(ooc: I realize that after having written all of this, the actual Steward to Jarl Korir is a Dark Elf man. I am going to continue with the fact that he is a she, and just use the same name and keep the same race. I apologize for being ignorant on that aspect, but we already have several threads pretending that he is a she and there is no point to fix it. So, for clarification's sake of the reader, this is why I have continued on with the false person.)
Danacia was still standing against the wall she had started at back from the first entry into the longhouse. She had moved there after having composed herself from sitting at the chair alone briefly. She could feel the vampire still spying on her no matter if she was engaged in conversation. One thing Danacia found annoying about this expedition so far is that conversation seemed to be all over the place. But, the fact that she was the leader, was very important, and she needed to take after her sister in this role to prove to the others she deserves their respect despite being a powerful werewolf. She wanted to be viewed with integrity, as a quality person, not just a flirtatious Dibellan worshiper with an alter ego of brutish strength and mind skills.
Curious as to what the position held for her, the responsibilities she would have besides being the "go to person," Danacia looked over to the steward who was heading off to a room with no door to it while the Jarl tended to the last few adventurers by himself. The longhouse was slowly diminishing in numbers, and it found to Danacia to be a lot more comforting in the Jarl's Chambers with less crowded space. Danacia decided to follow after the steward, hopefully not overstepping her boundaries, walking off in his direction. Perhaps there was something she could do to help her, and while at the same time get her questions answered? After all, the rest of the group around her seemed to be busy with conversation, watching the Jarl speak to the adventurers, and so forth with whatever else.
Following at a casual pace into the other room, Danacia's eyes laid to every wall the room held. On every wall, there were weapons of every type and make that you could ever dream of. The steward was holding a scroll, making check marks on what seemed to be some sort of inventory list as she slowly moved from the first wall making her way down each row of weapons carefully. In the right back corner, there were several large burlap sacks of food. Most of it was fresh vegetables, as well as, anything they could carry that wouldn't spoil easy. They would most likely be on their own for meat, but she spied a few barrels next to the bags that Danacia suspected to have meat in there. Or maybe it was mead?
Moving to the next corner, there was several stacks of leather hide, metal ingots, strips, furs for blankets and warmth, and all the necessary things one would need to craft and use throughout this expedition. The quantity of each things in this room was so abundant, that Danacia began to count. She counted everything slowly, adding in her head a rough idea of what the group would go through on a week's formula. She assumed from what the Jarl and the rest of Skyrim involved in this expedition were supplying that they figured about two months. She wondered, depending on how huge the ruins were, if it were going to be longer. And she also wondered what secrets would lie the deeper and deeper they plunged through the underground world of Skyrim. What was past the ruins, or was there anything but darkness? Danacia had never been deep enough in any ruins to know, in fact this would be her first excavation, for most adventuring she had done before "going underground" would have been with caves and the like. Her sister, Leilani however, was a great asset in knowledge on dwemer ruins. Leilani truly had been everywhere around Skyrim, made quite the name for herself in her time "pumping to the top." Danacia always felt like she was in her sister's shadow, but, if it meant choosing between living a simple life without tedious demands, and, wealth, she would pick the life she had now for everything. She just wished the relationship she had with Wulfric had been worth the exile from the very true family she was born into. For once you are an Ula, and you are exiled for "treason," you can never be accepted back. At least she still had contact with her sister, the Ula Queen.
Danacia sighed, shaking the rush of thoughts off her mind as her eyes came into focus on a large table in the center of the room. There was a tan parchment with charcoal drawings that looked like a "guesstimated" map of what Jarl Korir's prediction to the outline of this dwemer ruin. The scholars that Jarl Korir worked with were very into the dwemer, and not necessarily were native to Winterhold due to the ruins of the previous royal city. Danacia knew that just from looking at these outlines the scholars had been extensively in deep study of dwemer ruins, as well as, their basic outline for architecture. She saw different build plans spaced out through the parchment, and she figured they put down the few that they assumed would be the most likely to match the layout of this newly discovered ruin. Danacia felt like she really needed to get her hands on this parchment if it was going to be something that could help her in the long run, and to avoid running in circles. The dwemer scholars were profound in their work, and she was confident in that paper laid out on the table.
Coming to lean on the entrance of the doorless frame to the room, she stepped in further to the room revealing a silent physical presence to the studious, and kept up, steward. The steward took a few minutes finishing the first wall counting and checking marks on her scroll, but then she turned back as her senses kicked in to Danacia's presence. Her eyes revealed Danacia's physical body leaning agains the door, legs crossed comfortably, and arms crossed as well, and the steward smiled. "Is there anything I can help you with, Miss Mundatke? By the way, I told you I woud put in a good word for you with the Jarl for lead position." The steward winked as she lowered the scroll down from in front of her face and stepped over towards the long table in the center of the room. With all of the supplies, it was crowded as can be in this wing of the longhouse making hardly any walking space.
Danacia smiled warmly, a strand of hair as usual falling in her face, and she blew it away revealing slight frustration to the style her hair was cut. She stood up, coming off the doorless frame, and she tucked her hair behind her ears once more knowing it wouldn't stay as she moved closer to the same table the steward stood by. Appropriate space between them, of course. "I appreciate the help, though I would have hoped more to have dazzled him from my own intelligence rather than be swung the job due to my sister." Danacia looked down with a sigh.
The steward couldn't help but laugh, though it was a friendly laugh full of well met intentions. She shook her head crossing her arms. "Danacia, Jarl Korir was born into his position indeed. He may hold the typical grudge of his forefathers about the collapse of Winterhold, and definitely sees this expedition as an advancement in the wealth of his city, but he does rule fairly. Sure, we are in the middle of a Civil War, and yes we are in Stormcloak territory, so having help from other holds of the province is difficult indeed. The point I am trying to make here is despite all the odds you could set against him as Jarl, he doesn't just select the people he is selecting for this expedition based off secondhand intuition. Anyone can be good at an interview, and anyone can master the art of Speechcraft. He chose you for leader because you deliberately stated to him that actions speak louder than words. Your sister was a plus, no doubt, but he only brought up the things she has done in efforts to side with you for this position because she has prove herself in Skyrim time and time again. It's not a matter of you following after your sister, it's a matter of being able to trust your birthright. Plus, you are a Nord woman through and through, and your name no matter if minor holds great weight in Skyrim. You are a mundatke, your khajiit parents are something of a downfall no less, but you and your sister have paved glory for the Nordic side of the clan in Skyrim over the years."
Danacia looked extremely puzzled after all of what the steward preached. She crossed her arms, furrowing her brows, and expressing anger and resentment for him having been racist about her adoptive khajiit family. Danacia stood for a moment, in silence, wanting to let the woman have it for being so ignorant about Tamriel as a whole. Even if the empire was divided right now, how could one no matter if the tension of a Civil War was at play forget that we are all in this together? There are plenty of various raced beings that live in Skyrim besides Nords. And if there was one thing Danacia hated more than her secret of the Ula being revealed, it was racism.
Danacia closed her eyes, briefly, and she swallowed allowing an exhale to emit from her nostrils. The steward was staring at her blatantly, watching every emotion from the reaction of her previous words set over Danacia's body language openly. She wanted to make it apparent without having to tell the woman off. Danacia reopened her eyes, and then continued to speak with poise about her once more. She looked the woman clear in the eyes. "I will have you know, and I mean no disrespect, that the Mundatke clan, as well as all Khajiit people, are an extremely misunderstood race in Skyrim. The Nords of Skyrim deserve to be respected for their abilities in battle, their loyalty to honor and tradtion, as well as the pride they have for their culture. I love being kinsman with these people, but I will not take disrespect for the people of Elsweyr no matter what position of office you hold. And beyond that, you seem to be fair in your judgement of the rather biased Jarl, no matter if some of the people he has allowed in the expedition kind of forced their way in. He has done a good job in turning down those with respect and composure, as well as weeding those out who seem fit for the arduous travel ahead of us for such a long expedition. I can commend him for that. But please, no matter how close you, the Jarl, or any of the limited members of your community in Winterhold say you know my family; you don't. You have no right to speak about us though my sister and I, or my Khajiit relatives are peasants 'working for success.' Because real sons and daughters of Skyrim work these lands, explore these lands, put in hard hours of labor for honest coin day in and day out. They, unlike the Jarl, are not born into wealth. Or have the 'connections needed' to be the Jarl's steward. I apologize for my bluntness, but I do not apologize for standing up for my dignity. And I can assure you that I will bring back beyond success and proof to Jarl Korir that picking me for lead position was due to my skill. Not by my sister. Because it's obvious that while you say you can see these things in me, you have absolutely no idea of who I am. Or the minor reputation I uphold in Whiterun as a honest, hard working individual. Good people come in all shapes in sizes, as well as race, so I hope that when your Stormcloak faction takes that to the Civil War meetings in this area; you can deliver the message to your city's high ranking officer."
The Steward had her arms crossed, surprisingly smiling, and her eyes were locked into Danacia's the entire time that she spoke. The Steward had said what she had said in order to give Danacia an example of herself to the spirit she had within. Having this smile on her face made Danacia see that she used the art of Speechcraft against her to do so, and she blushed with a wide grin ear to ear as she looked down. The Steward remained silent, but nodded to finish the silent conversation the two were having between their eyes as Danacia had come to this final understanding. Danacia finally broke the silence with a laugh, placing her arm on the Steward's shoulder as the Steward rang in with her chime.
"Indeed, he saw me for my spirit, and not my glorified title. Perhaps my moment of boisterousness will be enough to prove me wrong about your personal views on the current war. I can't say that I myself have chosen a side, for I am not one to be mixed into politics, and never have been." Danacia continued to smile as she pulled her arm back to her side and clasped her hands together.
The Steward nodded and held just as big of a grin. They were obviously enjoying one another's company, and it was evident to Danacia no matter if the Steward had said so that Leilani and the Steward must have been close friends. Or, Leilani left quite the impression on Winterhold, for this ease and comfort between the Jarl, the Steward, and Danacia would not so easily have been established before. She inwardly thanked her sister for that. She had to admit, no matter if she did hide in her sister's shadow most of the time, having a sister as "glorified" as she was held great benefits. Many people looked to Danacia for being related to her with the same kind of respect. The Steward then decided to finally speak, "Indeed. Leilani has been pressured by the Jarl every time she comes to visit her home she made in Winterhold. Being a respected member of the College, as well as a permanent resident of the hold and his Thane makes her quite the 'resource' in this ongoing war. However she expressed to me that Jarl Korir isn't the only Jarl down her throat about the war and choosing sides. We can't expect her to stay on our side, of course it would be fantastic, but she is neutral between many holds who are radically divided. So what actually brought you to speak to me one on one, Danacia? I assume it has to be centered around questions for the expedition, am I correct?"
Their conversation seemed to be all over the place. It started with small pleasantries, then evolved to respect about the Jarl and Danacia's election to the leadership positon, then evolved to the Civil War, and also tied in Leilani's sister. Danacia's head was in a whirlwind, wanting to focus directly on her purpose as the Steward suggested, but she was still curious as to their current subject. She pressed further, "Perhaps it is not my place, Steward, by the way what is your name? As I was saying, though, perhaps it's not my place, but do I get the feeling you're not in full support of the Stormcloak Rebellion yourself?" Easily, Danacia knew she could find the answer, but sometimes having others reveal information you desired was a lot more rewarding than having to cheat for it.
"Well, I can definitely tell you that my name is Malur Seloth, and as you can see I worked to get my position being a Dunmer and all..." The Steward winked, referring the racist comment from before, and she laughed still amused Danacia had taken her so seriously being the person she obviously was. "...As for my personal views on the Civil War, in my position and loyalty and duty to Jarl Korir, I do not feel as though I can discuss this. However, I can say I have mixed feelings about opposing issues from each side in the Civil War." The Dunmer woman nodded with another wink. It was all that Danacia needed to know to conclude typical issues someone of her race would view against the Stormcloaks. It made her instantly think of the extreme racism and poor conditions her people faced in the city of Windhelm. Danacia sighed and looked to the ground. "I understand completely. Some things are just best left unsaid. But moving on, yes, I came to speak with you for information on the expedition absolutely. I want to be able to answer questions for the rest of the group as effectively as I can. Plus I have been done with the Jarl for a hour or so now, and why not bother you?" Danacia chuckled with a playful wink. She was indeed enjoying Malur's company.
The Steward nodded, and then picked back up the scrolls and quill she once had moving to the second wall continuing her overview of the inventory once more. "I can answer your questions as I finish my work, so proceed whenever you are ready." She looked back at Danacia briefly with a smile, then went back to glueing her nose into the scroll still holding that welcoming smile.
Looking back down to the parchment on the table, Danacia stepped around the table for a closer view. She studied the outlines of different dwemer ruins across Skyrim in closer detail. "First off, what is this parchment indicating, and how is it of importance to the uncharted ruin we're going to detail?"
"The parchment is as it looks. It hold different typical dwemer archaeological building plans. Most of their ruins are of the same make up, but depending on the size and purpose of that specified region. Jarl Korir had the scholars develop this for the leader, specifically, so that if there was anyway to provide some means of a map this would be the best we could. We don't want you and the rest of the group to have to be walking into the dark one hundred percent. Then, of course as you can tell, everything else in this room is the promised supplies, food, and weapons the Jarl spoke of at introductions." The Steward was halfway through the second wall still continuing her inventory process.
Danacia let her words flow and filter through her mind. "Interesting... so what did the Jarl exactly mean by us being sent down to not just clear the ruins of danger, but to map out the ruins as we progress through them? I figure it means we will be developing a rough guide for the scholars when we see our way back up?"
The Steward nodded, the smile gone from her face as she continued to focus moving to the third, and last, wall of weapons. "Indeed. Not much more to be said on that you answered it for yourself."
Danacia nodded to herself, knowing the Steward wasn't paying attention. "Do you have a feeling for anything I should know to expect while we are down there, something that the scholars were insistent on us knowing? Anything we should be warned about that we're going to face during this risk of our lives?"
"The dwemer ruins hold many mysteries we have yet to find answers to. We have brought forth into the museum of the dwemer, in Markarth, many different kind of protective machinery in their depths. There are spider like contraptions, soldiers than move about on a sphere, and so much more. And then there are door puzzles, traps, etc. You will not taking a light stroll outside of the planes in Whiterun, Danacia, you will have to constantly be aware of your surroundings." The Steward stopped, and she looked over to Danacia with a serious expression. "Because beyond just Dwemer intelligence, there has been proof of the Falmer in the deeper depths of these ruins. And they are not friendly, and would seek your death at any chance they could get. They are savage, insintively based elven kind, and they are abundant in population. Where there will seem to only be one, there will be many more. But that's just what I have been told, as well as the rumors of their fighting ability. I only know what the experienced scholars profess, as well as, things I have picked up on ruin-experienced adventurers such as your sister. I remember one time she told me she had to take a large giant-sized dwemer contraption that resembled the look of a metal God. She was embellishing, most likely, but the look in her eyes was evident of the sheer danger she experienced during that extensive battle. In fact..." The Steward made her way back to the table placing the scroll back down as she moved back to the opposite side of the room towards the entrance. Danacia followed her with her eyes, and when she stopped turning back to her, the Steward waved for her to follow. And so she did.