EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Marcaille shook her head. "No one in the coven died, unless you count the horse. Anyways, like I was saying, Ennond was Ri'vashi's father and our leader at the time. He had really good training and instincts to keep us safe. This was way before all of this business with Vile, before lycan populations in Tamriel started exploding. So, our clan was a lot smaller then. Still, he was charismatic and capable; great leader. Eventually, though, the Thalmor started closing in on him, looking for former Blades. He didn't want to put the clan at risk, so he offered to leave, but it was pretty unanimous that we wanted him to stay. So, he pulled one of the most brilliant moves I've seen and had us pack up our clan, straight across Tamriel to Elsweyr. We were right in the Thalmor's backyard, and it was the last place they thought to look. He died of old age a while back and his daughter took over. Though, she really wasn't in charge all that long before the Champion showed up and both me and Ri'vashi ended up coming here."

Although she was not terribly detailed, Marcaille had answered Ariel's question. "I wish I would have been able to come to this place sooner. It's a boon for pretty much any kind of scholarship. I'm not a historian, but I'm sure they like it here, learning all about the ancient Elves that built it. There's soul gems everywhere in the rocks, and there are ingredients here that I don't think can be found anywhere else. All those glowing mushrooms out there have a lot of potential for poisons; they're probably part of what the Falmer make their poisons from. Oh, and take a look at this."

Standing up quickly, Marcaille walked over to a metal drawer next to her alchemy lab. Opening it allowed the distinct hum it had been muffling to become audible to the others. From the drawer, Marcaille produced a potted nirnroot plant, which was dark crimson in color. She placed it down in front of Ariel to invite her to examine it. "Have you ever seen a nirnroot like this? There are plenty of them in the cavern, usually around water, like most nirnroot. I have hardly even begun to learn its properties, with how busy I tend to be working on the cure."

---

Kaleeth took a few steps, a few forward and one to the side, while looking down at her feet to try to get a feel for the armor. "It feels...weird, honestly. Not really heavy, just weird."

Skuln was quick to interject, perhaps in defense of his work. "Oh, well, that suit was made for someone a bit taller, with a bit, uh, less pronounced hips. I can assure you that you would hardly even feel a suit made just for you. My craftsmanship is the finest, especially with all the tools I have to work with. My forge is well-made, and this metal...well, it might not be Skyforge steel, but I will admit that the Dwarves had a knack for metallurgy. No one has ever been able to figure out how to actually make the metal since they disappeared, but luckily, we have more of the metal than we could need down here. I mean, the spoons are made from Dwemer metal, for Hircine's sake." He laughed.

"I don't really know a lot about armors. Or at least metals." Kaleeth admitted. "But I've never really wore armor like this. Except Lorag, we've always just wore light armors."

Skuln huffed. "Yeah, well things aren't like they used to be. A lot of lycans seems to like to be hunters, and rangers, and those kinds of things. That's fine for when you're just a pack surviving out in the woods, but right here, right now, that's not what we need. We're in a war, right? Well wars aren't fought with hunters, they're fought with soldiers. We need to train soldiers, and we need to give them equipment befitting soldiers. A suit like this will keep you alive when it comes time to meet the enemy head-on."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Marcaille nodded casually, despite how dumbfounded Ariel appeared. "Of course. For one with the proper training, such as yourself, it should not be difficult to learn with instruction. I can teach you the process, and believe me, it is a process. Hircine did not make his gift easy to take away; I wouldn't feel too bad about failing to create it before. I wouldn't have been able to. Though, I should also point out that you should refrain from telling any others in the clan that a cure is indeed available. That is not the kind of information you want to go spreading around here. Even if we could afford to lose as many of our number as would want to be cured, we could not even come close to having enough resources to meet the demand for cures. That would be a sure way to cause chaos. Now, as for my history with the clan...that is actually a bit of a long story. I had something of a falling out with my sisters in our coven in High Rock. It was rare for one of us to want to become a lycan, but it was allowed. However, I did underestimate how hard it would be to control being a wereboar. I lost control once or twice, but I still didn't want to be cured, so they made me leave. I would have been allowed to come back after I gained control, but then I found Ennond's fledgling clan. He was Ri'vashi's father. Do you know her; have you met Ri'vashi yet?"

---

Kaleeth certainly enjoyed the heat in the room, but at the same time, was not entirely comfortable around the forges. The air tended to be very dry, which was not particularly comfortable to an Argonian. However, it would take a while for that to really start bothering her. She gave Janius a curious look. "Oh, well he saw me training without armor, so when we were eating, he offered to make me some. So he offered to make me...armor, I guess? We didn't really talk about anything specific. I knew it wasn't going to be long before we were leaving. He never mentioned anything about gold, so I'm sure it will be fine. His job is making armor, right? So he isn't really going out of his way for me, he's just doing his job."

Since Skuln was just checking a nearby storage room, it did not take long for him to return. He leaning in through the doorway and motioned quickly to Kaleeth. "Okay, it's ready. Come here and you can see what you think."

"Oh, okay. I'll be right back soon." Kaleeth answered, looking quickly to Janius before heading out to the nearby room. It took some time for Kaleeth to get herself equipped; perhaps longer than Janius would have expected for a set of chitin armor. However, that was quickly explained when she finally did return. It was not chitin armor that Skuln had given her, but rather a full suit of plate armor. Its style was distinctly Nordic, but it was made for an Argonian out of Dwemer metal. The plates clanked together loudly as she walked towards Janius, since the suit did not exactly fit her properly, but it still made her look almost like some kind of Argonian knight. The helmet, while large on her head, was perfectly shaped. It was a full-faced helm, though had large enough holes for her eyes to give reasonable peripheral vision. She also held a large, round shield that again had Nordic-styled engravings, but was made from Dwemer metal.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Well that was a bit longer than I expected. Or than it perhaps needed to be.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Marcaille laughed. "Yes, that would solve the problem, but that would just be cheating, no? I do know a cure for lycanthropy, if you think that would help make an antidote. Vampirism too, though I doubt that would help anything. Those were passed down from the sisters of my coven to me, so I cannot claim to have created them myself, sadly. They could have learned the cure from Hircine himself, for all I know."

Marcaille was not one to boast on her own, but as the conversation shifted more towards her, she had no problems talking about her capabilities. "I have a varied set of magical and alchemical talents. I've had many, many years to learn. I cannot even say that alchemy is my favorite aspect of magic, but it is undeniably important. Pretty much everything has some kind of latent magic just waiting to be released. Magic in an integral part of the very fabric of our world, so it makes sense that it would be so connected to everything."

---

The other couple had no problem agreeing to watch over Newt while Kaleeth and Janius headed over to the forge. Kaleeth knew that she was not going to be walking away with a completed set of armor that day, so she did not expect to be occupied for more than an hour or two before the blacksmith could get everything he needed from Kaleeth, such as her measurements.

Kaleeth had not often needed to visit the forge, so it took a bit of effort for her to actually remember where it was. Luckily, she had Janius to help her find it. Still, it was quite a bit busier than Kaleeth remembered from before they left. The clan had dedicated an entire building to various forms of craftsmanship. Since the clan, internally, did not have a normal economy, it was the closest thing to stores that the clan had. There were blacksmiths, tailors, alchemists that were not involved in research, and due to the over-abundance of soul gems in the cavern, enchanters that any member of the clan could make use of. Members of the clan were allotted a certain amount of resources based on their needs and roles within the clan; although, if had the gold to pay, there were hardly any craftsmen that would not do extra work for pay.

With the size of the clan, they had several forges that were in use near-constantly. Not only did they have need of armor and weapons, but also a small city's worth of forged tools and building materials. Fortunately, they also had no shortage of blacksmiths. Not all of them were experts, but they could meet the current demand. Kaleeth searched around with Gallus until they found a particular Nord working one of the forges. He was a hairy-looking Nord, apart from his bald head, wearing a standard blacksmith's garb.

"Hello Skuln." Kaleeth said on their approach. He was absorbed in his task for a few more seconds before he looked up at her. While some Argonians had trouble being recognized by Humans that lived far from the marsh, Kaleeth's tattoos made her immediately memorable.

"Huh? Oh...Kaleeth? I didn't know you all had come back. Do you need something...uh, ma'am?" Skuln asked, obviously caught off-guard.

Kaleeth nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, do you remember when we talked last? Before I left. You said you could make me some armor, and I was wondering if you could...do that? Maybe you could make something out of chaurus shells? Those beast tamers must have raised a lot of those by now, with how many eggs they lay."

"Oh, of course. Right, you wanted armor." Skuln rubbed his chin in thought. It took a few moments for him to respond, since he had not been prepared to speak to Kaleeth to begin with. However, when the right idea came over his mind, his expression turned to one that almost looked as excited as Kaleeth's. "Actually, I think I have something for you. Well, not for you, but something you can look at. I've been making armor non-stop for the warriors, and I recently made something for an Argonian. It's not completely your size, but you could try it on, and if you like it, I could make another just for you. How does that sound?"

Kaleeth smiled. "Oh, I would definitely like to try something right now."

"Great, I'll, uhh..." Skuln began, giving a glance to his forge. "I'll be back soon."

Skuln pulled a piece of metal out of the forge and set it aside on the stone before hurrying away out of the room. Kaleeth hoped she was not interrupting anything important, but he had not complained. "He seems excited." She commented.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I think Civ-type games would be one of the few we could feasibly play together without any meaningful impact from latency.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I don't think I'm really looking for that sort of top-down mechanics style of game. I'm in the mood for something more "action-y". Kind of like Witcher 3, which I think I'll get the expansions for.

Though, I could also go for a Civ game.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Also, I have about $50 in my steam wallet, any game recommendations?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

So I kept refreshing the site frequently to see if anything was going on, since I was bored. Then, all of the sudden, it tells me you posted an hour ago. I feel like I jumped forward in time an hour.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Marcaille huffed lightly. "I am not entirely sure that I even remember the details of how your sister described you. No, I made my judgments based on your accomplishments. Lycanthropy is...notoriously difficult to work with among mages and alchemists. Just the same as vampirism. They are afflictions that are bound up in the magic of Daedra, which is not easy to manipulate. Even if you don't recognize it, it does take talent to work with it. Without extensive training, it takes a certain kind of intuition to make discoveries where lycanthrpy is concerned. Your creation has certainly been troublesome, but that does not diminish the difficulty to create it. I'm eager to see your methods. Who knows, with your assistance, I may not be forced to cure myself of lycanthopy after all."

Looking away a moment, Marcaille gave a somewhat amused grin as she took a few steps over to a nearby table. There were all sorts of bottles and magical trinkets on the table, since she did not keep her chambers terribly clean, but the stone chairs had cushions on them to make them reasonably comfortable. "But, if you did just get here, you probably don't want to worry about all of this right now, do you? Have a seat, if you like. If we are all going to be working together, we should get to know each other better."

---

Kaleeth sat herself up straight, but stayed seated for the moment. She had an upbeat grin on her face as she looked around the courtyard. "I think I will.I don't want to have to go out again without something to protect me. Do you want to come with me? I'm sure they will watch Newt for a while." Kaleeth asked, motioning towards the parents of one of Newt's friends, who were having an "outdoor" lunch in the courtyard. Kaleeth wouldn't describe them as close friends, but they were acquainted and friendly with one another.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Rukeewei almost jumped with Ariel's touch. "Oh, my name is, um, Rukeewei." It went without saying that he was nervous. The knowledge that most of those around him were lycans was bad enough, but seeing a genuine witch, who was making no effort to hide that fact, was like something out of a story he would have been read as a hatchling. A cautionary tale to keep him from wandering away from his parents.

Regardless of Rukeewei's reaction, Marcaille was far more interested in Ariel. "Well, at any rate, I suppose Sabine is showing you around the city? These are my quarters, but if you ever feel the need to collaborate, I am sure we would be able to work better together. Though, I imagine the Champion will grant you your own personal laboratory, if you ask for it. She is dedicating every resource she can to finding an antidote to the poison, as well she should. Until then, I suppose you can make use of my resources. You are already...familiar with many of these implements, correct?"

---

Kaleeth leisurely nodded her head. "Yes, one of the Nords that moved here from the Riften clan. It wasn't too long before we left. He made the offer during lunch one day. Honestly, the way he talked, I think he just wants to impress the Champion. But since Meesei never needs anything forged, he asked me instead. I didn't have time then, but...I haven't been feeling as safe since I lost my armor. The hide and leather doesn't feel tough enough, and I don't think I'm good enough just to be fast with my shield. Those beast tamers have been raising chaurus, right? Maybe he can make something out of their shells, like the Falmer do? That might be too different from what I had before."