Vexil.
"Huh?" mutters Lord Farque, who then adds "Why would they fucking do that?". In reply, Helbe the elven thief shrugs his shoulders.
They're below deck, in the main cabin of the packet ship, the single masted airship that's owned by the Reinholt Trading Company.
Also in the cabin, are Mira Reinholt the mage, Malisse aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman, as well as Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy and Lisell Maera the scout, both of whom returned to the small airship with the elven masterthief.
"There's two Geist cousins running things" explains the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel.
He follows that with "Though there's a third member of the family, well I think it's another family member, who is also in command".
The elven magic user gestures in the direction of the village, and the camp of the mercenary army that surrounds it, as he adds "That one hasn't been there at all".
The undead warlord who is seated on the only chair in the cabin, a chair that's built into the decking, nods his full helmed head, then he falls silent.
Mira Reinholt the mage looks at his fellow spellcaster, the elven master assassin and asks him "So they're not actually going into Girdane?".
The practitioner of magic who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands, until he lost most of his powers when he accidentally cast a spell that sent him off world, then says "Well not far into Girdane".
Nodding his hooded head, Helbe the elven thief who is standing next to the porthole, says "They're not" followed by "They'll be going in a short distance, then crossing back across the border elsewhere into Vexil".
The mage Reinholt slightly frowns, then after a moment of realization, the Vexilian born spellcaster mutters "Oh shit".
Malisse aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman grunts, then says "Hell, make it look like an army from Girdane is crossing the border into Vexil".
"Exactly" says the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel, who continues on with "Though even the two cousins don't exactly know the full details".
The highly talented elven magic user pauses for a moment before he adds "They're waiting for more details from the third".
The human practitioner of magic, who is a born and breed Vexilian, nods his hooded head, then he asks his fellow spellcaster "Who are these two cousins?" followed by "Wonder if I know them".
The elven princeling from Laerel says the names of the two Geist cousins, and the mage Reinholt replies with "Never heard of those two".
"I doubt that you had" says the elven master assassin who is Lord Farque's envoy, who then adds "One was a child when you were exiled from Vexil" followed by "And the other was just born before the Battle of Vexil".
Mira Reinholt sourly smiles at that reminder of his age, as the Battle of Vexil happened just over twenty five years ago.
And true, he himself was young, and only seventeen at the time. Making him the youngest member of the mage council of Vexil ever.
He only remembers those from the important and wealthy Vexilian families who were around his age, and older. There's very few who were much younger, like his half sister's Carice"s generation, that he knew of.
"And the third one?" asks Lord Farque breaking his silence as he looks at the grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel.
"Misa" is the reply of prince Helbenthril Raendril, who glances at his fellow practitioner of magic Mira Reinholt, who shakes his hooded head no, then says "Never heard of her".
"Think she might be a spellcaster" says the elven master archer, who follows that with "Though the cousins Gamil and Farsen aren't sure themselves, they think she is".
"That's kind of odd" says Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy, followed by "Them not knowing their relative is a caster of spells".
Next to the elven spy from the principality of Alínlae, the scout Lisell Maera nods in agreement with him.
"She grew up elsewhere from what I gathered from reading their minds" says the young elven noble, who continues with "Her father was one of the senior airship captains in the family's fleet" followed by "Hardly ever in Vexil itself, mostly flew along the coast and in the northwest of the Southlands".
"That makes sense" says Mira Reinholt who follows that with "A number of my own cousins grew up like that" he then adds "I didn't even meet some of them until I was much older" the once powerful mage continues with "Couple of them grew up north of the Sunreach Mountains, and another spent most of her first fifteen years of life, flying in the east".
Those gathered in the cabin fall silent again, then look at the lord and ruler of the the Lands Farque, then eventually it's Malisse aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman who breaks the silence, and asks the large, heavily armoured deathlord "We still going to go ahead with it?".
After a moment, the undead warlord who also has the name of Draugodrottin that the people of his lands know him by, says "We will" he looks at the scout Maera, and tells her "Lis, get the others".
A short while later, and though it's cramped, the entire group has gathered in the cabin. After Shur Kee the monk is last into the cabin, and closes the door behind him.
Lord Farque says "Right, we'll go ahead with what we've discussed" the lord of the death realm looks at Helbe the elven thief, and asks him "Found a suitable company?".
"I have" is the reply of the grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel, who follows that with "Should be easy enough for us to join them without anyone knowing".
"Good" murmurs the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque, who then says "Tam will be in command for appearances sake" followed by "Beldane and Tovis will be his seconds".
"I doth protest" says sir Percavelle Le Dic, who is cut short by Draugodrottin saying "Shut the fuck up Percy". Which illicits a snort, and chuckle from Dorc da Orc, who is sitting on the floor behind the chair Lord Farque is sitting on.
The former paladin after glaring at his bitter rival, goes to say something, when the large heavily armoured deathlord tells him "It's because they have a military bearing to them Percy, that's why".
"Er?" says the large, heavily armoured knight who looks down at himself, before looking at the undead warlord again.
"You know that I mean" dryly says Lord Farque, who follows that with "You might of been a knight, in fact a paladin, but let's face it you did whatever the fuck you wanted to do in your order, and took orders from no one".
The nobleman originally from the kingdom of Druvic winces at hearing that unwelcome truth, then under his breath he mutters "Saint Mar'che" before falling silent.
"Might be a problem with Dorc" says prince Helbenthril Raendril in the royal elven language to the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque.
"Plenty of dwarves and trolls in that mercenary army" adds the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, who continues in a dry tone with "He'll get, shall we say, distracted".
"I know" dryly says Lord Farque in the same language, who follows that with "That's why he and I won't be going with you lot".
The undead warlord who has the elven name of Des'tier, continues with "We'll follow at a distance". The highly talented elven magic user nods his hooded head in understanding.
The lord of the death realm switches back to the common language and tells the rest of the group "Dorc and I won't be going with you".
Ignoring the grunt from the big, burly ork sitting behind him, Draugodrottin says to the elven masterthief who is his envoy "How long until that frigate comes this way on it's patrol?".
"After midday it heads over the hills to the east of the village" replies the elven master archer, who continues with "It headed west before it circles back to the village".
The large heavily armoured deathlord nods his full helmed head, then he says "That'll give you all plenty of time to reach the camp, and settle in".
The lord and ruler of the Lands Farque then tells the group "You know what to do, so you might as well get going".
Tamric Drubine the field commander, and Saanea the witch are first out of the cabin, followed one by one, by the rest of the group.
Last being Shur Kee the monk who is about to follow sir Percavelle Le Dic out, when he stops, and looks back at Lord Farque who says to him in the language of the kingdom of Wah Lee "Keep an eye on them Shur Kee".
"I will Lord Farque" replies Shur Kee the monk, who then does his particular bow from the waist to the undead warlord, before he exits the cabin, and closes the door behind him.
Draugodrottin sits in silence, ignoring Dorc da Orc who he hears fidgeting behind him. The large ork goes to speak a number of times, but he stays silent when he sees the large, heavily armoured deathlord of Farque raise a hand for him to remain silent.
Eventually the lord of the death realm senses the others in the group disembark, and start heading west through the hill country, to the village about five miles away, and the mercenary army camp that surrounds it.
Lord Farque stands up, snaps his fingers and says in the ork language "Come on cunt, let's go" Dorc da Orc quickly gets up, and the large heavily armoured deathlord tells him "We've got some shit to do" . . . . . .
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