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

[EliteCommander]

The few hours until daylight were relatively smooth and uneventful. Ahnasha likely would not have been able to sleep had Meesei not agreed to take care of Rhazii for a few hours. Hopefully, she would be able to get some sleep later that night as well, as long as Fendros agreed to look after Rhazii. After what she had just been through, she figured it was fair to ask for that much. She was not ready to start moving yet, but luckily, they had no particular reason to move in a hurry. They could stand to have more food on hand, but there was nothing stopping the others from hunting. Getting to Stormhold quickly had been a stressful goal, but now, that stress was gone. They would still probably end up in the city, as they needed to send Sabine's letter, but they did not have to rush any longer.

Meesei gave Rhazii back to Ahnasha once she awoke, and she was more than glad to take him. There was something comforting about holding him close in her arms, something that just made everything seem so peaceful...though that might just have been the fact that the only time he would stop crying was in her arms. As Meesei was gathering the remainder of their food for breakfast, she answered Janius' question. "Until Hircine gives us further direction, we will travel to Stormhold and do what we can to make raising Rhazii easier. I do not know how likely it is, but local bookstores may have something on the subject. My own experience with raising children will be less helpful now than it will be in a few years, as I am assuming Argonian infants are somewhat different from those of Khajiit."

As Meesei spoke, Ahnasha moved herself over to Fendros and sat beside him. She leaned up against him and rested her head on his shoulder with Rhazii in her arms. For the moment, he was sleeping and quiet. If what Ahnasha knew about infants was true, then moments like that would be all too rare. "Such a cute little cub. I wonder what he will look like when he gets older? I think it takes time for markings to start to appear in the fur. They will start to show once he starts developing into his Khajiit form in a few weeks."

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros couldn't help but smile down at Rhazii. "He's so...small," Fendros ran a finger down the back of Rhazii's head. "His fur is like yours. I daresay he'll be inheriting more of your features than mine," Fendros said, before chuckling through a grin quietly enough not to disturb the sleeping child. "You know, I can't believe it. I know it's been the reality for all these months now, but I still can't believe I'm a father. It's like I woke up on a different plane this morning." Fendros put an arm around Ahnasha's back and held her tightly, "How are you feeling after a rest?"

"Very well," Janius responded, satisfied with Meesei's answer. Even though there was a war going on, or about to happen, they could only hope Hircine didn't have too much in store for them before they could at least feel stable again. Rhazii's arrival was a wonderful occurrence, but they still needed to learn more about children before they could truly say that they would be safe with him. Janius resumed his breakfast wondering what he might have to learn or do to help.

[EliteCommander]

"I feel...tired. I don't even know how to begin to describe that experience, and honestly, I don't think you would want me to. You saw it and, well, being on the other end of it is no better. I don't think I want to go through that again for a very long time...or ever again, really." Ahnasha answered before directing her attention back to Rhazii. Once they got to Stormhold, it would be time grow accustomed to taking care of him, as it would be a lot easier than when they were in the wilds. It was hard to believe that Hircine was still going to have tasks for them. It was probably too much to hope that he would leave them in peace to raise her son, especially with Meesei being the Champion. When another thought came to her mind, she looked up at the sky, searching it to see if the moons were still visible. As luck would have it, she was just barely able to see both of them on the horizon.

"Ah, I almost forgot, the moons. It looks like...ah, Secunda is still full. That means he will become a Cathay, not a Cathay-raht. That is the one closer in size to a Suthay-raht. He wont have quite the size and strength of a Cathay-raht, but it might make it easier to raise him. He'll still end up bigger than any of us, and he's probably going to grow more quickly than you would expect of an Elven child." She explained.

[Muttonhawk]

"A Cathay then." Fendros concurred with a nod, looking out to the moons as well. To think that a child's physicality would depend on the phase of the moons was still foreign to him, but less foreign than usual now that he was used to transforming when they were full. Thinking on how Rhazii would grow, Fendros wondered about the possibility of him being a handful in his late childhood and adolescence. He was likely to surpass his parents in strength earlier than usual. He surmised that they would just have to raise him to be gentle if they could. This and other things began to whir in Fendros' mind all until he decided to take a deep breath and just relax for a bit. Think about everything at once right now was not useful. Relaxing was something he definitely should have been pursuing more while they had the time today. After last night, he was near falling asleep with Ahnasha leaning up against him.

Fendros looked down and noticed that Rhazii had opened his eyes just a little in Ahnasha's arms. He was looking back up at them both. It was then that Fendros noticed something that made him squint. He spoke quietly in a rather concerned voice, "Ahna, is that blood in his...wait..." Fendros looked slightly closer and confirmed what he was seeing. It was too bright to be blood. Those were Rhazii's irises. "Can Khajiit have red eyes?" Fendros asked curiously, now a little less concerned than curious. They were still Khajiit eyes, just a particular red.

[EliteCommander]

"Red eyes? What are you..." Ahnasha began, cutting herself off once she looked down at Rhazii. His eyes were just barely open, but when she looked closely enough, she could see what Fendros was referring to..Even in the low, early morning light, his eyes were quite plainly red, like his father's. She thought back into her childhood to see if she could think of any Khajiit in Leyawiin with an eye color even remotely similar, but nothing came to her mind.. She had expected that some of Fendros' more subtle feature might show int heir child, but she didn't anticipate it to be something as obvious as eye color.

"I...didn't think we could, honestly. I've never known or heard of a Khajiit with red eyes...though neither have I met a Khajiit with a Dunmer father. I...guess that trait came from you." Ahnasha commented. She wasn't quite sure what that would mean for Rhazii. In a practical sense, eye color had no real meaning, but from a social sense, it could change how others act towards him. It would make him stand out, which could be good or bad, depending on the situation.

[Muttonhawk]

"Curious. I didn't think that would happen." Fendros honestly didn't know what to think about this. He supposed it was interesting to see a trait normally found almost exclusively in Dunmer in Rhazii, but at the same time, he might get some strange stares from others. It was no real matter, though. Being a werewolf meant that he wouldn't have to deal with strangers on a daily basis. At least it didn't appear as if anything was outwardly wrong with his eye's health. If anything, Fendros felt a bit more of a connection with the child now. He had thought that if Rhazii would inherit any of his own traits, that they would manifest later.

With a pause for thought, Fendros looked down at Rhazii for a moment and wondered if he should risk disturbing its current peace by holding him. The desire to do so seemed to rise since he saw his eyes. He looked to Ahnasha with a small smile and gestured to take Rhazii, "May I? For a moment?"

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha put a surprising amount of thought into such a simple request. Other than her innate desire not to part with Rhazii, she did not especially want to disturb him too greatly. At the moment, he was awake, but content. He could see his mother, feel her heartbeat, and could feel safe. Nevertheless, if something happened, she could at least blame Fendros. "Hmm, if you want to take that risk, I'll pass the responsibility to you for the moment."

As slowly and deliberately as possible, Ahnasha moved Rhazii from her arms to Fendros'. His eyes widened slightly and he started moving a bit more restlessly, but he wasn't crying...yet. Ahnasha could not really confess to knowing what would make him comfortable or uncomfortable; she was just doing whatever came naturally. Learning how to quiet his cries would be particularly important when they were out of the cities, as drawing attention to themselves could be dangerous. She would have to take care of his every need in those situations, and once he grew old enough, he would have to be well-disciplined to stay quiet when told. She really was not looking forward to the situations that would put her in, but it was too soon to start worrying about that. For now, they just needed to learn the basics.

[Muttonhawk]

As Rhazii started to squirm in Fendros' arms, he hoped that he had not made a mistake. He held Rhazii close to his body and supported his head, but eventually his squirms became little high grunts that indicated discomfort. Out of either instinct or far flung memory, Fendros began to try and rock Rhazii gently. "There there, little one," he whispered. Rhazii settled somewhat, at least. "It's...calming. Holding him." Fendros said. Unfortunately, Fendros' voice was either too close or too loud and Rhazii began to tense his facial features in preparation for crying. Fendros blinked and his expression became concerned again. Before there was too much cause for Rhazii to cry out, Fendros slowly began to pass him back to Ahnasha. "I don't think he's used to me yet," Fendros admitted. As much as Fendros enjoyed holding his son, he figured it would probably be best to be in his mother's arms for the first day at least.

[EliteCommander]

Unfortunately, Rhazii did not maintain his peaceful composure for the rest of the day. Every other time Ahnasha set him down, she had to pick him back up a few minutes later to stop his crying, and usually to let him nurse. At least she hadn't expected it to be easy, so she wasn't surprised. Through the night, she could not begin to express how grateful she was to Fendros and the rest of the pack, as they took care of his screaming when he inevitably awoke in the middle of the night so she could rest.

Ahnasha felt well-enough to move the next morning, so they packed up and set out for Stormhold as quickly as possible. With what they had on hand, they were able to put something simple together to dress Rhazii in for the city, though she was sure he would ruin it soon enough. They were much less stressed to get there quickly than before. Now, they just had to worry about getting there before running out of food. Luckily, it was less than a day's worth of travel from their camp to reach the city. As they approached Stormhold, they were easily able to see that it was different from any place they had been thusfar in Black Marsh, even Thorn. It was not walled and was built in the middle of the swamp instead of on the coast, so it felt more wild than Thorn, but nevertheless, it was a large city with obvious Imperial influences in its structures. Like most cities, it was divided into districts, though most of the buildings were similar in style. The layout was much like a standard Imperial town, with a grid-like system of roads and pathways between one and two story wooden buildings. The buildings themselves had Argonian aesthetic styling and were built to withstand the humid environment, but even so, many were not quite as well-maintained as the buildings in Thorn. Passing by one of the poorer districts, they could see some buildings that looked close to collapsing from woodrot at their foundations. At least one they could see from the main road actually had collapsed. The biggest exception to this in the city was the very center, the Ayleid district. Stormhold was an Argonian city built around an Ayleid settlement whose structures still stood. There were tall walls made of white stone between which several wooden, well-maintained buildings stood. In contrast to the rest of the city, they were both expensive and aesthetically pleasing, especially with the Ayleid structures surrounding them. The city's Hist tree wasn't in the exact center, as was common among Argonian settlements. Instead, the center was the entrance to the underground portion of the Ayleid's original settlement. Meesei was not exactly sure what it held, but she guessed it was either the wealthier locals, or the local government. Perhaps both.

For Kaleeth, she could not help but to stare in amazement at the city around her. Never in her life had she seen anything like it. Everything, even the uncomfortable clothes Meesei had made her wear, was so foreign. She could think of no words to describe it, but her expression easily gave away her wonderment. As far as cities went, Stormhold wasn't greatly impressive, but it was still more than she had ever seen. She could not fathom why people built such large houses, or why they needed so many. With how many people that could fit into a single one of these homes, she guessed a great deal of people must live in the city. The road they were walking along was rather crowded, which also had the effect of upsetting Rhazii. Being just over a day old, all the chaotic activity around them stressed out the tiny Khajiit, Despite her best efforts to calm him down, Rhazii was crying in Ahnasha's arms loudly enough to turn some heads in their direction.

Ahnasha tried in vain to calm Rhazii by rocking him in her arms, but she made no progress. "Meesei, I think we should hurry and find an inn or something. I don't think Rhazii likes all these people."

[Muttonhawk]

The hodgepodge of different architectures that were on display in Stormhold caused a variety of reactions within the pack. Sabine had probably the least reaction, staying quiet and focussing mostly on keeping everyone in sight through the more crowded moments. When Fendros entered the city, he looked curiously over the huts and houses. Being very different from Thorn, this place seemed like it was worse off, though that may have been simply because the swamp affected it more heavily here. Finally, Janius had a feeling he didn't expect, and that was nostalgia. It must have been the Ayleid walls and arches. He noticed that Kaleeth was looking quite amazed just trying to take it all in, and he didn't blame her. Seeing a city for the first time after spending your life in the marsh probably would have had Janius open-mouthed and looking at everything as well.

"You see those walls there?" Janius pointed Kaleeth to the Ayleid structures. He grinned, thinking a bit of exaggeration might make for some fun, "The Imperial City walls are made from stone like that, but less mossy, and about ten times bigger. If you're at their base, you'll strain your neck to see the top of them. And that's not mentioning the tower in the middle."

When Ahnasha mentioned finding a place to calm Rhazii, Fendros agreed. The poor child must be overwhelmed. Fendros looked to Meesei and chimed in, "I think that's a good idea. Maybe we could ask directions."

[EliteCommander]

"Agreed." Meesei commented. The crying cub was attracting some attention to them, and besides that, it would be good to have a place for them to put their belongings. Of course, they did not have a great deal of gold, and this time, they did not have much to trade. As a result, they would need to be frugal in their spending in this visit to the city. Meesei looked through the crowd until she spotted a guard that did not look to be doing anything. Compared to city guards in Imperial cities and in places like Thorn, the guards here were not quite as uniform. They sometimes used different weapons, and their armor was often made from different materials, but the armor was usually at least uniform enough that they could be easily recognized.

"One moment, wait here. I will approach one of the guards." Meesei said before stepping away. Meanwhile, Kaleeth seemed to be unconsciously sticking rather close to Janius, almost like a frightened child. Of course, in this case, she did have a legitimate fear to worry about. Since she had transformed recently, she did not feel too strong of an urge to turn at the moment, but if she did turn in the middle of a city, it would be catastrophic. It would mean the end of her life, and possibly many others. The thought frightened her, but she didn't have to worry about it at that very moment, so she did her best to push her fears to the back of her mind.

"Your home was made of these big white rocks?" Kaleeth asked curiously. "These walls look the same as the ones in these strange places you sometimes find in the swamp. I remember the Treeminder told me about them when I asked. He said they were...Aye-lee-id ruins. I...think he said they were elves, bad elves. They kept slaves like the Dunmer, but then the slaves killed them all. I wonder why they built this city around one of those places? We were always told to stay away from them because of the danger.Though...I guess they would be a good place to live if you could clean out all the monsters; they can stand up against the swamp very well."

[Muttonhawk]

"Well, my home in Bravil had stone walls that were built later out of different materials, but you're right, they are very strong and often quite fortified. As for the Ayleids, every Imperial knows at least a little about them, because...well, the empire of Cyrodiil was initially built by men led by Queen Alessia in that slave revolt you're probably thinking of. That was thousands of years ago. At least, that's what my teachers told me. Most people are convinced that Ayleids are extinct by now." What Kaleeth mentioned about the ruins being in other places in the swamp caused Janius to scratch his head, "I didn't know that Ayleids would have built structures so far into the swamp, though. I thought they were just in Cyrodiil. Were you taught anything else about Ayleids? Did Argonians encounter them back when they built their settlements here?"

Fendros stepped close to Ahnasha as Rhazii cried. He wished he knew what exactly to do to help Rhazii calm down, but he didn't really know where to start. Their best bet was to find an inn, as Meesei was doing. "Maybe he's also tired. Has he been sleeping much while we've been travelling?"

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth was starting to wish she would have paid more attention to Thorantilth's history lessons growing up. There were parts she found interesting, but she had often been too impatient to dedicate herself to remembering the fine details. Still, she remembered parts of what he said. "Uh, well, I think so. I think Treeminder said they were strong, with powerful armies and magic, but...I think they had some problems in the swamps. Most outsiders do. I remember he said they took Argonians, Kothringi, Lilmothiit, and anyone they could find, but they didn't take all of us. Like you said though, the slaves killed them all. I never heard of this...Alessia though. Maybe the slaves weren't all connected? Black Marsh is close to Cyrodiil, but Thorantilth always said that, it many ways, the Marsh is very far apart from everything. Very...separate. Who was Alessia? You said she was a Queen; did she take over the Ayleids?" She asked, now finding some interest in tales from the past.

"Kind of. He has been sleeping on and off." Ahnasha answered Fendros. She held Rhazii close to her chest so he could feel her familiar heartbeat, then positioned his head in a way that he couldn't see the crowd around him. For a cub at such a young age, being unable to see something frightening was as good as it not being there. He stopped crying, but as he could still hear all the movement around him, he was still quite stressed. "I think it will be quite a long time before he is on any sort of schedule."

It was not long before Meesei returned from speaking to the guard. She did her best not to disturb the now-quiet Rhazii as she approached, though she supposed the noise from the crowd was disturbing him all the same. "The guard pointed out a few inns and taverns, but unfortunately, we won't be able to stay at the best of them. We do not have a great deal of gold right now. He said there is a cheap inn down that road nearby to your left, but it is not a...safe area. The quality of the inn does not bother me, just...be aware of any dangers."

[Muttonhawk]

Looking down the road where Meesei described, Fendros frowned. They were less likely to be accosted in the city as such a large armed group, but the risk was still worth considering with a cub among them. They would just have to keep on their toes.

As they started to walk again, Fendros turned to Meesei. "Are you worried about crime, or wildlife?" He asked. Given how much more open Stormhold was, both were possibilities.

Janius wanted to ask Kaleeth what 'Kothringi' and 'Lilmothiit' were, but she beat him to a question first. He decided to ask later, they were probably just old Argonian tribes or something. Janius was temporarily more fascinated that Kaleeth hadn't even heard of Saint Alessia before, but then again it followed on from what she just said. The marsh was very separate. Besides, Alessia was a quintessential Imperial legend, not anything relevant to Argonian tribespeople.

"Hmm, yes, she led a rebellion against the Ayleids in the first era, but that was just one of the things. She's a very important figure in Imperial history, but it was so long ago that most of it is legend." Janius said thoughtfully, trying to recall his old books and lessons. The story was told at least once a year at the temple of the Eight Divines, but even then, those versions weren't complete and Janius hadn't heard or read it properly in a while. "From what I remember, she was raised as a slave under the Ayleids, but the Eight Divines gave her visions when she prayed to them to liberate her people. They gave her the will and strength to raise a revolt. She was joined by Morihaus, a winged bull man, and Pelinal Whitestrake, a champion of the Eight, and together they raised an army made from slaves, Nords, Bretons, apparently even some Ayleids who turned on their kingdom. She was able to beseige what is now the Imperial City, Pelinal slew the Ayleid king and sacrificed himself in the process, then she declared herself the first empress. She did so by making a blood pact with the Dragon God, Akatosh, to rule over men while Akatosh ruled over spirits. That isn't all, though. Until then, Imperials, or just heartland men, I suppose you would call them then, followed the Aldmer gods and worshiped them. Unfortunately, Queen Alessia's allies in the Nords hated all elves, so she went as far as making a new religion using gods from the Aldmer and the Nords to make the Church of the Eight. It eventually became the Nine Divines, and then the Eight again, but that's another couple of stories, both of which I don't remember quite as well. Anyway, Imperials still follow that religion to this day. Even I did, even though I wasn't very religious. I can't say I've even been in a Temple of the Eight for a while now."

[EliteCommander]

"It is a concern, yes, but most thugs you will find on the street are not seasoned warriors. Just make sure to travel together, and never part from your weapon. As for wildlife, just avoid going into the river that flows through town. The guard said that crocodiles sometimes wait in ambush there." Meesei said, pausing for a moment to look over the businesses and other buildings that lined the road. "As much as I would like to stay here for an extended time, we simply do not have much gold. Not to mention Kaleeth's...condition. I would advise that you two do whatever you need to in the city as quickly as you can. Whatever you would like to learn, whatever books you would like to buy, just try to do it in the next day or two. I will help if I can."

Kaleeth seemed to be quite confused on a topic that was, indeed, quite confusing. When it came history, there were so many stories, some contradictory, that it was hard to keep them all straight. "So Alessia was a Queen who made a deal with a god to create the Empire, Pelinal was a hero who killed the Ayleids' leader, and they had help from...a flying cow? It sounds confusing. What I don't understand though is that you said they just...created a church.They just decided they would put their beliefs together and worship a few of the gods? The Treeminder told us that Nirn was made from the bones of...ah, what is the Cyrodiilic name? Lorkhan, or was it Shor...or Shezarr? I can't remember. Anyway, he said that the world we live in is order...seated within the chaos of Padomay's void." She said, pausing for a moment to think back on Thorantilth's words. "He said that there were those who used their power to make Tamriel, the Aedra, and those who did not, the Daedra. He did mention the Eight the Imperials worship to us. He said they are all Aedra...but there were other Aedra too, like...Magnus, I think is the name. Why do they just choose those Eight to worship? What is different with them from the other Aedra?"

[Muttonhawk]

"Very well," Fendros replied. Hopefully in this inn that they might find, they wouldn't have to worry about burglars as well. As for making their business prompt, Fendros decided to approach Ahnasha on the matter. He spoke at a volume that would hopefully not disturb Rhazii, "So, how did you want to start after we get settled? We might be able to find a bookshop, or ask around for someone who might have advice with the rest of this afternoon." He glanced at the cub, "If you like, you, I or someone in the pack could stay behind to keep an eye on Rhazii. We can allow him to sleep rather than stay among the crowds."

Janius let out a laugh, both at how out of place Morihaus seemed in the way he mentioned the demigod, and at the fact that he hadn't really thought as deeply into it as Kaleeth was. "What you say about how the world was made is similar to what I remember the priests telling me. My best guess as to why they chose the Eight was because they were similar to both the Nord and Aldmer pantheons at the time, so it wasn't too difficult to swallow, I should think. Also, at the time, Alessia wasn't just a queen, she was a saint of sorts. The Aedra had talked to her where they would hardly talk to others, so she carried enough reverence to form the church easily. Lorkhan and Magnus...I honestly don't know. I heard their names in creation myths, and referenced in a few other stories, but they were always...not like the Eight? They were passive, they represented things that were just...there. Magic, Nirn, the moons, they are just there. The Eight, though, they are all patrons of things we value and look up to more, what we can understand more easily." Janius gestured to invisible things as he mentioned each concept, "Endurance, life, death, history, fortune, love of all kinds, loyalty...all these things. Others as well, your could have a priest chew your ear off trying to tell you everything about it. Well, I suppose your fins in your case. There's probably a lot more to it than I've made out." Janius broke into a chuckle again, "A flying cow..."

[EliteCommander]

The pack followed Meesei along the road the guard had pointed out to her. The district they entered was less crowded than the main road, but it certainly seemed like more of a slum. It was at a slightly lower elevation than the rest of the city, so any runoff in the city ended up flowing through it. As a result, many of the buildings were in varying stages of rot, and some had collapsed altogether. To Ahnasha, the smell was not too pleasant, or at least she hoped it was the city and not Rhazii. Nevertheless, even this part of the city would be less dangerous for the pack than the wilds, as long as they stuck together. If any of them ended up walking through the street alone, however, especially Ahnasha or Sabine, then local thugs might give them trouble, not that they couldn't defend themselves.

"I don't really like pushing Rhazii off on the others but...you are right. It would probably be best to keep him in the inn. Maybe one of us can stay with him and the other can go out with one of the others to a bookstore, or something?" Ahnasha suggested.

Kaleeth became a bit uncomfortable when they stepped off the main road. This area wasn't like the one they entered through, it looked almost...sad. The people were dirty with torn clothes, and a few were looking suspiciously at them when they passed by. She couldn't understand why they would want to live like this, and why this area seemed so downtrodden while the rest of the city looked just fine. Despite her discomfort, she tried to distract herself by continuing her conversation with Janius. "I...think I understand....no, it still doesn't make sense. You can't just...decide that a god is important. If the Elven gods were powerful, then they can't just decide they don't matter anymore. If they just picked eight gods and said they were the important ones...well, just saying it doesn't make it so. A god will be a god no matter what we think. I follow the Hist because I know they are powerful, they are strong. I know they created the Argonians and continue to guide us. I don't follow them because I want them to be strong, I follow them because they are." Kaleeth asserted. To her, the religious politics of Imperial history seemed insane. It was like they were trying to shape their divines to what they wanted, which she could not understand.

[Muttonhawk]

"That will work." Fendros agreed. Looking around the poor district they had been lead into gave Fendros little comfort. The woodrot was worse here, the smell was worse here, it was all generally more squalid. For now they didn't get any more looks than they normally got when they walked down less-than-sparsely-crowded areas of the city, but the sooner they got to the inn, the better.

Janius raised one corner of his mouth in thought. He thought Kaleeth had a good point, but he wasn't sure he wanted to defend the Church of the Eight when he was never really invested in them in the first place. It took a few moments to come up with something to respond with. "That's...a fair thing to say." Janius looked to one side. He took a deep, slow breath before continuing, "Well, we do acknowledge them all as gods, we just...well, we don't revere all of them equally, or look to all of them for guidance." He looked to Kaleeth with a new thought, "Tell me, do you follow Hircine? How about Mephala, Azura, Mehrunes Dagon, or...or Sanguine? They're technically all gods. Not everyone follows them. As far as I can see, with all the trouble that was had with the Ninth Divine, I doubt that the Church of the Eight was established without any protest or bloodshed." The mention of this brought Janius' mind back to books about the great war and the wars that followed. His tone turned to being disdainful and sarcastic, "If you really want to decide what is and isn't a god in Imperial eyes, you just have to subjugate the empire and make them sign an armistice that outlaws its worship, pfeh."

Janius stopped talking to look at their surroundings more closely. Meesei was right, this place was dotted with desperate and possibly dangerous people. He leaned towards Kaleeth to speak quietly and cautiously, "The people here may not be so friendly. You had best not make eye contact."

[EliteCommander]

"Why wouldn't they be friendly?" Kaleeth asked just as the pack entered the inn, though the first glance inside revealed it to be more of a tavern than anything. It was rather crowded, with most of the tables filled along with the bar. The clientele were certainly more rough than they were used to. Most of them looked to be a bit better off than the homeless people they saw squatting in collapsed buildings, but not by much. From their worn, dirty clothes and general demeanor, most of them appeared to be laborers, unskilled workers that would do any job. Without exception, all of the patrons were either drinking, or were already drunk, and one was even openly smoking skooma in the corner. All-in-all, it was not a place that Meesei would normally want to stay, but it was the cheapest option they had. As usual, Meesei was the one who approached the barkeeper, who she assumed also handled rooms.

"What can I get for you?" The barkeeper, a dark blue-scaled Argonian man, asked without giving her a chance to speak.

"Actually, we're not here for drinks, we would like rooms for the night" Meesei answered.

"Wait, rooms? Huh, that's rare. Hold on, how much do those cost again..." He muttered to himself as he reached beneath the counter to grab his ledger.

Kaleeth did not need Janius to answer to tell what he meant. This "tavern" place made her feel uncomfortable. It wasn't so much the crowd, but rather the kind of people in it. Despite what Janius said, she couldn't help but to look at them, and for a few of the Argonian men, she could feel their eyes on her. She didn't like the way they were looking at her and it was starting to make her uncomfortable. It was quite fortunate that she was not in danger of turning at the moment, otherwise she would have been making a break for the door.

[Muttonhawk]

The smell of stale drink intermingled with various smokes and a general lack of fresh air hit the pack like a gale when they walked in. Even Sabine, who was normally used to alchemical fumes, had to squint her eyes and scrunch her nose to adjust. Some men around her gave her looks, but her small profile and the wide, slightly threatening look in her eyes kept her unnoticed as far as she could perceive in the smoke and loud chatter. As long as she kept close to the pack, she felt safe enough. Fendros kept his head level, but stayed cautious. Being another city so close to Morrowind, scars of slavery probably still permeated in some minds. As a Dunmer he felt particularly unwelcome. That he hadn't seen a Dark Elf since they entered the city only worsened the matter. He had seen the odd Khajiit, though, so at least Ahnasha was less likely to be a victim of prejudice. It would really depend on what kind of people these customers were.

In case Kaleeth didn't find out for herself, Janius kept the answer to her question for later. At the counter of the inn, he only spared glances to the others in the room and otherwise took his own advice of not acknowledging them. Kaleeth, however, was still standing out. Assuming the patrons didn't speak Cyrodilic, Janius spoke to Kaleeth in a serious manner while looking away, "Stand up straight, look confident, don't look at them. These people are mostly labourers by the looks, so most are probably okay, but some might be unsavory. If they think you're afraid of them, the more drunken ones might try something unwelcome."

Back in Bravil, Janius had sometimes visited places like this for a change of pace. This made him somewhat street-smart in comparison to Fendros or Sabine. It turned out that many who spent their time in taverns like this were amiable folk. However, there was always at least one who was angry at life, or didn't have a father around to teach them manners, or something else that caused them to become barbaric when inebriated. Even though the pack could easily handle such people, Janius found that avoiding them was the best form of prevention.