EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

You think I should do a skip ahead a few days to the next event?

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Hmm, unfortunately, I don't think we're going to have a lakeside BBQ in the dead of winter.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

How much of a timeskip will this be, exactly? I cannot remember entirely what point we're at in the story. I think more time has actually passed IRL than IC.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei was pleased that the others already had options in mind, but she was careful not to lock herself into their suggestions. "Those are all certainly leads to follow, and options to consider, but I am not looking for the best experts among the people you know. What I want is the absolute best lycans, or those who sympathize with lycans, in Tamriel. That means we will need to coordinate with other clan leaders to determine who is truly the most skilled for each role. As Champion, I will be on this council in a sense, but not in a specified role. It is possible that I could be qualified to be the battlemage among them, but I believe that my duties as Champion are best fulfilled leading from the front, as it were. Myself and my pack will be taking on many more missions against Vile than we have been. I will take part in council decisions when I am able, but these should be people I can trust to lead without me."

Now that Meesei had explained her plans for the future, there was much work for them to accomplish, and she did not expect that it would be finished anytime soon. First and foremost, they needed to find a new home for their clan, and warn every other compromised clan to do the same. That would delay them in finding members for this new council, but with at least Ri'vashi present, they could handle their short-term defense against the inevitable enemy offensive. "Now, I do not believe there are any other pressing matters regarding the whole clan. I would encourage you all to read my report in detail, particularly regarding the enemy general Do'rhajul. There will be much work for us to do. Do you have any further questions for us, or does anyone have anything they would like to report specifically which I have left out?" Meesei asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei gave a nod in response to Vera. “There were no other great tragedies to befall us, no. It is unlikely that the Senchal clan will have the strength to be independent for the foreseeable future, but they will be safe among the Orcrest clan. However, during the attack…well, strictly speaking, it is good news that we learned of this, but it is troubling all the same. We uncovered information that very well may answer the question of why Vile is waging this war to begin with. You know how the number of lycans in Tamriel have been increasing drastically for years, even before the conflict began. I had always thought it might have been the response of feral lycans to new threats, or even the influence of Hircine himself to bolster his forces, but it seems the truth is more sinister. The enemy has been capturing people, turning them to lycans, then releasing them into the wilds where we can find them. Our numbers, the strength of our growing army, has been fed by the very enemy we have been fighting. The documents did not explain their motivations precisely, but everything we have learned seems to point to one answer: our souls. Lycan souls are stronger than those of other mortals, and for a Daedric Prince, souls grant power. To what end, I do not know for sure, but Vile wants our souls to fuel his power. He wants many, many lycan souls, but we are inherently difficult to keep prisoner in large numbers. So, he had his followers start creating more of us, release them, then start this war to gather us all together. We have formed clans larger than have ever existed in known history. All of these lycans concentrated into one place…we are the perfect target for this soul-tearing gas. I believe my pack and I delayed its creation four years ago when we halted their production of the suppression gas. But, now they have finally perfected it. They have built up our numbers like farmers planting a field, and now it is time for them to harvest. They call it the ‘Culling’, according to a prisoner Gallus interrogated. But, I do think there is still some hope. Because of our attack, we learned about their new weapon before we should have. They are not yet ready to mount a coordinated attack on all of our clans at once, so we have given ourselves time to react.”

The news Meesei was explaining was certainly grim, but she still had her plan. They had been playing into the hands of their enemy for years, but she aimed to turn that to her advantage. “To that end, I am going to be making some rather drastic changes to our leadership, and I am not referring to this clan in particular. If we are to fight against Vile, all of the clans will need to be able to coordinate, so I want to create a new council to coordinate them. This council will not be a part of any particular clan, but will be leading our overall strategy. This is why I have brought Ri’vashi. You may know her reputation as a warrior, and I can assure you it is well earned. She is a brilliant military leader, and as of right now, will be taking over the role I have been serving in planning our military strategy. I will need more, though. More leaders; people who can organize every aspect of our operations with the greatest efficiency. I want the most talented people we can find. Secrecy is going to be our greatest tool moving forward, so we are going to need a…spymaster. One who can make sure we remain undetected. We will also need a criminal, and I am not referring to a simple thief. We will need an experienced crime boss to make sure the income we receive cannot be traced to us. For any role we need filled, we need to find an expert.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei gave a nod to Sabine. "She is not someone I would want to ask immediately. Assuming she accepted, the time it would take for her to travel here would be too much for us to risk staying in this location. We will have to see if we can create an antidote, or other solution, with the people and resources we have available for now. If not, we can start seeking aid from the far corners of Tamriel after our clan moves. I have no doubt that Ariel would be willing to help us simply to protect her sister, but thanks to the trade connections and other sources of income we have established over the last few years, we are in a position to offer her a sizable reward for her services. If she develops an antidote for this gas, she would be saving all of our lives, so she would certainly deserve anything we can spare. As well, it would help to smooth matters over with her mate."

Sabine's worried about Ariel were understandable. Even if there were not the risk of being targeted by Vile's servants, travel over long distances was inherently dangerous. Meesei had a few ideas for how to mitigate that risk, but it was not an immediate concern. "Until we make the decision to move our clan, however, I still want you to aid with the research on the gas, Sabine. Ariel taught you about the suppression gas, and you have more experience with it than anyone else in this clan. Combined with your natural alchemical talents, you may have a perspective on the problem that others do not."

The matter of the soul tearing gas was the most pressing, but since it seemed that there was little else to discuss on that for the moment, Meesei was ready to explain Ri'vashi's presence, and her plan for creating a skilled council of leaders of different aspects of the struggle against Vile. For the moment, though, she allowed the others time to consider what she had said so far.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei was skeptical that a solution to the gas would come easily, though it would be unwise to rule out any potential solutions without testing them. With how deadly the gas was, it was important that they try everything they could. She leaned forward onto her elbows and clasped her hands together in front of her, contemplating the same subject that had been haunting her mind for weeks. "I am not certain that it will be possible to adapt a water breathing spell for that purpose, though admittedly, such spells are not within my realm of expertise. Regardless, I will help with the research as best as I can. My concern is that, unlike water, this gas is magical in nature. Even more, it is connected directly to Clavicus Vile's realm and may use ingredients from that plane of Oblivion. And, if it is possible to adapt a water breathing spell, we would still have to find a way to deal with residual gas. The person would still have to breathe while under the effects of the spell and would end up taking the gas into their lungs. Once the spell wears off, they could still die regardless. Hopefully, working together, we can find a solution to those problems. But, we cannot rely wholly on any spell we create, as we cannot be sure that we can actually test it. The gas is very deadly, and we do not know how much is a lethal dose, or if there are any long term effects of breathing small amounts. I cannot allow one of our own to sacrifice their soul to Vile to test a resistance spell."

Meesei continued, turning her attention once again to Marcaille. "The reason I have brought Marcaille from Elsweyr is to help work on an alchemical solution to the gas. An antidote. That would hopefully allow us to make all of our people immune to this weapon. I would like to get all of the most skilled alchemists we can find, from all of our clans across Tamriel, to work together on this problem. As I am sure you can all understand, this is now the most important issue we are facing, and solving it is worth dedicating everything we possibly can to it. If we do not find an antidote, or other solution, soon, then we will have to move this clan. Every clan in Tamriel that has been discovered will have to relocate. Secrecy will become our first and only line of defense. I would like for you to get word to every clan whose location is known to the enemy and warn them of this new danger. Now, the best place for a new clanhome is in a remote, open area, not underground. Mages skilled in telekinesis can delay the spread of the gas enough to hopefully buy time for an evacuation, which is something we should begin training soon. The soul-tearing gas behaves similarly to the suppression gas, so we may be able to adapt some tactics to deal with it in combat. In fact, it is likely that the new gas was derived directly from the suppression gas. It may be worthwhile for us to attempt to enlist the aid of the one who originally created the suppression gas." She suggested, glancing briefly towards Sabine.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

”Indeed.” Ssarak responded to Amary. As concerning as it was, he did not wish to dwell on the matter of Tyrael. There was more he wished to talk about with the Naga, like Mar and Lyn, but he knew it was a sensitive topic that he would only really want to discuss with Amary or Lyam. There was the option of a telepathic conversation, but he did not like to read the thoughts of others without permission, unless they were in immediate danger.

For the moment, Ssarak simply continued, deciding to discuss the future rather than the past. ”Adaptability is a defining trait of any intelligent being, and your kind does have a great deal of experience in matters of survival. Do you know in which area exactly you will be settling? If you are in neutral territory, it is not terribly likely that you will be disturbed by anyone, from either side of the border. But, I suppose it is possible that your presence could be investigated by the Esyire. Fortunately, we do not have a history of violent encounters with outsiders. Since our lands are quite hostile to other races, they have never had much of an interest in them. If you are discovered by any of the clans, it is doubtful they will assume you to be hostile, unless given a good reason. If I know which region you are settling in, I may be able to tell you which clan you are most likely to encounter, explain their customs, and how to best interact with them peacefully.”

Ssarak did not expect the Naga to experience much opposition in their new home, given its location, but he wanted to give as much advice as he could regardless. He had risked a great deal to help them, so he was naturally interested in assuring that they would survive. Having favorable relations with at least one of their neighboring groups could be a great help in that regard.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei waited in silence to allow the others to consider the news she brought. The silence hung in the air long enough to give weight to the severity of the situation before Darahil finally spoke up, naturally about the gas itself. "The gas acted fairly immediately. The others with me started to cough and collapse within seconds of breathing it in. It did seem that it would only work if the victim actually breathed in the gas, so I suppose it is likely possible for one to hold their breath if they see the gas beforehand. In our case, though, it caught us by surprise."

Meesei gave a nod to Marcaille, who had been holding on to the samples of the gas, then continued with her explanation. "We did uncover some samples of it; a few flasks. Like the suppression gas, it seems to be stored as a liquid until something disturbs it, like a sudden impact. I would guess that the enemy is able to store it in potion bottles to throw as a weapon in combat, just as they do with the suppression gas. They did not do so during our attack, but from what I observed, it seemed like they had only recently created a formula that worked as intended, so their soldiers were not equipped with it. Regardless, I am sure you can imagine how great of a threat this is, particularly in tight quarters. If we cannot develop an antidote, we are going to have to drastically change how we approach the safety of our clans."

Meanwhile, Marcaille reached into her bag and carefully pulled out a tightly wrapped bundle of furs and cloth, tied together by straps of leather. It took a few moments for her to untie and unravel the thick bundle protecting the flasks within. As one might expect, they had been exceptionally careful when transporting the samples to ensure their glass flasks did not shatter. Not only could they lose their samples, but it could prove to be a danger to anyone around it.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Of course." Meesei answered, taking her seat at the head of the table. Each of the council's members, Ri'vashi, and some of Meesei's pack, took the remaining seats. They rarely held meetings that contained more than a few non-council members at once, so their table was not actually big enough to accommodate everyone present. But, it would only be a small inconvenience for them to stand.

Meesei took in a quick breath to give herself a moment to think. "Well, how to even begin? I suppose to start, we were correct in our suspicions that the Senchal clan had been attacked. The majority were killed or captured, but just under half escaped. Vile's servants were forcing one of the clan's members to help them trap anyone we sent to investigate, but he was able to help us kill them and free his pride. It is a tactic we should be careful of in the future. Afterwards, we moved west and discovered what remained of the Senchal clan at an old outpost. We convinced them to move north and join with the Orcrest clan, a journey which fortunately incurred no losses. We spent some time recuperating there, but our goal was to end the enemy threat in Elsweyr. Ultimately, we decided to combine the forces of the two clans in an assault on the enemy's primary stronghold in the region, which we had learned the location of previously. It was...not a complete success. The stronghold was destroyed and we did cripple their operations in the area, but we did not destroy them entirely. Their leader, a Cathay-raht veteran of the Imperial army named Do'rhajul, most likely survived. And with him, the formula for a devastating new weapon they have developed. Not only does the enemy have access to a new formula for the suppression gas, but they have created a new kind of...soul-tearing gas. Its function is exactly as it sounds. After just a few breaths of the gas, it can rip a lycan's soul from their body and send it straight to Clavicus Vile's realm. It is both effective and terrifying, and as of right now, we have no real defense against it. My Ring kept a hold of my soul and protected me from it, but this one artifact cannot protect every lycan in Tamriel."

Obviously, Meesei had left out quite a few details, but they were all written in her report. For now, they needed to discuss the most pressing threat to their clan, and indeed, all lycans.