EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei could not help but to laugh. She took a sip of her wine and pointed a claw towards Sabine. “You claim you are shy, Sabine, but you ask some of the bravest questions I have heard. Even if they are unintentional.”

Rukeewei chuckled along with Meesei. “Well, it may not be story book, but it is definite a story worth telling. I can’t imagine what I would have thought.”

After a few moments, Meesei returned her attention to Ariel and Rukeewei. “I, of course, know how you two met, but I do have some curiosities of my own. Are you finding parenthood to be everything you anticipated?”

---

Hal-Neesa gave an amused huff. “Oh, I remember it well. It was before my time in service of lord Molag Bal, so I found myself against them, as did the rest of Tamriel. You should take my advice when I say that it is better to keep them as allies. The Daedra will not listen to you, or respect you, or particularly like you, but they will obey their master’s orders to bring destruction upon Vile and his realm. Oh, and I shall not pretend my master is offering his aid selflessly.” Neesa laughed. “The greatest master of speechcraft could not make that claim believable. No, every portal opened from his realm to Vile’s shall make it that much easier for him to claim more of Vile’s power when and if he is defeated. A fair price for an army of Daedra, I would say.”

Leaning over the table, Neesa placed down the sigil stone in the space between Teroiah and gro-Tagnud. “Regardless of your thoughts on the matter, it is a condition of Molag Bal’s aid that you bring these stones with you and teach their handlers how to activate them. Use them or pretend you won’t, but both I and my master know what you will choose when you are facing down Vile’s fearless horde of servants.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Rukeewei laughed. "Well, that is why we eat them. I've always been glad that the finest ingredients in the Marsh can be found right here in Thorn. It is a port city, so we have trade all over, really."

The slugs were nothing new to Meesei, though they did conjure up quite a bit of nostalgia for her. Their scent alone, much like the bergamot extract, brought her mind back to her childhood. To her village. The memories of traditional Argonian meals with her father were not unpleasant ones, but still bittersweet for her to think about. For the moment, though, she simply took a drink of wine as she sat back, listening to the others. Rukeewei, meanwhile passed a few curious glanced between Sabine and Karl.

"So, um, how did you two meet? I mean, your sister did mention what you said in your letters, but I think stories are always better told in person." Rukeewei asked.

---

"Hmph, and that's why I'm here." Hal-Neesa remarked, thoroughly enjoying every sour look that Teroiah gave. "All that experience you have fighting back against Dagon will end up being a false friend to you if you end up trying to rely on it. This isn't going to be the same. See, the Prince of Destruction is arrogant by Daedric Prince standards, so it's enough for him just rush straight at his problems with overwhelming force, bash in their skulls, burn them alive, and all that nonsense. The Dremora are his dogs, and any Daedra is a reflection of their creator. The Dremora were happy to just throw themselves at all the mortal 'weaklings' with nothing but their own skill and ego. Really, there's a reason that no other being has failed to capture Tamriel more than Dagon. Vile likes to try to be more clever, though, just like his servants. The Skaafin are physically similar enough to the Dremora, except that they look like the unholy offspring of an Altmer and a goat, but they're going to be more clever. Those...'pertinent differences' you mentioned ripple throughout his whole army. They're going to use formations, they're going to use tactics. They're going to have trained the more bestial Daedra and use them more strategically. They may or may not be good strategies, but they're not just going to run at you mindlessly. So, you're going to have to out-think them like any other army; oh, and every single one of their soldiers is still an immortal being who does not fear death, so that still factors into their tactics."

A grin crept across Neesa's face as she paused, reaching into a bag she was carrying, which was just as colorful and out-of-place in the cave as her fine dress. Though, even stranger was the object she produced. It was a fairly large orb that appeared to be made of blackened glass, with a deep red, crystalline interior. Now that it was out in the open, a faint humming could be heard emanating from it if one listened closely enough. Teroiah certainly would have had enough personal experience to recognize it as a sigil stone. "Which is why it would be wise for you to add that same kind of power to your own forces. You see, my lord Molag Bal still has plenty of Dark Anchors at his disposal from his...attempted Planemeld. They may not be able to breach the barrier into Mundus any longer, but with just a little help, they can breach through into the Fields of Regret. I received this stone directly from my master, and it is bound to a matching stone within a Dark Anchor in Coldharbour. Place it at a spot in Vile's realm with even the tiniest of liminal fractures, and my master can call forth a Dark Anchor to create a dolmen on the stone. Then, you will have your own fearless, immortal Daedric allies straight from Coldharbour."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

One moment, forgot to put in the other scene.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

By how quickly he was moving around in the kitchen, it seemed that Rukeewei would be ready soon, though naturally, Ariel had likely been anticipating the evening enough that she could not wait for the conversation. Meesei grinned at Ariel's question. "One who is more eager to follow in his parents' footsteps than they are for him to follow. He is talented, and a quick learner. All of the young ones are trained in hunting and fighting so they can defend themselves, though not all have to pursue the more violent occupations. He truly could follow any path he wants and I believe he could succeed with it."

After another few moments, Rukeewei finally started to come out with plates for the first course of their meal, setting them out in front of each of them. It was hard to tell at first glance what exactly he was serving them, but he seemed eager to give it. On each of their plates were six or so morsels, each a few inches long and wrapped in some sort of leaf. "Okay, to start, I just want to reassure you that everything I am giving you all is perfectly safe for non-Argonians. I have made sure to prepare it all properly. I know Argonian cuisine does have a reputation for sometimes being dangerous to outsiders...which is absolutely true. Don't eat everything you find here without being sure about it. Everything I give you, though, is safe. Starting with the appetizers, I prepared bearded blue slugs, wrapped in salt-meadow leaf." He explained. On closer inspection, one would indeed see that within each leaf was a raw, indigo slug with small tentacles under its eye-stalks. Though uncooked, they had obviously been prepared with some spices. Anyone tasting them would find that it had something of an earthy texture, but with a surprisingly citrus-like taste.

---

Apart from her usual superiority, it was hard to tell if Neesa was surprised at all by Teroiah's lack of a reaction. She simply gave the slightest of grins as she looked over what they had laid out on the table. "Well, if there is one thing I can credit the Thalmor for, it is knowing to respect their elders. Regardless, I already know the basics of your invasion plan, so you need not catch me up on it. I will just need to be a part of all of these, uh, military planning talks to keep you from making any mistakes. Or at least too many mistakes. Unfortunately, Vile's realm is not one I have visited personally, but I do know of it. His Plane is called the Fields of Regret, fittingly for those stupid enough to bargain with him. He has styled his world into a tranquil countryside, with cities of glass and other buildings that look like they were made to try to impress an Altmer consort. The backbone of his Daedric army are going to be Skaafin, but keep in mind that Vile just loves to claim souls, mortal or otherwise. He'll have pretty much any and all types of Daedra in his service, so you'll have to prepare for all of them."

"The Champion's notes convey most of what you just said." Ri'vashi interjected. "Anything that scholars know about Vile and his realm, we have already researched years ago. We have not been fighting our enemy blind."

Hal-Neesa crossed her arms. "Hmm, that so? Well, let's see how extensive that research has been, then. If there is one thing that I do agree with your Champion on, it is that you are probably going to have the element of surprise. This whole invasion is just stupid enough that he'll be far to arrogant to expect it. Which is good, because you'll need it. You're not going to be able to scout the terrain before committing your armies. Best you'll be able to do is prepare your forces to fight Daedra in general. So, why don't you tell me how exactly you're planning to arrange your formations against Daedra, and I'll try to explain all the ways you're wrong."

Last of the Jedi (EliteCommander and Sep)

Kresst wasted no time taking his place in the mediation chamber. The instructions in the carvings had been straightforward, so it was hardly a few seconds after he had sat down before he started reciting the code. Although, not only did he speak the words, but he allowed his emotions to flow with them, at least to an extent. The very stones of the Sith temple were imbued with the dark side, and it was possible that the words themselves would not be enough without the weight of power and emotion that normally accompanied them among the Sith. It was something that the Jedi Order would certainly disapprove of, but fortunately, neither the captain nor Mach would have any way of feeling it. He even spoke it in the ancient Sith tongue he had been reading from the carvings, just to make sure the temple would recognize his words.

"Nwûl tash.
Dzwol shâsotkun.
Shâsotjontû châtsatul nu tyûk.
Tyûkjontû châtsatul nu midwan.
Midwanjontû châtsatul nu asha.
Ashajontû kotswinot itsu nuyak.
Wonoksh Qyâsik nun."

Kresst's words would mean little to his observers, but for the temple, they were the key to unlock the secrets it held. However, as Kresst's meditation deepened, he felt something more. Or rather, he sensed more strongly something he had been feeling all along. Darkness, death pain, betrayal...all more intense than anything he could ever have imagined. He had felt the darkness since shortly after they set foot on the planet, but he had assumed that its source was the dark side presence on the planet itself. However, now that he had opened his mind in meditation and was concentrating his thoughts, he could feel beyond the temple, beyond the planet. Normally, to sense something across the galaxy would be a feat of masters, but for the overwhelming magnitude of the pain and death bearing down upon them, even a youngling could feel this darkness. It racked his very being to focus on it, but he pushed through the pain to feel its source, only to find that the pain was spread across the galaxy. The light of thousands upon thousands of souls being snuffed out, one after another, though there was one focus point that was stronger than the rest: his home.

After a few moments, Kresst collapsed to the ground, panting. "Something is wrong. The darkness, it's...not from the planet. It's from...everywhere. All the death, betrayal, I could feel it piercing my heart. I...could sense it, the Jedi are dying. Everywhere, Jedi are dying. Even in our own temple."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Rukeewei was finishing up the last touches on their appetizers when he heard the door open. "Oh, welcome back, dear, and girls, and Sabine, and...everyone else." He spoke up from the kitchen, still clearly distracted by his cooking. "Everything is almost ready. I made something special for us; Danee even helped."

After a few moments, Rukeewei stepped around the divider and into the sitting area, clasping his hands together as he looked at the group. "So, are you all hungry right now? It's just one of the appetizers that needs just a few more minutes, so I can go ahead and start setting up the table if you want."

---

Hal-Neesa huffed. "What, did you think that Molag Bal would just hand off enough divine power to defeat a Daedric Prince to a bunch of mortals and just trust them to do it right? No, Molag Bal now has a personal interest in making sure his investment in this little crusade is not squandered."

With no hesitation, Neesa stepped up and leaned forward onto the table as if she had been invited to do so. Though, it was quite clear she cared little for the opinions of anyone else present. "And even if he didn't, you still don't have anyone with anywhere remotely near my level of experience in...anything, really. But particularly not with dealing with Daedric hordes. And I am offering to give you all of that knowledge free of charge; aren't I generous?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei nodded in understanding towards Ariel. She had surmised that the girls would not know about their aunt Sabine's true nature, given the risk that such secrets could hold. Meesei and her pack would not, of course, be affected by the public opinion of the city dwellers in a place on the other side of Tamriel from their home, but even being known associates of lycanthropes could be dangerous for Ariel and her family. It would be best that the secret be kept from the children until they were old enough to be responsible with it, if they ever even learned of it at all. Meesei, Sabine, and Karl followed Ariel's lead out of the Wamasu's Nest. It was later in the day by this point, but both Ariel and Rukeewei were likely leaving their work earlier than usual. Although, with three girls to care for, they were likely experienced at managing their time by this point.

---

Ri'vashi took the time while gro-Tagnud and Teroiah were bickering to refresh herself on the notes that Meesei had given her. Teroiah was obviously the most magically knowledgeable among them, so there was no point in Ri'vashi trying to act as if she had more understanding than she really did. Teroiah would identify a bluff right away. "Ri'vashi is no mage herself; she cannot describe the portals, but the Champion has given her the relevant, practical details. She estimates that it will take several days to move all of our combined forces into position within the Hunting Grounds, but she has not mentioned any expected issues in maintaining the portal from Tamriel. She does mention some limitations to the first portal, but nothing that would affect us. To avoid breaking the 'compact', it has to be an invitation to Mundus, so no Daedra or other beings from the Hunting Grounds can use it to get to Tamriel, and only those from Tamriel can use it to return. The second portal will apparently be much easier to create than the ones the Daedra used in the Oblivion Crisis, since it does not have to bypass any strong barriers, so we can make it much larger. She says it will be...comparable to the size of the great gate used in the famous battle of Bruma. This one's warriors have already been collecting sigil stones for that purpose. If your people have any sigil stones to spare, it could be helpful."

As they were speaking, a sound started to echo through the cavern: footsteps. Ri'vashi was the first to pick up on them. Her ears twitched, and her head turned to face the source once the sound was unmistakable. From their chamber, they could see a short distance down the cave as a figure rounded the corner. It was one that Ri'vashi recognized immediately, and one of the last she wanted to see in that moment. It was Hal-Neesa, wearing an expensive and spectacular violet and gold dress made from pure silk, despite the fact that they were in a literal cave. As she approached, both one of Ri'vashi's guards and one of the Imperial guards moved to stand in her way, but her entire body phased into a cloud of black mist for a few seconds, moving around them and reforming on the other side.

Ri'vashi turned towards the intruder, her hand on he hilt of her blade on reflex. She glared into the vampire's lightly glowing eyes, practically growling by this point. "Hal-Neesa, you were not invited here. Leave."

Neesa was, as expected, unimpressed by Ri'vashi's stern words. "Yes, I know; I'm really starting to sense a pattern there. You people never invite me to the party, and I bore of constantly having to show up late. Now, I am not even going to address the fact that the representative to lord Molag Bal absolutely has every right to be here, because it is enough to say that you will need me. As entertaining as it would be to watch you all fail, it would not be in my best interest for you all to die a horrible death before the Axe can do its work on Vile. So, I need to take it upon myself to keep you people alive."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei chuckled for a second or two. "Believe me, I could give him a lengthy lecture about the perils of taking on too much responsibility. I know that feeling well. But, at least he is doing it out of love. We are fine friends, certainly, but my intuition tells me he is putting in the extra effort so you can have a perfect evening with your sister." She reasoned.

Meesei started to stand up as she continued. "I think Rukeewei wanted us to be able to have some privacy to be able to speak more...freely." She said before giving a glance towards the children. "Although...I do assume we need to remain discrete around the young ones, yes?"

---

Ri'vashi felt that, at the very least, the meeting was not starting off as poorly as it could have been. In no world would she ever expect these two groups to behave in any way that would actually suggest that they could get along. It was true that Marod and Lunise could be cordial to one another, but she supposed they were trained to be able to put on an act. In this case, Ri'vashi would simply be satisfied if the two commanders could avoid causing a diplomatic incident. For Ri'vashi's own two guards, she had made sure to select some of her least opinionated warriors, so their only struggle was to avoid laughing at the Imperials and Thalmor glaring at each other.

"The commander is correct in that: we all have the same goal here. Neither of your governments will survive to fight over Tamriel if Vile succeeds." Ri'vashi began. "Now, to start, we do already have the basics of the invasion plan to build upon. I am sure that both of you have been briefed on the basics of the invasion already, but just to make sure we all have the exact same understanding, Ri'vashi believes it would be a good idea to go over it together. The first step, obviously, is getting to Vile's realm to begin with. Now, one moment..."

Ri'vashi paused briefly to flip through the stack of parchments in front of her until she could get a look at the pages of notes the Champion had given her to explain the important, more magical details of their invasion plans. "As you know, the threat of direct invasion through Oblivion gates ended with the Oblivion Crisis at the end of the Third Era. Likewise, the magical barriers between our worlds prevent us from opening a portal directly to Vile's realm. However, there are exceptions, and a way for us to get around it. A portal can be made to allow mortals into Oblivion if the Daedric Prince invites the mortals to come of their own free will. This prevents any, let's see...compacts from being broken." She said, reading carefully from her notes. "Although we cannot breach the barriers between Tamriel and Oblivion, we do have the means to breach the much weaker barriers between two different realms of Oblivion. Therefore, Hircine will invite us to enter the Hunting Grounds, and from there, we can stage an invasion of Vile's realm through a portal of our making. Once in Vile's realm, the primary objective will be to ensure that Hircine's Champion can strike Vile himself with the Rueful Axe, which has been empowered by Molag Bal. Those are the basics of the plan as they were given to Ri'vashi. It is up to us to fill in the...many gaps in the plan."

Last of the Jedi (EliteCommander and Sep)

The man's response at first was simply a laugh: one that was equal parts confident and sinister. He started to circle around her slowly, and at a distance outside of her most effective range. "I sometimes forget the ignorance of the Jedi. I suppose it will be a mercy for you that you shall be allowed to die believing that."

In an instant, the man let loose the full range of his fury, rushing forward to resume the fight. Although his fighting style itself had not significantly changed, his emotions were plainly on display. He anticipated this kill, longing for it more and more with every rapid beat of his heart.

---

Despite the general rush they were in, Kresst was disciplined and cautious as he examined the carvings on the obelisk. He was careful not to touch it, both out of safety, and to avoid any risk of accidentally altering the temple in an unintended manner. He hovered the camera close to record each of the words as he translated them aloud, first completely literally, then he translated the intended meaning of the phrase.

"Hmm, well if nothing else, I can at least appreciate that the Sith were straightforward. I will not lie; I would have been upset if we had to solve a riddle, or some such nonsense. Now, to give some context, I am sure you are aware that the Jedi have a code that we follow. The Sith, in ancient times, were like a dark mirror to our order, and they too developed their own code. Indeed, they may have created their code as a direct mockery to our own. In any case, it seems their code is a key, though I suppose the inscription is not too specific on what lock it opens. I am not certain if the code is meant to simply unlock the vault directly if taken to the meditation chamber, or if it will give me the knowledge needed to unlock it. I suppose we can just try it now, and if it does not work, we can bring the vault back here later and try again." Kresst explained as he already began to search around to find and identify the mediation chamber mentioned on the obelisk.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Well, feel free to try whatever you like. I can make any local specialty you find yourself curious about. There are only a handful of ingredients too expensive for me to give away. My only condition is that you promise to save room for dinner." Rukeewei grinned in response to Karl. "At any rate, Speaks-With-Thread still has her shop. I wouldn't say she has expanded, really, but her business is much the same as it has always been. It will probably look the same as the last time you were there, if you go see her. Except for the layout; Ariel helped her do some re-arranging."

---

For the duration of their wait in the Wamasu's Nest, Meesei decided to have only a light lunch, as it seemed like Rukeewei was going to be preparing a sizable dinner for all of them. In fact, he left the inn entirely about an hour before he expected Ariel to return so he could go ahead and start cooking.

Being that they knew when to expect her, most of the group was waiting and watching for Ariel and her daughters to arrive when they stepped into the inn. Meesei greeted her with a wave and a smile. "Hello again, I hope your orders went smoothly. Rukeewei left some time ago; he said he was going to head home to cook up our dinner. It is likely done by now, I would imagine."

---

It was hard for Ri'vashi to deny that she was nervous. The Champion and her pack had already paved the road ahead diplomatically, but this was still going to be the first meeting between the top military leaders of each faction. Both the Legate General and Commander Teroiah would be present, from her understanding. They had taken care to set the the meeting in neutral ground, and define the number of bodyguards that each would bring. She just hoped that the meeting would not be as tense as she worried.

Ri'vashi was the first to arrive, by her own choice. She struck a balance between being armed enough to demonstrate her position, but not so much as to appear threatening. Keeping her sword firmly in its sheath, while wearing light mail kept her comfortable without being intimidating. Magical protection enchantments also served to give her some peace of mind. The room itself was located securely underground, and was relatively small and simple. The only real feature of the room was a large table with enough space for whatever maps and documents they needed.