EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Although the word of the real Champion's arrival had spread through the Orcrest clan, the sudden arrival of the Senchal clan was a definite surprise to any who had not been specifically informed beforehand. By its nature as an underground structure, the stronghold's inhabitants were used to living close together, but it had been expanded recently and was not especially crowded except in the most populated of areas. However, with the arrival of over two hundred more individuals, it was more crowded than it had ever been. There were some complaints, but for most, simply learning of who these new arrivals were and what they had been through made them nothing but sympathetic. There were some members of the Orcrest clan who volunteered their rooms for those who were most in need of comfortable quarters, but for the most part, living arrangements had to be made rather hastily.

In the lowest levels of the stronghold, the Orcrest clan had dug entirely new tunnels to accommodate their growing population. Although, most of the new space was not used for living quarters; rather, they had moved many of their supplies to the new tunnels to make more room on the upper levels. Barrels and crates full of preserved food, leather, wood, metal, and other materials were taken out into the hallways to empty out rooms for the new arrivals. Even so, some would likely have to sleep in the hallways until more permanent arrangements could be made. The new corridors themselves were not simply crudely mined tunnels. Rather, they had proper stonework on all sides. Evidently, the clan had among its members stonemasons who could oversee such work. The new tunnels did not match the style of the old, but they were professionally made, and structurally sound.

Ma'tanza did not see Tzirret approach, so she jumped when he suddenly grabbed her hand. "Ah- oh, Tzirret. You surprised Ma'tanza. She probably should have expected you, though. It is getting late. She sees you managed to find a place to bathe." She said with a smile as she patted his still-wet shoulder. "You'll have to take this one there later, she didn't have a chance to find it yet. Someone did give Ma'tanza enough cloth to make another wrap, though. She doesn't have enough for a loincloth, but she can at least have her wrap again. This one will cut it all into the right shape later, we can head up to the top of one of the hills now."

Briefly, Ma'tanza looked down to M'ibasa beside her. "Go find your big sister and see if she'll come with you to make some new friends, alright?"

Elsewhere, Ri'vashi was stomping through a hallway just below the main chamber, more in frustration than rage. She was very visibly distraught, and seemed to be going somewhere with single-minded determination. She passed directly by Gallus, but did not acknowledge him. With the way she was looking straight ahead, it was questionable that she had even seen him at all.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

If you like, sure.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

We can probably do a skip to bring everyone to the stronghold, if you like.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi let out a light hum as she thought back on her father, bringing a light smile across her face. "He never told Ri'vashi that directly, but she always suspected it. The way he fought, the people he would talk to, his thoughts on the Dominion, and the Thalmor in particular. It does all make sense. This one was born after the Great War, though, so he would have been in hiding our entire lives. That...would also explain quite a few things, honestly. It would certainly explain how he knew of this place, but why he would bring us into the Dominion itself? That, Ri'vashi does not understand."

The group stepped into the main chamber, which by this point, had been cleaned of any evidence of the brief fight and dismemberment that had taken place only a short time prior. Uthri and Ra'kalesh would be heading back to the clan, Meesei would be going to check on the prisoners, and Ri'vahsi would soon be heading off to deal with quite a few matters of business. For a moment, however, she paused to speak with the group. "Ri'vashi would love to talk of her past, but we all have much to do. Feel free to speak to the clan and acclimate yourself to the stronghold. All of this one's warriors should know of you by now, and word should be spreading through the clan as a whole. Is there anything more before this one goes to speak to her council?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi did not quite smile, though she did at least appreciate Gallus' sentiment. It was clear that she was ashamed of the day's events, but the fact that he was not chiding her for her failure was at least encouraging. Meesei did not react with any particular emotion, positive or negative, but she was not showing any signs of passing judgment. Gallus' attempt at levity might have upset Uthri, but it did calm her nerves somewhat. Or, at the very least, distract her from them.

"Thank you, but...Ri'vashi will be fine. She has endured failure before." She responded. After a few moments, the group finally started to walk once more towards the main chamber. It would not take but a minute or two longer for them to reach it, but she still took the time to answer Fendros.

"It is a katana, of Akiviri make, as this one was told." Ri'vashi explained. "This one inherited it from her father when he passed. He was the former, and first, leader of this clan. He was a fine swordsman, and the one who trained Ri'vashi in both martial arts and leadership. He was the one who led us to this stronghold, and helped to return it to a livable state. Our clan was much...smaller then, but it has proven to be a place in which we can expand."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei continued to avoid acknowledging the Imperial until the soldiers had taken him away. It was only once he was out of sight that she spoke to Gallus. "He was simply taunting you, goading you to attack. Regardless of your opinion on me, he assumed you would take offense. Likely, he wanted you to kill him. We will need to keep a close eye on him to make sure he cannot finish himself off before I am ready for him to die."

Nearby, Ri'vashi produced a small cloth from her pouch and ran it down the flat of her blade to wipe away the blood. The sword had an intricate design on its hilt depicting what appeared to be dragons, if examined closely. The blade itself was clean, apart from the blood, and had been shined to near-perfection. In response to Gallus, she paused and stared at the blade for a few seconds before returning it to its scabbard. "Ri'vashi had a good teacher." She commented.

Ri'vashi remained on alert as she continued, though with all of the soldiers now surrounding them, another attack was unlikely. "With luck, the others will have been found by now. This day...has been nothing but an embarrassment for Ri'vashi and her clan."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei stared at the Imperial, speaking firmly with an uncompromising glare. "He will be locked up like the rest. Treat his wound...sufficiently enough that he will survive for the moment. Make no mistake, he will die. That part of his fate is sealed. But, there are worse things than death, and his cooperation will decide how many of them he experiences." She threatened.

Once again, the Imperial started to laugh. Just as Meesei had not acknowledged him directly, so too did he not acknowledge her. Instead, he looked at Gallus once more. He was gritting his teeth enough that he could not hide his pain, though that did not stop him from trying. Despite his situation, he seemed confident, with no shortage of defiance. "Childish? I guess so, but at least I'm not a...savage like you beasts. Uncivilized wretches...hiding out in some hole under a hill. Like rats, pests. You're mongrels, walking around in scraps of leather and hide, trying to act like people. And you...Imperial, or Nord, or whatever you are: you want to kill me. I can see it in your eyes. And I think you're afraid, not of me, but of that...lizard whore you submit to. You're a tool to be used at her whim; A puppet whose strings she is pulling. You jump in front of her at the first sign of danger, like a well-trained servant." The man taunted, before beginning to laugh even more loudly.

"Or maybe you admire her?" The Imperial continued with a particularly condescending voice. "Maybe you want to serve her like a good little dog to earn her attention, or affection? I guess I could see how you'd be attracted to her...if you like animals."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi held the bloodied blade out towards the Imperial in the event he intended to try anything else, though he seemed too preoccupied holding his hand over the deep gash in his arm to actually attempt another attack. Not to mention, Gallus was keeping him rather securely pinned. His arm was bleeding heavily, even with the pressure he was applying to the wound. "Yes, it looks like he caught wind of what happened. Ri'vashi recognizes this one. He was the most...curious of their group. He was always asking questions, about the clan and the stronghold. He painted himself out as being a scholar."

Meesei stood over the Imperial, keeping her expression calm, but intense. She looked him over carefully, paying close attention to his face, and the severity of his wound. Untreated, death by blood loss was a possibility, but simple bandages would probably be enough to staunch the bleeding sufficiently to allow him to heal on his own. A greater threat would be infection, if he was not a lycan like the Argonian. However, they could allow him to survive that as well. "Well, I hope you are satisfied with what you have learned about this ruin. You shall not be leaving it."

The Imperial leaned his head back and let out an exaggerated, almost delirious laugh. He did not seem outwardly angry, though he still paused a few moments to give her a threatening glare. He was obviously defiant, and wanted to make sure that was clear to his captors. Since Meesei was too far away from him, he turned his head to Gallus and spat in his face.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi nodded. "Yes, please. It is going to take a lot of effort to make the kinds of accommodations necessary for such a large number of people. One moment, let me grab a parchment." She answered. Stepping away for a moment, she walked over to a corner of the room with a table, and a series of bookshelves. Compared to the table at the center, it was rather disorderly, but she did not seem to have issue finding a blank parchment and writing implements. Once she returned, Meesei and Ra'kalsesh began answering any questions she had about the clan and what they would need.

---

Once the meeting was over, they all left out of the room to start on their tasks. Uthri and Ra'kalesh were going to head back to inform the clan to pack the camp, then head inside the stronghold. Ri'vashi, while she had quite a few responsibilities at the moment, was first going to find her council and make accommodations for the Senchal clan. Meesei was going to check on Irenya and the Argonian impostor, while everyone else would have the chance to simply familiarize themselves with the clan and the stronghold itself. They would all be separating in the main chamber, but they were all still walking together through the hallways at the moment.

It was close to being dinner time, so the hall was moderately crowded. Without her robe, Meesei was easy to identify, so there were a few that stared at her as they passed. Likely, most of the clan had heard of what happened when they arrived. However, it was not likely that they had received any official explanation, so Meesei could only imagine what notions they had in their minds. Their expressions were certainly varied.

Just as they were about to reach the main chamber, Ri'vashi started to look closely at an individual that was approaching them. He was acting no differently from any of the other clan members, but nevertheless, she seemed to be staring him down. He was a Human man, likely Imperial, in a simple brown hooded robe. He had his hands clasped together in front of him, and his head slightly lowered. As they drew nearer, however, Ri'vashi's eyes widened.

"Champion!" She shouted, drawing her blade just as the man pulled a dagger. He lunged for Meesei, but Ri'vashi's blade was quick. It was a long, curved blade: an Akaviri katana. It sliced through his forearm, stopping on the bone, but nearly cutting the muscle in half. He dropped his knife, then fell to his knees.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

There is just one more thing, though I'm in a game at the moment.