Border Region.
The wagon driver brings his pair of horses to a stop, much to the chargin of his fellow mercenary on the front seat with him, who demands "What the hell are you doing?" followed by "Keep going".
The slightly injured merc from another company in the wagon bed, who has hitched a ride with them, is thinking the same thing. As he eyes the odd shaped boxes in the back of the wagon with him.
Clucking to his horses to get them going again, the driver says "Change of plans". "Huh?" says his fellow mercenary beside him, who continues with "You do know that's fighting we can hear back there".
The wagon driver nods, and turns his horses and wagons off the forest road they're on, and as the merc in the back holds on as they start heading through the trees off the road.
The driver says "There's a track not far this way". "There is?" says the mercenary sitting beside him, who has a loaded crossbow in his lap.
"I saw it on the map" says the wagon driver, his fellow mercenary grunts, as he knows all the drivers in the company have been shown a number of maps by captain Mackrin, whose company they're in.
"If you say so" mutters the mercenary next to the driver as the ride has got a hell of a lot bumpier now that they're going through the trees.
Behind them, the wagon that was on the road with them, has also turned off the forest road, and is following them.
It, like this one, has a number of odd shaped boxes in the back of it. As they continue south, though now they're going southeast instead of directly south.
As the mercenary army that they're part of, is in a running battle with elements of the Vexillian army, here in the hill country in the north of the city-state.
Helbe the elven thief looks down from where he's floating in the air, above the treetops. The blurred and shielded elven magic user watches two more of the wagons in captain Mackrin's company heading through the forest, in the direction he's sent them.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel has sent all of the wagons in Mackrin's company, those with the odd shaped boxes in the back of them.
Which due to the spells he cast on them quite some time ago, have survived unscathed so far since the Geists mercenary army have been here in northern Vexil.
Away to the southeast as they flee the running battle which is predominantly behind them, here in the heavily forested hills of the border region, that straddles the city-state of Vexil and the kingdom of Girdane.
The highly talented elven spellcaster glances at Narladene the ground pixie, who gestures up and behind them to the north.
The elven masterthief looks that way, and spots the wyvern, and Lord Farque who is on it. High in the morning sky, watching the wagons that the elven master assassin has sent to the southeast.
"Feel sorry for that lot" murmurs Helbe the elven thief, who continues with "And those they're going to run into".
Narladene winces, then the tiny winged creature nods her head in agreement with the young elven noble who she's attached to.
Then the grandson of the ruling prince of the island principality of Laerel shifts away, as he starts heading back to where the rest of the group are making their way southwards through the forest.
Kilmas, the commander of the Geist company guards. Along with quite a number of his guards, not to mention quite a few mercenaries from various other companies.
Have been cut off from the bulk of the mercenary army that the Geist cousins Gamil and Farsen have gathered in their attempt to start a border war between their homeland of Vexil, and it's northern neighbour, the kingdom of Girdane.
The guard commander sourly smiles as he knows that's not going to happen anytime soon, or for that matter, ever.
But what he does know, is that the remnants of the Geist cousins mercenary army, is in a battle of survival this winters morning. Here in northern Vexil, against elements of the city-state's army.
A couple of his most trusted men, have just run back down from a nearby hill, and informed him of what they were able to see.
Commander Kilmas who was worried about more Vexillian warships turning up, sighs with relief that a pair of vessels in the city-state's aircorp, are further to the west as they head north.
The commander of the guard in the Geist Trading Company doesn't fancy getting bombarded again anytime soon.
He had enough of that earlier in the campaign, when nearly a quarter of the mercenary army was either wiped out, or incapacitated.
A scout comes running in, and breathing heavily, he tells Kilmas "Commander, heavy enemy movement on our right".
The guard commander grimaces, as that's the way he wanted to go. As he knows that the Geist cousins Gamil and Farsen, along with most of the rest of the mercenary army, are that way. As they all head south, away from the border, which they crossed over earlier in the morning.
Commander Kilmas sighs, then gives the order to continue south through the forest. Though it's actually more to the southeast, thanks to the terrain in this part of the border region they're in.
The mercenary captain Hafnah runs down a Vexillian soldier just standing there between two trees, not moving at all.
The mercenary captain's cockatrice tramples the poor soldier dead, stabbing it's beak into the man's neck and throat to make sure the deed is complete.
Hafnah looks around, and seeing no other enemy soldiers alive in the vicinity. He has his mount move off.
"To them" commands captain Hafnah, knowing that his cockatrice will head off to where the nearest of it's kind are.
Hafnah who has been around cockatrice basically his entire life. Know that the animals, which are naturally magical.
Have a sense that allows them to locate their own kind. And it's not too long before the mercenary captain and his mount join up with a number of their company.
Among them, Hafnah's daughter Danielle, as well as his second in command, Marnell. A short, almost tubby man. Who looks like he's always angry. But is probably the most level headed of everyone in the mercenary company.
"Anything?" asks captain Hafnah after he joins up with about fifteen of his company amongst the trees.
"Nothing here" replies Marnell, who then waves away to their right, as he continues with "Heavy fighting back that way, to the west".
The second in command of the mercenary company follows that with "Think commander Kilmas and quite a few others are somewhere to the south of us" Marnell then adds "Looks like he might of been cut off from the rest of the army".
Captain Hafnah grunts at hearing that, then as he tries to recall a number of details from the maps of the area.
Another of the company rides in, this one from the south. And informs his captain that what Marnell said was correct.
And that Kilmas, the commander of the Geist Trading Company guards, and quite a number of others, are away to the south, heading southeast.
He also informs the mercenary captain, whilst up the tallest hill in the immediate area. He spotted a large Vexillian force coming up from the south. On one of the forest roads, the one that splits. And they've taken the easier route, which is to the east.
"Hell" mutters captain Hafnah, who follows that with "They'll run into commander Kilmas and those with him".
The mercenary captain winces, then after sighing as he's made up his mind, he orders those with him to head south, to be exact, to the southeast.
So that they can help out guard commander Kilmas, and those of his company, and the others with them.
Hafnah has a quick word with his daughter Danielle to see if she's alright. Which she informs him that she is.
Then father and daughter, along with the rest of the cockatrice riders with them, move off. Heading to the south and east, on this cold winters morning, here in the heavily forested hill country of northern Vexil.
The soldiers in the Vexillian army who left their camp before dawn further away to the south, are making their way up one of the forest roads in this part of the hill country that makes up the border region between the city-state and it's northern neighbour, the kingdom of Girdane.
They're an element of the army's infantry, a mix of both lightly armoured and more heavily armoured soldiers.
And though they're foot soldiers, they make good ground throughout the morning, as they head north to the border, where they've been informed of activity of what's likely mercenaries.
Who last week, attacked a number of villages and small towns here in the very north of the city-state that's their homeland.
A couple of scouts return to the column after making their way up one of the hills to the left of them.
And inform the company commander that a couple of aircorp vessels are further to the west, and that they also spotted a wyvern in the aircorp. Seemingly circling near the border with the kingdom of Girdane.
One of the scouts points it out, and the commander along with his second in command, can just make it out in the distance to the north as the column continues on it's way along the forest road.
The company commander as he walks towards the front of the column, is waiting for the other scouts to report back in.
As he sent out a number of them, in all directions as the company heads north along the forest road through the border region.
And it's not too long before three more pairs of scouts return to inform him what they've seen and found.
They tell of him nothing untowards in the immediate vicinity. But when the last pair of scouts finally make their way back to the column.
These two who went further north, than any of the other scouts. They tell the company commander that they could here the sounds of battle in the distance, away to the north. Though more to the northwest than directly north.
The commander of the nearly four hundred foot soldiers in the army of the city-state of Vexil slightly winces.
As this branch of the forest road he decided to take, which will get them to the border quicker than the branch that goes westwards, before heading north. Goes more to the northeast, than it does north. As it goes around a few of the heavily forested hills in the area.
"Ah well, nothing to do about it" murmurs the company commander, who after a shrug of the shoulders, orders the column to pick up the pace.
The foot soldiers respond as they continue northwards. As they do, the commander in the army of the city-state of Vexil. Looks up into the morning sky to the north.
And he spots the wyvern in the aircorp again. And he sees that though it's still circling. It's heading southwards, more or less in this direction.
The company commander along with his soldiers have no idea that a number of different elements are heading their way.
And that soon they'll be in the fight of their lives, on this cold winters day, here in the heavily forested hill country that straddles the border region between the city-state of Vexil and the kingdom of Girdane . . . . . .
