EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I'm not sure if you had anything you wanted to do with Lorag and the others. I can add something, if needed. I just ran out of ideas.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Even with the rather serious topic of discussion, Ahnasha could not help but to smile at a few of the thoughts entering her mind. "I don't know, despite what your mother said about Rhazii, I cannot help but to think that seeing him might soften her heart. A Khajiit he may be, but he is still a sweet, innocent child. He has those big eyes, that wide smile. He has all that energy and enthusiasm; not to mention that he has your eyes." She said, looking to Fendros. "Sure, there are people who would be unaffected by any of that, but I think your mother might be reminded of what it was like to have you as a child. Perhaps the wedding? If we can convince her to come, perhaps just to spend time with Fendros, or to meet the people that are helping keep him safe out in the wilderness, then we could have her meet him without seeming like we are forcing it upon her."

"And of course, we would like to have you there as well, Monderyn." Ahnasha offered. "I do not yet know exactly what we are going to be doing, but we intend to find a Dunmer priest willing to perform the ceremony by your traditions. In a Cyrodilic city, I do not expect that would be too difficult. In any case, it is just going to be a small event. Also, while I am thinking about it, what ingredients do you need to cure your mother's blindness? We have connections in all corners of Tamriel, so as long as it is not too rare, it will just be a matter of waiting on it to be delivered."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Also consider that you do have quite a bit of time to convince them." Ahnasha added. "There is no reason for this to be your last time speaking with them. You may not be able to live with them, but letters, visits, all of those are perfectly possible for now. Even if they are infrequent. Your mother has known you are alive for less than an hour. Her opinions seem more likely to be swayed in time. I will say that I am not comfortable outright lying, but that is your choice. If I can find the method to extend my life without necromancy, that would give you even more time." She said, being sure to specifically mention that she could avoid necromancy for the task for the sake of Monderyn. Technically, the research she had conducted so far did suggest that it might be possible to extend one's life without the use of necromancy. If so, it would be much more difficult, so the majority of mages did not consider that approach, and she had not been pursuing it either.

Ahnasha gave a light sigh as another thought came to mind. "You know, we met a Dunmer not all that long ago that your parents kind of remind me of. She was a lycan like us, but also a very traditional Dunmer. Her name was Irenya. Things could not have been more tense between me and her on the way to Elsweyr. She did not mind working with Khajiit; there was even a Khajiit in her pack, but she did not like that me and Fendros were together, probably for the same kinds of reasons as your mother. There were a few arguments between us. Then, something happened with her while we were in Elsweyr. We met with an entire clan of Khajiit which...is a long story, but the important part is that the way they treated her changed her. They weren't what she was expecting. There was a little cub in particular that really got to her, I believe. By the end of it all, she had apologized to me for everything." Ahnasha lowered her head. "I wish she was around to speak to Calia. I wish your mother would agree to see her grandson."

---

Meesei nodded in agreement with Janius. "Maybe part of her hoped to be found? She does ascribe to an Orcish sense of honor, and her departure left her crimes unanswered. Or, perhaps she simply did not have the means to more far with the child. In any case, we now know that she is no longer an issue to us. Perhaps it would have been more just to simply kill her, but I saw no practical purpose in it."

Lorag, at this point, refused to say anything further on the subject. "I should get back to work. Daggers still need sharpened."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha gave a single, brief chuckle towards Monderyn. "Yes, well there have been plenty of people that have tried to kill me. You'll have to do better than that to upset me." She said, though that brief levity faded quickly as the conversation continued.

Ahnasha closed her eyes, letting out a long sigh of resignation. There was no use in her pretending that their problem was anything else other than what it was. "It's obvious that I'm the problem. Your family isn't like mine; they don't have some inborn hatred against the Daedra. Hircine wasn't the problem, lycanthropy wasn't a problem for more than a few seconds after you explained it. I think your parents would understand that it is still too dangerous for you to stay here. You never had a choice in any of that. Their problem is me. Your parents don't like me. I do not know if I can do anything to solve that, and it is hard for me to restrain myself from trying. You have to understand that I am not usually as...passive of a person as I am having to be right now." She said, looking to Monderyn.

"But...when I see a problem like this, I want to solve it. I am not some servant like your parents are accustomed to dealing with. I am far more capable than that, far better than that. I am a trained hunter and practiced archer. A swordsman, accomplished illusionist, and expert conjurer. I've done a lot with a life they would call short. What can I do to show them? What does your mother respect? And your father?"

---

Lorag remained just as dismissive towards Narsi as he was towards Harriet. "She better not. Wouldn't find me anyway."

Meesei had a good idea of the kind of emotional turmoil she might be stepping into with Lorag, but she started off with the important details of what had occurred regardless. "We will be able to keep an eye on Harriet. As long as she does not flee before we can get someone to Cheydinhal, she can be monitored. If she turns out to be honest in her agreement to help us, then I suppose we may even benefit. But, at least we know she is no longer a threat. We are not going to give her any important details on our clans, so maintaining contact with her will not be a serious risk. Now Lorag, is there anything you need to do? I understand that this may not all be easy for you."

Letting out a sigh, Lorag shook his head. "No, Alpha."

"Very well. We will be here in the city for a while longer, so you do have some time if you change your mind." Meesei responded.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha's ears twitched at the sound of creaking in the house. No doubt they would end up speaking to everyone again in time, but she wanted to make sure that their conversation was private regardless. Fortunately, it would be easy to tell if footsteps were approaching or receding, so it would be easy for her to stop talking before anyone might overhear what she was saying. "I just want to make everything as comfortable as possible moving forward. It's not easy, I know it's not going to be. I just hope we can leave having made something better between you all. Your mother...seems to be going through quite a lot right now in her mind. I'm hoping she was just in denial, and after having time to think, will come around soon. It's near impossible to destroy the love between a mother and a child."

Pausing briefly, Ahnasha let out a sigh. "Me and Fendros, we're happy together. I love him, and I love the family we have. You can't imagine how much I want to keep that from coming between him, and all of you. I want to be able to get to know you; I want our son to be able to know you. And I think getting to know me might surprise you."

---

Lorag huffed. "Got a better idea. How about I never talk to her again, never see her again, never think about her again. She doesn't matter anymore. She's an exile with no power over anything anymore. No matter who fathered that child, it doesn't matter. Nothing 'bout my life has changed since an hour ago. I'm Meesei's second, we have a war to win, and I say we go finish our business here."

Shortly afterwards, Meesei stepped out of the hut without another word to Harriet. Apart from perhaps one more visit from Meesei before they left, their business was finished. Harriet had agreed to help them, though that did not necessarily mean a great deal to Meesei. They would accept her information and assistance, and provide what Meesei promised, but that was not the primary purpose for her making the offer. Mainly, Meesei wanted to keep an eye on Harriet. She would not be given any information beyond the bare minimum, and until she could be proven, beyond a shadow a doubt, to be trustworthy, her information would be taken with some skepticism. Meesei was going to make sure that Harriet did not become a threat, and that she did not get away again.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

That's fine. I have plenty of things to do in the meantime.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

There was a lot that Ahnasha could be feeling about the results of the conversation so far. There were questions she could ask, things that she could say, things that she wanted to say. To both Calia, and Monderyn. However, Ahnasha could not feel comfortable simply leaving Fendros’ mother to walk away on her own. If she merely wanted to rest and think, that would be fine, but some of the other details they had heard about her from Llarasa made her worry.

After Calia had stepped out of the room, Ahnasha spoke up quietly. “Maybe…one of us should keep an eye on her for the next few minutes? Make sure she is just going to rest. I understand completely if she just wants a few minutes to herself to think; we’ve just given her quite a lot to think about. But after what you said with that poison…I would just like to be sure she doesn’t do anything else. If I’m concentrating, I could hear anything she is doing from a room or two away.” Ahnasha suggested.
---

“That is your choice.” Meesei responded flatly. “You may send word if it ever causes any health issues. And I could devise a way to reduce any discomfort it is causing you. The greatest risk, of course, is the enchantment activating in full. Before I leave the city, I will give you a list of possible symptoms to pay attention to. If you experience them, then it would be best to have it removed. As well, the enchantment can be triggered by a specific word being spoken aloud. The trigger word is ‘redemption’, but spoken in the Daedric tongue. Not something that will be said in any normal conversation, obviously, but you should be aware of it.”

---

“Don’t call her my daughter.” Lorag snapped back, as if even the suggestion that she could be was offensive to him. “But even if she was, it wouldn’t matter. I didn’t choose that, and she was the one that made the mistake. Why in Oblivion would that come back on me? I don’t want children, never have. If Harriet couldn’t pay attention to what she was grabbing, that’s on her.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha was not one to refuse to defend herself, even in this situation. Although, whereas she would usually be much more hostile, she could temper her response in this situation. She had prepared herself for this kind of a response. "And do you believe you can truly make those judgments without really knowing me? We did just meet, after all. I was born in Leyawiin; my parents were modest traders, and, unfortunately for me, devout followers of the Eight. I reluctantly went to chapel with them every week, and grew more and more disillusioned with it all. I had a hard time bringing myself to revere the Aedra in any real sense, though I think even worse was the self-righteousness of some of their followers. Being a follower of the Reclamations in a Cyrodilic city, I am sure you can sympathize. How they will subtly chastise you with a smile on their face for not revering their gods, how they like to work mentions of it into every conversation. It was little wonder that I found Hircine to be more worthy of reverence than them." Ahnasha began, carefully tailoring her words to her audience. Calia, like most Dunmer, was a Daedra worshiper, following the Reclamations. Given how prevalent the worship of the Eight was in Imperial culture, Daedra worshipers tended to feel marginalized. They were often agitated by, or even angered with followers of the Aedra. It was another potential shared experience between herself and Calia.

"Hircine, however...I found his sphere to be both powerful, and honorable. He encourages strength among his followers, without disrupting the natural order of Tamriel. Indeed, his influence follows the natural order of predator and prey. I was granted an audience with an aspect of Hircine himself after I hunted and killed a powerful minotaur." Ahnasha explained. Fortunately for her, there was no particular distaste for Hircine among the Temple of the Reclamations. He was, of course, not worshiped by them, but unlike some other Daedra, he was not considered to be an enemy of Azura, Boethia, or Mephala. he was simply another Daedra, so respect for Hircine and his sphere was not mutually exclusive with the worship of the Reclamations. "Hircine led me to my current pack, just as he led us to Fendros after he was attacked by the feral werewolf, so it was more than simple luck that allowed us to protect you from Fendros' beast spirit after he was attacked. I believe fate may have more for us than simple survival; we are doing good work across Tamriel. Hence how much we have traveled."

Ahnasha elected not to become any more specific immediately, and instead glanced to Fendros. She gave him a look to suggest that they might elaborate on that topic. The fact was that Fendros was not just a lycan. He was a lycan in the pack of Hircine's Champion. For one familiar with the Daedra, like Calia, she would know what that meant. She would know that the leader of their pack had been judged to be the most powerful of Hircine's followers. They had personally had contact with multiple Daedric Princes, including the Reclamation Mephala. Knowing that one of her gods found Ahnasha worthy to speak to directly at one of her shrines could potentially shift Calia's opinion on her. As well, Ahnasha was thinking of a way to frame her pursuit for life extension in a way that would not connect her to necromancy.

---

Upon Harriet's request, Meesei's expression become somehow even more serious. "It is within my capability to remove that ring, yes, but you are not asking for something simple, I hope you understand. The ring was not meant to exist within a living person for so long, so it does not surprise me that you have begun to feel it. However, to remove it requires cutting you open once more, which means I will need another healer to keep you stable while I work. And, even though I am the only that created it, there is still some risk to remove it. I do believe with reasonable confidence that I can extract it without triggering the enchantment, but there is still a small possibility of failure. It was, after all, specifically designed not to be removed. So yes, I can take it back, but do not think it to be a trivial matter."

---

Lorag kept looking away. He was angry, but at this point, there was no specific reason to believe that he was angry with Janius. However, his response was less than polite. "What's goin' through my head? All the different reasons why that traitor is lying to us. We need to just go in there and put a sword in her gut. No way that child's mine. What does the kid even matter anyway? She killed Jerrick, so she needs to get what she deserves."

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

As the gala was beginning, Ssarak supposed that it would be in the best interest of himself and the other students to speak to the important barons attending the event. Here, they were not just students, but rather diplomats. They would be approaching the Djarkel nobility on equal terms, rather than as servants or messengers. It was not a position Ssarak had imagined himself being in before, but he could give off as much confidence as needed to represent the College as an organization of power and authority.

Becoming acquainted with the leaders of the local factions was certainly important, but Ssarak specifically had other responsibilities among the group. Namely, he was their psychomancer, and events like these were a mental battleground. His first task was identifying his foes. With each greeting he received, he was attentive. Rather than prod the mind of every single person in the room, he decided to approach the problem more conservatively. Whenever one of the psychomancers would prod his ward, he would act quickly to follow it to its source, then try to identify them in the crowd. He also used the minds of others, such as Lyn, for the same purpose. She was allowing psychomancers to access a small sliver of her mind, so Ssarak waited. Then, when another psychomancer would find their way in, he would follow it to its source. Ssarak did not think that he could identify them all, but he was finding them one by one.

Through the course of examining his allies mind, Ssarak noticed how the vampire, Keri, was obviously uncomfortable. Moreso than the other students. He would not even need to break into her mind to make that assessment. She was not at home in a large, crowded gala, but unfortunately, she would have to act like she was. Ssarak stepped up alongside her, looking down upon her with an intentionally calm expression. ”We do not have to remain here long, so as long as we remain focused on our task. If you are nervous, stick together with one of us, and be ready with your wards.” He said to her telepathically.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For as long as Fendros and Calia discussed their souls and the afterlife, Ahnasha was silent, towards Calia at least. However, she recognized that Fendros was not being truthful. Both of their souls were bound to the Hunting Grounds, of that there was no question. Ahnasha knew she had no right to demand that Fendros tell anything to his parents, but in this case, she felt that lie would do more harm than good. Calia seemed unaware of what lycanthropy meant for Fendros’ soul, but that did not mean it would stay that way. There were scholars who researched lycans and published their findings, or even lycans themselves who spread information about their condition. The fact that lycans were bonded to Hircine was not unknown information, and she imagined that someone in the family would be motivated to research them after this. If not Calia, then perhaps Monderyn, or even his father.

Fortunately, the enhanced senses of a lycan meant that Fendros’ ears could pick up even the faintest of whispers from Ahnasha beside him. Calia had not been blind for long enough for her hearing to measurably improve. “You know that’s not true. They will do their research, and they will eventually learn about your soul. You don’t want them to know you lied to them.” Ahnasha whispered, quietly enough for the sound to reach only Fendros in any meaningful way.

As the conversation continued, Ahnasha became increasingly worried for Fendros. She felt that he was becoming afraid to stand up for himself and his convictions. Again, she knew his words were just lies to appease her, but she wondered if that would truly make him happy with this visit. She had told her share of lies to her parents, so she could not demand that he admit anything, but she had also not denounced Fendros right in front of him. She could not help but to be at least somewhat offended that he was not standing up for her or Rhazii. “Fendros…you are your own man. You are not a slave to anyone’s desires. Mine or hers. You need to be very sure this is what you want to say; this is what you want them to think. I can’t make you do anything, and if you have a plan, I’ll be patient. Just…really think about this.”

When the conversation finally moved towards Ahnasha once more, she quickly tried to think of something to say, this time loudly enough for Calia to hear. “I will be entirely honest, I think you’re wrong about me. But, to really be able to say that, I think I just have to ask directly. What do you think about me?”

---
Meesei let out a long sigh. “Narsi is innocent in all of this, which is why I hope you do what is right for her. I would not expect you to see me again, unless necessary. I have a difficult time looking at you without feeling the regret of my failure to save Jerrick, but be aware that those watching you will be suspicious, due to your previous ties to Vile. I think that you have seen for yourself how despicable they are. No matter what Vile promises, he will not be merciful to the lycans he coerces into his service, especially you, who have betrayed his agents in the past. If Vile learns of you, he will no doubt seek to use your daughter against you. He will not live up to the promises he makes. If something happens and you do not believe you can keep Narsi safe, I will agree to bring her into a clan’s protection.”

Janius would not have to go far to find Lorag, as he was standing just across the street from the hovel. He saw Janius step outside, but he made a very obvious effort not to make eye contact with him. Lorag could sometimes be difficult to read, but in this case, he was obviously angry, and in deep thought. Internally, he was conflicted, and externally, that showed through frustration. Even as Janius stepped closer, he would not acknowledge him until spoken to directly.