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Exarch Ulfra presented an interesting challenge. Can my alchemy and sorcery harrow one of her kind? By design, the harrowstorms are not meant to affect our lycanthrope brothers and sisters, but in the centuries since the Gray Host last set out to conquer, the breeds of vampires and werewolves have become a diaspora, promulgated across the world. Not all of them have the sense to bow before the Ashen Lord, including the prisoners Ulfra captured today.
She could have easily ripped these lesser creatures apart for their defiance, but instead she delivered them to me for a more methodical dissection. There's a hunter's cunning hiding in that bestial skull.
* * *
The prisoners respect a pack hierarchy. An affectation of the origin of their curse, no doubt. By holding their leader, Edjar, hostage, the others remain compliant. By offering a slim mercy to the other werewolves, Edjar assumes the role of willing test subject. They are dreadfully simple creatures, after all.
* * *
The incredible constitution of the werewolf, even in its human shape, creates one of many obstacles I must overcome to complete my study. The netherroot seemingly has no effect on the subject, even in its concentrated form. Weakening the grip of the body on the soul will be the first step toward delivering it to the desired destination.
* * *
I should have thought of it sooner. The creature's connection to Oblivion is something I can leverage, even if it is tied to a different realm within that great expanse. That connection can help bridge the gap between Mundus and what lies beyond, and the werewolf's lifeblood can imbue the netherroot with a vigor that our undeath simply cannot duplicate.
* * *
It's working. With each new refinement of the blood distillate, the netherroot brew grows stronger and more toxic. The werewolf shows greater signs of affliction with every injection. The only question that remains is whether or not its soul can be successfully exchanged when it inevitably succumbs to the ritual.