The Border Region.
"Think it's going to snow" quietly says Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy, which gets a sour response of "Great" from Lisell Maera the scout.
From the maps of the area they have, they know they're across the border, and are now in the kingdom of Girdane.
It's late in the morning, approaching midday on what's a cold winter's day, here in the hill country that straddles the border region between the city-state of Vexil and the kingdom of Girdane.
Though the morning started off fairly fine and clear. As it's continued it's cloud over, and there's a threat of snowfall in this area of the hills between the two nations.
The spy Tanith nods his hooded head for the scout Maera to follow him closely. Then the spy who hails from the principality of AlÃnlae leads the way through some trees, and comes to a stop on the edge of a precipice.
Forty feet below them is one of the roads that crosses the border between the nations of Vexil and Girdane.
For as far as they can see in either direction, which isn't all that far due to the trees. The road is empty, and by the looks of it, there hasn't been much usage on it recently.
"This the one?" quietly asks Lisell Maera the scout as they crouch down to the side of some boulders on the edge of the precipice.
"It is" is the reply of Dalinvardèl Tanith or Dalin as he's more commonly called by the others in the group.
The spy, who before joining the group and becoming a commander in the Armies of Farque, served in one of the more prominent noble houses of his homeland, the principality of AlÃnlae.
Gestures back in the direction they've come from, and quietly says to the young woman who is originally from the city-state of Brattonbury "That lot will have to keep going north for a bit".
Dalin follows that with "Looks like the ground drops down to the north, so they'll be able to get on to the road fairly easily".
"Let us hope so" says Lisell Maera or Lis as more often than not she's called by those who know her well.
The young woman who is an officer in the Scouts and Rangers division of the Armies of Farque then dryly adds "Not that many of them will get here anytime soon".
The spy Tanith sourly smiles, and just grunts in agreement with that from the scout Maera as they continue to look up and down the road, that crosses the border between the city-state of Vexil and the kingdom of Girdane.
Then the elven spy looks back through the trees in the direction they've come from, and he quietly says "Someone coming".
Dalinvardèl Tanith briefly pauses after he quickly glances up into the sky, then he quietly adds "It's Tam and Saanea".
Lisell Maera nods, and though she can't see or hear the two approaching them, she trusts the spy Tanith to know that it's exactly them.
A little while later, Tamric Drubine and Saanea the witch make their way from the trees, and hurry to where the elven spy and the young woman who hails from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury, are crouched down next to the pile of boulders.
"Hmmm it's an actual road" quietly says Tamric Drubine the field commander after he looks down the precipice to the road below.
"That should speed things up" continues the young field commander in the Armies of Farque, who then dryly adds "Not that many of them will get here anytime soon".
"Same thing I said earlier" murmurs Lisell Maera the scout, who then sourly smiles when field commander Drubine says "The bulk of this army is fairly useless".
"Think that's on purpose?" asks the elven spy who continues to watch the empty forest road below them.
After a few moments as he thinks about that question, Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by the others in the group, says "No".
The young man, who is of noble birth, and hails from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, continues with "For the most part they just hired companies as quickly and as cheaply as possible".
Tam though only in his early twenties, is a senior officer in the Armies of Farque pauses for a moment, before he adds "That's why they're not that organized".
Field commander Drubine follows that with "We're lucky we're in Marqand's company" he then says "At least he knows what he's doing".
Looking south along the forest road below them, Lisell Maera quietly says "When they head back across the border into Vexil, you know what will happen".
None of the other three say anything, but they all nod in reply to that from the scout officer in the Armies of Farque.
It's Saanea the witch who finally breaks the silence when after she briefly looks through the eyes of her familiar, which is a raven, flying in the sky above them, she says "It's about to snow".
"Great" sourly mutters the scout Maera, and a few moments later faint flakes of snow start to fall upon this part of the hill country, that straddles the border of the city-state of Vexil and the kingdom of Girdane.
"Is that snow?" asks Malisse aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman as she holds a hand out in front of her.
"Unfortunately yes" sourly says Zam the ex mercenary as the two of them walk side by side, just behind Beldane the cleric and Tovis the war engineer. While trailing them is sir Percavelle Le Dic and Shur Kee the monk, as well as Mira Reinholt the mage.
They along with the rest of Marqand's mercenary company are making their way through the trees, across a hill in the direction of a nearby road, here just across the border in the kingdom of Girdane.
"Any word?" quietly asks Malisse in elven to the fighting cleric in front of her, the rotund woman who is not what she seems to be, then adds "Found the road yet?".
Beldane the cleric doesn't answer immediately, but after a few moments, he quietly says in the same language "They have".
The powerful cleric in the half plate armour, pauses for a moment or two, before he continues on with "About a mile and half away".
Beldane, who hails from the northern regions of the kingdom of Sarcrin, gestures in the direction they're heading, then he adds "Still that way".
Malisse who in fact is really Zubutai Timaginson, who just happens to inhabit the body of the rotund woman, who hails from the unruled lands south of the city-state of Tuledare.
Grunts at hearing that from the spellcaster walking in front of her, then she looks back over here shoulder, and looks at Mira Reinholt the mage, and nods for him to come forward, and join them at the front.
The once powerful mage in the black hooded cloak, makes his way forward until he's walking along side Malisse and Zam the ex mercenary.
"What is it?" asks Mira Reinholt the mage as he walks alongside his fellow member of Lord Farque's personal council, Malisse aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman.
"They've found the road" says the rotund woman who is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra.
She continues with "Zam go back and tell Marqand that Tam and the others have found the road" followed by "Shouldn't be too long before we get to them".
The ex mercenary who is originally from the City Of Ruins, nods his head and makes his way back through the trees the mercenary company captained by Marqand are going through at the moment.
"It's going to be a shit show when we cross back into Vexil" quietly says the mage Reinholt to the rotund woman walking beside him.
"Is it fucking snowing?" mutters the mage who is also a highly skilled swordmaster as they walk through a gap in the trees as they make their way downhill.
The spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands, grunts when Malisse aka Zubutai the son of Timagin informs him that indeed it's snowing.
Then the rotund woman who is really Zubutai Timaginson, who just happens to inhabit this particular body, replies to what the mage Reinholt originally said, and says "I know" followed by "It's definitely going to be a shit show back across the border".
Malisse aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman, looks back, and behind sir Percavelle Le Dic and Shur Kee the monk, are some of Marqand's company.
And though she can't see them at the moment because of the trees, further back is the next mercenary company who are following them.
The rotund woman who is a member of Lord Farque's personal council, quietly says to her fellow councilor "The first lot behind Marqand's company are barely competent" followed by "Then the next bunch behind them are absolutely fucking useless".
Malisse aka Zubutai the son of Timagin, quietly continues with "I wouldn't be surprised if they're lost".
The swordmaster Reinholt grunts in agreement with that, then the practitioner of magic in the black hooded cloak quietly says "Might be best if we keep out of the way when things heat up , back over the border in Vexil".
His fellow council member nods in agreement with that, then Malisse aka Zubutai Timaginson quietly asks the Vexilian mage in exile "You haven't seen or heard from that pointy eared thief have you?".
Mira Reinholt shakes his hooded head no, then the spellcaster who was once so powerful, he could of become a battlemage, only the second to do so in the last one hundred years, here in the Southlands, quietly says to the rotund woman walking beside him "I haven't".
The practitioner of magic who is a member of one of, if not, the most wealthy merchant families, not just in Vexil, but all the Southlands, quietly adds "Tam said he's keeping an eye on the Geist cousins".
The mage Reinholt as they cross a shallow, and narrow stream, follows that with "I'm guessing that's where he is".
That's exactly where Helbe the elven thief is, keeping an eye on the Geist cousins Gamil and Farsen.
Who along with members of their company guards, are walking their horses up the tree covered hill, that Marqand's mercenary company have just gone over, and are heading down the other side at this moment.
The elven masterthief who is blurred and shielded, is up a tall tree, looking down at the passing horses, and their riders leading them.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, looks back in the direction the mercenary army is coming from.
The grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel, winces at what he sees further back in the line of march.
Line being a fairly loose term to describe the march of the mercenary army that the Geist Trading Company has gathered.
As companies are spread out all over the place through the trees, and over the hills. Though for the most part, heading in the general direction they're supposed to be going.
"What a mess" murmurs Helbe the elven thief as he stands upon a thick branch a good fifty feet above the ground.
On his right shoulder, Narladene the ground pixie nods in agreement with the elven magic user she's attached to.
Then the elven master assassin, who is a member of the ruling family of the principality of Laerel, looks down to where the Geist cousins are heading.
The elven princeling, Helbenthril Raendril shifts after them, on this cold winter's day, where it's just started snowing here in the hill country that straddles the borders of the of the city-state of Vexil and the kingdom of Girdane . . . . . .
