well, it will be many years before that becomes and issue. I couldn't have imagined saying this a few months ago, but I think I actually want to stay put for a change."

---

Oswall and Vera's assessments of one another were not too far off from Meesei's own opinions. The pair both had their own strengths and weaknesses, and it was good that they both acknowledged them. However, even with Oswall declaring Vera to be the better choice, the decision was not so cut and dry. The ability to recognize the areas in which others were more skillful than one's self was an important trait for a leader, and Oswall was indeed displaying that quality.

Meesei gave a nod to Darahil and waited until they found an empty room before continuing. Looking inside, Meesei could not tell precisely what it was used for. There were boxes and barrels that made it seem as if it were for storage, but also bedrolls, though Meesei could not imagine why. Some of the boxes seemed to have materials used in tanning leather, some of which had a rather strong odor. Nevertheless, it was an empty room, so it would serve their purposes.

"Please, wait outside." Meesei said to Oswall and Vera before stepping inside with Darahil. She allowed him a moment to take a seat before speaking, so he would not need to worry about putting weight on his hip. "I suppose we should not waste any time. I have the impression you have some specific opinions you wish to share, yes?"