EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi started to chuckle. "Gallus, you do know that about a quarter of this one's own clan are werewolves, right? They are quite common throughout Tamriel, relatively speaking." She explained. "Regardless, this one does have to admit that she would feel safer with you watching her back. You have done much for Ri'vashi since we first met, and she feels she can trust you. Though, the Champion may want you to serve under her command, since you have been working together with her pack for some time. This one would not want to counter the Champion's orders, of course."

---

"Well, she could..." Ahnasha started, but by the expression on her face, she had nowhere to go with her thought. She was filled with frustration, but after a few seconds, a hint of regret appeared. It lasted only briefly, but she turned her gaze to Irenya with some uncertainty in her eyes. It was the first reaction she had given to Irenya which did not consist of anger, skepticism, or outright denial. However, Ahnasha was still far too prideful to simply give up on her convictions, at least openly.

"Look, I don't know if I should trust you, but I don't have to. You know if you're lying or not. You know if you have some other motive. If you aren't lying, and you really have had this change of heart, then you don't have to worry about me. You've said what you needed to say; you've given your apology, and...I'll remember it." Ahnasha finally answered.

Although not the ideal answer, Irenya, quite surprisingly, did not appear disappointed by it. "Very well, I...just hope for us to remain civil, at least."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei shook her head. "No, I do not believe there is any more we can do for now. We will need to divide up our forces and deal with personnel assignments, but those will be discussions between the warriors and their commanders. This meeting is dismissed. Once you finish what you can for the night, you should all be sure to get some rest. I have some experience in overworking myself, and I can say with confidence that it does not help one's judgment."

With the meeting over, the warband's leaders began to disperse and head for their own tasks, or in Lorag's case, his bedroll. As they were leaving the tent, Ri'vashi caught up with Gallus and walked alongside him. "It is not the most...confident this one has been in a plan, but she supposes we do not have much choice. No one claimed this assault would be easy. Anyway, what role do you think you'll be serving in the attack? Who will your pack be following?"

---

Though Fendros' opinions held a lot of weight with Ahnasha, her innate stubbornness was also showing through quite clearly. Overall, she was not an easy person to persuade. "So you trust her too? With all that happened, I could believe your change, but this just seems like too much for me. I've never known anyone to change so much for no apparent reason. Why would you think she is being honest?" Ahnasha asked. Meanwhile, Irenya had broken eye contact once more and was looking down, rubbing her arm lightly.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Without more knowledge of the enemy or their stronghold, there is little else we can do as far as our overall strategy." Meesei said. "The keep will be an unknown until we are physically inside. Our goal will be to capture or kill the General, and secure any information, or other items of value, that may be inside. The only detail that left to discuss for this meeting is our command structure for the attack itself. If we can get into the courtyard, we will need to split our forces into split our forces into three groups to attack the keep from its three entryways. Ri'vashi, as the commander of our largest force, I believe you should lead the assault on the main gate. Ra'jorr and I can lead the attacks on the upper entrances. I will need some of your warriors to comprise my force."

Ri'vashi nodded. "Without question, Champion. Ri'vashi thinks there will be many eager to follow your lead. We have our strategy, for now. Let us just take heed to avoid dedicating ourselves to it too completely. It is rare that a tactic survives contact with the enemy fully intact."

---

Fendros' words only seemed to confuse Irenya. "I...don't understand. I know that I was wrong; I'm telling you that I was wrong. With how I lived before, with where I'm from, I never understood. I couldn't understand. All I ever saw were beasts that paraded my father out into the middle of the street and cut off his head, or animals that drove me from the only home I ever knew while we were too weak to fight back. Without coming here, how could I understand? I am sorry for all of it."

Ahnasha's anger and skepticism seemed to be unwavering. Her expression did not change at all, though this time, she did at least respond. "Why should I believe you? You've been insufferable towards me since the day we met, but now, all of the sudden, now that you're surrounded by Khajiit, you've had a change of heart? What reason do I have to trust you? Maybe all of the Khajiit make you feel threatened, so you just want to put on an act until we're back in Cyrodiil? Maybe you just want to put on a show to fit in until you're 'safe?' I don't know your motivations, but I know not to trust them." She responded. Ahnasha, quite obviously, did not trust Irenya's words...perhaps unreasonably so.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"It would not be too difficult to organize, no...if it is the best course of action." Miranor answered, turning her attention to the others for confirmation.

Ri'vashi did not seem entirely certain, though she did not necessarily see it as a bad idea. "Ri'vashi does see how it could be helpful, but timing would be everything. If the other group attacks early, or is detected early, it would give more time for the enemy to respond. Such a diversion could tie up some of their forces, but there is no question that the majority of the enemy's focus will be on the group sabotaging the gate. They will realize fairly quickly what we are doing. It may provide some help to our saboteurs, but this one would not expect it to be drastic. All of them will be in considerable danger, so we will have to decide if the benefit is worth the risk to their lives. Ri'vashi suggests we ask the werevultures themselves. They will be the ones taking the risk, and if not enough of them agree to it, this one will not order them to."

---

Irenya sighed, breaking eye contact with the pair. "Nothing that I have not already told you. All of this has given me...perspective. I have experienced a lot of things that made no sense to me, with the way I saw the world. I kept making excuses for them, but that could not go on forever. This place is nothing like I expected, and I could not just be blind to the reality of it. I know you have forgiven me Fendros, but..." Irenya began, finally looking back directly to Ahnasha. "I did not want to just leave everything as it was. Like he said, I said some hurtful things. As much as I do not like to admit it, I was wrong." She explained, but even so, Ahnasha remained sitting with her arms crossed in what was, to Irenya, agonizing silence.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ra'jorr shook his head. "Without knowing what mechanism the gate uses, it is difficult to say. Though, we could, perhaps, find a general solution. Champion, this one is familiar with spells that can paralyze a person, as if they were stone. Is it possible for a spell to do the same to something non-living?"

Initially, Meesei's response was not encouraging. "Unfortunately, paralysis is not a spell that works on objects. I know there is other magic that can achieve that effect, but those are enchantments, not spells. You would need a soul gem, and the knowledge to apply it. But...there may be another way for us to attain the same effect. We could simply freeze the mechanism. We would likely only need a quick, concentrated burst of frost magic on the mechanism to render it immobile, for a time, at least. It would not last too long, but we do not need it to. As long as it lasts until we can get our warriors through the gate, it will be sufficient. We can give several scrolls to the werevultures to ensure they can sabotage it. As for our werevultures themselves, we could make all of them invisible if we needed to. However, if there are too many flying together, even invisibility may not keep them hidden. The sound of their wings could give them away."

---

Ahnasha's skepticism of Irenya had not diminished, and with Fendros' description of their own past, Ahnasha saw a way to give her a sort of test. She was being kind and polite, but Ahnasha was curious to see if that would hold true once she learned that they were not so perfect. "That is...mostly what happened, except for the part where we were both very drunk and he impregnated me essentially on the day we met. That inspired pretty well to get to know each other, I think."

Irenya's expression was, as Ahnasha expected, obviously surprised. However, she returned to normal fairly quickly. "Oh, well, I would imagine so. I think there is a reason I do not tend to drink. Regardless, it is good everything is still going well now."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei shared Gallus' concerns about the sabotage. Their current plan hinged on being able to infiltrate and sabotage the main gate. Without that, their advance would be halted by the formidable defenses along the walls. "The sabotage is the fastest way in, without a doubt. If it fails, we could perhaps attempt other options, like targeting the grate above the front gate to see if we can eliminate their oil pots. From there, we could use our lycan forms, or perhaps a ram, on the gate itself. But, that would not proceed nearly as quickly, and we would lose the advantage a fast attack provides. We do not have the time for an extended siege."

Though Meesei wished she could find a safer approach, using werevultures for sabotage seemed to be their fastest way into the stronghold. Hopefully, further scouting upon arrival would reveal more options. "Now, to create a cloud of mist of that scale, as I mentioned, will not be a simple task. We merely need it to conceal, which does make the task somewhat easier. It is possible to create a mist with other magical properties, but the magical power required for that is significantly higher. Even so, it will still require a significant dedication of our magical resources. We will need to spread out soul gems at key locations around the area to help provide energy for the ritual. As well, I will need mages to supply their own magicka to help power the spell. It will draw far more magicka than one mage can provide alone. The soul gems will ensure that we do not drain ourselves completely, and provide links to one another to help coordinate the ritual. We can use potions to help rejuvenate ourselves afterwards, but again, those will be potions we will not have for the fight itself."

---

Irenya shook her head. "Oh, no, that would create more problems than it would solve. If I could go back to the moment I was turned and do it again, I do admit that I would do something differently. Instead of simply disappearing, I would find some way to justify my leaving. Perhaps tell her I found an opportunity to start a career elsewhere, or a husband in a far away land. I did stay with my mother far longer than most children would have started their own lives. But, it is far too late for that. I cannot think of a good explanation for leaving suddenly without a trace that would not either offend her, or worry her. And certainly, it is best that she not know I am a lycan. She is far more traditional than myself. If I could think of a sufficient explanation, however...I may consider it."

Not wanting to continue on the topic of speaking to her mother, Irenya quickly attempted to move to something else. "Ah, but, what of yourselves? I know you are both from Cyrodiil, but what brought you together?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I need to get to bed, so I just wrote up the response for the meeting. I'll respond for Irenya in my next one.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Perhaps." Ri'vashi answered with some uncertainty in her tone, though even now, she was examining the map to pick out the shortest distances from the tree line to the walls. "Do you believe that would work on Do'rhajul, Lorag?" She asked.

Lorag unfolded his arms and leaned forward onto the table. "Now you're startin' to think. But...I don't know. I could see it working at first, but it don't take long for Do'rhajul to pick up on these things. Very observant. Biggest problem I see is how wide the clearing is around the fortress. Only way to keep our numbers hidden is to keep them behind the treeline, but from there, it would take time for them to make the run to the walls and set up the ladders. I can guarantee, Do'rhajul will know exactly how long that would take. He might realize that he can just keep most of his forces focused on the main gate, and just order them to move if he sees the others advancing with the ladders."

"That is an issue, but...perhaps we can find a way to obscure our forces even in the clearing." Ri'vashi suggested, turning her attention to Meesei. "You mentioned that it is possible to create a mist around the area. We could follow Gallus' suggestion and set up decoy forces to surround the stronghold. From there, if we cover the area in mist as we start our charge, we can obscure our numbers while making it seem as if we are just trying to obscure our warriors from their archers."

"Yeah, and as a side effect, it'll obscure our warriors from their archers." Lorag chuckled.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Lorag stood with his arms crossed, shaking his head. "Boy, you're not goin' to sow any 'discord' into Do'rhajul. Guess you learned from your father; that sounds like a plan an Imperial commander would use. Break up the enemy ranks, flank them from multiple angles, it's a basic combat tactic. And, that's why it won't work, it makes too much sense. He'll see it comin' as soon as he sees the ladders. Oblivion, I'd bet on him guessin' it before then. That cat'll have his men positioned exactly where they need to be. You want to beat him, you can't think that conventional at any stage of this attack."

Through the entire discussion, Ri'vashi was becoming increasingly frustrated at her inability to find some kind of solution. She was not accustomed to such difficulties in military matters. But, with Lorag's response, an idea came to her mind. "If he is as skilled as you say, he may predict us attempting to surround him, but...what if we find a way to fake it?"

---

The longer the conversation went on, the more relaxed Irenya became. Even Ahnasha started to appear less frustrated, though she was still far from being accepting of Irenya. "I...cannot say for sure." Irenya answered. "We both survived the war, thank Hircine. We were close to the fighting at times, but neither side made targets of the enemy's wounded. There was at least that much honor among them. We had originally planned to return to Morrowind after the war, but as I mentioned, we had no real home there either. A few months before the end of the war, we were living in a small town named Aleswell, north of the Imperial city. With nowhere else to go, it is where we stayed. The people were friendly, and as healers, we were certainly valued. I was turned by a rouge werewolf about fifteen years later, while I was fishing by Lake Rumare. I never returned to Aleswell after that, so I do not know if my mother stayed, or moved on in my absence."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Miranor, though she shared Gallus' worries about their current plan of infiltration, she was not yet ready to abandon it. "It will be dangerous, yes, but there are still ways we can mitigate it. Even if there is no way to resist the gas, we could use magic to our advantage. Provided we can sabotage the crank, we would just need a few spells to give us an opening to escape. We will be right next to the gate at that point, after all. We could tie some scrolls around our necks before we fly in, something to make us faster and give us protection from their arrows as we flee. It is not perfect, but...I volunteer to lead the infiltration."

Meesei's expression was severe, but without alternatives, she could not outright deny the plan. "If we find no other points of entry, we can consider this plan. As for the ladders, it would be easier to get onto the walls elsewhere while the enemy is distracted at the main gate. We just have to make sure the ladders are neither too close, nor too far from the main gate. If they are too close, the defenders may notice them, while too far, and our warriors will be too distant to support our primary entry point."

---

Ahnasha was still silent, though now, not entirely out of resentment. Irenya's mention of the execution of her father made her uncomfortable. She had always considered the Argonian invasion of Morrowind to have been a form of justice that had been a long time coming. As Irenya had said, the Argonians had focused their efforts onto a Great House of slavers, the Telvanni. But, it would be naive of her to think that no innocents were caught in the carnage. If, of course, her father was innocent. A lowly clerk did not sound like the kind of person who would even be able to own slaves, but she supposed she could not be sure.

Regardless of Ahnasha's silence, Irenya continued. "Oh, that happened almost two centuries later, during the Great War. Modern Morrowind reviles the Empire for their failure to give sufficient aid during the Oblivion Crisis, and the Red Year, but my mother still supported them, even after all that time. Our House, House Hlaalu, had been prosperous in the Third Era because of the Empire, and she never forgot us. After the Red Year, House Hlaalu...fell out of favor, far enough that it was stripped of its Great House status, so we did not have much of a place in Morrowind. Mother knew that the Imperial soldiers would need the aid of talented healers, so she convinced me to join her and move to Cyrodiil. I did not care for the Empire near as much as her, but I did not despise it, and it was not as if we would actually be joining their armies, so I agreed. I gave myself many reasons to join at the time, but I believe the largest among them was that I simply did not want to allow my own mother to go into danger alone."