EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Perhaps, though destiny or no, it is doubtful that the Falmer are redeemable at this point. They are primitive, violent. Almost like goblins. We had some trouble with them for a while after we claimed this place, but they have learned to fear us. While deadly against travelers and adventurers, the Falmer are disorganized, so we have never sustained significant losses from them." Meesei explained.

Meesei observed Sabine and Karl as they conversed. Sabine was the one in charge of their dinner, so Meesei did not actually know what they were making. Regardless, the ingredients the clan tended to have on-hand would likely make it something exotic to Lunise. "So Karl, my duties have kept me away from the clan for several months now. Have there been any recent discoveries that might be interesting? I know Darahil was looking more into the history of this place as an Aetherium source."

---

Ahnasha nodded, quietly and somewhat nervously, before walking back inside with Fendros. The importance of this meeting was really starting to set in for her. How they chose to approach this issue would decide their chance of success, and her own chance of even surviving such a risky mission.

It took another few minutes for everyone to settle back around the table. There were perhaps some cooler heads than before among those attending, but there was still some palpable tension in the air. Ri'vashi had moved from being obviously uncomfortable, to having an entirely blank expression. The pack had not been present for Fendros' conversation with Ahnasha, so none of them were sure how to start. In fact, with the silence that followed from everyone after they were all seated, it seemed that Fendros would need to be the one to begin.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei spoke with the same kind of interest as Karl. "I can only imagine what life here would have been like during the time of the Dwemer. Back when the city was at its peak, working as its creators intended it. We have restored as much of the machinery as we can, but some of it is simply too damaged, or too complex to repair without a true understanding of how it is meant to operate. From the time I had the pleasure of spending assisting with the research, we found that magic is an integral part of many of the Dwemer's creations, but it is not necessarily the key ingredient, so to speak. Some of their most impressive creations work through mundane, physical interactions of steam, gears, and such. But trying to piece together that knowledge just from the pieces we can find, working or no, is a task that no scholar in Tamriel's history has accomplished. I have no doubt that kind of knowledge could do a great deal of good for the world. Or harm, if the fate of the Dwemer is anything to go by."

With the fire going, Sabine would be able to start on their meal. Meesei could admit that Sabine was a better cook than her. The concepts of cooking were not too far removed from those of alchemy. "We have also learned about the Falmer which live here, though there is less to learn than with the Dwemer. Mostly, it just reinforces the generally accepted theory that the Falmer were taken in by the Dwemer as refugees, then betrayed to become slaves. Most of the culture of the Snow Elves, their former civilization, is lost to time. These Falmer are a shell of the legends of what they once were; it is doubtful they even remember their own history."

---

Ahnasha's hesitation, and the long sigh that followed, revealed some of her fear that came along with this plan. "Well, I can't say I'm excited to do it, but I know I'm the most qualified. Not only can I move quietly, but I will be the one in the best position to know when and if the thralls will be needed. If I go, then I will be in full control of our contingency plan. I know this can go very wrong, but it could go badly no matter who does the infiltrating. And, if all goes well, it will be less risky than trying to attack them. I have to do it. We just need to convince the council. Marcaille and Saras will go along with it easy. Ri'vashi clearly does not like it, but I think it will be easy to appeal to her by convincing her it will keep the infiltrators safe. Oswald will likely be the most difficult, but it is not as if we need a unanimous agreement to reach a decision. Still, I would want to try and convince him, if only to avoid more problems down the road. Darahil...I am not sure. That Mer is hard to read, and he did not give much of a reaction back there."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

A sly grin started to creep across Meesei's face. "Well, you thought we were operating near Windhelm, at least. Since we led you there. As I mentioned, secrecy is still a powerful tool for us even if that means keeping the precise location of this place a secret from the other clans. Of course, now that we can teleport to this place without needing to use the physical entrance, it is much safer to bring visitors. Perhaps one day I could show it all to you." She said, though she had little hope of that actually happening anytime soon. Bringing Lunise to the cavern was one thing, but there were enough people in the city itself who might recognize her there would be a real risk to doing so. They would have to be content looking from a distance, for now.

"Myself and my council have agreed to rather strict rules on what we can and cannot tell anyone of this place, but I can say that it is a treasure trove of scholarly knowledge. Being able to safely research the Dwemer, on their own schedules, in complete safety has been wonderful for our scholars' productivity. I only wish we could collaborate more closely with scholars outside the clans. If nothing else, we should record all our findings and, when it is safe to do so, release them to the world. It would be a shame for Tamriel to gain nothing out of it." Meesei commented.

---

"I'm not sure. Maybe she will, but she is an even more experienced necromancer than me. I'm hoping she will be able to help create a focus for me to give my orders more clearly to more thralls. I know such things are possible to make. Who knows, maybe she already has one?" Ahnasha answered hopefully.

Ahnasha released another sigh. "Anyways, you think the council is really going to go for this? A few are fine with it, but this is taboo for most of them. I mean...trying to muffle the automatons could work, but Marcaille was right when she said it could be risky. Even things that should work in theory can have something go wrong, and they haven't tried enchanting an automaton before. Beyond what they get at creation. If something goes wrong at the wrong time, it could give us away, but I'm sure the council would approve of that plan more easily. It would, without a doubt, be risky, but...I just don't know. Do you think the risk would be too much? Which option do you think is better?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yes, to varying degrees. Marcaille and Saras would know for certain, and the others would have heard rumors about her abilities from the times that she has used them in front of allies. However, there are many true and false rumors that spread through the clans about what the Champion's pack can do, so they might not know for certain what is true.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei started to collect some rocks into a circle, while Sabine stacked the firewood. Trees were one resource which were not readily available in Blackreach, but Sabine and Karl had brought enough with them for them to make their fire. Pausing briefly, Meesei took the time to observe the same view Lunise was enjoying. "Indeed, even if one knew of this place's existence, it would take many years to find the entrance, if not being led by a particular Daedra."

The fact that Hermaeus Mora had given the clan knowledge of Blackreach was still not common knowledge among the clan, so Meesei was reluctant to mention it in the presence of Karl. The phrasing of her answer would naturally lead to the assumption that Hircine had guided them to the cavern, which would be a sufficient enough answer for the moment.

"It was not easy establishing a home here. This cavern already had its own denizens who were not quite fond of being displaced. It took a while to get to the point where we could feel safe ranging from our Dwemer city. But, this sanctuary has served us better than we could have hoped. In a decade, we have not found any indication of our enemy coming close to finding us, and they have certainly been trying. The Dwemer city itself has been our citadel within our stronghold, and I would say it has provided a sense of strength and community among us. Not to mention more Dwemer metal than we can use. We still do not have the same kind of economy as a normal city; clan members to not have to buy food and shelter with gold, but it is still different from other clans. We have a marketplace with merchants, crafters, artisans. Homes with solid walls, and thanks to the craftsmanship of the Dwemer, working pipes that carry clean water to fountains throughout the city. There are even places for entertainment, thanks to some performers and other, artistically-minded people among the clan. I still sometimes find myself impressed by the progress we have made here." Meesei explained with a light grin.

---

"Well..." Ahnasha began, glancing around to make sure they were out of earshot of anyone else before responding quietly. "...I think it would. I already have quite a few thralls prepared and ready in my private hideaway. They are undead, so life detection magic would not find them. Do'rhajul's team are lycan hunters, not vampire hunters, so they will certainly be using their soul gems to search for living threats, not dead ones. Undead also do not need to breath, nor do they feel discomfort, so they can remain perfectly and completely still, and I could give them instructions to get close enough to be useful. We will still likely need more thralls than I have to occupy Do'rhajul, but we can make as many thralls as we want as long as we have soul gems. The difficulty comes in controlling them. One necromancer can only issue commands to so many permanent thralls at once. The more there are, the harder it is to command them simultaneously, and the simpler your commands have to be. I think Marcaille might be able to help with that, though."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei chuckled and ran her hand through her feathers. "Personally, I think we are all far too polite for our own good." Finally releasing Lunise's hand, she took a few steps away and stared down at an open space in silent thought for several seconds. "Hmm, I believe I may have an idea quite appropriate for our indecisiveness. We have a good place to start a fire here, so we can cook up our dinner and converse for a while here. Once it is done, I can take us to the place near Thorn and we can eat there, take in the sights. Then, we can relax for the evening in Eastmarch. Is that an agreeable plan?"

---

Ahnasha responded with only a quick, silent nod before following Fendros out of the room, and away from the ears of any of the others. She did not know exactly what he had to say, but she felt that she had a few hints. She had tried to avoid worrying about Do'rhajul for most of the past week, but this meeting was showing that she had been right to worry, particularly since she would be placing herself in the most immediate danger.

"This...will be an ordeal, I can already see it." Ahnasha said, following a sigh. "I can't see this going over well with everyone. Worst part is, if everything goes to plan, the undead wouldn't even be necessary."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei responded just as cordially as Karl, giving a slight nod of her head. "Thank you, and it is great to finally be able to meet my daughter's mate, more than just in passing. She has told me much about you."

Keeping her hand in Lunise's, Meesei walked with her to approach the couple. Meesei did not want to make a point to bring up Karl's eyesight, but she supposed that he would be able to see more clearly if they were all closer together. "I will say, I have been looking forward to this evening all week. I am sure I will have a wonderful time sharing all of Sabine's embarrassing childhood stories." Meesei teased, nudging Sabine slightly.

"At any rate, now that we are all here, shall we start getting the fire going here, or teleport somewhere else for our dinner? Did you speak to Karl about those places we were considering earlier, Sabine?" Meesei asked.

---

Marcaille ran her hand through her hair as she thought. "Making them quiet? Well, muffle enchantments might work, but I have never even attempted to enchant an entire automaton before. I do not know that anyone has. That would likely make for an interesting line of research, but now is not the time for experiments. Even if we could enchant the automatons and get them working silently in the short term, we would not know if anything about the automatons' own inherent enchantments might end up breaking our magic. If that happened in the middle of their infiltration, it could be a disaster."

"Ri'vashi...does not like it." She commented after a long breath.

Saras, after fairly long consideration, finally chimed in. "We need to use the tools available to us; it would be foolish not to. No magic is inherently evil, only its applications. In this case, we would be applying it to a good cause. Our cause. I am sure we can get the corpses together, but getting mages from the clan to help may be difficult. I am sure there are...other necromancers among this clan, but that is not something to which most mages will openly admit."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei could not help but to grin as she watched Lunise quickly become awestruck by the sight surrounding them. Sabine and Karl were already present nearby, both with bags containing the food and supplies they would need for their dinner together, but fortunately, Lunise's reaction was not unusual for a newcomer to Blackreach. In fact, it was perfectly normal.

"I can assure you we are in Tamriel. It is just not a place that is known to Tamriel's scholars. The cavern has been our home for the last decade, or more specifically, that city over there in the distance." Meesei said, motioning towards the Silent City, lit by the distinctive glowing orb above it. "We could not ask for a better one."

While Lunise was taking in the sights, Meesei quickly shifted her attention to the others. "Good evening Sabine, Karl. Is the day treating you well?"

---

Pierrette, being one of those in charge of logistics, was the one who could best answer Fendros' question, but she still showed obvious surprise upon hearing it. "Corpses? I...am afraid I do not know the exact number off the top of my head, but at this clan's size, we always have some bodies waiting to be butchered. Mostly Falmer, chaurus, and some animals from above-ground hunts. It is just...are you intending to use necromancy against them?"

Ri'vashi's eyes widened slightly. "That...surely there is a better way? Perhaps...automatons are not alive. They could get close to the camp without triggering the wards."

Lorag shook his head slightly. "I'd rather use those machines too, but those things are louder than the fiery lakes of Oblivion, with all that steam. No way they're sneakin' up on anything, wards or no wards."

Ri'vashi lowered her head, pressing her hand against her forehead. "Okay, so...assuming we have these bodies, what exactly is your plan for them?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei readily complied, walking up behind Lunise to help her with her dress, which in turn allowed her to speak more softly into her ear. "Well, to begin, you need not worry greatly about your appearance. Your hair does not need to be perfectly brushed, nor does your skin need to be blemish free. Our clans, as you might expect, are a fair amount more...rough than a Dominion city. That is not to say our people do not care about their appearance, but we do not expect perfection. In particular, we do not have many of the luxuries that city dwellers enjoy. As for behavior, I do not think you need to worry too much about that for this evening in particular. Local customs do of course still play a role in how a clan tends to behave, so Karl will not be surprised if you are somewhat different if he thinks you are from one of the southern clans. I suppose you need only worry about giving any suspicious reactions if one of us does something you might find unusual."

Once the dress was sufficiently tightened, Meesei was recovered enough to open up a portal once more. She gave Lunise another quick, encouraging kiss, then went through the process of opening up the return portal. This would be the first time that Lunise would be setting foot anywhere in the clan aside from Meesei's closed-off, interior room, and the sight she would see would be nothing short of breathtaking.

Meesei took Lunise's hand before stepping through. The spot she had chosen was outside the Silent City, though the city was still in-view in the distance. They were just off of one of the roads, in between two of the towering glowing mushrooms, with many smaller ones all around them. The cavern was darker over all than the surface, of course, but that only served to enhance the veritable light show of mushrooms and other fungus that permeated the cavern. Even the ceiling of the cavern had many glowing spots, almost like stars above. The sound of rushing water would lead Lunise's eyes to a waterfall that was also within view, which also seemed to glow under the lighting from the mushrooms. While Meesei and her pack had become used to it overtime, Blackreach was still an entirely unique sight in Tamriel.

---

Marcaille gave a hesitant nod. "Well, yes, probably. Haven't needed to do a ritual like that since I was just a fresh-faced young woman, but I think I can remember the details. But like I said, you'd have to have something of his to use as the focus of the spell. Could be something he touched, a patch of fur, a body part. Anything his."

"I've got a shield." Lorag remarked. "Not his shield, but one of his team members dropped a big tower shield when they fled. Would that work?"

"Hmm, well I could track that member of his team, at least. So yes, that ritual could help us, if we needed it." Marcaille answered.

The plan did seem to be developing, but Ri'vashi still seemed concerned. "That could be useful if they escape again, but we already know where they are. Ri'vashi is just worried about these contingencies to keep our infiltrators safe. This one may be no mage, but her forces have utilized these kinds of life detection enchantments before, to great effect. If Do'rhajul has set them up at all properly, which she guarantees he has, then we will not be able to get anyone close enough to help in a true emergency. Against such a dangerous foe, we need to have someone ready to help in seconds, not minutes. Magic might be able to hide one or two people from the enchantments, but if we get too many living things close to those enchantments, then they will be alerted."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei continued to look on, still smiling. "You know, it does not make the decision easier when you say that all of the options are just as appealing. Although, I certainly agree. Thorn is perhaps the most beautiful place in Tamriel, but it is also hard to deny a relaxing evening in the hot springs. And our clanhome, well...you shall see it momentarily regardless. The air can be cool away from our city, but not too uncomfortably so. It does not experience the biting cold of Skyrim, at least."

Pausing a moment, Meesei lightly chuckled. "I think I should teach you how to be a lycan. You, well, I could see you standing out as much as I do when I visit Alinor. We are a people who come from all places, all walks of life. Nobility and paupers, farmers and warriors, anyone can acquire the condition. Walking among us, you can see influences from everywhere, and yet those influences do not dominate the culture. I think my most helpful advice for blending in among us would be to...erase about how people can or should behave. There are no singular proper manners, or way of approaching one another. Among lycans, it does not matter who you were, or what family you were born into. The only measures of a person in a lycan clan is who they are now, and what they can do. How they help the clan an its members to survive. Lycan clans, we have a sort of loose culture of our own, one built around our shared challenges, and how we overcome them. Essentially, if you think that your clothes and mannerisms are entirely un-presentable in Dominion society, then you will probably blend in just fine."

---

"I'll start on it as soon as I can." Marcaille answered. "But as for knowing where we are, it's hard to say if they do. That kind of scrying isn't always exact, especially from very far away. All the way in High Rock, where they are, I'd say they could know that the Champion is in Skyrim. Probably. I guess she could be anywhere right now, since we don't know where she is, exactly. That would also make it difficult for them, the fact that she frequently moves across Tamriel without a second thought. It would make scrying attempts much more scattered. If they were closer, in Skyrim, and tried it while the Champion was also here, they could probably find us. Hopefully, they haven't already done that."

Lorag huffed. "Whether they know or not, if we can deal with 'em soon, then it won't matter. So let's assume that Sabine or Meesei are going to be helping Ahnasha sneak in with that book. How are we gonna do it? What are the rest of us going to do? Are we going to be waiting at a distance to jump in if something goes wrong, or what? Let's get the details sorted."