Wolf Tears

"*What is this? Why have so many of the Eliksni people been locked away here?"*

"*They are war criminals. They pay with time here for the innocent lives they have taken."*

~A confrontation between Kekal and Variks, the Loyal shortly after arriving at the Prison.

## The Fate of the Wolves

Shortly after meeting the Awoken, the House of Tears travels, under escort, to the Prison of Elders, it is here that they are introduced to what was once the House of Wolves. This is where Kekal begins to realize exactly how desperate the Eliksni people have gotten. He is lead to the cell of Skolas, where the self-proclaimed "Kell of Kells" continues to ramble incoherently to himself about Kells and Vex and Light-born. *Kekal* cannot make sense of it all.

After a talk with Petra and Variks, Kekal makes an attempt to speak with the imprisoned Eliksni. He offers freedom, and in return, the former Wolves pledge their loyalty to him and the House of Tears. For a long time, the Wolves seemed wary. After all, the last time they pledged their service to a Kell they were slaughtered and thrown back in prison.

### Leadership issues

Of all the former Wolves in the Prison, a captain named Thera seems to have claimed an unofficial leadership among the prison Wolves. She says she will convince the Wolves to join Kekal, but only if she is promoted to a Baroness so she may continue to lead them.

Kekal compromises by naming her as successor and advisor to Tears Baron Toland, who would in turn allow Thera to influence his decisions concerning the former Wolves.

### Integration

As with all living beings, the Wolves did not take to leaving their house behind lightly. They kept to themselves, ignoring any attempts to bring them closer to the others in the House of Tears.

Kekal spoke to Thera many times about this, to which she replied, "They do not yet trust those who would so willingly seek to destroy their house. Their house is who they are, they are still loyal Wolves who would follow me, over you."

This issue was dealt with when Kekal decided that maybe, simply integrating all Eliksni into a single House was too much change for them. Instead he created the Factions, separate sub-houses under the House of Tears. They would be made up of the former members of the Houses for which the Faction was named. The House of Wolves became the Wolf Faction, led by Thera due to her previously-existing leadership over them in the Prison.

\*As a side note, all Factions would be given a Ketch once they outgrew the *Oath of Unity's spacial capacity.*

### Class Troubles

The Last, and probably most difficult decision Kekal had to make regarded the treatment of "Dregs" which had not existed when the Eliksni followed the Old Ways. Kekal was informed about how their secondary arms were docked at birth and they grew up to a life to labor and poverty, this disgusted Kekal to see Eliksni treat others of their own kind this way.

He quickly made out to fix this issue by having the Reef supply them with the means to return the Dreg's arms to them, giving them a new sense of purpose and training them in the way they might have been trained by the will of the Old Ways. Many joined Variks in his Judgement Faction, where they recieved a warm welcome from Variks who had his arms docked by Skolas.