EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha nodded. "There is, but I can't say I know a great deal about it. My parents were more Imperial in culture, if you recall. They followed the Eight, or Nine in my parents' case. I know the Khajiit pantheon, of course. They're almost the same as the Imperial pantheon, really. Some think they might be different manifestations of the same entities. Gods can do that sort of thing, I guess. There is a different story for how they were all create, of course, but they still bear their similarities. Alkosh, Azurah, Baan Dar, Khenarthi, Jode, Jone, Lorkhaj, Mara, Merrunz, Rajhin, Riddle'thar, S'rendarr, Sheggorath. There are some in common. I particularly like the one comparable to Mehrunes Dagon, Merrunz. In Ta'agra, it means 'kitten'. Fitting, if you think about it."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ah, see now you're asking questions I don't know the answer to. Luckily, Ahnasha's background makes the answer easy.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei's lowered her head slightly, her expression growing a bit more sorrowful. His question was something she had been trying to find a definite answer to for years, but as all things in dealing with the divine, definites were a rarity. "I wish I could tell you I knew for sure, but apart from communing with an Argonian in the Hunting Grounds, I do not believe there is a way to know. I would like to think that Hircine's claim over my soul is stronger than that of the Hist. My interactions with Hircine so far would seem to indicate so, but I have never received a definite answer. Perhaps if I were to return to Black Marsh and commune with the Hist once more, I could receive my answer, but I do not know if I will ever be able to make such a pilgrimage. My duties to Hircine and my pack are far more important than my own fears."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei chuckled. "You ask a harder question than I believe you realize. To explain what exactly the Hist are in words is difficult, if not impossible, at least in this tongue. To truly understand them, you would need to commune with them directly, to join your mind with theirs. As shaman of a tribe, I have performed that ritual before. I will give the best explanation I can, however. They are neither Aedra nor Daedra, just as Sithis is neither of those things.They were the first living things on Nirn after if was formed by the Aedra, but they are so much more than simply old trees. I may not worship the Hist anymore, but I can still respect them. The grain of truth in your father's story is that the Hist are akin to a hive mind, in a sense. They are all separate, but all connected as well, both metaphorically, and physically by their roots. Before hatching, Argonian eggs in Black Marsh are lain near the Hist in what are called hatching pools. They are allowed to take in the Hist's sap, which binds the Argonian to the Hist's mind. Argonians can be hatched away from the Hist's influence, but they will not be bound in the same way. In most cases, upon an Argonian's death, their soul is returned to the Hist to be reborn. The Hist retain the collective memories of all Argonian souls to ever flow in the rivers of their mind. Their wisdom is nothing short of godlike...though like most gods, they hardly ever give direct answers. Even when they recalled Argonians to Black Marsh before the Oblivion Crisis, they did not give a reason, they simply acted. One cannot argue the results, however."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei had completed her enchantment and had taken interest in Fendros and Ahnasha's conversation, as it was of something she had a great deal of knowledge about. She discarded the now-destroyed soul gem fragments and packed away the enchanted necklaces, then approached the pair sitting by the building.

"I believe I may be able to answer that question better than Ahnasha." Meesei said, taking a seat in front of them. "The short answer would be: yes and no. I know, aspects of the Hist are rarely simple enough to be explained briefly. In the instance of the magic I believe you are referring to, the Hist did not grant that knowledge to me. I had to learn it just as any other mage would. These old ways of using magic, however, are traditions passed down through many generations. Our connections with the Hist give us a different way of seeing the world than that of other races. It allowed the earliest of my kind insight into the forces that shape the world which they would not have otherwise seen. They used that insight to study and discover aspects of magic which they then passed down, eventually to me. Argonians are not the only group with unique knowledge, of course. Any group with strong traditions and any manner of isolation can harbor unique forms of magic. The Psijic monks are the best example I can think of. The HIst are helpful for keeping such traditions alive, however. Their relationship to Argonians is often hard to understand from an outside perspective, as your father's beliefs would demonstrate. They sound like rumors that were corrupted through generations of retelling."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I would have timeskipped, but I think a conversation about magic or the Hist could get interesting, especially if Meesei gets involved.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, but it probably wouldn't be a good idea to ask right now. That kind of enchanting requires a lot of concentration. Being born, or hatched, or whatever, into a remote and little known tradition of shamans does have its advantages. She has knowledge of plenty of types of old magic that most of the world has forgotten, or never knew. She doesn't know everything about magic, of course, but you can certainly surprise opponents if you can cast magic they've never even heard of. Nature is something that is particularly malleable to her, which I suppose makes sense. Argonians born in Black Marsh are connected to those godlike trees, the Hist. They're bound to nature to begin with. She can tap into the energies of living things or...something. I don't really understand it myself. She has tried to explain it to me before, but I just got lost. I think there is a reason few know how to perform that magic."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Okay, so the site was glitching for me earlier an it wouldn't post. Now it posted all of my attempts.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I have a post written up on my laptop, but it's going too slow to actually post it.

Also, I'm going to have to go to bed early tonight. Need to wake up early in the morning.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Meesei helped me to improve, but I taught myself from a young age. Back when I was still learning to hunt, I became frustrate with how easily my prey spotted me. Of course now I don't need magic to hunt, but at the time I thought it would be a good way to stay hidden. I read whatever books on the subject I could get my hands on. The fact that my parents owned a shop helped, as books would pass through their stock from time to time. I could only read them at night, when the store was closed, but it was enough for me. I'm only really skilled in illusion, though. Being able to summon a few bound weapons hardly makes me a conjurer." Ahnasha responded. She sat herself down against the crumbling clay wall of one of the buildings, being careful not to dirty her dress. Like most of the pack, she hardly enjoyed having to blend in within the city. Her upbringing meant she at least knew how, at least.

"Why must 'civilized' women wear these annoying dresses. I cannot think of anything more impractical." She complained. "You would not believe how difficult it was climb on the rooftops in this thing. I wish I could just toss it in a fire or something."