Crossark said
So, Lucius and Commander, what's up with y'all?
I'm fine. I'm going to be pretty busy this coming week with finals soon, but I'll be able to post on here.
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I'm fine. I'm going to be pretty busy this coming week with finals soon, but I'll be able to post on here.
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Ahnasha responded to Ariel. "Truthfully, I don't know too much about what I'm getting into. Meesei knows quite a bit about raising children, but seeing as Argonians lay eggs, she doesn't know too much about what I should expect over the next few months. I only know the basics."
Meesei's plan for assaulting the keep was still forming, but she knew enough to give the basics to the others. "There are still a few details that need to be considered, but essentially, most of us will be providing a distraction while a small group slips in unnoticed to sabotage their operation. It is an old Imperial fort, so it is well fortified. It has strong defenses, but a large portion of them rely on these undead guardians. If I can find a way to disrupt them, then we can eliminate their first line of defense. As far as other weaknesses in their defense goes, one of the towers along the walls has collapsed. The rubble would not normally be scalable, but in lycan form, I believe we could climb it quickly enough to be a feasible option. Also, Ariel has requested that we attempt to not kill the witches. We will comply within reason. If you find yourself in danger and know it is necessary, do not hesitate to kill your attackers, but otherwise, try to preserve their lives. According to Ariel, they have skilled healers, so they can survive serious wounds."
Meesei's plan for assaulting the keep was still forming, but she knew enough to give the basics to the others. "There are still a few details that need to be considered, but essentially, most of us will be providing a distraction while a small group slips in unnoticed to sabotage their operation. It is an old Imperial fort, so it is well fortified. It has strong defenses, but a large portion of them rely on these undead guardians. If I can find a way to disrupt them, then we can eliminate their first line of defense. As far as other weaknesses in their defense goes, one of the towers along the walls has collapsed. The rubble would not normally be scalable, but in lycan form, I believe we could climb it quickly enough to be a feasible option. Also, Ariel has requested that we attempt to not kill the witches. We will comply within reason. If you find yourself in danger and know it is necessary, do not hesitate to kill your attackers, but otherwise, try to preserve their lives. According to Ariel, they have skilled healers, so they can survive serious wounds."
Ahnasha of course did not accept the sujamma, but she did grab a mug to go get herself some water from the stream leading to the pond. It was annoyingly warm, but at least it was something. Ariel explained how the remedy she had given her would help relieve any of her aches, as she had guessed before. "I suspected that was the case. As it turns out, my lovely mate here is great at giving massages, so I can save the remedy for when I really need it. Though, I don't suppose you could teach your sister the recipe, could you? I could use it as long as we have ingredients, then."
"Well, first..." Meesei began after Janius asked about the skeleton. She glanced over to it and, with a thought and a slight motion of her hand, directed it to stand near the entrance of the chamber. "...I'll put it on watch for the night. I expended too much magical energy scouting the keep to examine it tonight. We might as well make use of it while it is here, after all. Once I am more well-rested, I will get to work examining the energies binding it together. Magical constructs such as those can be tough, but they have weaknesses. Different people create thralls in different ways, so the magicka animating them is often arranged differently. Since all of their sentinels are made within their coven, I am hoping they are all made similarly. If so, I may be able to construct an enchantment that can disrupt the magicka holding them together, allowing us to destroy them quickly and easily. It will make the job of providing a distraction much easier.
"Hmm, so we're going to have a bonewalker as a servant for a few days? I'm going to have to balance my need to crush the abomination's bones under my boot, and my desire to have a mindlessly obedient servant bring me drinks all day. You never make things easy, do you?" Lorag added.
"Well, first..." Meesei began after Janius asked about the skeleton. She glanced over to it and, with a thought and a slight motion of her hand, directed it to stand near the entrance of the chamber. "...I'll put it on watch for the night. I expended too much magical energy scouting the keep to examine it tonight. We might as well make use of it while it is here, after all. Once I am more well-rested, I will get to work examining the energies binding it together. Magical constructs such as those can be tough, but they have weaknesses. Different people create thralls in different ways, so the magicka animating them is often arranged differently. Since all of their sentinels are made within their coven, I am hoping they are all made similarly. If so, I may be able to construct an enchantment that can disrupt the magicka holding them together, allowing us to destroy them quickly and easily. It will make the job of providing a distraction much easier.
"Hmm, so we're going to have a bonewalker as a servant for a few days? I'm going to have to balance my need to crush the abomination's bones under my boot, and my desire to have a mindlessly obedient servant bring me drinks all day. You never make things easy, do you?" Lorag added.
Ahnasha sat as close to the fire as possible without risking igniting herself, as her fur always took forever to dry. Meesei too sat down by the fire and was about to respond to Janius when they were interrupted by the rather strange scene with Sabine and the sentinel. Meesei had never known Sabine to act in such a way, so it struck her as particularly strange. She seemed to be almost enjoying herself, and was close to expressing it aloud.
"I think she is. Has someone been slipping me moon sugar when I wasn't looking?" Ahnasha commented.
Meesei took a few moments to think on how to respond before saying anything. "I take it you remember these sentinels, Sabine? I'm glad to see it is not bad memories, at least. It is good to see you in a good mood." As she spoke, she poured herself a mug of sujamma from the keg. It was not strong enough to intoxicate her in any reasonable amounts, so there was no danger of her losing her judgement like last time. It would just offer a fresh change of pace from the water she was used to. Glancing up to Ariel, she motioned for her to take a seat, offering for her to join in as well.
"I think she is. Has someone been slipping me moon sugar when I wasn't looking?" Ahnasha commented.
Meesei took a few moments to think on how to respond before saying anything. "I take it you remember these sentinels, Sabine? I'm glad to see it is not bad memories, at least. It is good to see you in a good mood." As she spoke, she poured herself a mug of sujamma from the keg. It was not strong enough to intoxicate her in any reasonable amounts, so there was no danger of her losing her judgement like last time. It would just offer a fresh change of pace from the water she was used to. Glancing up to Ariel, she motioned for her to take a seat, offering for her to join in as well.
Meesei and Ariel spent some time conversing on the way back to the cave, mostly about their prior magical training. Ariel seemed to find it interesting to know how Meesei's father had approached teaching her magic, while Meesei found a more practical use in knowing what kind of skills the witches likely possessed. Otherwise, nothing else of interest happened until they made it back to the cave.
As they walked back into the chamber with the others, Janius responded with understandable hostility towards the undead servant walking in behind them. Just as usual, Meesei retained complete composure and simply used her mental link with her thrall to order it to stand behind her, placing herself between Janius and the skeleton. "Hold, Janius. This thrall is under my command. We captured it from the coven's lair and hope to find a way to use it against them."
As much as Ahnasha hated it, Fendros' massage eventually had to come to an end. For a while, they moved back over to the deep end of the pool and relaxed in its warmth, holding each other closely. Ahnasha did not keep track of how much time was passing, but eventually they heard Meesei and Ariel approach. She was not too interested in turning around at first, but as soon as Janius shouted out, her gaze snapped over to the chamber's entrance. Fortunately, Meesei was quick to clarify the false alarm, so the tensions fell just as quickly as they had risen.
"Maybe we should join the others, dry ourselves off at the campfire. I'd like to know what on Nirn Meesei plans to do with a skeleton. Still, we definitely need to do this again soon, except next time you can teach me your secrets so I can give you a massage just as...thorough as mine was." She suggested as she moved to climb out of the water.
As they walked back into the chamber with the others, Janius responded with understandable hostility towards the undead servant walking in behind them. Just as usual, Meesei retained complete composure and simply used her mental link with her thrall to order it to stand behind her, placing herself between Janius and the skeleton. "Hold, Janius. This thrall is under my command. We captured it from the coven's lair and hope to find a way to use it against them."
As much as Ahnasha hated it, Fendros' massage eventually had to come to an end. For a while, they moved back over to the deep end of the pool and relaxed in its warmth, holding each other closely. Ahnasha did not keep track of how much time was passing, but eventually they heard Meesei and Ariel approach. She was not too interested in turning around at first, but as soon as Janius shouted out, her gaze snapped over to the chamber's entrance. Fortunately, Meesei was quick to clarify the false alarm, so the tensions fell just as quickly as they had risen.
"Maybe we should join the others, dry ourselves off at the campfire. I'd like to know what on Nirn Meesei plans to do with a skeleton. Still, we definitely need to do this again soon, except next time you can teach me your secrets so I can give you a massage just as...thorough as mine was." She suggested as she moved to climb out of the water.
Ah, we're so close to the end of this collab...but we're also so close to important stuff happening in the story. I'm starting to get nervous.
Ahnasha closed her eyes, thoroughly enjoying everything Fendros was doing. For a moment, she wondered how she ever got by without him. Up until recently, everything about life seemed so simple. She thought she knew everything she wanted, but Fendros had complicated all of that, in a good way. Despite the troubles they would face, Ahnasha couldn't see her life being even a fraction as good without him than if he were there. Opening her eyes, she could think of nothing to say, but looked at him with the brightest smile.
Since Janius had placed the keg next to him, Lorag was easily able to refill his mug. For most people, it would not be expected that they could finish an entire keg of alcohol in one sitting, but with Lorag, that logic was seriously questionable. "I know they like magic way too much. They tend to worship these obscure gods no one's ever heard of, and they always seem to get wrapped up in vampirism or lycanthropy. I don't know why, but it always seems to be Bretons that make these covens, like those Reachmen up in Skyrim. You always get these rumors that they have the cure for lycans or vampires, usually some alchemical concoction that would take three years or something to the ingredients for. Who knows, maybe it's true, but from what the Breton girl said, this coven obviously hasn't."
Under the effects of muffle, Meesei dashed out towards the skeleton as soon as it started to drop, but she too was not physically close enough to catch it. Fortunately, she was able to reach out with telekinesis to slow it enough so she could catch the back of its skull before it hit the ground. Without saying a word, Meesei grabbed onto its shoulders while Ariel took the legs, then they carried it up over the hill safely out of sight. The other two would certainly notice the loss of the third eventually, but since they lacked any real ability to reason, it would be up to the witches themselves to notice the loss of one of their sentries. It was possible that they could notice before the loss before they returned to attack the keep, but hopefully, they would attribute it to wild animals or monsters. Vvardenfell was a dangerous enough region, so it couldn't be too uncommon of an occurrence.
Meesei and Ariel set the skeleton down on the other side of the hill. While Ariel rid the being of its weapons, Meesei laid her hands on the being to examine its energy. The paralysis spell would not last forever, so time was of the essence. She did not claim to be a master of Conjuration, but she knew enough that she could apply her knowledge of illusion to the problem. In this, the method of teaching her father had used to teach her magic was particularly useful. In Imperial society, they used the concept of different schools of magic to divide magic into different, similar elements, but those schools were merely manmade constructs. In reality, all magic was connected, and that is exactly how Meesei learned to approach it. She did not even know that the "schools" of magic existed until she started to have contact with other cultures outside the village. As a result, her knowledge of magic could only loosely be classified. While she did not have a great deal of knowledge on summoning or necromancy, she did know how to manipulate the mind using magic. While most illusionists would not be able to directly influence the mind of an undead creature, Meesei had practiced before with just that concept.
A few tense moments passed as Meesei studied the magical energies which formed the mind of the skeleton. As a thrall, its thoughts were radically different from any person or animal. Everything revolved around serving its master, so naturally, Meesei worked to replace its master with herself. It took a few moments, but after Meesei was confident she had succeeded, she took her hands off of the skeleton and allowed the paralysis to dissipate. The skeleton sat up, looked to Meesei, then stood to its feet, waiting on her command.
Meesei breathed a sigh of relief, then looked to Ariel. "Good, it worked. Now let's get this construct back to the cave so that I may examine it further."
Since Janius had placed the keg next to him, Lorag was easily able to refill his mug. For most people, it would not be expected that they could finish an entire keg of alcohol in one sitting, but with Lorag, that logic was seriously questionable. "I know they like magic way too much. They tend to worship these obscure gods no one's ever heard of, and they always seem to get wrapped up in vampirism or lycanthropy. I don't know why, but it always seems to be Bretons that make these covens, like those Reachmen up in Skyrim. You always get these rumors that they have the cure for lycans or vampires, usually some alchemical concoction that would take three years or something to the ingredients for. Who knows, maybe it's true, but from what the Breton girl said, this coven obviously hasn't."
Under the effects of muffle, Meesei dashed out towards the skeleton as soon as it started to drop, but she too was not physically close enough to catch it. Fortunately, she was able to reach out with telekinesis to slow it enough so she could catch the back of its skull before it hit the ground. Without saying a word, Meesei grabbed onto its shoulders while Ariel took the legs, then they carried it up over the hill safely out of sight. The other two would certainly notice the loss of the third eventually, but since they lacked any real ability to reason, it would be up to the witches themselves to notice the loss of one of their sentries. It was possible that they could notice before the loss before they returned to attack the keep, but hopefully, they would attribute it to wild animals or monsters. Vvardenfell was a dangerous enough region, so it couldn't be too uncommon of an occurrence.
Meesei and Ariel set the skeleton down on the other side of the hill. While Ariel rid the being of its weapons, Meesei laid her hands on the being to examine its energy. The paralysis spell would not last forever, so time was of the essence. She did not claim to be a master of Conjuration, but she knew enough that she could apply her knowledge of illusion to the problem. In this, the method of teaching her father had used to teach her magic was particularly useful. In Imperial society, they used the concept of different schools of magic to divide magic into different, similar elements, but those schools were merely manmade constructs. In reality, all magic was connected, and that is exactly how Meesei learned to approach it. She did not even know that the "schools" of magic existed until she started to have contact with other cultures outside the village. As a result, her knowledge of magic could only loosely be classified. While she did not have a great deal of knowledge on summoning or necromancy, she did know how to manipulate the mind using magic. While most illusionists would not be able to directly influence the mind of an undead creature, Meesei had practiced before with just that concept.
A few tense moments passed as Meesei studied the magical energies which formed the mind of the skeleton. As a thrall, its thoughts were radically different from any person or animal. Everything revolved around serving its master, so naturally, Meesei worked to replace its master with herself. It took a few moments, but after Meesei was confident she had succeeded, she took her hands off of the skeleton and allowed the paralysis to dissipate. The skeleton sat up, looked to Meesei, then stood to its feet, waiting on her command.
Meesei breathed a sigh of relief, then looked to Ariel. "Good, it worked. Now let's get this construct back to the cave so that I may examine it further."
Ahnasha was curious to see what Fendros would do next, but when he moved straight to the other leg, she gave an exaggerated huff and turned her head in sarcastic disappointment, as well as swiping her tail lightly across his face. As he continued up her other thigh, she rested her head on her arms once more and waited to see what would happen.
Lorag chugged the rest of his mug and gave Janius the most serious look he could muster. "Well, I just happen to like the taste of dead rat. Goes well with human hearts." He said, finally breaking down into a laugh before moving on to answer his question. "I'm sure they'll be back eventually. Maybe they'll just blow those witches up while they're there and save us the trouble. I hate fighting mages, and a witch coven sounds like there would be plenty of them. We can all have drinks once they're here, though I don't think we have anything for Alpha. Probably a good thing. Knowing our luck, we would wake up with a parasitic Daedra having impregnated you or something. Not that you wouldn't make a great mother. He joked, again staring at Janius with a serious expression.
Meesei was utterly motionless in the brush, waiting in silence to spring their ambush. Undead thralls were not known for their intelligence, but they had to make sure their kidnapping did not seem like an attack. She needed to form her distraction in a way that could be interpreted as something else. After a few minutes of silent waiting, a patrol walked by, just as Ariel had predicted.
Meesei needed to act quickly, but precisely. She charged a weak magelight in her hand, then cast it at just the right angle that it would be visible in just the periphery of the skeletons' vision. The light was just strong enough to be noticed, but died away almost immediately. By the time the sentinels had turned in its direction, it was gone, but its effect had already taken hold. The skeletons had spotted something and now needed to investigate. Once the undead soldiers started to move away, Meesei braced herself to dash out as soon as Ariel paralyzed their target. They would need to be quick to move it to a safe position.
Lorag chugged the rest of his mug and gave Janius the most serious look he could muster. "Well, I just happen to like the taste of dead rat. Goes well with human hearts." He said, finally breaking down into a laugh before moving on to answer his question. "I'm sure they'll be back eventually. Maybe they'll just blow those witches up while they're there and save us the trouble. I hate fighting mages, and a witch coven sounds like there would be plenty of them. We can all have drinks once they're here, though I don't think we have anything for Alpha. Probably a good thing. Knowing our luck, we would wake up with a parasitic Daedra having impregnated you or something. Not that you wouldn't make a great mother. He joked, again staring at Janius with a serious expression.
Meesei was utterly motionless in the brush, waiting in silence to spring their ambush. Undead thralls were not known for their intelligence, but they had to make sure their kidnapping did not seem like an attack. She needed to form her distraction in a way that could be interpreted as something else. After a few minutes of silent waiting, a patrol walked by, just as Ariel had predicted.
Meesei needed to act quickly, but precisely. She charged a weak magelight in her hand, then cast it at just the right angle that it would be visible in just the periphery of the skeletons' vision. The light was just strong enough to be noticed, but died away almost immediately. By the time the sentinels had turned in its direction, it was gone, but its effect had already taken hold. The skeletons had spotted something and now needed to investigate. Once the undead soldiers started to move away, Meesei braced herself to dash out as soon as Ariel paralyzed their target. They would need to be quick to move it to a safe position.
I would be appropriately vague, or have him turn it into a joke. Your choice.
Lorag took another drink. "Sujamma's a taste I acquired long ago. A lot of Dunmer in Cheydinhal. It's made from sujamma berries I think; they had to import those. I got a taste for a lot of Dunmer spirits, really. Greef, mazte, shien, they're all great. I know the ingredients for about all of them, I just wish I understood the process enough to make them." Lorag sighed and lowered his head in exaggerated sadness. "It's the only thing I regret in life."
When Janius asked about his history with the women of Cheydinhal, he gave a chuckle. "Heh, I can see where your mind is tonight. I was about sixteen or seventeen when I left for Skyrim with the Legion. Before that, I was known around town as a strong, skilled, and handsome young warrior who was doing his duty for the Empire. What do you think happened? I always ended up sticking with Orc women though, but there are also a lot of Orcs in Cheydinhal, so that wasn't a problem. Honestly, I never considered other races as 'possibilities' until well after I left; 'cause of my father, mostly. He wouldn't have liked it."
Ahnasha rather liked the idea of learning to give a massage as well as Fendros was, though as she glanced down at her claws, she wondered how they would complicate things. Being stabbed by multiple sharp objects was not a pleasurable experience for most people; perhaps there was some sort of other technique she could use. "I'm certainly up for it...after you finish with me, of course. Just...try not to get mad if I accidentally stab you a few times. I wouldn't trade these claws for anything, but...they have their downsides. I'm sure it will be worth it to make you feel as good as I do now. I can only imagine how amazing this will be in a few months when my aches get really bad. I've been pregnant for a month already, so...just about six more months to go before it's time." As Fendros' massage moved higher up her thigh, she looked back at him, meeting his gaze with a grin. "Higher." She commented, allowing her tail to brush up against him once more. The fur on it was thicker near the end than it was at its base, so it would feel rather soft to the touch.
"Let us go, we have what information we need. Anything more is an unnecessary risk." Meesei whispered in response. Ariel silently agreed, then led them back in the direction of the culvert they entered through. Whatever ritual they were performing caused there to be quite a bit of activity in the keep, but it also served to help distract the witches. Still, it was a slow process to backtrack all the way to the tunnel they entered through. Conserving magicka meant they needed to hide motionless in the shadows several times, only using invisibility when absolutely necessary.
Given how sizable the keep was, it was fortunate that Ariel still knew her way around. She had spent most of her childhood in the place, after all, so it would likely be difficult to forget its layout. Meesei was unsure of how much time had passed when they finally made it back to the tunnel leading to the culvert. Meesei used a short spell of disintegration to take down the grate, then reattached it with another fire spell once they were both outside. From this point, Meesei took the lead in guiding them away from the keep towards a nearby hill, just beyond the patrols of the undead sentinels. Meesei stopped and laid down on the ground, peering just over the hill at the keep. The sentinels were patrolling the forest in front of them, so there were plenty to chose from. They just needed to isolate one, then strike quickly so it could not alert the others.
"We need to take one of the sentinels aliv-, uh, undead. I am no expert in conjuration, but with a mix of illusion and the conjuration magic I do know, I believe I can take command of one of them so that it follows my orders. I just need time to concentrate on and examine it, which means we need to immobilize one of them. I could paralyze it, but I need to conserve the energy I have. Let's find one that is alone, then you paralyze it. We'll disarm it, drag it somewhere safe, then I can get to work. Alright?" Meesei suggested.
When Janius asked about his history with the women of Cheydinhal, he gave a chuckle. "Heh, I can see where your mind is tonight. I was about sixteen or seventeen when I left for Skyrim with the Legion. Before that, I was known around town as a strong, skilled, and handsome young warrior who was doing his duty for the Empire. What do you think happened? I always ended up sticking with Orc women though, but there are also a lot of Orcs in Cheydinhal, so that wasn't a problem. Honestly, I never considered other races as 'possibilities' until well after I left; 'cause of my father, mostly. He wouldn't have liked it."
Ahnasha rather liked the idea of learning to give a massage as well as Fendros was, though as she glanced down at her claws, she wondered how they would complicate things. Being stabbed by multiple sharp objects was not a pleasurable experience for most people; perhaps there was some sort of other technique she could use. "I'm certainly up for it...after you finish with me, of course. Just...try not to get mad if I accidentally stab you a few times. I wouldn't trade these claws for anything, but...they have their downsides. I'm sure it will be worth it to make you feel as good as I do now. I can only imagine how amazing this will be in a few months when my aches get really bad. I've been pregnant for a month already, so...just about six more months to go before it's time." As Fendros' massage moved higher up her thigh, she looked back at him, meeting his gaze with a grin. "Higher." She commented, allowing her tail to brush up against him once more. The fur on it was thicker near the end than it was at its base, so it would feel rather soft to the touch.
"Let us go, we have what information we need. Anything more is an unnecessary risk." Meesei whispered in response. Ariel silently agreed, then led them back in the direction of the culvert they entered through. Whatever ritual they were performing caused there to be quite a bit of activity in the keep, but it also served to help distract the witches. Still, it was a slow process to backtrack all the way to the tunnel they entered through. Conserving magicka meant they needed to hide motionless in the shadows several times, only using invisibility when absolutely necessary.
Given how sizable the keep was, it was fortunate that Ariel still knew her way around. She had spent most of her childhood in the place, after all, so it would likely be difficult to forget its layout. Meesei was unsure of how much time had passed when they finally made it back to the tunnel leading to the culvert. Meesei used a short spell of disintegration to take down the grate, then reattached it with another fire spell once they were both outside. From this point, Meesei took the lead in guiding them away from the keep towards a nearby hill, just beyond the patrols of the undead sentinels. Meesei stopped and laid down on the ground, peering just over the hill at the keep. The sentinels were patrolling the forest in front of them, so there were plenty to chose from. They just needed to isolate one, then strike quickly so it could not alert the others.
"We need to take one of the sentinels aliv-, uh, undead. I am no expert in conjuration, but with a mix of illusion and the conjuration magic I do know, I believe I can take command of one of them so that it follows my orders. I just need time to concentrate on and examine it, which means we need to immobilize one of them. I could paralyze it, but I need to conserve the energy I have. Let's find one that is alone, then you paralyze it. We'll disarm it, drag it somewhere safe, then I can get to work. Alright?" Meesei suggested.
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