Muttonhawk

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Grolak and Caldris looked at each other, then went back to Meesei. "I can be a judge," they said in unison unintentionally, causing them to look at each other again. "Everyone knows me," Grolak said, pointing his thumb to his chest, "I don't give anyone a break on rations, I sure as oblivion won't give any of the lieutenants leniency about this." Caldris crossed her arms, "Everyone knows me, too. I'll fix anyone's bow or make new ones for them, but I'm not particularly fond of any of the lieutenants." Seeing a potentially rash situation arising, Najirra stepped up and attempted to calm everyone with a motion downwards with his palm. "Now then, it is important that anyone selected to be a judge must have clear judgement, without a conflict of agendas." Najirra faced Meesei in particular, "If anyone is to be selected now, they must not be allowed to assist you in investigation." "Huh. Well I wanna help find Jerrick's killer, so that rules me out," Grolak declared, "Say, Najirra, you tend to stay out of this stuff anyway. Why don't you be a judge? Everyone trusts you." Najirra let out a chuckle and shook his head, "I am not sure whether that would be a good idea. I like to assist people, but getting involved like this is against my usual nature." "Grolak does have a point, Najirra." Caldris added flatly, "Everyone trusts your wisdom, even myself. You are already involved at this point. I can think of no better judge." She faced Meesei, "What do you think, champion?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Darahil and Harriet's reactions to seeing Jerrick's corpse were similar, but subtly different. They were both silent and kept a stoic expression. Darahil crossed his arms and closed his eyes, turning to leave after a short while. Harriet's eyes, on the other hand, seemed to widen slightly through her hard face. She spent a little more time staring at Jerrick, but didn't waste much time before turning as well. "Yeah, I believe it," she said quietly without looking at Lorag. At first, Caleb's face spoke of utter disbelief. As the reality of the situation sank in, he slowly lowered his head and stepped back until he found a wall, upon which he slid down and covered his face with his hands. The others in the room looked at him, but didn't say a word, even in response to Meesei. Caleb wasn't loud, he barely made any sounds at all. He tried as best as he could to hide his feelings, but they were piling up behind his hands such that they were all that were left to hide them. Najirra carefully stood up from his seat and shuffled over to Caleb with a sympathetic expression. Shaking despite his walking stick, Najirra knelt down by the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. "This is a sad time, Caleb. To lose your father is a horrible experience. However, he has entrusted you with an important task. A very important task. For the sake of his memory, you must save your tears for the funeral. You may grieve for him as much as you need, but he needs you to do this first. What say you, child?" "But he's...he's dead." Caleb's muffled response was meek. "I don't...what...how could..." Najirra squeezed Caleb's shoulder comfortingly. "Take some time, it's okay. Remember what he taught you about the greater good of this home." It took a few minutes for Caleb to eventually compose himself. It appeared as though he was at least receptive to what Najirra said. He still hung his head and looked distraught, but he was listening now. The Bosmer, Caldris, cleared her throat and resumed the original topic. "What would you have us do, Champion?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Janius had no issue with Lorag's orders. As soon as the route to Jerrick's body was explained, Harriet and Darahil were lead down to the cold chamber, leaving Vera and Oswall quiet in the meeting room again. Grolak was the first referee to step forward, looking grumpy and gruff from being woken up, but then again, he always looked grumpy and gruff. He slapped down his letter flat onto a crate with his open palm, revealing the words in the dim light. "Should'a figured Vile would aim straight for the top," he sneered with his other fist clenched, "It's hard to imagine that one of the lieutenants would try to kill 'im, but everyone knows me here, I'm the guy who takes care of rations. The name's Grolak, and I'll help however I can." The Bosmer stepped up next. She took a more level approach than Grolak, but came off as slightly cold. "My name is Caldris, I am the head bowyer," the short elf nodded respectively and unrolled her letter. "I will observe the situation from Jerrick's perspective, but I will judge for myself how this plays out." Finally, everyone's attention was turned to the Redguard boy. He was staring at the floor, but only gave a glance up to Meesei and the others. Najirra beckoned him forward, "Come Caleb, introduce yourself to the champion. She is here to help." Caleb took a breath and a step forward. He looked up at Meesei with a worried brow. "Is father okay? He wrote that he was in danger. What's happened tonight? Where's mother?" He asked frantically. He faced Najirra with the same expression, demanding answers. Upon inspection, each of the letters that the referees held opened up with a unique passage about their position in the clan and why they were trustworthy, and a recollection of an anecdote that proved that it was indeed Jerrick writing the letter. It then went on to tell them roughly what Meesei had been told by Jerrick when they had their secret meeting, along with the rough plans for the night. The other two referees at least appeared to be in a position of neutrality amongst the clan's pack structure, but Caleb's letter was unique in that the reason that he was deemed trustworthy was his previous instruction on how to treat the greater good of the clan as a whole. He was too young to lead the clan yet, but Jerrick had apparently been grooming him to take his place. He at least had enough confidence in his son to help in this situation, even if it might be an unfair burden.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Harriet let out a guffaw that bordered on being loud enough to wake up those around her. "I don't doubt that. The champion's gotta have something going for her, right?" She raised an eyebrow at Lorag, "You regard her pretty highly, don't ya?" The pair's proximity to the meeting room door didn't leave much time for discussion. "That's understandable, she's your alpha and all that." With the next few steps, all the lieutenants were once again united in the same chamber. Fendros had decided to stay leaning up against the wall next to the main door with his arms crossed, while Janius remained standing nearby the table in the centre. The three lieutenants already in the room were sitting around the table in their usual seats, but were dead silent and staring at the wood grain. Vera still had tears streaking down her face, but was not sobbing for now. The other two looked up as Harriet approached and took her seat. "So, where's the joker now?" Harriet asked nonchalantly. The others collectively shot her a disdainful look. "What?" She asked. Oswall obliged with venom in his answer, "I saw his body, Harriet, so did Vera. Do not lash your jests at such a time as this." Harriet became rather more suspicious, turning her head slightly, then looking to Darahil. "And you?" "I was going to wait for you to accompany seeing his corpse to save time," Darahil said. For a short while, Harriet contemplated silently, and then shook her head and sighed. She stood up from her chair to face Lorag. "Alright, this is getting weird. Let me see him." Janius stood up straighter and spoke to Harriet, Lorag, and Darahil. "I'll lead you there. Let's go, Lorag." Meanwhile, in Najirra's chamber, the old Khajiit rubbed at the bottom of his chin in thought. "Hmm, you raise good thoughts. If any decision is to be protracted, then leaving a trial until after the full moons may be preferable." Najirra waved his hand out in front of him, "However, keeping the secret will be difficult when all your suspects know the truth, including the one who's motive may yet be the clan's destruction after all. Keeping them confined from their duties may also cause difficulties in the long run. No, this one believes you must be decisive and hold a trial for the sake of proof more than argument, if you can. You may yet have the time. It is not likely to be as bogged down in laws and time-wasting like a trial in the courts of cities." Najirra paused for a lengthy breath, "As for possible judges, some may be approaching now." As if having timed his response perfectly, Najirra gestured to the portal to his chamber as three figures filed through in front of the twins, Saraya and Vharei. The first was a bald, old, bearded, greying Orc man that could be recognised as the one in charge of rations; the caretaker, Grolak. The second was a blonde, pony-tailed Bosmer of indeterminate age, but with eyes that spoke of experience. The third was barely taller than the Bosmer, but was a Redguard. As he came into the light, he looked no older than Sabine. His expression was one of fear coupled with the fatigue from being woken up at such a time. Each of the newcomers had a scroll of parchment in their hands. "We found them for you, champion," one of the twins said. Najirra smiled his comforting smile and motioned to his daughters. "Thank you, my dears. Now, I need you to find another place to sleep, as this matter is a sensitive one. Sleep well." Saraya and Vharei nodded in unison, collected their blankets, and then went on their way.

Godhood - A Tale of Deities

I don't really want to take this over myself, but if someone does, I'll keep on. The only condition I would have is to keep the general plot moving forward like SillyGoy was. Sandbox RPs tend to have a lot of friction unless everyone has their own clear long term plans.

Godhood - A Tale of Deities

I was hoping for proof of life from SillyGoy, but it's not looking good anymore.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Harriet was impatient to get up and go, even if her face seemed uncaring. "I can already see his smug look. I wonder who the traitor is?" The walk through the halls to the meeting room had Harriet glancing to Lorag every so often. About halfway there, Harriet asked quietly. "So what do you make of all this, big boy? Not exactly the best welcome for you guys, huh." Najirra was still sitting patiently when Meesei approached him for advice. He gave a warm smile and a slow nod."It is true, champion. You have been laden with a heavy burden with little warning." His voice was collected and consistent, with a slight accent, but somehow still soothing, "I cannot say for sure who I believe to be Jerrick's killer, but I can tell you some things of this clan." He gestured for Meesei to sit down on a nearby crate, "Come, seat yourself. My daughters will be back soon." Najirra raised his cup to his lips and finished the last of his tea before setting the implements aside at a ponderous geriatric pace. "Now, what you must know of this clan is that we are small, barely the size of a village, but the different packs will follow their lieutenants unquestioningly unless you are able to sway them. If you pick any one of the lieutenants as the culprit, you will have at least a quarter of the packs hostile towards you. This is of course better than the entire clan splintering apart, but it does not help matters. I believe your challenge in keeping the pack together will not be finding the traitor, so much as winning over those still loyal to Hircine. I would suggest, once you are certain who killed young Jerrick, that you hold a trial so that the accused may defend them self fairly. The public may witness his or her wrongdoings, and will ultimately be on the side of justice. With little enough room for misinformation, the clan will follow your decision as a whole." Najirra kept his smile, but angled his head in warning, "Beware, though, you are still an outsider to many here. You must not stand as the judge, else your decision will not be respected wholly." There was a moment for Meesei to respond before a number soft footsteps could be heard approaching the chamber, heralding the return of Najirra's daughters with Jerrick's entrusted.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Vera seemed receptive enough to Ahnasha's words to nod and slowly get up. When she turned around, her face was still puffy and glistening from her tears. She seemed aimless enough at first that she needed Ahnasha's hand still on her shoulder to guide her, but her coordination improved as she warmed up further into the hideout. They got back to the meeting room without another word said. When they arrived, Vera glanced to both Oswall and Darahil with worry and mistrust. Harriet was unconvinced. "Yeah, yeah, I'll go and see the body and Jerrick will be there to say 'surprise!'" Harriet raised both her hands in mocking imitation, then crossed them again, "Well guess what, it ain't a surprise, and it ain't funny." Harriet exhaled sharply, and then took another breath to answer Meesei's questions. "Well I came in through the front entrance, so it's not like I could have avoided the main chamber unless I climbed up to the sentry posts. I don't think the lookouts would have appreciated that. And Jerrick's waterskin? It was on the table during the meeting, that's all I remember seeing of it."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The walk to the meeting chamber with Darahil made Fendros rather tense. From what he had observed so far, Darahil was probably the least likely to make trouble, but he was still an old mage. That made him unpredictable in terms of power. "How long have you been with the champion's pack, Fendros?" Darahil asked suddenly, but still quietly enough to not wake anyone up. He didn't face Fendros directly. Fendros was surprised to be addressed by his given name by the Altmer, despite that he was not only a Dunmer, but a young one at that. "Be quiet, you'll wake people up," Fendros responded, still not trusting him completely. "Mustn't have been for long, then," Darahil said. He dropped the issue. They reached the meeting room to only find Janius and Oswall. Fendros was the first to speak. "Where are Ahna and Vera?" "With Jerrick's body. We moved him to a cold chamber." Janius explained. Darahil eyed Oswall's pallor and clenched jaw for a few moments. "Oswall," Darahil said, "So it's true?" Oswall looked angrily up at Darahil and nodded. Over in the chamber with Jerrick's body, the cold was slowly debilitating Vera. She had dropped to a kneeling position next to the slab that held Jerrick and was shivering as well as sobbing. The air needed to be cold to preserve the body, but Vera needed to be encouraged to move if she and Ahnasha did not want to freeze to death. Harriet's shoulders were hunched and her arms crossed where she sat opposite Meesei. She looked up at her from her bowed head with a glare. "Let me just make one thing clear, Meesei. I ain't stupid. I know this is something Jerrick would do to test loyalties or something, but even he knows that I ain't gonna kill him. Now, let's start." Harriet leaned her head back enough that she was less threatening. Her tone spoke of her recount as if it were a chore, "This morning, I was awake before any of my packs. I went around and gave them a soft kick in the sides to get them up and we took a drill out in the fresh mountain air. The drills and the jog took us all through the morning. Only one fella passed out, but he was new. Someone carried him back. When I came back, it was time for the meeting. The elf had come back from his spelunking, Oswall was loud as ever, Jerrick and Vera were the same as always as well. I dunno what they all did in the morning. I think Oswall and Jerrick normally run training of some kind, Vera does some teaching. Anyway, everything discussed at the meeting was fairly routine, except for your pack turning up, that was new. Once the meeting was done, I knew I had to see what you guys were made of, so I went up to the big boy, Lorag, and gave him a run for his money. Turns out he ain't bad in the arena. After getting beaten while going easy on 'im, I went to the forge to make up for lost time sharpening my sword. Didn't see the others until dinner. Jerrick wasn't there for some reason, figured he had other business. After that, I gave Lorag another visit. You can work out the rest for yourself. Can't say what everyone else did that afternoon or evening. I wasn't payin' much attention."

The Depths of Deception

Shiva held her glass at eye level. "Root wine, huh?" She said, wondering herself how such a thing was made. She had believed that you needed a fruit to make wine. She took another sip of the sour drink as Shuo spoke, stifling an empathetic chortle at the lacking proportion of dietary fibre in Sovereignty rations. Shiva had heard of Golyeva cheese, but never really got around to trying it herself. "So that's how ArmSpecWar can sleep so easily when they get the opportunity," Shiva said, probably more bravely than she should have, considering that Shuo was her superior. "I'll have to try that stuff as well, perhaps." Shiva held her glass low in both hands and smiled, "Your homes sound more interesting than mine. All my home produced was rare earth elements, iron, tin, copper, and other ore minerals." Shiva peered at Rareth for a moment, "Hey, speaking of planet-side. Have we heard anything about where we're going next?"