[IC] Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

[Muttonhawk]

Lunise sighed and closed her eyes. "Very well. A few minutes." She signalled a hand in Pircalmo's direction. "Father, pick the one question you would like to discuss now."

"Yes, yes, I can work in a hurry, my daughter," Pircalmo said. He was oddly uninterrupted in his rifling through notes by the limited time they had. All it took was spreading a few choice pages over his desk, tracing his finger over some text, and pausing for a moment with bated breath. He turned his desk chair sideways and slowly sat himself down, looking into space with intense thought.

"So..." Pircalmo finally made eye contact with Meesei again, taking up a quill without looking. "I would like to ask about early development, particularly unhatched eggs and hatchlings. Being in your previous role, as I understand it, brought you very close to the process. But first, I think it necessary to speak a foundation to our conversation, as the exact terminology varies across regions and customs..."

While not speaking at a rapid pace, Pircalmo did demonstrate a well practiced erudition in explaining his surrounding understanding of the early stages of Argonian life cycles. Such was his skill in framing the information that he gave a quite understandable presentation in just over five minutes -- while leaning on more complex terminology known to restoration magic, granted, but that was no problem for Meesei.

Pircalmo's following questions had several facets to them, likely as a way to weasel through Lunise's request to limit to just one question. They were mostly in service of filling in several crucial gaps in information; where Hist and ritual met biological and magical effects and the ways such interactions allow for the complexity in Argonians not normally found in other egg laying creatures. For Meesei, the challenges in answering them usefully were not so much their time constraints as were rephrasing the concepts in languages other than Jel in a way that made any kind of sense.

[EliteCommander]

"Indeed, you are correct that my role involved me closely with the care of our eggs. Although, I should preface this by saying that many customs can be exceptionally different between each and every tribe of Saxhleel. For instance, most tribes have several Treeminders, but in my village, there was only one at a time to bear that title. That said, I was not the only one responsible for our eggs. Were that the case, it would be all I would have time for. My role entailed being a spiritual and arcane leader for our tribe. Now, as for the specifics, I should probably address a small misconception the second author you referenced made in regards to our bonding rituals..." Meesei began, leading into an answer even longer than Pircalmo's question.

While Pircalmo's "one" question could have easily been overwhelming, Meesei quickly proved herself more than able to answer it. She followed along effortlessly with more complicated magical concepts, and naturally tied them in to her people's lifestyle and development. Although, as Lunise might have feared, she did admittedly become carried away at times, in the interest of wanting to give a perfectly clear answer.

Eventually, the conversation started to stray enough from the original question that Lunise could have reasonable cause to interrupt them...after about half an hour. Their conversation on the treatment of their eggs inevitably involved their common religious beliefs on Sithis, which led into Meesei giving a more historical account related to Sithis. By Meesei's claims, the ancient Argonian civilization that built the Xanmeers fell not out of some kind of internal strife or external pressure, but because of a fundamental change in their religion. The Hist, according to Meesei, revealed to their ancient ancestors that their views on Sithis were wrong. Instead of a force of destruction, he came to be seen as a force of pure, unbiased change. Instead of building temples that attempted to remain unchanged by time, their civilization shifted into one that focused on being able to bend to the currents of change. It was a compelling and rare account of their history, and by Meesei's own admission, she felt that her people cared too little about history in general. However, Lunise would be able to firmly say by this point that it was time to move on.

[Muttonhawk]

Lunise's scant involvement in Meesei and Pircalmo's conversation meant she patiently consumed two and a half cups of tea before judging that they should move on. She was convinced that the pair could have spoken unabated into the coming night and beyond. Fortunately, Lunise was nothing if not skilled in politely interrupting, and the three of them quickly moved on to farewells, thanks, and promises.

As Lunise hugged her father goodbye, she let herself share the moment of blissful ignorance he was experiencing. It was when she let go that the twinge of worry over Meesei's possible fate in the coming invasion returned to her heart.

Lunise and Meesei exited the study afterwards to find a secluded spot to open a portal. On the way, Lunise spoke up with a prevailing thought in her head.

"Meesei, I have been thinking while you and father spoke," she said. "Mother did not want me in the invasion. She gave her reasons. They were compelling. However, I pondered on the possibility of being close enough to assist. I might at least venture with the host into the Hunting Grounds to help coordinate efforts for the following push."

[EliteCommander]

Once they were safely in private, Meesei began to focus on forming a portal back home. It felt almost bizarre to think about, but even after their stay in Artaeum and their visit to Pircalmo, they were still heading back to the clan early. The Psijics' influence over time was truly spectacular, and now, Meesei found herself wondering what other kind of Psijic spells were just waiting to be unlocked within her mind.

Given the nature of Lunise's concerns, Meesei decided to open the portal directly into Lunise's quarters so they could have a guarantee of privacy. As soon as they had stepped through, Meesei allowed herself to sit down and rest at the foot of Lunise's bed. "I understand. I would have a difficult time keeping out of it as well, in your position. Neither of us are the type to simply stand by and do nothing when we are needed. I wish you could be right there alongside me for the entire battle, but your mother may still be correct. Still, I do want to give you the chance to help. Perhaps you might help coordinate the defense of our forward camp in the Hunting Grounds? You are a Justiciar, you are qualified, and I could request your help specifically to serve as a liaison between my forces and any Dominion soldiers that remain in the defense. It is much the same job as you have been performing since you were assigned here, so it would hardly seem unusual. And it is important. If you recall from the Oblivion Crisis, the primary strategy for destroying an Oblivion Gate was to enter Oblivion through it and remove the sigil stone on the other side. In this case, we are going to be the invaders, and that strategy would work against us. If our portal closes, then everyone who went through it would be sent back to the Hunting Grounds immediately. Our invasion would be over, just like that. Hal-Neesa does not seem to think that the Daedra will attempt that sort of cleverness. According to her, the Skaafin, like the Dremora, are far more direct in their approach. If they see a problem, they try to kill that problem, in her words. Still, I do not want to leave our portal without a good defense."

[Muttonhawk]

Lunise gave the suggestion a moment of thought. "I believe I could do that." She nodded. "Of course, Teroiah has her own command structure, but I doubt she will turn away an additional mage. Whether your officers will trust me remains to be seen."

She sighed. "You have the right of it regarding my motives. If I was to stay in the city drumming my fingers and waiting for news, I might fall to insanity."

[EliteCommander]

"My officers will trust me, and they will follow my orders. That is all that matters." Meesei remarked. After a moment, she stood from the bed and walked up to Lunise, embracing her without hesitation. She leaned into Lunise, nestling her head into the nape of her neck and closing her eyes. "Not only will you be protecting the sigil stone, but also the camp itself, and all of the wounded that make it back through the portal from all three armies. There is no one I would trust more to protect them."

---

With as much as had happened over, to Meesei, what had been several days, it was somewhat jarring to be back with her clan. She now had a new mountain of worries tearing at her thoughts, but the invasion was still looming. Meesei still had duties to carry out, people to speak to and coordinate, last-minute plans to refine. And she could not simply ignore those responsibilities, regardless of any new turmoil in her life. So, she had no choice but to keep quiet on her concerns for the rest of the day and just focus on her duties. She would just have to take what time she could to speak to her pack, Hal-Neesa, and anyone else she might find to help her in the small handful of days it would take to build their second portal in the Hunting Grounds.

The next day began early for most of the clan. Even if the sun had somehow been visible from within the cavern, they were up well-before it would have risen. The area around the portal had been cleared of any mushroom trees or any other potential obstacles, just to allow them to gather their supplies more conveniently close to the portal, as well as to give them a clear path to cart in the massive enchanted stones that would be constructed into their second portal. These stones were far larger than the ones that comprised their current portal, and when brought together, they would form a portal comparable to a great gate from the Oblivion Crisis. Without such a sizable portal, they would not be able to bring their forces into Vile's realm near quickly enough.

For now, however, they had to focus on establishing their forward camp in the Hunting Grounds. Meesei's pack was gathered at the portal for its first activation, and they would be among the first stepping through once it was active. Being that they were not heading into battle, they were no more armed nor armored than usual, which held true for most of the other lycans present. The Imperials and Dominion personnel might have been on-edge, but the lycans had no reason to fear Hircine's realm. In addition to the mages that were already working on the final preparations activate the portal, they also had a multitude of laborers that would start work on their forward camp as soon as they were cleared to step through. Being that it would be far too impractical to establish three entire, separate temporary camps any meaningful distance from one another, the lycans, Dominion, and Imperials would essentially be sharing the same camp over the next few days. At the very least, they were going to be forced to be much closer to one another for a few days than they had been for the last few months. From her clan, Meesei had selected Vera to take on the responsibility of overseeing the construction and administration of their forward camp, for several reasons. Not only had she been the clan alpha since before they migrated from Bruma, but Meesei knew she was a patient and level-headed woman, which would almost certainly be necessary if she was going to have to coordinate with both the Imperials and Dominion.

Meesei, on her part, had little left to do but to wait for Ahnasha to signal her that they were ready to open the portal, then send a messenger back to the city. The sigil stone that would be powering this portal was being kept nearby inside the Silent City itself, as there was no reason to keep it physically near the portal. The magical connection between them would not weaken unless the stone was brought much farther away. Darahil was the one who was tasked with activating and monitoring the sigil stone. Meesei's pack might have noticed that she seemed distracted the entire morning, though that might have been understandable given that they were about to journey to the Hunting Grounds itself. She had not yet told them about her visit to Artaeum or what she had learned about herself, though she did intend to. She did not feel it would be right to keep it from them. For now, though, she stood staring at the inactive portal, unable to hide her worry.

[Muttonhawk]

The morning was abuzz with excitement of all kinds for the coaligned armies. Those with any niggling doubts or attachments outside of Hircine's cult -- most of those present -- had anxieties over what might be on the other side. Those fully devoted were feverishly anticipating the visit. Those with neither merely trusted the reassurance of their leaders and left their excitement to stepping closer to the fight with Vile.

Meesei's pack had greeted her when she returned no differently than if she had not spent any time at all on Artaeum. In a sense, she had not, but the experience added to the jarring feeling overall. All the adults had some duty or another keeping them busy, while the children tried not to show their worry.

It came as a surprise to them all, then, that Meesei would be expressing much more worry than usual around them. It went ignored for a short while, but enough exchanged glances had Fendros quietly urging Sabine forward to talk to her.

Sabine put her hand on Meesei's shoulder. "The portal is set up correctly. It will not go wrong, I promise." She worried her brow. "Meesei. Is something wrong?"

[EliteCommander]

The hesitation from Meesei would likely only fuel Sabine's worry. It was, indeed, quite unlike Meesei to be unable to hide her feelings, but, at the same time, she had never been in this kind of situation before. She stared into the portal for several more seconds before finally giving a calm answer. "You are right. There is nothing wrong with the portal; I certainly trust Ahnasha's abilities, and everyone else who played their part. But, once it is active, there will be no going back. Our path will be set, and our timeframe...fixed. There will be a few days, the second portal will be built, then it will be activated. Just a few days..."

While Meesei was obviously upset, her worry could have been reasonably coming from any number of sources, and without context, her next question might have seemed sudden. "Tell me, Sabine, do you want to allow your sister to visit, for those few days? I understand if you do not want your sister learning about the invasion and leaving her to worry about you, but...I feel we should take the best advantage of these last few days as we possibly can. This is no normal battle we are approaching, no normal mission. It would be easy enough to let her stay for just a few days."

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine opened her mouth, somewhat confused. "Do not mistake me when I say this, but...I visited her a short while ago. I did just as you said when you told everyone in the pack to visit their families. It would be nice to see her again. However...we have many things to worry about already."

Her confusion only deepened when she thought about it. "Did you want to see her, Meesei? I understand you did not have time beforehand."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei lightly smiled. "Yes, I suppose you would have. Apologies, I have just been...distracted recently, as I'm sure you can understand. But yes, I would like to see Ariel, I think. Honestly, I would very much like to see the families and loved ones of all our pack before the invasion, but your sister is essentially the only one that enjoys such a unique position among our clans. She would be welcome among any and all of the clans under my leadership."

It was not long before Ahnasha approached from the direction of the portal. Like most of the others present, she was anxious and on-edge, though also excited to see all of her work finally coming to fruition. "The Imperials are finally done with their pointless 'tests'. We can do this whenever you are ready, Meesei."

Meesei paused, though again, she saw no reason to delay, giving a nod to Ahnasha before glancing to Sabine. "If you do decide you want to offer her the chance to visit, I suppose we can do it later this evening. For now...the Hunting Grounds await."

Grabbing the attention of a messenger, Meesei sent him off back to the Silent City to tell Darahil that it was time to activate the sigil stone, at which point the portal would activate immediately, if all went well. This type of portal did rely upon Hircine himself willingly allowing it to pierce into his realm, though Meesei had already communed with him. Hirine was aware of and gave his approval to the plan they had concocted.

Stepping up closer to the portal, Meesei started to shout loudly enough to grab the attention of everyone present from whatever they might be doing. "First group, move to the portal! It will activate in a few minutes!"

Most of the laborers moved out away from the portal and moved over closer to the carts carrying their supplies. On the part of the lycans, the first group they were sending through was fairly small. It just included every adult member of Meesei's pack, Vera, and anyone that Vera had selected to help choose a location for their camp. Meesei had not been involved in choosing who would be the first among the Dominion or Imperials to step through, but she did not particularly care what approach they decided to take. Meesei did not expect any danger in the Hunting Grounds, and both of the other armies had already been warned how to tell their soldiers how to behave. It was true that the Hunting Grounds were not a safe place, but in these circumstances, anyone who remained within a reasonable distance from the portals would be under the protection of Hircine and would not be targeted by any of the creatures in his realm. They were not to stray too far from the portals, nor was anyone to issue a challenge to a lycan spirit under any circumstance, even in jest.

[Muttonhawk]

The timing of inviting Ariel to visit remained peculiar in Sabine's mind. However, she only nodded and pressed her lips shut. There were more pressing matters for now.

"This is it," Fendros said, looking up at the portal. He took a deep breath of cavern air. "Fifteen or so years ago, I never would have anticipated going to Oblivion, let alone the Hunting Grounds."

"Without needing to die, no less," Janius added with a smirk.

Fendros took Ahnasha's hand and smiled. "How does it feel to know where we're going?"

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha gave a smile, looking towards the inactive portal. "Yes, well, it's not every day you get to visit your own afterlife. And if we end up in the presence of Hircine himself, I...hope I am prepared for that. Still, I do have to say I am proud to be the one bringing us there. Not to diminish the contributions all the others had on the portal, of course." She grinned. "Let's just hope that no one ends up picking a fight with anyone else. Imperials, Thalmor, and the spirits of lycans all in one place...let's hope their training and discipline is as good as they say it is."

Just as Meesei had announced, it only required a few minutes for their messenger to return to the Silent City and rush up to Darahil. The sigil stone was situated high in the cavern, on a balcony overlooking the Dwemer "sun." The light from the sun did somewhat obscure it, but the intense red glow of the now-active sigil stone was still intense enough to be noticed from the portal.

Within moments, magicka began to surge through the portal, collecting a level of power in the stones that few witnessing it had likely ever seen in person. The stones gave off the same, brilliant red glow as the sigil stone until the portal finally formed in its entirety between them. Although the stones they had used to form the gate had a different appearance from the Oblivion gates of old, the fact that they were using a sigil stone to power it meant that the portal itself appeared identically to the gates that had opened across Tamriel during the Oblivion Crisis. For those who had been alive at that time, it was not likely to bring back fond memories.

As impressive of a sight as it was, and as much pride as Ahnasha was obviously taking in it, Meesei did not intend to allow everyone to stand around to admire it. They needed to get to work quickly once in the Hunting Grounds, and Meesei did not want the laborers to be too distracted about where they were to work efficiently. So, as was common, she took the approach of leading by example.

"First group, through the portal." Meesei announced clearly and loudly. Of her pack, she was the first to step forward, and the first to walk through the portal. Despite its appearance, traversal through the portal was not as unpleasant as one might have expected. In fact, it felt no different than the portals that Meesei and Sabine could create. The destination was far more distant, if not somewhat less exotic than some might have been expecting. Meesei, and anyone else properly educated on such matters, would have already known what to expect, but it was simply a forest. They stepped from the hard stone of the cavern floor onto soft grass and dirt. There was life all around them in the form of trees, ferns, bushes, and even the sounds of birds. There was the constant sound of a small brook flowing downhill just off to their right. The trees and other plants seemed familiar, or at least, would not have looked out of place in any forest in Tamriel. The sky, at least at this moment, looked no different from the sky above Nirn. Although, it did seem to be the middle of the day here, while they had left Tamriel before sunrise. Indeed, without the discrepancy in time, one could reasonably make the mistake that they were still somewhere else in Tamriel. Of course, they had not yet seen any of the wildlife.

[Muttonhawk]

Janius, Sabine, Fendros, and likely most people going through the portal could not help but be on guard. Between the common description of the Hunting Grounds and other old stories about planes of Oblivion, they could only assume there would be danger ahead. However, as they emerged from the portal, first appearances were anything but dangerous.

"Is this it?" Janius looked up at the trees and the sky. "It's...more peaceful than I expected," he commented.

"If any plane of Oblivion is going to look like this, it would be the Hunting Grounds." Fendros toed at the grass curiously, but quickly kept his eyes back on their surroundings.

Sabine brought a spell to detect life up in her palm to check the coast was clear.

[EliteCommander]

As they were stepping out of the portal, the first group was already fanning out to check the immediate area. Though, in contrast to some of the others, Meesei was calm, even smiling to a slight degree. The air felt much fresher than the cavern, and as Janius had alluded to, the whole area had a peaceful feeling to it. Meesei did take a moment to simply enjoy it all, though she still did give her input to the conversation. "It is the perfect home for a hunter. Endless forests, meadows, marshlands. Though, you should not mistake its beauty for safety. The Hunting Grounds are filled with both swift and sporting prey, and dangerous predators against which skilled hunters can test themselves. But, for all of us entering his realm here, Hircine has extended his protection. None of the creatures of his realm will harm us, so as long as we do not stray too far from the portal."

Sabine's attempt at detection might have bore results, had she used a spell to detect the dead. However, those that were awaiting their arrival did not delay long before revealing themselves. Stepping out into plain view from the forest were several beings, both man and beast alike. Some were werewolves, others in the forms of men and mer. All of them looked just as physical and "real" as any member of Meesei's pack, but they also all possessed a distinct magical aura around them that could be plainly seen with just the naked eye. They were lycan spirits. Meesei wondered briefly why they, specifically, might be the ones to greet them, but those thoughts were all pushed away when she saw one man that stood out to her above the rest. "Vera, you...may wish to come over here." Meesei announced. The man was a Redguard, wearing furs and other trophies presumably from his kills, and with a face that all of them would recognize. It was the first alpha to the Bruma clan: Jerrick.

Meesei had known this was possible. All of her pack would have known, even if they did not put much thought to it. The Hunting Grounds were the home for the souls of lycan dead, and not all those they had lost over the years had been claimed by the soul-tearing gas. They could well meet anyone they had once known. "Jerrick, I..." Meesei began, though as much as she wanted to smile in her greeting, she could not help but to lower her head and show a hint of shame. "I am sorry. I failed to protect you."

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros breathed in to announce their company when he spotted them, but stopped short. The sight of the lycan spirits should not have been any surprise. Somehow, however, Fendros and the others had forgotten to consider the implications.

They were all struck silent except for Meesei. Jerrick had not aged a day since his death -- thankfully his appearance spared the horror of his final poisoned fate. The true dissonance came with the realisation amongst the pack of just how closer they were around Jerrick's age of passing.

For his part, Jerrick looked upon the groups streaming in through the portal with curiosity, more than anything. There was the smallest hint of a smile upon his face. He only paid close attention to Meesei when she spoke to him. At her words, he exhaled as if remembering himself. "Champion..." His voice was hoarse and unpractised. Around the edges of his face, shimmers of odd shapes hinted at his beast spirit speaking with him. "There is...no need. I knew my death was n-...near. Tell me, has the clan..." He stopped as someone caught his attention just over Meesei's shoulder. His eyes glazed over and his lips hung open.

The target of his focus was Vera. She was armed, armoured, and ready to lead just moments beforehand. But now she stood with her helmet under her arm and tears rolling silently down her comparatively aged face. She took stilted steps forward, past the pack and towards Jerrick with everything behind her forgotten. She dropped her shield before the last step and slowly reached out towards him.

Jerrick, in turn, slowly lifted his own hand to meet hers. Neither of them knew if it was right to even touch, let alone if it was even possible.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei had not anticipated being greeted so quickly, though she supposed it did make some sense. Hircine would have had control over where the portal arrived, and any lycan souls he wished to dedicate to the invasion would have needed to be in approximately the right location. Though, she wondered if it had just been chance that Jerrick had been in just the right place, or if he had earned the privilege of being among the first to meet them?

When summoned from another plane, souls on Tamriel appeared ethereal, and were not always entirely corporeal. However, being in a plane of Oblivion was another matter entirely. Jerrick's body, and those of any of the other lycan souls around them, were just as "real" as those of Meesei's pack. There was much that Meesei, Ahnasha, and likely some of the others would have like to say, but in this instance, Jerrick and Vera deserved their moment together.

Among the other lycans present, they too were allowing Jerrick his chance to reunite with his wife, though the majority of their focus was upon Meesei. Several stepped closer, though not in a manner that seemed threatening, but rather more curious. A werevulture flew down from one of the trees and landed nearby, quickly shifting into the form of a Bosmer. It seemed like a physical transformation, but was almost effortless, even moreso than Meesei's transformations with the Ring of Hircine. That did not necessarily imply perfect control over the mind of the beast, but rather that transformations themselves were fundamentally different for a lycan spirit. For now, Jerrick was still Meesei's focus, though she did also notice the approach of another lycan she did not recognize. She was a Khajiit woman with mostly black fur. She did not seem to be a different form of Khajiit than Ahnasha, but she had teeth and claws far more ferocious than any Khajiit Meesei had seen before. She still wore furs and hides, but they were well-kept and almost regal in appearance. Most notable was the fact that, as soon as they noticed her, other lycans moved from her path and seemed to bow slightly before her.

[Muttonhawk]

As soon as Vera and Jerrick's hands met, they wove their fingers together and held tightly. They brought one another into an embrace that was slower than expected, but still strong. Then again, few present knew how they would behave when meeting a lover they had lost and grieved over a decade beforehand.

Jerrick leant his head against Vera's and closed his eyes. "How is the boy?"

"He's a grown man now," Vera said, voice quivering. "Strong, brave, and much wiser now."

They both smiled broadly.

"And the clan?" Jerrick asked.

"Stronger than ever. Renowned across Tamriel."

Jerrick brought his hand up to Vera's hair. "And you?"

Vera sighed. "You know me, just keeping things together."

While Jerrick and Vera remained hugging, the pack kept an eye on the growing group appearing to receive them. They did not feel threatened, though meeting strangers from another plane kept them feeling cordial.

The wild-looking Khajiit naturally drew their attention.

"Is that someone you know, Meesei?" Janius asked. "She seems important."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei shook her head to Janius. The Khajiit was no one she recognized, nor were any of the others she saw gathered around her. The thought had crossed Meesei's mind that she might see some of those she knew, but she had not put much consideration into meeting those she did not know. Any lycan from history could be among those in the Hunting Grounds.

While Jerrick and Vera were taking their time together, several of the other lycans finally approached Meesei's pack. The Khajiit was still the most prominent among them, but it was a Dunmer man who stepped the closest, and finally spoke. "So, today is finally the day we meet the successor." He remarked.

"The successor." Meesei repeated, crossing her arms as she looked the Dunmer over. Unlike the Khajiit, there was nothing outwardly remarkable about him, but Meesei gathered enough from the context to understand who he was. "I can assume you are referring to me. And so were you all bearers of Hircine's Ring."

The Dunmer gave a light shrug. "Hmm, not all. Some of us did not bear the Ring itself, some never held the title of Champion in life, but we have all been champions of our lord Hircine. And so, you are our successor. You, all of your pack, have the great challenge of holding the respect you have earned among the living, and extending it to those souls who have the greatest champions of Hircine in history to compare you to. Hmm, I suppose I can just wish you all luck. I am hardly in any position to doubt you; all I managed to do as Champion was to be killed by an Orc. At least, that's what anyone else here will tell you."

[Muttonhawk]

The Dunmer caused a mild stir shortly after he finishes speaking. Meesei's pack were not the only ones aware of how Meesei originally rose to her title.

"You were the one before Meesei?" Fendros asked. "The one we avenged? History is not well kept amongst Hircine's followers. We did not know."

[EliteCommander]

The Dunmer started to laugh. "I would have been more surprised if you had anything to say about me. There are no histories of me to keep. I suppose it was a fight to claim the Ring in Skyrim, but I did little of note with it after I brought it to Morrowind. There are other stories here that are far more interesting to tell."

The Dunmer pointed a finger to a large, transformed werewolf watching them from just off to their right. "This one died in battle with the Nerevarine himself. That werecrocodile lurking in that river over there? She killed a swamp leviathan alone and cut out the Ring from its stomach. And not in that order, either . Regardless of what anyone else tells you, though, I promise my pack and I did give a worthy fight before that Orc killed me. He had us heavily outnumbered."

Meesei heard the sound of a scoff from behind the Dunmer as the large, ferocious Khajiit finally approached. Meesei supposed she could have been a Cathay like Rhazii, given her height, but her general features still looked closer to Ahnasha's. In any case, she stood with her arms crossed, glaring down at the Dunmer. "Your efforts to save face in front of your 'successor' are almost as pathetic as you are. These 'champions' may have been strong enough to earn some small renown in life, but in death, they all bow to the superiority of Vykosa the Ascendant!"

The Khajiit, Vykosa, turned her eyes not to Meesei specifically, but to the rest of her pack. "Now, will you dogs bow too?"