EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I guess I should move forward the scene to enact Saras' plan?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"It is unlikely." Meesei answered to Sabine. "These teams do not hunt lycans, so I would not expect gas or silver. They will still be dangerous, but not specifically to us. We will send you with some doses of the antidote regardless, but avoid using them unless you know it is necessary."

The Breton, Malithus, gave a nod towards Fendros. "We have a member of my pack who has done interrogations before. But, if we capture them, we can always just bring them back to be interrogated by an expert."

"I wish you luck." Meesei continued. "I do not have a great deal of specific instructions for you, so feel free to work of your own initiative. Ahnasha has a task in Evermore as well, and she may uncover something that could help in an interrogation, so you can meet with her if you want to try to interrogate your prisoners yourselves. You will probably be able to find her around a place call the Bleeding Dragon Inn while she is on her mission. Whatever you decide, I trust fully in your leadership, Fendros. I have my own mission that I should begin, so Malithus, feel free to introduce them to your pack."

"Right away, Champion." Malithus answered. After they were dismissed, the Breton led the trio out of the chamber and through the somewhat confusing caverns towards his pack. This was not the first time Meesei had assigned her pack to different missions, and it was not the first time that Fendros had been in charge. Meesei had made it no secret to Fendros in recent years that she greatly respected his abilities and felt that his natural potential was far greater than most others. She claimed him to be an adept learner and talented leader, in addition to his combat ability. It was high praise from her, which usually came with greater responsibilities.

Malithus was already dressed in what appeared to be blue and green mage robes. It was perhaps a bit thick for the warm, humid underground caverns, but they would be heading to the city soon enough. Perhaps it was because she was a fellow Breton or a fellow mage within the Champion's pack, but he seemed to stay closer to Sabine as they walked along. Eventually, he mustered up the courage to speak. "So you are...the Sabine. It will an absolute pleasure to work with you, ma'am. I guarantee my pack will not let you down. It is just rare to meet a mage of your talent. And I...well I look forward to it."

The anxiety within Malithus started to show through his tone and the pace of his speech. With that anxiety, he continued on speaking without giving much room for a response. "Just, um, there is one person we'll be working with that I would recommend you be cautious with. He is the one who is supposed to have these contacts in the city. Now, I can't deny that he has helped our clan before; he apparently knows what he is doing. But, I haven't liked him since he arrived at our clan. He's a scoundrel, simply put. He's selfish, he's a coward. Don't expect him to help in a fight. Worst of all, he's obviously a habitual liar." Malithus chuckled. "Would you believe that when he showed up here, he went around boasting that he was close, personal friends with the Champion's pack? With your pack. Him? It's ridiculous. He just now got back from doing something in the city, so he doesn't know you're here. I can't wait to see the look on his face when you all set him straight; perhaps it will force him to be more respectful."

The chamber that Malithus soon guided them to was larger than the last, with a long table at its center. His pack had already been preparing themselves to leave, but what would certainly draw their eyes the most was the "scoundrel" that Malithus had described. He was perhaps one of the last people they would have expected to meet all the way in High Rock, but sitting back in a chair with his feet propped up on the table was the Argonian, Sees-No-Colors.

---

Saras let out a long, slow breath as he thought, not so much because he did not know the answer as because he needed to think of how to describe it. "That is a difficult question to answer with our current information. Ultimately, we cannot trust these agents at their word, regardless of what they say. They will likely be adept liars. Their goal will be to further the Empire's interest, and large, organized groups like ours are not within their borders are not within their interest. In times of peace, I would consider the Empire an unquestionable adversary. However, the looming threat to the Empire from the Dominion does complicate matters for them. They simply cannot afford to dedicate too many resources to fighting us. Their armies are magnitudes stronger than anything we could even hope to face, but from my estimations of our strength, we could cause enough damage, and give the Empire enough problems to, in turn, give the Dominion a very real advantage over the Empire. That is what we have to bargain with, if it comes to that. We would need only make ourselves too costly of an enemy to make for them. Although, ideally, we want the Empire to know as little as possible about us. We could make our clans seem small, but evasive. Too slippery to catch, as it were. That would also make us seem costly to hunt. The location we decide to lead them to, I can have agents modify it to seem like a more lived-in home. Ri'vashi can have some of her warriors disguised as non-combatants to make it seem like our true clanhome. When they approach, we can make it seem as if our scouts simply spotted them on approach, rather than it being a trap for them. They may not expect such an elaborate ruse. If they are already aware of our capabilities, then this will not help, but they also will not learn much of value about us."

"And, if the worst comes to pass, we can kill them and make it seem like the natural dangers of travel." Saras added.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The curious and perplexing information that the werebear scouts had recovered was more than enough to convince Meesei to divert their focus away from their original task. They would still be delivering the contents of their carriage to the Evermore clan, but Meesei would have to delay her tasks afterwards until after they had properly investigated the recent discoveries. They returned to the outpost with a cart full of supplies and valuables, and a small group of prisoners. However, after handing off their salvage and ensuring the wounded werebear was being tended to, Meesei had her pack depart for Evermore as quickly as possible.

The pack had already moved past the worst of the Wrothgarian mountains, so it did not take too many days to make the trip from the outpost to their destination. The Evermore clan was located in the Bankorai region of High Rock, to the direct north of Evermore. The region was on the border of Hammerfell, and the Alik'r desert, but there was still plenty of greenery around them. Like every clan, in Tamriel, the Evermore Clan relied on secrecy for protection, so they had moved from their previous, above-ground home in the mountains to one in a series of underground caverns. The primary entrance of the only cave system they could find with enough space to accommodate them happened to have its main entrance situated in a cliff face behind a waterfall. It was inconvenient in the sense that anyone entering or leaving the clan would be immediately soaked, but it was far from civilization and reasonably secure. Not to mention, it would give Rhazii and Kaj-Julan something to play in during their stay. There were several waterfalls in Blackreach, but none close to the Silent City. Even Leaps seemed to enjoy laying under the falls.

After their arrival, Meesei had met with the clan's leadership and spent the next day making plans for how they would investigate the recent discoveries. After about a week of sending out scouts to the city and the surrounding areas, they learned enough to develop their plan. They would need to act quickly, and in multiple locations, so Meesei had to divide up her pack based on their skills to handle different tasks. The largest of the groups consisted of Fendros, Sabine, and Kaleeth, all of whom she had called into the small, damp, but well-lit chamber that served as a planning room. Meesei, the Orc that led the clan's warriors, and another Breton were standing around a table with a map of the local area when the last of the three entered the room.

"Excellent, we are all here." Meesei began. "As I mentioned before, we are going to need several teams to investigate several leads at once. Fendros, you will be in charge of your group. You, Sabine, and Kaleeth will lead a group of the clan's soldiers and other agents to locate a group of the enemy's supposed Talos hunters."

Meesei motioned to the Breton beside her. "Malithus says he has someone with contacts in the city who can potentially set you on the trail of some of these hunters. We want to learn their motives through any means necessary. Capture and interrogation would be preferred, but from all our reports, these teams are all zealots. They do not use mercenaries like some of Vile's other forces, so they may fight to the death. In that case, any orders or other documentation you can recover would be appreciated."

---

Saras waved a hand towards Oswall. "I believe he is correct. The Penitus Oculatus are certainly capable, but they can not perform miracles. They have the same limitations as us, so they will not be able to move a large force without our scouts being able to locate them. From what my agent has informed me, there are only three of them. Those three are likely to be very capable, but they are still mere mortals who are vulnerable to overwhelming force. If we do decide to confront them, we can simply send a force large enough that any sane person would surrender. They will be alert and perceptive, but so will my agents, and my agents have the advantage of enhanced lycan senses. As long as we are cautious, the greatest risk that we face is to let them know that we exist at all. At present, we cannot confirm what they do or do not know about us. If these agents have only limited knowledge of us at the moment, then by confronting them in this way, the agents will learn that we possess sophisticated organization and spies of our own. However, we are unlikely to be able to learn much about them if we do not confront them. Unless, of course, the coded letter my agent recovered contains useful information. Although, I cannot give a definite answer as to how long it will take to decode."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I can move Meesei's pack on tomorrow. It's time for me to head to bed for now. Goodnight.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Lorag gave a shrug. "Alpha and Sabine, from a military view, are force multipliers. Their magic takes anything we do and, uh, multiply it. And we've just gotten plain better. We've got better equipment, and we've been fighting them so long that we know everything they're gonna do before they do it. Just, uh, like our lizard battering ram here, don't get cocky. Never forget what happened in Elsweyr; they've got some competent people on their side too."

Ahnasha chuckled. "Is that caution out of you, Lorag? You really are growing that 'old warrior' wisdom, aren't you?"

Lorag crossed his arms and grunted. "I ain't old."

"Right, well, I think it's just experience." Ahnasha continued. "We've done ambushes like these so many times that we hardly even have to plan them anymore. I know what pretty much all of you are going to do when pretty much anything happens. I suppose that lets us react better."

---

The Breton woman was still quite nervous to talk to the Champion, but Sabine was a bit more relatable to her. "I'm, um, Laurianne." She answered briefly. Regardless of her anxiety, she did show some relief at Sabine's reassurances.

Meesei had applied a spell that would last more than long enough to keep Laurianne's arm from getting any worse on the way back to the outpost, and probably for the rest of the day. With attention from the healer of the outpost, her arm would be able to recover after the stunted regeneration from the silver wore off. So, Meesei placed her finger at the top of the gash and slowly traced it down the arm, closing up the skin just underneath her claw.

---

Saras shook his head. "Unless we make a series of terrible mistakes, the only people who will find this place are those we allow to find this place. My agent believes that the agents are going to be searching the caves and ruins in the area of Raldbthar soon. I recommend having a few of my agents sweep through Raldbthar and remove any and all traces of our presence there, and we can have automatons solely guard the place. These Penitus Oculatus agents number only three, and they are spies, not frontline warriors. Even if they did manage to get all the way to the bottom of Raldbthar, we can use the attunement sphere to seal the path from the city down to Blackreach. Without an attunement sphere of their own, they would not even know the pathway exists. We can manage without that exit from the caverns until this situation is dealt with. But, this is, of course, may not be something that is wise to ignore. If these agents are aware of our capabilities, then Oswall may be correct. Otherwise, they are simply following any lead on lycans they can find and learning as they go."

Saras leaned forward, clasping his hands together in front of him. "In either situation, we have the option to confront them on our terms. They are following rumors of lycans, so we can give them rumors of lycans. I can have agents plant a rumor in villages near to their path of lycan activity at a location of our choosing. We can select a place sufficiently far from any entrance to Blackreach to ensure our headquarters' security. Then, we can capture them and learn more about them."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Also can't help but to wonder if Saras will get close with his educated guesswork.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth held her confidence. Since Ahnasha was looking for information on the bodies, Kaleeth focused on what was simply the most valuable. Usually it was their silver weapons, but sometimes they wore jewelry or carried magic items that could bring in gold for the clan. Even with a whole cart at their disposal, they did still have to prioritize what they brought with them. "Have I really been modest, though? I think I always knew my limits. You all found me as a stupid hatchling of nineteen years who could barely hold a spear. You all trained me. You made me like this."

Lorag moved from the body he had been searching to walk up beside Kaleeth and give her a pat on the back. "Think we might've made a monster. Literally. We did give her the ability to just kind of chew through anything in front of her with those crocodile jaws."

---

The Orc gave a nod to Sabine. "There were survivors on both sides. The Thalmor didn't know how many people they were picking a fight with at the time, but, well, say what you like about those damn Elves, but they've got their magic. Fought their way out and took a lot with 'em, even if they lost a lot too. Guess we can't say if Vile's agents have some kind of deal with part of the Dominion that all of it doesn't know about. Usually they'd let their Justicars know about something like that, but if that group had been on an assignment for a while, they might not've heard. Still, we know that Vile's people have been trying to find Talos worshipers. That much we know for certain."

Meesei had removed the bandages to make it easier for her to work, though she could make sure that there was no further bleeding. She gave another healing potion to the Breton woman. It had been brewed by Sabine, so it was likely more potent than anything she had drank thusfar. Fortunately, the silver in her wound was not particularly difficult to extract. Even Sabine could not eliminate all of the pain of the process, but it was not unbearable for her. After that, it would just be a matter of pouring enough strong healing spells into her to prevent any irreversible harm from taking hold in her muscles or joints. "We will need to investigate this. Our delivery is important to make, but when we get to the Evermore clan, we will see what aid they can give us to investigate. After we return to the outpost, I will have a full copy made of your report. You and your sleuth have done well."

---

Saras sat looking at the letter on the table before him. He had his hands in front of him with his fingertips lightly touching together. The initial report from his agent was intriguing, but not immediately worrisome. It was not all too uncommon for a group of bored nobles' sons to take up some foolhardy quest to fight monsters, which would have explained their connections to the Solitude nobility. Of course, the coded letter would be unusual, but it was the insignia he uncovered that truly shifted the nature of the situation. Saras' time in the Dark Brotherhood had given him an appreciation for information, and his experience gave him a certain uncommon expertise in matters of espionage. So, he knew when not to underestimate a foe. The Penitus Oculatus were cunning and ruthless, even if their overall goals were usually predictable. They were not his standard opponent; this would likely prove interesting.

---

For an event of such potential importance, Saras had not taken long to assemble the council. It consisted of all of its usual members, with himself, Vera and her lieutenants, and Ri'vashi. Marcaille was also present, as she could provide a useful perspective on magical matters when Meesei was not present. However, this particular meeting had a different focus.

As he had called the meeting, Saras was quick to open with an explanation for why. He did not tend to be one for pleasantries. "One of my agents had learned of a small group coming from Solitude, three people, who are searching for lycans. I have identified them as members of the Penitus Oculatus, or at minimum, a group that knows how to properly form their insignia. As for the nature of their search, I can identify several possibilities based on one of two assumptions. The first assumption is that they do not know a great deal about our organization. In that case, they may be investigating what they perceive as a potential threat to the Empire. They are certainly aware of the increased lycan activity in Tamriel and may simply want to find groups of lycans to be marked for extermination in order to better secure their territory. That is the most straightforward possibility, and perhaps not the most likely. Another possibility, still based on the first assumption, is that they have caught wind of some of our actions. They know that there are lycan clans, but do not know of our organization or motives. In that case, they are most likely scouting and evaluating the situation to recommend further action to their superiors. Now, the second of the two assumptions would be that the Penitus Oculatus does have a reasonable idea of the extent of our organization and capabilities. They know we have our own methods to gather intelligence, and they know our clans work together. Under this assumption, I can only think one reasonable possibility. The agents want to be found. If they knew that we have our own agents, then they were far too sloppy in Solitude. They asked about us publicly, and made no effort to conceal their intentions. Against a group of wild savages, that would not matter, but if they know of our capabilities, then they would know that we would easily pick up on their inquisitiveness. This possibility is perhaps the most interesting, and dangerous."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Alright, I shall transition into it quickly.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Oh, interesting. Though, I suppose I should ask at what point to put my response. I suppose to a debriefing with the council? Or to a different point? I pretty much have his plan in mind.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I may not be able to confirm or deny things, but I am interested in the theories. I think that all of the lore available makes the conclusion possible to reach.

Also, I have no idea what you have in mind for Saras and that other event, so looking forward to that.