EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For a few moments, there was silence as everyone looked around for any objections, but there were none to be had. While each lieutenant no doubt had their own opinions, none of them were closely-held enough to argue against the decision. After a few seconds, Meesei spoke up once more. "Unless another option presents itself, I believe we stand to gain the most from studying the animonculory. Of course, I do not believe we should dedicate any forces to clearing the other ruins until we know for certain that we can control the automatons. If we can, then we will simply be able to use them to hold any territory we capture in Blackreach or the adjacent ruins. As for turning them into soldiers...what are your thoughts, Brenann? Assuming we can control them, would it be possible?"

"Oh..." Brenann began, again startled by hearing his name. "Well, that was the purpose the Dwemer used them for, but...even they could not fight battles solely with their machines. They used them as supplementary forces to their armies. The automatons are not intelligent like we are, and cannot carry out complex strategies on their own. They can be likened to war beasts; they require handlers to give them instructions. I am no military strategies, but I think they would certainly help. It is just...you may need to be careful where and when you use them. The animonculory was operating in a sort of low power state before, but even if we gave it full steam power, time has taken its toll on the machinery. And it is...complicated machinery. There is no one left alive on Nirn who understands it. I doubt I could understand it entirely even if I studied it for an Elven lifetime. We can make some repairs, but our best efforts will probably only get it to produce at only about...forty percent capacity? Maybe forty-five? With enough time, we could still produce quite a few automatons, and we could greatly improve that if we find another animonculory. It is just that we might not be able to replace them exceptionally quickly."

"I see." Meesei responded. "Still, even with those limitations, I expect we could make great use of them. Not to mention the knowledge we may gain in the process. If no other project offers more, I will join personally. Speaking of, I believe we have another proposal." She said, turning her gaze to the far end of the room towards the Bosmer who had asked to join the meeting. Only those who worked closely with the scouts would likely even recognize his face. "Forgive me, but I do not know your name. You are one of our scouts, correct?"

"Yes ma'am...Champion." He answered, stepping closer to the lieutenants. "My name is Peralain. I am originally from Valenwood, but I fled all the way to Skyrim to escape the Thalmor. I was a member of the Riften clan, until recently. I was part of the first warband into Blackreach, and after living here the last few months...I have had an idea for a project. It is nothing that would take away any resources from anything else, or...any other project at least. I wouldn't need any scholars, I just need permission. You see, my family were beast tamers; it was our trade for centuries. There are very few creatures in Tamriel that cannot be trained. When we cleared this place, I saw that the Falmer had...also tamed a creature. The Chaurus. And, well, I believe I could tame them too."

Peralain's suggestion naturally caused quite a few varied and immediate reactions. One of the lieutenants, Tola, audibly scoffed. "You want to tame those giant insect monstrosities?"

Peralain held out his hands in front of him. "I know, they are quite frankly terrifying. But they're already tame; the Falmer have already done all the hard work for us. Subservience is already conditioned into each generation. We just have to take some of the eggs and train up the larvae to see us as their masters. As disgusting as they are, the Falmer build pretty much everything out of their chitin, and they are strong allies in a fight. And, we already know they can easily live down here in Blackreach."

---

Saras was both surprised and somewhat uncomfortable at being stopped by Janius. He was generally a reserved and serious individual, and while he was not unemotional by any means, he tended to conduct himself professionally at all times. His clan was well-aware of his personality, but he supposed that Janius was not a part of his clan. And seeing as he was a member of the Champion's pack, he was not someone that he was going to ignore. Besides which, he had just finished the duties he had been tending to.

"Um...I suppose I do have some time." Saras answered in a neutral tone. "Aside from ale, is there something specific you want to talk about?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The aminunculory were in vanilla, I think, but they were basically just sections of the ruins that, in lore, produced automatons. It is never said explicitly, but I reason that for ruins to still have automatons after a few thousand years, they would need to be able to make more on their own.

Now, the Aetherium was part of Dawnguard. It is a strange, glowing material that can only be forged in the Aetherium forge. It can make a few unique Dwemer items, but the exact nature of its power is never explained in game.

Oh, and I suppose we should do something with Saras. I just can't think of a way to bring up his past in a way that makes sense. He wouldn't hide it if asked (at least if asked by someone important).

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Yes, of course." Brenann answered quickly, nodding to Darahil. "We can activate or deactivate the animonculory at will. We don't know if any of the other ruins connected to Blackreach have active animonculory, as we have only been able to study Raldbthar. I know the entrance to Alftand is to the northeast of the Silent City, and I have translated references to the city of Mzinchaleft as well. If those ruins are secured, we may be able to tell you more."

"This one believes her scouts have found the entrances of the ruins you speak of as they mapped Blackreach, but this one has not sent any force into the ruins themselves. The one to the northeast, Alftand, is likely home to more Falmer, according to the reports. However, if it would be useful to us, this one could organize a warband to clear the ruins, but that would also mean having to guard new pathways between the Silent City and these ruins. The more locations we secure in this cavern, the more spread thin our warriors become." Ri'vashi explained.

Given the progress made so far, Meesei was cautiously optimistic about what their scholars might achieve. "If it becomes necessary, I can call for more warriors to join us from other clans, but there may be another option. Our scouts have noticed that the Falmer tend to avoid the automatons by habit, or perhaps superstition. If the ruins are still producing the machines, it makes sense. If we could learn to command the automatons ourselves, assign them to patrol the paths between the entrances and the Silent City, then that would relieve us of most of our problems with manpower. Automatons do not require food, or sleep, and do not become bored. I am sure there is something needed to power them, but with how long they have remained active, we can likely keep them working for much longer at once than a person. Unless any other projects are more appealing, I recommend putting the Aetherium project on hold and focusing our resources on learning how to control the automatons."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yeah, I typed that when my internet was out and forgot to fix it when I posted it.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Once everyone who was interested had seen the Aetherium shard, she took it once more and held it up in front of her. “I believe I should clarify that Aetherium, as the Dwarves used it, may not necessarily have been indestructible. We have not found a way to break this crest, or Aetherium in its raw form, but it may not be as durable once forged. None of the Dwemer sources seem to refer to it as being indestructible. It does, however, hold a great deal of power. Unfortunately, we do not know what that power might be. The sources we have are not specific, though if it originates from Aetherius, as the name suggests, then it may hold power outside the bounds of normal magic. But, with the number of unknowns, I would not recommend making this a priority. We do not know if this Aetherium forge is even still intact, and if it is damaged, we are unlikely to be able to repair it. It is certainly an avenue of research I would like to pursue in the future, but for now, I believe some of the others have more tangible discoveries. Brenann, you have something for us?”

Standing alongside the table, the short Breton man practically jumped when he heard his name. He was one of the scholars of the Dwemer that had accepted Meeseir’s request to join the Blackreach clan. He wore a loose brown robe, despite the fact that the still-active Dwemer machinery made the air in the Silent City somewhat warm. Interestingly, he was not actually a lycan, but rather, his sister was a lycan in one of the Hamerfell clans, which happened to also use a smaller Dwemer ruin as its clanhome. Given that he had lived peacefully among the clan for the past ten years, he was deemed to be trustworthy. He swallowed nervously, and held up a parchment of notes in front of himself. “Oh, yes, of course…Champion. Um…let’s see…”

Looking through his notes, Brenann took a deep breath before beginning to read directly from them. It was quite obvious that he was uncomfortable being the center of attention. “As you all know, um, probably. Probably know…we have been working on restoring function to the Silent City’s ancient machinery. Dwemer machines are incredibly complex, and even the…brightest of today’s scholars cannot understand their more complex creations. But, we do have enough understanding to at least maintain…some of the machines. One of these is the pumping station. Now that the rubble has been cleared, we were able to repair some of the more important pipes and get steam power flowing through the system once more. As of yesterday, the Silent City once more has water flowing through it, and at least half of the fountains are functional again. We hope to find the blockages to the rest of the fountains and have them repaired in the next few weeks. We have also been studying the lifts, and finally found the mechanisms to lower or raise them without needing to pull the lever on the lift itself. So, we won’t need to assign anyone to lift duty anymore. We also believe we have enough of an understanding of their mechanisms to repair them if they happen to break, but with how long they have survived so far, we believe that is unlikely. But, our must exciting discovery so far has been…” He began, turning briefly towards the crate beside him before nudging one of the much taller Nords that had helped carry it in. “Ulfar…open the thing.” He whispered.

The Nord pried off the side of the crate, then rolled out a seemingly inactive, but undamaged Dwemer sphere from within. “We have discovered that Raldbthar’s animunculory is still active, and has been building new automatons as the old ones are destroyed. We believe it was set to maintain a certain number of the machines at all times. It is why we still ran into them occasionally in Raldbthar, even after we cleared the ruin. We have shut down steam power to it, so it is no longer producing automatons, but we have also been studying it non-stop. It is…complex beyond anything I, or any of the other Dwemer scholars, have ever seen. We have been selectively powering parts of it for our experiments, and we managed to produce this.” He explained, motioning to the automaton beside him. After a brief pause, he delivered a light kick to the side of the sphere, which prompted it to suddenly come to “life” and deploy itself into its more humanoid form. Although, unlike other machines of its kind the clan had encountered in the past, it did nothing more than roll back and forth in place.

Even Meesei was visibly impressed with the machine. She clasped her hands together and leaned forward onto the table. “So you have managed to take control of the animunculory and produce a full automaton of your own; I will say that is certainly more than I expected. Does it follow your commands?”

“Um…no.” Brenann answered in an almost embarrassed voice. “It…doesn’t really listen to us at all. Or do much of anything other than pack and unpack itself into a sphere. But, it also isn’t hostile, which shows we can successfully modify their behavior. I think the problem with this one is that it doesn’t have a…mind, so to speak. No one understands exactly how automatons function, but there is something within them that controls their decision making. Some scholars believe that the soul gems found inside each of them are what serve as their center of thought, and I am inclined to agree. The soul gem in this automaton is empty, and it does not do anything beyond basic reactions to simple stimuli. What we do not yet know is how to ensure that an automaton we produce with a filled soul gem would actually be allied to us. That will require much more research.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei, though she was somewhat tired, reflected Vera’s good mood. There was a great deal she could be worrying about, but it was occasionally helpful to remember that there were positive developments she could focus on. “Indeed. And if we are ever short of livestock, there is always the Falmer and their Chaurus. Dangerous prey, but if we arrange a steady supply of ingredients for poison resistance potions, our warriors could organize hunts to sate their hunger, and thin the Falmer’s numbers. Although, I am beginning to question whether it would actually be a good idea to eliminate them entirely. They are a reliable source of meat and souls, and they keep intruders away from the Blackreach entrances we do not yet control. They seem to avoid the Silent City out of superstition, likely because of whatever wiped them out before. If they did not occasionally attack us, I would not mind them as neighbors.”

After Oswall and Gallus arrived, it was not long before most of the others followed suit. Vera’s lieutenants were, of course, present as usual, but there were also several scholars, alchemists, and a curious Bosmer who had specifically asked to attend. Members of Meesei’s pack, like Lorag, were also in attendance, though he had nothing to do but observe. The Dwemer scholars had brought a stack of parchments as tall as a child, as well as a rather large crate. The others, like Marcaille, had a more tame collection of research notes, but it was clear they would have quite a lot to cover.

Once everyone had taken their seats, Meesei started off the meeting. “It seems we have quite a lot to cover today, so I shall begin directly. We do have some administrative matters to discuss. For instance, Saras has reported that he has nearly established secure communication routes between us and the rest of Tamriel’s clans, so we should be able to resume regular communication soon. However, I believe the first matter we should address is the results of our many research projects so far, as, from what I understand, they could all have a large impact on the short and long term course of this clan. To start, I will give the progress of a project myself and Darahil have been closely involved with.”

Reaching into the bag beside her chair, Meesei produced a broken shard of a disk or crest, made from a glowing blue material and etched with obviously Dwemer markings, and slid it onto the table between them all. “As most of you know, we discovered this unusual shard in Raldbthar shortly after we arrived. Now that we have had a chance to study it, we have found that it is even more unusual than it appears on the surface. It seems to be near indestructible, and as Marcaille has confirmed, entirely alchemically inert. There is a great deal of magical power locked within, but we have found no way to tap into it. There is no way to forge it, or otherwise work with it. But, we have learned more about it. Based on translations our scholars have made in Raldbthar and the Silent City, and other writings we have gathered from elsewhere in Skyrim, we have determined that this shard is made from a material known to the Dwemer as Aetherium.”

Meesei paused a moment to collect a few of her notes in front of her. “Evidently, the dwemer learned how to mine and forge with this Aetherium. They described it as being immensely powerful, and considering that this is the race which build a machine god from the heart of Lorkhan himself, that is not a description I take lightly. Considering its name, it could be related to Aetherial fragments, the rare and powerful materials from which the Ayleids created many of their magical constructs, like welkynd and varla stones. However, we have only just begun that avenue of research. What we do know is that several of Skyrim’s Dwemer cities played different roles in the production and refinement of Aetherium. Raldbthar just happened to be the city that mined this Aetherium; Blackreach was the primary source of this material. From what we have learned, some of the glowing blue crystals we have found in this cavern are pure Aetherium. However, despite its power, we still cannot work with it. The Dwemer built a special forge specifically to work with Aetherium, but we have not been able to locate it. All we can say is that it is not in Blackreach, or any of the ruins connected to it. It is possible that, if we explore some of the other Dwemer cities involved in Aetherium production, we could perhaps locate this forge.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Since Sabine has been a part of various research projects, you think she would attend the meeting?

I'd also like to delve a bit into Saras' past, but I'm not sure how to bring that up. I suppose someone not in the meeting could meet up with him, but I'm not sure what would justify talking about his past. He has been coordinating a lot of scouts and general information gathering since they arrived.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I think I'm going to go with the usual interpretation that cities in the lore are physically bigger than portrayed in game, so the Silent City would probably have more buildings and rooms. It would give us a bit more freedom with using it.

Also, you could have Sabine take part in one or more of the research projects, if you wanted. I think Meesei would have been trying to help with them however she could. She knows very little about the Dwemer, but anything relating to enchanting she would have liked to be involved in. Ahnasha would be doing her own, private necromancy research away from the Silent City, as well as training with the Breton woman whose name currently escapes me. All of those skeletons probably would have been useful to her.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

With the size of the warband, it did not take long to clear the citadel; not that there was actually anything to clear. Even after a thorough search, no hint of danger was found within, just long-dead skeletons. Meesei and Ri’vashi both agreed to focus their remaining efforts on their expedition to securing the path from the citadel to Raldbthar, then returning to the surface.

In the two months that followed, what was formerly the Bruma clan was quite busy relocating themselves. Before the non-combatants could be settled in, they had to ensure that their new home would be completely safe for day-to-day life. The Bruma, Riften, and even Solitude clans lent warriors to the cause. Raldbthar was easy enough to clear of any remaining trace of Falmer or Chaurus, though the occasional Dwemer spider or sphere would still appear from time-to-time from the walls. The cavern below was more difficult, as there was quite a distance between the Raldbthar entrance and the citadel they had discovered. Ri’vashi eventually settled on a large-scale hunt of the area surrounding the pathway, followed by regular patrols across all sections of the path. It required a constant, dedicated effort on the part of their warriors, but Falmer attacks became small scale and infrequent. Meesei had most of the skeletons removed, apart from that of the dragon. She was not interested in claiming a trophy from a creature she had not killed, so she had its bones, and some scales they found partially covered in dirt beneath it, taken to a storage room in the citadel that she deemed sufficiently secure. Dragon bones were rare and valuable, so she was sure they would find a use for them eventually.

At the same time as they were clearing the cavern, Meesei sent word to clans across Tamriel, in somewhat covert terms, to send their Dwemer and Falmer scholars to them. It was not a mandatory order, but the nature of their discovery meant that there were many who were more than willing to undertake the journey to Skyrim. And, of course, there were scholars nearby, among the Riften and Solitude clans, who were eager to explore the ruins. There were even trusted, non-lycan scholars that were allowed to live among them. Some discoveries were made fairly quickly, once the scholars had the chance to translate some of the Dwemer inscriptions and written materials they had found. The cavern itself, Fal Zhardum Din, was often simply called Blackreach by the Dwemer, and the citadel they had discovered was known as the Silent City. Alchemists and enchanters also performed tests on some of the unique resources in Blackreach. Despite hopes to the contrary, the glowing mushrooms that filled the cavern were found to be inedible. In fact, they were a largely poisonous fungus that could cause blindness if ingested over time. However, they still had some useful alchemical properties, and were certainly abundant. There was also a curious, crimson red variation of nirnroot growing throughout Blackreach. While nirnroot was somewhat rare in Tamriel, this crimson nirnroot was actually fairly common throughout the cavern, and it was exceptionally useful for creating particular potions and poisons. As such, a group of alchemists set out to see if they could find a way to cultivate the root reliably. Since it grew naturally in Blackreach, it would be somewhat easier than trying to grow nirnroot on the surface.

Eventually, the clan was once again able to settle down into a routine, and with more members than before. There was some disagreement on whether they should refer to themselves as the “Blackreach clan” or the “Silent City clan,” but the fears of relocating had largely worn off. Saras in particular seemed to like the idea of expanding their reach in the new location. The scholars had determined that there were many entrances and exits to Blackreach across a large section of Skyrim, so if they could secure them, he reasoned that it would make it easier for them to maneuver in the province. Any sort of expansion would take a dedicated effort, but from what Meesei had been told, several of their other problems now had potential solutions.

It was early in the morning, or at least, Meesei assumed it to be. Her duties had kept her underground for the better part of a month, so she simply had to assume that her sleep cycle at least somewhat lined up with the day and night cycle on the surface. There were, of course, members of the clan who left the cavern regularly, particularly those who dealt with their supply runs. Although, Meesei had recently been informed that week that the light from the Silent City’s “sun” could actually sustain plant growth. They had already planned to receive a shipment of seed from the Riften clan to begin their own, underground farms. Saras was currently in the city, though he was currently dealing with an issue regarding his supply shipments, so he would not be able to attend the meeting that Meesei had planned. Evidently, the efforts of several scholars, alchemists, and other members of the clan, had finally bore fruit, so she and Ri’vashi would be meeting with the scholars, and the clan’s leadership, to decide how their findings would impact their future plans. Meesei had told her pack that they could attend if they wished, though they did not necessarily need to.

The clan had dedicated a room inside the Silent City’s debate hall to be their new meeting room. It had a large enough rectangular stone table to accommodate quite a few people, and they had provided wool and fur cushions to deal with the uncomfortable stone chairs. Meesei was among the first to arrive, so she had time to collect her thoughts.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Oh yeah, forgot about that. Well, Meesei's pack would be going to Black Marsh. If Peiter asked, she would be willing to allow him to accompany them, though she would not go all the way to Gideon.

Edit: Meant to say Gallus.