Numaia

"Hold there, poacher! One more step, and my sweet boy will tear you apart! Come on, Milkshop! Get up! Ah! You're useless."

I'm not a poacher. What's going on here? "Ugh. I am sorry. Numaia grows suspicious of everyone these days. A Dragon swept through recently, you see? Gobbled up whole herds of antelope and burned out the larger hunting camps. Now, Bonechime poachers pitch their tents all over the Prowl."

You keep mentioning these poachers. Who are they, and what risk do they pose to you? "We care for many rare animals. A juicy target, yes? Just yesterday, a group of them stole this one's training whistle. To lure out our beasts, you see? We have little gold, but Numaia would pay you to retrieve her whistle and punish those muskarses!"

All right, I'll retrieve your whistle and break up the Bonechime poachers' operation. "What this one would not give to see you kick those Bonechime bastards in the teeth! Unfortunately, Numaia cannot leave her beasts unguarded. Life on the ranch has made them fat and lazy. Especially this one. Yes, Milkshop, Numaia talks about you!"

Is this whistle you want to recover unique? "Oh, yes! This one's mother's uncle's grandfather bought it from a Wood Elf tinsmith over a hundred years ago. It is not flashy. No gold engravings or anything. But the tone it sings out is smooth and perfect as a total pearl. A masterpiece, walker!"

Can you tell me more about your ranch? "Beautiful, yes? Numaia bought this parcel from her always-drunk uncle, Baraku. He was a talented hunter when he was sober. Alas, he was never sober. Var var var. You should have seen it before, walker. Broken bottles, old ragged tents ... hideous!"

So you fixed it up? "Yes! Numaia placed every board, hammered every nail, and drove every post. It took six years, but this one thinks it turned out all right. Truthfully, building it was not so hard. Rescuing these beasts, though? Ziss'vo! What a pain in the tail!"

What did you rescue them from? "Hunters, mostly. Well, Numaia should clarify—careless hunters. Numaia does not fault Khajiit who eat meat. What makes this one snarl are ja'khajiit who strike beasts with an arrow and do not finish the job. Or trappers who never check their traps."

Were all these animals harmed by hunters? "Most. Numaia found Milkshop half-starved in a dead-fall pit. He frothed and roared at first, but now he just sleeps all day. Lazy, lazy, lazy! The monkey, Marmalade, nearly lost her hand to a snare. Sometimes this one wishes she had. She's so sneaky!"

Sounds like they're a handful. "They are, they are. But Numaia loves them anyway, even on their worst day. Animals love you no matter what. Only fair that we do the same for them, yes?"

You mentioned a Dragon attack? "This one does not like to think about it. Numaia has never seen something so fearsome! Toothy jaws, claws as long as grain scythes, and wings so wide they blot out the sun! Senches and jackals we can handle. A beast like that, though? Not a chance."

You said it ate most of the wildlife in the Prowl? "It did. Horns, hooves, tusks, and all. What it did not eat, it burned. Somehow, Numaia's ranch was spared, praise Alkosh. Truly, this one thinks there is nothing on Nirni that can stop a monster like that."

"Thank the Moons, you are back. The poachers! They—they took them!"

Slow down. Took who? What happened? "While you set fire to the poachers' camps, they launched a raid on the ranch. We tried to fight them off, but there were just too many of them! They took my sweet boy, Milkshop! Honeydew and Sugar-Belly, too. S'rendarr curse them!"

Where did they take the animals? "In lean times, they gather in the ruins to the west, along with their leader, Rahti. You destroyed their smaller encampments, so they must be there. Most of the walls collapsed centuries ago, but the ones that still stand are mountain-strong."

Any suggestions on how to get in? "Let me think ... Ah! Marmalade! This one's pet monkey, not the preserve. She is very swift and very sneaky. If you use Numaia's training whistle—the one you just recovered—she might be able to help you."

All right, I'll deal with Rahti and rescue your animals. "My best ranch hand, Elhalem, will accompany you. He has sharp eyes and knows the Prowl better than most. I hope we are not too late. If something happens to this one's sweet boy, Milkshop .... Oh, Numaia would never forgive herself."

How does the whistle work, exactly? "Hmm. It takes years to master whistle-training, but Marmalade is very clever. If you find yourself blocked in the poachers' camp, just blow the whistle. She will find a solution. Don't expect too much of her, though. She's just a monkey, after all."

Why can't you come with me yourself? "This one wishes she could. Unfortunately, the poachers wounded many of my ranch hands and set fires all around. Numaia loves her animals, but she cannot let the entire ranch go up in smoke. Elhalem will prove very useful. I promise."

"There is Numaia's favorite ranch hand! When Milkshop and sneaky Marmalade returned, this one knew you would not be far behind."

I rescued the animals. Did they all make it back safely? "They did. Numaia's sweet boy is a little shaken. Hopefully a hearty meal and a nice, long chin scratch will settle his nerves, yes You have this one's deepest thanks, walker. Milkshop's too! Say thank you, sweet boy! Go ahead, now. Oh, never mind!"

"Numaia wishes she could take a break, but stalls needs raking, troughs need filling .... A rancher's work is never finished."

How long do you think it will take for the Prowl to recover? "From the poachers? Not long. From the Dragon attack, though? Who can say? Years? Your attacks on the poachers will allow honest, conscientious hunters to return to the Prowl. With their help, we might be able to find a way to restore what we lost."

You think hunters will help you bring animals back to the Prowl? "Of course, walker. There is nothing more wretched than a hunter with no beasts to hunt. They will conserve what we have and protect what remains until the calves have calves. Only great fools would do otherwise, yes?"