EliteCommander

Relics: Trials of Kheris

Jana Mizrahi

Name: Jana Mizrahi

Age: 45

Gender: Female

Relic Description: The appearance of Jana’s relic is a simple metal disk with strange engraved runes, though it has not been visible for many years. It is a shapeshifting rune: one that has permanently and drastically altered Jana’s body. It allows her to take on any living, non-humanoid form, so as long as her body remains large enough for the relic to physically fit inside of her while retaining vital organs. However, it does have several limitations, the most prominent of which is the fact that the magic restricts her from taking on any Human or Human-like form, including her original one. Therefore, she has been trapped in non-human bodies since she obtained the relic three years ago. Otherwise, the relic does allow her to take on larger forms by drawing in material from her surroundings, but it requires energy from her body to do so, and to maintain the larger form. If she grows too large too quickly, she can become exhausted, or even risk starving to death. Maintaining a larger form does not require magic from the relic, but large bodies do, of course, require much more food and nutrients to survive. She is able to reduce the size of her body freely and quickly, and can also modify individual parts of her body instead of her entire form.

Appearance: Since Jana can take on any non-humanoid form, she has no single appearance. However, she has retained some semblance of identity with a form that she tends to default to. She tends to appear as an exotic, saber-tooth cat of varying sizes, depending upon how much food she can regularly be fed.

Saber-toothed Cat

Flaws:

• Lack of Human Form: Since she cannot take on any form even resembling a Human, she is unable to function within normal society without identifying herself as an evoker.
• Depression: The loss of Jana’s humanity has taken a heavy toll on her mind. There are times when she is able to be positive, or even happy, but she fluctuates drastically between moods and can easily fall into intense sadness, self-loathing, and guilt. She feels herself to be a burden on her husband, and the more time passes, the more hopeless it seems that her relic can ever be removed.
• Energy requirements: Jana’s shapeshifting is fueled by the energy within her own body. While any transformation that requires her to lose mass, or maintain the same amount, expends little to no energy, gaining mass from her surroundings requires energy from her own body. Her relic can sustain her life mid-transformation, but drastic shapeshifting can drain her body of energy.
• Undisciplined for combat: The life that Jana has lead had not been one of a warrior. Beyond hunting animals, she has never killed before, and is not mentally prepared for the rigors of combat.

Skills: Most of the skills that Jana has gained throughout her life are no longer useful to her as long as she is masquerading as an animal. She can no longer wield a bow, and even mundane skills like cooking, making clothing, and starting a fire are no longer useful to her, except on the occasion that she and her husband have the privacy for her to stop keeping up the act. She was once a learned scholar like her husband, but with no ability to interact in society, her knowledge has been useless to her. However, she does have the natural abilities of any creature she can think to shapeshift to.

Biography: Jana did not know her birth parents, and to date, still does not know how she came into the care of the hermit, Ragnis. For most of the first half of her life, her home was at a small oasis, tucked away in a hidden cave in the deserts north of Othea. Ragnis raised her as his own daughter, and she considers him just as much of a father as whoever may have sired her. She and Ragnis lived alone, though they were not entirely isolated. She and her father made semi-monthly trips to a few scattered villages that were close enough to reasonably walk to, but for the most part, she kept herself entertained with her studies and lessons that Ragnis imparted on her. She learned to live a peaceful life, and to take interest in scholarly pursuits. He taught her how to read, write, and think as a scholar. Her life could be lonely, and boring at times, but it also served to foster her creativity. She penned novels, created paintings, and even sculptures when she had the materials. Art and learning became her passions, but as she became an adult, her gaze looked beyond their isolated oasis. Although, with her father’s age catching up to him, she did not have the heart to leave him alone.

Jana was in her mid-twenties when change finally came to her metaphorical doorstep. Her father found a man, wounded and exhausted in the desert, and helped to nurse him back to health. He might have sent him on his way, but Ragnis saw conflict and pain within the man, even if he attempted to hide it. As a result, the man stayed with them, and Ragnis passed on all of the same teachings he had given to his daughter. The man, Hadar, went from being a stranger, to a close friend of their family. Jana in particular grew close to him, a fact that her father no doubt noticed. Ragnis’ health worsened and he passed on before Jana professed her love for Hadar, but she does not doubt that he died knowing that his daughter had found her happiness for the future.

For almost the next two decades, Jana and her husband, Hadar, wandered the Kingdom of Othea, seeking the knowledge and adventure they now both craved. To live in such isolation as she had with her father, Jana had always been an independent and self-sufficient woman, so life on the road was not something she was unprepared for. She picked up archery, mostly for the purpose of hunting, since with Hadar at her side, she did not have fear of bandits, highwaymen, or wild beasts. His skill, and the power of his relic, kept them as safe as she had ever been. They did not gain much in the way of wealth or other “traditional” forms of prosperity in their travels, but for all of the knowledge and experiences they gained, Jana never felt poor in their life. They could support themselves well-enough selling pelts, taking odd jobs, or even selling small wooden sculptures that Jana enjoyed carving in her spare time.

It was three years ago that change once again found its way into Jana’s life, but this time, it was forced rather harshly upon her. She purchased a sack of goods from a traveling merchant, mostly consisting of books and a few unique oddities she felt like studying. Such purchases were common for them, and back in their camp, they were both enthused to see what interested them. However, as soon as Jana touched her hand to a plain-looking, engraved metal disk, it fused to her flesh, and what followed was nothing short of horrifying. Her body twisted and contorted, Jana screaming for as long as she had the ability to do so. It transformed her into the first animal that entered her thoughts, which at that time was a deer, since they had just been hunting shortly beforehand. It was one of the few times that Hadar broke his calm, as both of them were rightfully terrified. Jana tried to run away in a panic, only to trip over her own hooves. But, being that they were both educated on relics, both of them were able to come to the realization of what happened once their minds finally calmed enough to think.

It has been three years since Jana’s first transformation, and virtually all of that time has been spent trying to find a way to reverse it; to remove the relic from her body. Unfortunately, both of them already knew more about relics than the vast majority of the population, so their efforts to ferret out even more information has been fruitless thusfar. Jana has been struggling with depression, regret, and guilt over what she has become, but despite losing her humanity, Hadar has stuck by her, ever supportive. His patience and caring has been one of the only reasons she retains the will to keep living, and keep trying. Even now that they are in Kheris searching for Hadar’s niece, they have not completely halted their search for a way to remove the relic.

Personality: Jana was once a bright, cheerful woman; an artist, and a scholar with a thirst for adventure and new experiences. She was eccentric by nearly any culture’s metrics, but her father did not raise her to be average. She was kind and outgoing, and enjoyed making new friends more than her husband, even if they were always temporary. However, her transformation also caused a severe downturn in her mental state. She is frequently depressed and falls into slumps of self-loathing over what she has become. She has suffered several mental breakdowns over the past few years, and only recently has hints of the woman she once was been shining through the cloud of depression that still hangs over her.

Relations: Hadar Mizrahi is Jana’s husband of twenty years, and currently the only person in her life.

Relics: Trials of Kheris

Name: Jana Mizrahi

Age: 45

Gender: Female

Relic Description: The appearance of Jana’s relic is a simple metal disk with strange engraved runes, though it has not been visible for many years. It is a shapeshifting rune: one that has permanently and drastically altered Jana’s body. It allows her to take on any living, non-humanoid form, so as long as her body remains large enough for the relic to physically fit inside of her while retaining vital organs. However, it does have several limitations, the most prominent of which is the fact that the magic restricts her from taking on any Human or Human-like form, including her original one. Therefore, she has been trapped in non-human bodies since she obtained the relic three years ago. Otherwise, the relic does allow her to take on larger forms by drawing in material from her surroundings, but it requires energy from her body to do so, and to maintain the larger form. If she grows too large too quickly, she can become exhausted, or even risk starving to death. Maintaining a larger form does not require magic from the relic, but large bodies do, of course, require much more food and nutrients to survive. She is able to reduce the size of her body freely and quickly, and can also modify individual parts of her body instead of her entire form.

Appearance: Since Jana can take on any non-humanoid form, she has no single appearance. However, she has retained some semblance of identity with a form that she tends to default to. She tends to appear as an exotic, saber-tooth cat of varying sizes, depending upon how much food she can regularly be fed.

Saber-toothed Cat

Flaws:

• Lack of Human Form: Since she cannot take on any form even resembling a Human, she is unable to function within normal society without identifying herself as an evoker.
• Depression: The loss of Jana’s humanity has taken a heavy toll on her mind. There are times when she is able to be positive, or even happy, but she fluctuates drastically between moods and can easily fall into intense sadness, self-loathing, and guilt. She feels herself to be a burden on her husband, and the more time passes, the more hopeless it seems that her relic can ever be removed.
• Energy requirements: Jana’s shapeshifting is fueled by the energy within her own body. While any transformation that requires her to lose mass, or maintain the same amount, expends little to no energy, gaining mass from her surroundings requires energy from her own body. Her relic can sustain her life mid-transformation, but drastic shapeshifting can drain her body of energy.
• Undisciplined for combat: The life that Jana has lead had not been one of a warrior. Beyond hunting animals, she has never killed before, and is not mentally prepared for the rigors of combat.

Skills: Most of the skills that Jana has gained throughout her life are no longer useful to her as long as she is masquerading as an animal. She can no longer wield a bow, and even mundane skills like cooking, making clothing, and starting a fire are no longer useful to her, except on the occasion that she and her husband have the privacy for her to stop keeping up the act. She was once a learned scholar like her husband, but with no ability to interact in society, her knowledge has been useless to her. However, she does have the natural abilities of any creature she can think to shapeshift to.

Biography: Jana did not know her birth parents, and to date, still does not know how she came into the care of the hermit, Ragnis. For most of the first half of her life, her home was at a small oasis, tucked away in a hidden cave in the deserts north of Othea. Ragnis raised her as his own daughter, and she considers him just as much of a father as whoever may have sired her. She and Ragnis lived alone, though they were not entirely isolated. She and her father made semi-monthly trips to a few scattered villages that were close enough to reasonably walk to, but for the most part, she kept herself entertained with her studies and lessons that Ragnis imparted on her. She learned to live a peaceful life, and to take interest in scholarly pursuits. He taught her how to read, write, and think as a scholar. Her life could be lonely, and boring at times, but it also served to foster her creativity. She penned novels, created paintings, and even sculptures when she had the materials. Art and learning became her passions, but as she became an adult, her gaze looked beyond their isolated oasis. Although, with her father’s age catching up to him, she did not have the heart to leave him alone.

Jana was in her mid-twenties when change finally came to her metaphorical doorstep. Her father found a man, wounded and exhausted in the desert, and helped to nurse him back to health. He might have sent him on his way, but Ragnis saw conflict and pain within the man, even if he attempted to hide it. As a result, the man stayed with them, and Ragnis passed on all of the same teachings he had given to his daughter. The man, Hadar, went from being a stranger, to a close friend of their family. Jana in particular grew close to him, a fact that her father no doubt noticed. Ragnis’ health worsened and he passed on before Jana professed her love for Hadar, but she does not doubt that he died knowing that his daughter had found her happiness for the future.

For almost the next two decades, Jana and her husband, Hadar, wandered the Kingdom of Othea, seeking the knowledge and adventure they now both craved. To live in such isolation as she had with her father, Jana had always been an independent and self-sufficient woman, so life on the road was not something she was unprepared for. She picked up archery, mostly for the purpose of hunting, since with Hadar at her side, she did not have fear of bandits, highwaymen, or wild beasts. His skill, and the power of his relic, kept them as safe as she had ever been. They did not gain much in the way of wealth or other “traditional” forms of prosperity in their travels, but for all of the knowledge and experiences they gained, Jana never felt poor in their life. They could support themselves well-enough selling pelts, taking odd jobs, or even selling small wooden sculptures that Jana enjoyed carving in her spare time.

It was three years ago that change once again found its way into Jana’s life, but this time, it was forced rather harshly upon her. She purchased a sack of goods from a traveling merchant, mostly consisting of books and a few unique oddities she felt like studying. Such purchases were common for them, and back in their camp, they were both enthused to see what interested them. However, as soon as Jana touched her hand to a plain-looking, engraved metal disk, it fused to her flesh, and what followed was nothing short of horrifying. Her body twisted and contorted, Jana screaming for as long as she had the ability to do so. It transformed her into the first animal that entered her thoughts, which at that time was a deer, since they had just been hunting shortly beforehand. It was one of the few times that Hadar broke his calm, as both of them were rightfully terrified. Jana tried to run away in a panic, only to trip over her own hooves. But, being that they were both educated on relics, both of them were able to come to the realization of what happened once their minds finally calmed enough to think.

It has been three years since Jana’s first transformation, and virtually all of that time has been spent trying to find a way to reverse it; to remove the relic from her body. Unfortunately, both of them already knew more about relics than the vast majority of the population, so their efforts to ferret out even more information has been fruitless thusfar. Jana has been struggling with depression, regret, and guilt over what she has become, but despite losing her humanity, Hadar has stuck by her, ever supportive. His patience and caring has been one of the only reasons she retains the will to keep living, and keep trying. Even now that they are in Kheris searching for Hadar’s niece, they have not completely halted their search for a way to remove the relic.

Personality: Jana was once a bright, cheerful woman; an artist, and a scholar with a thirst for adventure and new experiences. She was eccentric by nearly any culture’s metrics, but her father did not raise her to be average. She was kind and outgoing, and enjoyed making new friends more than her husband, even if they were always temporary. However, her transformation also caused a severe downturn in her mental state. She is frequently depressed and falls into slumps of self-loathing over what she has become. She has suffered several mental breakdowns over the past few years, and only recently has hints of the woman she once was been shining through the cloud of depression that still hangs over her.

Relations: Hadar Mizrahi is Jana’s husband of twenty years, and currently the only person in her life.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For a few short, but tense moments, Meesei's heart pounded in her chest out of worry from Siloune's bold, and frankly rude demands. Her eyes shot over to Neesa, but mercifully, Meesei saw nothing approaching anger in the vampire's eyes. In contrast, she gave a light chuckle, though nothing overt enough for the Thalmor to notice.

Meesei followed just behind Siloune. She kept her attitude following the same line as it had in their previous meeting a few days prior. She was respectful, but firm to avoid seeming subservient. Indeed, she hardly acted any different from Marod, who represented the other greatest nation in Tamriel. Hal-Neesa, in contrast, obviously cared little for respect. She was not overtly causing trouble, but although she was not as tall as any of the Altmer present, she still looked down on everyone around her in every other way possible. She turned her nose up at the battlemages, and carried herself essentially like the proudest of Altmer nobles. Meesei was understandably worried, but inwardly thankful that Neesa at least did not yet feel the need to start talking.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei was glad for Siloune's direct questioning immediately upon their arrival. She wanted to introduce, and subsequently distance herself from, Hal-Neesa as quickly as possible. In the event that the vampire did cause trouble during this visit, she wanted it to be clear that she and her clans were not associated with her. "This is Sabine, a member of my pack. This man is Marod, a diplomat and representative of the Empire, and her name is Vera: the witness for my clans."

There was a moment's pause as Meesei motioned over to Hal-Neesa. This time, she was not merely dressed formally, but almost like a noble outright. She had on a long, bright violet dress with gold trimmings, made of what appeared to be fine silk. It was the kind of garment that could be more expensive than an entire home in some places. Meesei suspected she had been moving to and from Blackreach and Black Marsh to get whatever she needed to make herself comfortable. The style of the dress was not quite like anything Meesei had seen before, and could have been ancient for all she knew. All she could say with certainty was that it was not purely Argonian. "This is Hal-Neesa. She serves and represents the interests of Molag Bal, the Daedra who has empowered our Axe, for this invasion. She was...quite insistent upon attending this duel."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Neesa gave a quick grunt, crossing her arms. "Hmph, I know the Thalmor better than they know themselves. They follow a very old belief system that they do not truly understand. All of the horrible things you think about the Thalmor are true, and then some. Or...no, you were likely referring to the Daedra. Apologies, I tend to group them in with all the other threats to Tamriel."

With Marod's introduction, Neesa was silent for a few seconds, staring judgmentally at his extended hand. It was certainly not common for anyone to attempt friendliness with her, and it was possible that it actually caught her off guard. Though, Meesei may have simply been reading too much into it. Regardless, she looked amused after a few seconds. "You know what, Imperial? I'll give you credit for trying, at least." She replied, even going as far as actually shaking his hand.

Meesei gave a grateful nod towards Fendros. "Thank you. If you could, inform the rest of the council of this development after we leave. Aside from that, we will try to be back as soon as we can."

Meesei started the process of creating her portal, first by establishing a connection with the destination. It was a routine process by this point, so everyone present knew how long to expect to wait. However, Neesa, even after just a few seconds, tapped her foot impatiently. "Come on, let's hurry and get this going." She remarked before suddenly extending a hand forward and, after Meesei had made her connection, pouring enough magicka into Meesei's spell to finish the portal almost immediately. Meesei felt nothing unusual about the portal, so beyond letting out a sigh, she simply stepped through to lead the way. Just as before, she was right on time, so she expected the Thalmor would be waiting for them.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Neesa placed a hand on her own chest. "Why, I have no idea whatever you are referring to. I am offended you would even make such a suggestion. I cannot think of why you would believe that I would hold any animosity towards the government that stands against the well-being and interests of every single mortal on Nirn, themselves included."

Naturally, the sarcasm was thick in Neesa's voice, but it soon grew more serious. "But no, I am not here to compromise your little alliance. As moronic as the Thalmor are, they have their uses. The last thing I would want to do is prevent them from joining this invasion. Why, if I did that, then I would not have the pleasure of watching them squirm against a real Daedric horde. Most of their soldiers have never experienced one, and those that have, well...they never saw how horrifying it could really be. The worst of the fighting took place in Cyrodiil, and even that was nothing compared to the Planemeld. Their older commanders probably think themselves 'experts' on fighting Daedra. It's cute, almost."

While Neesa was speaking, Meesei pulled aside Sabine and Fendros, speaking quietly. "It does not seem that I am going to have much choice in this. I need one witness who is not of my pack, so Vera will need to come with us. I will need one of you two to let Neesa take your place. I want to avoid outright offending the Thalmor."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Hal-Neesa hardly skipped a beat before snapping back with her demands. "Well the, just kick out someone less important than me. Maybe the girl when she gets here, or...no, she is somewhat interesting too. Perhaps, what was your name...Verona? You're not important, you can scurry off and let the rest of us deal with this." She said, her gaze settling back on Vera.

For Meesei, the prospect of Neesa interacting directly with the Thalmor was perhaps one of the most frightening thoughts she had in the past few months. Even Lunise had comparatively little patience with Hal-Neesa, and she was more tolerant than most Thalmor. The clashing of egos between Neesa and the Thalmor leaders could be potentially disastrous in more ways than one, and she wanted to at least attempt to avoid it. "Our relations with the Thalmor are rather delicate, Neesa, and I have selected each of my witnesses with purpose. I am afraid you will be unable to join this time, but rest assured that you will not be kept out of the loop once we return."

In contrast to Meesei's serious demeanor in her denial, Neesa started to laugh softly, then took a few steps forward and placed a hand on Meesei's shoulder. "Oh, I see. I really do have to apologize for my mistake. It seems that I accidentally gave you the impression that you have a choice." Her hand quickly tightened around Meesei's shoulder. "I am coming on this little trip no matter what you say. Either you can kick out one of them and let me through your portal, or you can leave me behind, I will track your portal's destination, then just follow you right after. And yes, I can do that. So, you can either show up with four, or five, but one of them is going to be me."

If Neesa's demands were not enough, it seemed that Meesei would not have time to deal with the situation before Sabine and Marod arrived, given the sound of footsteps just outside the door.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei let out a long breath, then nodded. "Yes, of course. There is still much to be done...as always. Perhaps at least one day before the invasion, we will have some time where this truly nothing to do." She said as she slowly started to grin. After another moment of silence, staring into Lunise's eyes, she finally turned to depart.

---

The day of the duel came quickly to Meesei. She was no more worried about her chances of winning than she had been before, but there were still plenty of concerns on her mind, even aside from the fight itself. This day needed to go well, as there truly was not much of a margin of error for how events could unfold. Their alliance with the Dominion, and their chances against Vile, hinged upon what happened over the next few hours. Meesei had gathered in their usual meeting chambers, as it was a suitably private location. Meesei's entire pack was present at the moment, though by the Thalmor's stipulations, she could only bring four witnesses. From their own clan, Meesei had originally considered Ri'vashi to be an appropriate witness, but she felt concerned about traveling to the heart of Thalmor controlled territory due to her father's association with the Blades. The Thalmor had no way of knowing of that relationship, granted, but she did not wish to take the risk unless it was necessary. They had eventually settled upon Vera as the clan's witness. From Meesei's own pack, she had selected Fendros and Sabine to join her, though Sabine was currently away collecting the Imperial representative. Since Marod was already present in the Silent City and was the usual representative, Meesei expected her to return with him, but she wanted to give the Empire their own choice regardless. Lunise, being one of the Thalmor's people, did not count among the four that Meesei was restricted to.

Meesei had already explained to her witnesses how she expected the duel to transpire, so there was not much left for them to say while they awaited the Imperial representative. To say that the Thalmor could be difficult to get along with was an understatement, but Meesei wholly trusted the ability of those she had selected to maintain a cool head, even against the most arrogant of Altmer. However, Meesei was not fortunate enough to avoid the complication that quite literally manifested in the room before them. A familiar voice sounded out from the opposite direction of the door, and was one that Meesei was not wanting to hear that day.

"Hmm, so I see everyone is all here and ready to go Almost at least, since I don't see the Imperial lackey anywhere. Personally, I cannot wait. I have been dying to see you in a duel again." Hal-Neesa said, staring intently at Meesei as she walked along the side of the table. None of them, not even Meesei or Lunise, had seen nor detected a trace of her before now. There was only one entrance to the chamber, and she had not gone through it. She had simply...appeared."

Meesei glared at Neesa. "And how do you even know about any of this?"

"Because I spied on you." Neesa replied bluntly. "Now, I am sure it would be quite obvious to you that I might...no, definitely have a stake in this. Considering that there's no way in Oblivion I'm agreeing to let a Thalmor, of all people, be in charge of the Axe that is the centerpiece of this whole invasion, it is pretty relevant to me, as well as everything I represent, if you end up winning this little duel. And since all of that should have been immensely obvious to you, I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that my invitation to this whole party was lost by the courier. So, when do we leave?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei was silent for a few seconds in thought on Lunise's analysis of her plan, but at least this time, there were not as many flaws that she could see. At least, the flaws that were there were not unmanagable. "You may be right; I will just have to be careful not to show the full extent of my power until I am reasonably confident in my victory. It comes with its own trade-offs, as you said, but at least it would reduce the chance of making another enemy. It may be worthwhile long-term. Do you know if the Thalmor have a location with barriers to protect onlookers? This could become dangerous."

Regardless of Lunise's response, Meesei wordlessly stood up, approached Lunise, and gave her a long, tight hug. "Thank you for all of this. It is helpful to have someone like you to discuss and debate my ideas. Even if you were not to have specific information on Teroiah, your perspective is always helpful. I promise, after Vile is defeated, I am going to do everything I can to help you peacefully stop the Thalmor's plans, and reform them into something you would be proud to serve. Even if I have to pass that task onto my pack, their children, or just extend my own life, I will help you as much as you have helped me."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I only would want to challenge them to show them that I am an opponent worthy to lose to." Meesei replied, showing at least somewhat less irritation. "I would find it hard to understand how they could blame Teroiah for a defeat if it seemed clear to them that there was no one in their ranks who could have bested me. I am assuming they are putting their best forward for this. Of course, they do not know what I can do. Even you have never seen my limits."

Meesei hummed to herself, weighing her options in her mind. "Perhaps...I should demonstrate them? Perhaps I should go out of my way to show them the full depth of my ability, the power that I am able to bring to bear. I could leave them no room to question if it was luck, or if Teroiah made a mistake that led to her defeat. If I really let loose everything I have, hold nothing back, then maybe they will have to realize that I am not an inferior opponent to any of them. It would take an incredible amount of stubbornness to deny what is right in front of their eyes."