Tuledare.
The next day and Jovan Garney the cleric finds himself at the guard headquarters here in the east of the city of Tuledare.
The powerful young spellcaster originally from the Lands Farque is with Saleane the priestess and Hildagar the laywoman. In a large room, on the second floor of the headquarters building of the city guard.
The young cleric looks out a nearby window and across the parade grounds to where he can see one of the army barracks to be found here in the city.
Beside it is a free standing circular airdock, which is at least thirty foot tall. At the moment there's just a single airship tied up in dock. A warship, that looks like it's taking on supplies. No doubt before it heads off south towards the war.
The cleric Garney attention returns to what's happening in the room, as the church laywoman Hildagar says "Goodwoman, I do like the sound of that".
After being called that by the investigator who is questioning them concerning what happened in the market square yesterday afternoon.
The priestess Saleane softly snorts, and dryly murmurs to Jovan "Goodwoman" quietly followed by "Wait until they find out she's been cracking heads on the practice yard since before I was born".
The foreign born practitioner of magic slightly smiles as the short, attractive, dark haired priestess, sitting beside him quietly continues with "Word is she even beat his holiness over the head a number times when they were teens".
"It's why her and her sister Oldagin have domain over the cathedral kitchens" quietly says Saleane referring to Oldagin, the head cook in the kitchens, and the sister of Hildagar.
"Even his holiness knows well enough to keep out of their business, and why no body in their right mind interferes with what goes on in the kitchens" quietly says the priestess of Kaēvin.
Jovan Garney faintly similes as he could well imagine the now stout middle aged Hildagar, as a youngster beating up the young churchman, who would later go on to be the high priest of Kaēvin in all The Southlands.
The powerful young spellcaster, is sitting on a bench seat, with the priestess Saleane sitting beside him.
While Hildagar stands further away, in front of the long table, behind which sits the guard investigator. Beside him sits a scribe, who is taking down onto a scroll, what is being said.
While off to one side, against a wall, sits a couple of bored city guards on another bench seat. While a third, even more bored looking guard, is nearby, standing next to the closed door. That earlier, Jovan Garney, Saleane and Hildagar entered the room through.
The cleric in the church of Kaēvin who figures Hildagar has a number of weapons along with her truncheon, hidden beneath her cloak. Looks at the investigator who addresses him.
"Is this true father?" asks the investigator in the city guard, who wears a similar uniform and armour as the guardsmen, minus the cloak they wear.
"Yes, that's how it happened" replies Jovan Garney the cleric, who can never get used to being addressed as father. Considering he's only seventeen and a half years old.
But as he's a cleric, and a cleric in the church of Kaēvin. The term father is the correct term to address him as.
"So what happened next?" the investigator asks as he continues the questioning of the church laywoman Hildagar.
Having already questioned the cleric Garney and the priestess Saleane. Infact a sorcerer in the city guard was present when Jovan was questioned first. For the simple fact to see if he was telling the truth or not.
Not that the investigator wanted that done. But since it's a stipulation when all spellcasters are questioned by an investigator. It was done. But the powerful young cleric didn't care in the least it was done.
As he along with the priestess Saleane and the church laywoman Hildagar didn't have any intention of lying.
Jovan who suspects the investigator is only going through the questioning for the simple fact it's what has to be done considering what happened.
Is pretty certain the investigator, a dark skinned man by the name of Fosem. Is glad that the foreign born cleric and the two church women interfered yesterday.
After all they saved him from conducting an actual investigation, not to mention a public execution, for the three of the eight assailants, who killed a city guardsman and stall holder in the afternoon markets yesterday, here in the eastern quarter of the city.
Those three having been killed by Jovan the cleric when they tried to flee the marketplace. When he hit them with a spell with way more power than he was intending to.
"And that one I gave a good thump is going to live is he?" asks the church laywoman Hildagar after investigator Fosem finishes his questioning. "Yes it looks like it" replies the investigator in the city guard.
"Pity" loudly mutters Hildagar, a grunt of agreement comes from one of the guardsmen sitting on the bench seat off to one side. The other guardsman sitting next to him, nods in agreement.
While the third, who is standing at the door, is looking across the room, to what's outside one of the windows on the other side of large room. Here on the second floor of the headquarters building of the city guard of Tuledare.
The cleric Garney who is just about to look out the windows too, as he wonders what has got the attention of the guardsman looking that way.
Instead looks at the investigator, after Hildagar sits back down next to him and the priestess Saleane. And the attractive looking woman with black, chin length hair asks the investigator in the city guard "What's to become of the rest of the assailants?".
"Ordinarily they would be punished as normal" says the investigator, who then goes onto explain "Having a hand chopped off for being part of a violent theft that resulted in two deaths".
"But these are not ordinary times" continues investigator Fosem, followed by "The five remaining Sellswords will be pressed into service in the army".
"There's press gangs in the city?" asks the cleric Jovan Garney in surprise, who didn't think the ruling council would stoop so low, at such and early stage in the war against the city-state of Phamal.
"No" is the quick and firm reply of the investigator in the city guard.
"Thank fuck for that" is what the powerful young spellcaster originally from the Lands Farque hears one of the guardsmen mutter.
Investigator Fosem ignores that, and continues with "Mercenaries, Sellswords and the like, if they're caught committing a crime here in the city that isn't murder or rape they'll be pressed into army service" he then say "They'll be doing the most menial, and mundane jobs while chained up".
He briefly pauses for a couple of moments, before saying "That lot have ended up in the army, just not the way they thought they would be doing".
There's nods of agreement all around the room at that, then the investigator in the city guard says to the trio from the church of Kaēvin "If you'll wait a little while, I'll just have this report and judgement written up, then you'll be free to leave".
As the investigator discusses something with the scribe, who begins writing up the report on another scroll.
Jovan Garney stands to stretch his legs, he wanders over to one of the windows, as the guardsman who was standing at the door has already done so.
After a moment, the church women Saleane and Hildagar join the powerful young cleric at the window.
While the other two guardsmen eventually get up, and join their fellow guardsman at another of the windows.
"Something's happening" says the cleric Garney with a nod of his head, in the direction of the army barracks across the parade grounds.
Since he last look, another airship has put in at the free standing docks next to the army barracks in the distance.
And a number of people are going between the airdocks and the barracks, and back again. Soldiers and air sailors for the most part. And they're all in a hurry.
After a little while, as a number of soldiers, courier riders by the looks of it. Hurry to the roof of two storey main building of the barracks. There rests a trio of wyverns, who have been lazing around in the morning sun. On what's a pretty mild day for the middle of autumn.
As the trio of riders quickly hop into the saddles of their respected beasts. The investigator Fosem finally realizes that everyone else in the room, with the exception of himself and the scribe sitting at the long table. Are at the windows, looking across the parade grounds to the army barracks that are nearby.
"Phanac what's going on over there?" the investigator asks one of the guardsmen as he gets up, and makes his way around the long table to the windows the three city guards are looking out of.
"Something's happened sir" replies the guardsman who was asked, he continues with "Looks like someone poked a stick in a hornets nest with all the activity that's going on over there". The trio of wyverns are in the air, and are flying off in different directions across the city.
"Hmmm" murmurs investigator Fosem, who then says "Phanac go and send a runner over there and see what's happening".
The investigator in the city guard of Tuledare then dryly adds "Not that, that lot actually tells us in the guard what's going on in the war that often".
"I'll go myself sir, and see what's happening" says the guardsman Phanac who quickly hurries out of the room, and makes his way downstairs and out of the headquarters of the city guard, and across the parade grounds to the army barracks.
As he does, the church laywoman Hildagar quietly asks the powerful spellcaster "Young Jovan you think you can find out what's happening".
Then the stout looking, middle aged woman switches to the elven language after glancing at the city guards and investigator standing at the next bay window along.
"You know, with a spell of some kind" says the church woman who is in charge of the kitchen stores in the cathedral of Kaēvin.
The cleric Garney who is not in the least surprised that Hildagar speaks elven. In fact he knows that everyone on the church grounds, from the youngest stableboy to his holiness, the high priest of Kaēvin. All speak more than one language, sometimes multiple languages.
After all their god Kaēvin is the god of scribes and wordsmiths. And along with reading and writing. Learning languages is the most important thing they learn.
"Probably best if I didn't" quietly says the foreign born practitioner of magic in the elven language. Who had the benefit of learning multiple languages as a child, even before he started worshipping the god Kaēvin. For the simple fact you are taught them in the learning centers in the Lands Farque.
"There's a number of spellcasters over in the army barracks and a couple here in this building" says Jovan Garney who continues with "They'll sense me casting, and wonder what I'm up to".
The church laywoman Hildagar grunts in disappointment. While they wait for the guardsman Phanac, who has entered the army barracks, to return.
They don't have to wait long, for they soon see Phanac exit the army barracks, and run back in this direction across the parade grounds.
The city guard is running a hell of a lot faster than he was when he made his way to the army barracks a short time ago.
Phanac doesn't bother coming back in, he stops just outside the headquarters building of the city guard, and calls up to those at the windows looking down at him "Sir!".
"What is it?" calls down the investigator Fosem as he leans out the open window.
"Sir, trouble!" is what the near out of breath guardsman Phanac replies with.
The cleric Jovan Garney shares a look with the priestess Saleane and the laywoman Hildagar, as they wonder what kind of trouble the city guard is referring to . . . . . .
