Falnic. Belinswae. Winter...
Walking across a section along the top of the east wall of the city, Mason says "When are we getting our relief?" he adds "It's nighttime already, and we've been on duty since before dawn".
"Don't know" says Mortiss his fellow guard in the army of Justifier Kolvene, the cleric from south of Falnic, who has brought most of his army north to the city to help defend it against the army of plain's nomads who have pushed into the region of Belinswae.
"Should be bloody soon" mutters Mason as he clutches his pike while the cold wind of the night whips across the top of the wall they're on. The two Justifier's guards are making their way towards one of the towerhouses on top of the wall.
On the way their, they stop where one of the torches is along the top of the wall, there they find their fellow guard Polmad, and he comes along with them. As there's plenty of guards along the top of the east wall, as well as the other city walls.
As they approach the tower, Polmad says "I see our replacements haven't come up yet" the tallest of the three continues with "That lot in the army of the witch". "No wonder they're late" says Mortiss, who then adds "Justifier Lovis isn't exactly known for discipline in her army" the two younger guards nod their heads in agreement.
Though Mason, the youngest of the three, doesn't really know much about the other Justifier's armies, he just goes along with what the two older guards say, and agrees with them.
When they get to the towerhouse, they find a number of their fellow guards in the army of Justifier Kolvene, huddled around the two braziers, keeping warm and out of the wind.
"Seems some of the others have got the same idea as us" murmurs Mason to Mortiss, the older guard sourly smiles as he looks around at the other guards who have gathered here in the tower a top the wall.
The three of them share a look, then Mortiss shrugs his shoulders, and makes his way over to the nearest group of their fellow guards. Mason and Polmad join them.
After chatting for a bit with their fellow guards in the army of Justifier Kolvene, Mortiss is just about to suggest to both Mason and Polmad, that they continue on their way along the next stretch of the wall.
When an officer comes up from the stairwell, and tells them "Our replacements are coming up, you're free to head down and return to our barracks when they start heading up".
The officer looks at all the guards in the towerhouse, and tells them "Straight to the barracks mind, no stopping off at the nearest tavern or alehouse" he continues with "Like it or not, we're in times of war, so no one's at the liberty to do what they want, we and in we, i mean the Justifiers, want you rested and ready for when the nomad scum arrive, not full up to your eyeballs with grog".
"Is that clear?" says the officer in a loud voice when he gets no response from the gathered guards. A chorus of "Yes sir" comes from them this time. And he nods in satisfaction, then says "Tell the rest of our men along the wall that our replacements are coming up" before he heads back down the stairwell.
A short while later and the first of the guards in the army of Justifier Lovis start coming up. And the trio of Mortiss, Polmad and Mason are amongst the first to head down.
There's some friendly jostling and ribbing from the Justifier guards in the two armies. With young mason saying to some of the guards in the army of the witch Lovis "Don't let the nomad filth get you in the night".
"As if" says one of the guards heading up the stairwell, who continues with "Everyone knows they're at least a day and half away from the city" he then adds "It's just a cold night on top of the wall for us".
"Well if it gets too cold, you've always got one another to keep yourselves warm" says Mortiss in a slightly dry tone, the guards in the army of the cleric Kolvene who hear that, laugh as they know what Mortiss is implying.
While the guards heading up through the tower who heard it, yell and shout at Mortiss and the others in the army of Justifier Kolvene.
Chuckling as they exit the base of the tower, Polmad says "Could do with a drink after a long day walking the top of the walls" and as more of their fellow guards come down, then out of the tower, he adds "But orders are orders, back to the barracks".
Both Mortiss and Mason nod in agreement, and they along with their fellow guards in the army of Justifier Kolvene, make their way to the barracks they're staying in while here in Falnic.
As they walk away into the night, young Mason glances up at the wall behind them. And spots a couple of guards in the army of Justifier Lovis who have just gone up, walking by one of the torches.
He wonders who'll be on the top of the city walls when the enemy arrive. Them or us? Mason thinks to himself, or one of the other Justifier's guards.
He shrugs his shoulders, and kind of hopes it's him and his fellow guards in the army of the cleric from south of Falnic.
As he walks away thinking this. Mason as well as the other guards who have just come down off the east wall of the city, and those in the army of the witch Lovis who have just replaced them. Don't know that the enemy are a lot closer than they think.
Infact the enemy is very close indeed, within some of them already within the city of Falnic.
As the guards change upon the top of the east wall, with hardly any of them actually looking in towards the city. Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy makes his way off the roof of the building that's almost directly up against the inside of the east wall of the city.
The elf from the principality of Alínlae in the Southlands once he's down at street level, heads south through the largest city in Belinswae. The spy Tanith who has seen who is not that far outside the city walls. Is heading to the south wall of Falnic. There he has something to do.
A little while later during the night, Dalinvardél or Dalin as he's more commonly referred to. Is in the back room of a rather seedy looking tavern. In an area of the city, where throughout the winter, a large number of people, have been taken from the streets, and pressed into the serving in one of the armies of the Justifiers of Falnic who have invaded the dwarven clanholds in the Stone Hills.
In the room is a small group of smugglers, and Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy quietly says "Ready?" he's answered with nods. Then he quietly tells them "Remember run when you hear what i do".
"And what is it exactly we have to listen out for?" quietly asks one of the smugglers, one of the ones Dalin spoke with early this morning in an abandoned warehouse down near the harbour.
"A loud bang i suppose" quietly says the spy Tanith, who then silently adds, i think?
Then the Southlander says "Right, let's get going" and he along with the smugglers, make their way out of the back door of the rather ramshackle looking building that house the tavern.
They move off, and they're joined by other smugglers who have been waiting close by, who slip out of lanes and alleyways nearby. They all head in the direction of the main gates in the south wall of the city. In particular an inn that's fairly close to those gates.
As they head there, Dalinvardél Tanith follows them, walking with the smuggler who spoke, one of the one's he made the deal with in the morning.
As they walk, the elf who once served in one of the noble houses of his homeland of Alínlae, takes one of the mage canisters out from beneath his cloak.
"What's that?" quietly asks the smuggler as they walk out of a lane and turn onto a street, a fairly dark one, with very little lamps or torches lit down the length of it.
"What does it do?" adds the smuggler as he can just make out the black metal tube about a foot and half long that the tall figure of the hooded elf walking beside him is carrying.
"I'm not exactly sure" says Dalin who answers the smuggler's second question and not the first.
What the spy Tanith said is partially true. For he knows what the mage canisters will do. As lord Farque informed him of it. Even though both Mira Reinholt the mage and Helbe the elven thief couldn't tell him what it would do, or what the other one will do.
The mage Reinholt told the elven spy that the markings upon the mage canisters tend to wear off, especially older ones. That's if the mage who created it, actually bothered to mark it in the first place.
The spellcaster from the city-state of Vexil freely admitted that a lot of mages don't mark the canisters they make, as they know what's contained in them. And too bad for anyone else who happens to use it.
The Vexilian mage in exile said he'd probably do the same thing if he put aside some time to make such devices.
Dalin might know what's in it, but he doesn't exactly know how effective, and demonstrative it'll be.
All lord Farque told him, was that he better run after activating it. Because it's a spell cast by a mage. Who like all mages, are overly powerful when it comes to magic, who tend to overdo things.
"Sounds like they've started" quietly says the elven spy from south of the equator who hears a fight break out in the distance, near the inn not far from the main gates in the south wall of the city.
The smuggler nods, and hurries forward, heading to the end of the street, while Dalin follows at a distance. The Southlander knows the fight will soon turn into a full on brawl between the smugglers, who are posing as drunk patrons from the inn.
The spy Tanith stops at the corner of a building and looks around it, down the street, to the left, is the main gates in the south wall. Further beyond it, he can see some of the smugglers fighting one another out on the street infront of the inn that way.
The elf from south of the equator sees guards on duty at the gate hurry towards the fracas when more smugglers hurry out onto the street and get involved in the fight.
As more guards on gate duty hurry towards the brawl, Dalinvardél Tanith glances up to the top of the wall. And spots other Justifiers guards peering down trying to see what's happening.
The elven spy hurries across the street to the base of the wall, there he walks beside it, heading towards the gates. He's walking in the dark, as the nearest lamps are just to the side of the gates.
Well Dalin, you're about to start a battle, the spy Tanith thinks to himself, as he takes the mage canister, twists one end, and throws it in the direction of the main gate in the south wall of Falnic. While the guards who have rushed to the brawl, wade in amongst the smugglers, trying to break up the fight.
The mage canister clanks when it hits the cobblestones on the ground, it does a few more times, then rolls about a five yards, before coming to a stop at the feet of a Justifier's guard infront of the gates.
As the guard who was watching the brawl down the street, looks down and frowns as he sees what's at his feet. Dalinvardél Tanith has already turned and is running.
The elven spy from south of the equator faintly winces as he runs, waiting for what will happen next. He doesn't have to wait long, less than a count of five.
For as the Justifier's guard goes to reach down and grab the unfamiliar looking black metal tube at his feet, the mage canister releases it's spell.
Dalin flinches as he runs when the large explosion rocks the night behind him. He doesn't bother looking backwards as he runs across the street towards a lane.
He figures most of the south gate of Falnic has been destroyed. It has. And that anyone directly infront of it, is now dead. They are.
One more to go, Dalinvardél Tanith thinks to himself as he runs into the lane, after giving the signal for the battle of Falnic to begin.
Hearing the thud of explosion from within the city, Dorc da Orc grunts, next to him, Riley Hait the mercenary ranger nods to the elven officer in the army of lord Walashàele beside them.
The officer doesn't say anything, he just lifts a hand, then drops it. The elven archers lift their bows, aim at their targets upon the top of the east wall of the city. Nearly all of whom have turned and look to the south, the direction that the thud of an explosion came from.
And in silence, more than two thousand arrows are shot from the bows of the elven army who are facing the east side of Falnic.
On top of the east wall, the guard in the army of the witch Lovis. Who the guard Mortiss in Justifier Kolvene's army told him he had plenty of company on top of the wall tonight when things get cold.
Is looking away to the south as the guards near him are doing, as they ask what that loud noise was that came from that way in the night.
When he's the first Justifiers guard to get shot by an elven arrow, right through his face and head, sending him tumbling sideways off the top of the wall, to hit the street down below.
He's the first to be killed on top of the east wall of Falnic tonight. And he's definitely not the last to be killed as arrows rain down upon the unsuspecting defenders of Falnic . . . . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment