24th of Midyear, 4E 205
Sha’eek, the Shadowscale Mistress
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After having dealt with the sea-borne threat of the pirates, Sha'eek made her way to the closest Argonian settlement which happened to be Thorn. For the longest time, Thorn had the prestigious title of the most heavily fortified city in Black Marsh, due to its close proximity with the norther neighbors of Morrowind. The ceasefire between the two nations had always been strenuous, with the last attack having been an Argonian assault, many years ago.. It had high walls for an Argonian city, depending more on the crafted defenses than other cities in the Marsh.
Sha'eek was resting in the city's central structure, having announced her presence to the Lord of Thorn, an Argonian by the name of Barkaan. Barkaan was one of the more elderly members of the leader council, but that just meant he was cunning enough to survive the usurpers. Sha'eek decided to wait a few days in the city, until Rules-with-Claw called for her again. An assassin rarely got days off, and she took them willingly.
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Archon, Blackmarsh
27th of Midyear, 4E205
Speaks-with-Songs
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The grand Hist-ee was a patient being. When he had initially received the order from his lord to extract amounts of sap from the Hist, he had been reluctant at first. The hist were sentient and ageless and the link they had with the Argonians was beyond compare. No matter what the results of the summit, none alliance would come close to the alliance with the Hist trees. It had taken nearly a day of negotiation for the Hist-ee to agree, as Rules-With-Claw explained the importance of the sap, as well as promised the small scale of the extraction required.
Whereas it had taken so long for the Hist-ee to be convinced, it took nearly no time at all to convince the Hist itself. The trees understood both the importance of the extraction and the relative non-effect it would have on them. For such a small price, so very much could be gained by the Argonians. The sap Rules-With-Claw had taken with him to the summit was highly diluted. Close to 1/15th the solution was concentrated sap, and the rest was a mix of other chemicals, including a large percentile of water.
The room the Hist-ee worked in was stuffy and shockingly smoggy. The air would choke a lesser being, but the Argonian worked at his pestle and his other alchemical devices none the less. He had nearly finished the first batch of Pure-Hist sap, and was delighted by the effects. The people of Archon, less so. Few people were exactly pleased with the calming effect a city-wide Soothe spell had on the productivity of its citizens, after all.
The batch was ready an hour later, and had been sent by courier to the Helstrom academy of mages. In the hand of such potent spell-casters, who knows what the Sap might do?
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Stormhold, Black Marsh
26th of Midyear, 4E 205
Stalks-The-Stars
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Most argonians did not dream, instead falling into blank slumber when the night called. It was an odd condition, but it was true. There was no scientific reason for it, perhaps they simply lacked the imagination or perhaps it had to do with the link to the Hist, but dreams were rare for the Lizard folk. Some went years without a dream.
Stalks-The-Stars rarely slept without a dream.
It was a familiar dream: Stalks-The-Stars walked in the Hunting grounds, closing in on an unfortunate piece of prey. The stalk had been delicious and the kill was all but assured. Stalks-The-Stars bore down upon the prey, a stag, before it stood on two legs. It turned and faced him, revealing the Stag to be changed into the form of Hircine himself.
"Hunter, you are soon to enter a time of great hunting. My summoning day was recent, and my power remains great. I offer you a gift, champion: so that you may bare down on the prey that approaches you. Take my spear, so that my honour may be spread by your hunt."
The gift was a beautiful one, the curved spear of Hircine himself lay just within his reach. He just needed to reach out and...
Stalks-The-Stars snapped awake, his eyes were wide as he reached for a dagger that lay beside his bed. Something was resting at his bed: a wolf, with the spear of Hircine in its maw. The wolf lay low and let the spear drop to the floor, which Stalks-The-Stars went over to reach.
"For the hunt, indeed."
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Lilmoth, Black Marsh
25th of Midyear, 4E205
Messenger
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Arriving at Lilmoth a shortly after the Summit's end, the Messenger delivered a message to the garrisoned leader of the An-Xileel branch to send the peacekeepers to South Elsewyr. The message was met with much grumbling, but the official seal of Stalks-The-Stars held much weight amongst the Argonians. The note was quickly burned and soon, two hundred soldiers were armed, armoured and sent towards Southern Elsewyr via boat. If nothing else, the Argonians would be known as an honest people, and Stalks-The-Stars would fulfill his promise of soldiers for keeping the peace. Two-hundred armoured Argonians would do much for the Southern people, if only as a deterrent to the North that any dead argonians would likely incite a war.
