EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Also, HYPE!

It's just going to be hard to keep up the hype for however many years it takes Bethesda.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Even if Meesei could not feel the type of spell being used, her sharp eyes could certainly see that it was coming, and she had been ready to react just as quickly. It was a quick projectile, something likely meant to be difficult, or even outright impossible to dodge, even for a being as fast as a werewolf. It was a sensible opening, given that Teroiah had no reason to believe that Meesei had any option open to her except evasion. Meesei had been careful not to show her hand too quickly, but just as the spell was being fired, Teroiah would be able to feel in her opponent what should not have been present at all: magicka.

Holding her ground, the ward Meesei cast forward was a strong one, as she did not want to underestimate the strength of any spell that Teroiah used. Instead of lunging forward like an animal, Meesei was standing straight and tall, towering over Teroiah. For at least the first spell, Meesei’s ward held, and much of its energy was funneled into Meesei’s own reserves.

The sheer impossibility of what had transpired hung in the air for anyone with even passing knowledge of lycanthropy. Marod, perhaps, if he indeed was not magically inclined, might have suspected some potion or enchantment had come into play, but any doubts would not last long among anyone present. “Steel yourself, Teroiah. Bring everything you have, everything you are to face down the Champion of Hircine.” A sudden burst of power swelled up from within Meesei as she cast a spell of lightning form upon herself: her first demonstration of a spell from a bygone era. The magic surrounded and encompassed her, making her appear as if she were a werewolf made from pure electricity. The radiant energy would protect her like armor, from steel and spell alike, and shock anything that came too close. She returned to an aggressive stance, her glowing eyes finally staring down Teroiah like a predator gazing at its prey. Her voice lost the polite professionalism it had carried up to this point, and instead was replaced with deadly severity. “You will need it.”

In her seat nearby, Neesa leaned back and crossed her arms, a grin creeping across her face. "Oh, now that is interesting."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I do like how interesting this is getting. There is a storm here right now, so I'm hoping the net/power stays up.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Despite her voice's change in timbre, Meesei still had a hint of respectful professionalism to her tone. She was watching Teroiah closely, in case she decided to suddenly start throwing fireballs, but so far, the reactions had been exactly what Meesei had been expecting. "Do you take issue with how I choose to fight this duel, Teroiah? Nothing in the rules I was given restricts me to fighting in the manner you prefer. I am sure you are confident in your abilities, Thalmor, and I stand ready to test them in the way I choose.”

Meesei took on an offensive stance, as if she were ready to charge on a moment’s notice. “I see no reason to delay further. Throw your first spell, Teroiah; you shall not be disappointed.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Were it not for her experience in Dwemer lifts, Meesei might have given more of a reaction to their ascent up the tower. Neesa had braced herself before Siloune had even activated the platform, so she had identified it right away. Neesa did not act terribly impressed once they reached the top, though Meesei did not mind showing a hint of her awe at the view. It was her first time visiting Alinor where she was actually able to see the outside. It was a city built upon a hill, with even taller spires reaching towards the clouds. Its stonework was as ancient as the Altmer people, and as pristine and beautiful as any outsider might have expected. The roof of their spire did not give a clear view onto the streets below, unfortunately, though Meesei supposed that was for the best. This duel was not meant for the public eye.

Meesei had brought a few magicka potions in case she needed to be ready for the duel quickly, but since Hal-Neesa had contributed the lion's share of magicka for their portal, she did not even need them. The Thalmor seemed intent on getting through with this affair quickly, and Meesei had no reason to argue. While her witnesses were escorted to their seats, Meesei walked leisurely to her own side of the pavement, her eyes still on the skyline around them. "You have a fine arena, in the midst of a beautiful city. Alinor has a reputation that is both mysterious and larger-than-life among other parts of Tamriel, and I can certainly say that it does not disappoint." Meesei commented, though as she spoke, she untied the straps of her dress and allowed it to fall down her body, telekinetically pushing it aside once she stepped out of it. Immediately, she began her transformation, her body growing and contorting into her werewolf form. It was a form that finally gave her greater stature, and magnitudes more strength than any Altmer around her, but she did not expect Teroiah to be intimidated, particularly as one who had faced down Daedric hordes before. In fact, for a battlemage as powerful as Teroiah, it was a choice that would have made the duel much easier for her, against any other opponent aside from Meesei. But, she would see soon enough the reasoning behind her decision.

"It is a wonderful vista for battle with a worthy opponent." Meesei added, finally setting her gaze upon Teroiah.

By this point, the others had been seated, and for the first time since they had met her, Neesa was outwardly showing some genuine confusion. She leaned in slightly towards Sabine, while still keeping her eyes on Meesei. "Has she gone...insane, or something? Or did her lucky win against me really go to her head?"

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.