EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While Meesei did recognize the advantage of leaving sooner, there were too many unknowns for her to say for certain where their soldiers should go. "Since our plans could change rather drastically depending on what those scouts report, it would be best to wait until their return to commit our forces."

"Agreed." Ri'vashi said with a nod. "There are some werevultures among this one's clan, but not a great many. They would likely only be able to scout either the fortress, or the point the impostor was sending us to, in that time."

Ra'kalesh chimed in. "Our clan has trained werevulture scouts as well. They may not be happy to take on such a mission after such a long journey, but he knows they will be willing to for the benefit of the clan."

"Well, then we have a plan for now, then. We should attempt to have them ready to leave by tomorrow." Meesei suggested.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Gallus' points about the complications that could arise during the attack were valid. Ideally, they would be able to perform a quick, surprise attack before their fortress could be reinforced, but they could not simply plan on the ideal. "Those are fair points. Additionally, I would not want to rely on any plan that requires the use of a large number of transformed lycans. We do not know how much of the suppression gas the enemy has, but we have to assume they would be able to use it in their defense. We can make use of our lycan forms, but only in a limited fashion." Meesei commented.

"Suppression gas?" Ri'vashi asked curiously.

"Oh yes, I suppose you do not yet know of it. The enemy posses a gas that can force a lycan out of their transformed state, or keep us in our normal forms." Meesei explained.

Ra'kalesh had been silent in thought as Gallus had been pointing out the dangers with the plan. He certainly did not debate the validity of his points, but he did have an idea for a way of giving them more information. "It would take us weeks for our entire force to cross the distance to reach this fortress, but there is a way we could scout them sooner. Werevultures can cover large expanses in a fraction of the time as any ground force. If we send teams of werevultures as scouts, they could be there and back in a week. This one knows that they are capable of flying high enough to remain out of sight."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei rested her chin on her hand, thinking about the speculation that was going around the table. They did not yet know for certain of their enemy's plans, but they had the potential to turn the situation to their advantage. It was possible they would be able to interrogate the prisoners and learn their plans, but it was not a guarantee. Even if they coaxed an answer out of them, there was no way to know if it was the correct one. Perhaps, she reasoned, the best way to handle it would be to find an option that would work regardless of the enemy's plans.

"Indeed, I would not expect the Argonian woman to be the leader of this group. Her only importance to them was her resemblance to me. Although it is possible she is a high ranking member of their group, it would be unlikely that she would just happened to be a leader with something close to my appearance. We will need to interrogate them all, but we cannot count on them sharing accurate information. It could be possible to feed the enemy false information, but any contact with them does increase the chances of them learning that their infiltrators were compromised. Perhaps our best option would be to simply take advantage of how they have distracted themselves? The location Ri'vashi describes, just northwest of Corinthe, it sounds reasonably close to the enemy's main stronghold. That is what leads me to believe that they plan on ambushing us with their own forces. They would be able to have troops from their stronghold there is just a few days, so they would be well-supplied, and well-rested for the fight. But, that also means that some of their forces will be away from their stronghold. If we attack then, we will have an easier time overcoming their defenses. As long as the battle does not become a siege spanning several days, they would not be able to reinforce their stronghold in time." Meesei proposed.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"This one can see why you would be worried, but the Thalmor will not find this place." Ri'vashi said reassuringly. "No patrol has ever come close. Even with an active search, you should be safe as long as you are within this stronghold's walls. Is that everything that brought you to this point? This one supposes you will want to know more about the impostor."

Meesei leaned forward onto the table and clasped her hands together. "Yes, that is everything of importance. The impostor, for how long as she been here? I am sure she would want to attempt some kind of sabotage in this infiltration."

"She has been here just over a week." Ri'vashi answered. "Ironically, she said she was here for much the same reason as you: to bring our forces to fight against Vile. We have spent most of the past week gathering supplies and preparing our warriors for a march to the south. We were going to be leaving within the next few days on a long journey of our own, but the place she described what not quite in the same place you mention. It was almost as far away, but to the northwest of Corinthe."

With Ri'vashi's explanation, there were a few possibilities on what the impostor's plan might have been, the most obvious of which seemed to be an ambush, which was Ra'kalesh's first thought. "That sounds like an ambush to this one. He would be willing to wager that the place she wanted to take you had terrain favorable to an ambushing force. Not to mention, your soldiers would be fatigued from a long journey upon arrival."

"I would still like to question the prisoners, but that does seem likely. The question is, what do we do about that possibility? There may be some way we could turn this to our advantage." Meesei suggested.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Very well. Ri'vashi does not expect that the search will take too much longer, but we can wait all the same. Once this meeting is concluded, this one will check on the search's progress." Ri'vashi answered. "And yes, she would appreciate any information you can give her. She is sure you will want to know more as well."

Following Gallus' offer, Meesei started out the explanation. "We set out from Bruma a few months ago, after I received a vision from Hircine that Elsweyr would need my direct assistance. As soon as we arrived in Senchal, we found a group of what we thought were lycans. All of them, apart from one, were agents of Vile masquerading as lycans. The last was a prisoner by the name of Sees-No-Colors, who they had been forcing to help lure messengers. He helped reveal their treachery, and after we killed them, we rescued his pride. In that rescue, we managed to learn the location of Vile's primary stronghold in Elsweyr. It is a fair distance northeast of Corinthe. We have not been able to scout its location, unfortunately, but it is the best lead we have."

"And you will need Ri'vashi's warriors to help in the assault." She commented with an understanding nod. "Well, this one certainly wants to eliminate Vile's presence from this nation. Fortunately, this one may be able to dedicate her forces freely. It is still possible that Vile's forces as a whole may not know our exact location. The impostor did not come directly to us. Rather, she met some of our scouts in Orcrest. They may not have known precisely where to find us, and since they have not left this stronghold since arriving, they have not been able to report in."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi took a seat near the end of the table, though she left the ornate stone chair open for Meesei. She did not care too much for the symbolism, but Meesei sat in it regardless, if only to be nearer to the clan leader. For Ri'vashi, she was suddenly given quite a few revelations all at once, which was compounded with the reveal of the impostor less than half an hour prior. Understandably, it took her a few moments to process the information.

"That...is quite an array of good and bad news. It is wonderful to know that at least some of the Senchal clan survived, and that we actually have a target to strike against, but...based on what this one was told about the group to the east by her scouts, she can gather that there must have been...many casualties." Ri'vashi responded.

Meesei gave a nod. "Yes, about a third of the clan remains. We have been traveling for close to a month, and we are running low on supplies, especially clothing. I would like to bring the remainder of the Senchal clan into your stronghold, at least until we can secure a more permanent, and safe, home for them."

"Without question, Champion." Ri'vashi answered immediately. "It will not be easy to take on such a large number at once, and this one's council may not like it, but we will find a way. Ri'vashi will not allow the Senchal clan to suffer any more than they already have. It will take time to find space for everyone, but we have food, and more than enough water. If you want to send someone right now to alert them, this one will make sure to be ready to receive them by the time they arrive."

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

@Rtron
WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME IT HAD FIRE

@Freeshooter92

Luckily, there is a slithering corpse you might be able to use.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei nodded in agreement. "Yes, I will want to know as much as I can about this incident, of course, but there are more pressing matters we need to attend to at the moment. I am afraid we did not come here simply for a visit."

"Of course, Champion." Ri'vashi responded immediately before her gaze went down to the unconscious Argonian on the ground. "Allow this one to get some soldiers to bring her to a cell, then we will go down to the council chamber."

"Very well. Irenya, I would like for you to remain with the prisoner and keep her alive until I can question her." Meesei instructed.

Ri'vashi stepped away once more, though much more briefly. Within a few minutes, she returned with three Khajiit warriors in tow. They had been told of what they were doing on the way, but the scene they approached was still a shock to them. Nevertheless, they picked up the dismembered Argonian, then left with Irenya down the passageway out of the chamber to their right. Everyone else followed Ri'vashi through the other corridor, down to the lower levels of the ruin. The hallways had more of the same old, worn stonework lining the walls, but it still all seemed structurally sound. Most of the people they passed had varying degrees of worry in their expression, while all of the soldiers were on high alert for the impostor's companions.

Eventually, the group reached the council chamber, which was seemed much larger than their meeting chamber back in Bruma. In terms of floor space, it was not greatly larger, but the ceiling was much taller, which gave it a highly spacious feel. At the center of the room was a stone table that could seat at least two dozen individuals. It appeared to be as old as the ruin itself, so it was doubtful that the clan's council actually had that many members. Most of the chairs around it were simple and wooden, apart from a more ornate stone chair built into the floor at the far end.

"We can safely speak here in private. Normally, I would call my council for such a meeting, but given the situation, I do not want to delay you any farther." Ri'vashi explained.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

With the point Fendros brought up, Ahnasha looked around at the plants more curiously. "That's a good question. I guess it really depends on if those waterfalls were working when they arrived. I'm guessing those streams are what give the soil its water. These plants wouldn't survive here just on the occasional rainstorm this place might get. I know tiger lilies take a lot more water than that." She observed.

Soon enough, the rest of the group had found a spot to sit or stand to relax themselves. The impostor eventually shifted back to her Argonian form, though remained unconscious for the moment. The arm remained just as it was, answering Gallus' question. For a while, none in the clan directly approached the group, but crowds certainly started to form elsewhere in the chamber, looking at the scene from afar. The blood from the fight covered the stone walkway, and the dismembered Argonian on the ground near Meesei quite understandably captured their attention. Most of them eventually moved on, though likely only to talk about what they had witnessed with others.

It was about fifteen minutes more before the Cathay woman, Ri'vashi, returned. She came into the chamber from the passageway to their left alone, and with an expression that failed to hide her fear. Nevertheless, she approached them directly, and without hesitation. Meesei stood up to greet her, but allowed her to speak first.

"Champion, Ri'vashi has had her warriors block all exits, and has enacted a complete search of our entire stronghold. Most of the impostor's companions have been captured, and only a few more remain. We should have them all within the hour. But...for introductions, this one is Ri'vashi, and she is the leader of the Orcrest clan. And...she apologizes for all of this. She will fully bear the blame." The Cathay explained as she lowered her head in shame.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I think I'm going to watch a movie for a bit.