Wonderful 29.

The Principality Of Maladimbáh...

Mira Reinholt the mage sits upon his bed with his eyes closed. The once powerful mage has put on his summer cloak, and has his pack, with what little possessions he has, sitting on the end of the bed.
The Vexilian mage in exile who is sitting back against the wall behind him, listens carefully as he waits. It's not too long before he thinks he hears something out on the balcony.
A few moments later, and the doors to the balcony open, and the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster hears a familiar voice say "Mage".
He opens his eyes, and sees a large figure in a full suit of blue, black heavy plate armour standing in the open doorway to the balcony looking at him "Farque" says Mira Reinholt the mage.
The undead warlord nods his full helmed head, then after looking at the Vexilian mage in exile for another moment or two as he senses him, lord Farque asks him "What have they done to you?". "Dosed me with a potion that blocks me from my magic" replies the mage Reinholt, who then informs the heavily armoured deathlord what the potion is and it's side effects "Wondered why you hadn't blasted yourself free" dryly says the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, who then adds "Let's go".
The swordmaster from the city-state of Vexil in the Southlands stands up, grabs his pack, and shoulders it, then the once powerful mage notices something, and he says "Where's that sword of yours?" lord Farque replies with "A long story to that" he continues with "But at the moment that fat fucking lump Dorc has got it".
"Poor sword" murmurs Mira Reinholt with a shake of his head, who then looks at the tall, heavily armoured figure who gestures out the balcony doors then says "I guess you don't want to go out the way i came up?".
"Not particularly" sourly says the exiled Vexilian mage who figures the undead warlord scaled the sheer rock face of the escarpment that the keep like tower of the Haldéilv family sits upon.
"Figures" dryly says the deathlord of Farque who is also known as Draugadrottin to the people of his lands, he points to the doorway that opens up into the hallway and he says "Out that way and down" the lord and ruler of the lands Farque continues with "On the way out, we'll deal with that annoying bitch who has been bugging us for the last few years" the mage Reinholt nods his head in agreement.
As the spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands, follows the heavily armoured deathlord across the large open room, he glances out the windows to the balcony.
There in the moonlight outside, the swordmaster Reinholt spots one of the elven house guards lying near the balcony garden, his limbs are akimbo, and his head is at an odd, unnatural angle, he's obviously dead.
The deathlord and mage, who are both from south of equator, stop at the closed door. There the undead warlord reaches up and runs his right gauntleted hand along the top of the door frame.
"What was it?" asks Mira Reinholt "An alarm spell to see if you would try to open it from the inside" replies lord Farque who then opens the door, breaking the locking mechanism as he does so. As they walk out into the hallway, the lord and ruler of the lands Farque quietly says to the exiled Vexilian mage "Keep behind me Mira". "You don't have to tell me that twice" dryly murmurs the swordmaster Reinholt as he follows the undead warlord out into the hallway.
They turn left in the lamp lit hallway, and as they start heading along it, the once powerful mage quietly tells the heavily armoured deathlord "They're probably down in the main banquet hall" he continues with "They've got guests". "I know" quietly says Draugadrottin as they head along the hallway, then as they approach a closed door up on their left, Mira Reinholt who knows who is in the room behind the closed door, quietly says "If anyone comes out of that door up here, don't kill them".
"Fine" sourly says lord Farque who senses two humans in the room up ahead, both right behind the closed door, most likely listening, as they've probably heard the deathlord of Farque and the Vexilian mage in exile.
The undead warlord steps quickly to the closed door as he hears a hand on the handle on the otherside, he punches the door right next to the door handle, and it goes flying off it's hinges, and goes flying inwards. "They'll live" says the heavily armoured deathlord who continues on his way down the hallway.
The mage Reinholt pops his head into the room, and he sees that the door has landed about fifteen feet into the room, beneath it, knocked out, is the mercenary guard Harrick. While the other mercenary guard, Ginden, is off to one side, lying on the floor, completely dazed, moaning with a broken right arm.
The spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster is glad to see his two guards still alive, he has nothing against them, infact he quite likes them, besides they were just doing the job they were paid to do.
Mira Reinholt hurries to catch up to lord Farque, who has gone around the corner to the left at the end of the hallway, the exiled Vexilian mage rounds the corner, and finds the undead warlord at the top of some steps, lying nearby in the hallway, are a pair of elven house guards.
One whose neck is obviously broken, the other whose chest looks like it has exploded, the mage Reinholt knows that one probably got punched or kicked in the chest by the heavily armoured deathlord.
Lord Farque picks up a longsword belonging to one of the dead elven house guards, and he hands it to Mira Reinholt and says "Take care of anyone who comes at us from behind" the swordmaster Reinholt nods his head in understanding, then the two of them start making their way down the steps.
In the main banquet hall, which is roughly in the middle of the keep like tower that's been the home of the Haldéilv family for nearly fifteen hundred years. Kaldeàlil Haldéilv sits at a table that's furthest removed from the high table as possible.
The attractive elven maid who being a daughter of lord Haldéilv is allowed to sit at the high table if she wants to. But it's just not worth the hassle in her opinion.
The elven magic user yawns as she looks to the high table, where sits her father, some of his family, senior members of his household, as well as a couple of the guests from the coastal city of Falnic, one of whom is the justifier Kaellin.
Kaldeàlil Haldéilv sourly smiles, as she hears her father regaling a story to the justifier about an adventure deep into the mountains of Maladimbáh during his youth. Which was probably over five hundred years ago, as the head of the noble family of Haldéilv is around seven hundred and fifty years old.
The attractive elven maid goes back to nibbling at the sweet pastry on her plate, as those at her table continue to ignore her, like just about everyone else here in the banquet hall, well those that have remained as dinner was served early as is the custom here in the elven principality of Maladimbáh.
At the table are a pair of young humans, justifier guards from the city of Falnic, who are doing their utmost best to get drunk, they're being pretty successful at it too.
Also at the table are two of the tower servants, and a hunter from northeast in the lands of the Haldéilv family. Kaldeàlil vaguely remembers him, as he hunts in the forest near the town where she was brought up by her mother's family. He's the only one tonight in the banquet hall who has shown any courtesy to the elven magic user.
For she, as a by product of the crime of rape, is the physical manifestation of lord Haldéilv's shame, their lord's shame.
The attractive elven maid is just about to take a drink from her wine goblet, when the hunter, who is sitting a couple of seats to her right, says to her in their native language "You hear that?".
Kaldeàlil Haldéilv looks to where he points, to an open doorway away on the left side of the banquet hall from where they're sitting. The elven magic user frowns as she tries to hear what the hunter with his keen hearing has picked up, then he says "Sounds like fighting".
The attractive elven maid is about to say something in agreement as she does hear something that sounds like fighting from there, when suddenly a house guard comes flying into the banquet hall through that particular open doorway.
The house guard travels a good twenty five feet through the air, until he hits the top of a table, which he goes tumbling across. Sending crockery, mugs, goblets and trenchers flying. He also hits two of those sitting at that table, which he rolls off, and slides along the floor, until coming to a stop at the foot of a bench at the next table along, with his head resting at an oblique angle, as his neck is obviously broken.
There's a couple of moments of stunned silence throughout the dining hall, then everyone starts speaking at once, including Kaldeàlil Haldéilv who mutters "Shit".
The attractive elven maid looks to the doorway the house guard came flying through, and she mutters "Shit" again, this time in a tone of shock and surprise. As standing there is a large, heavily armoured figure in a suit of blue, black plate armour, who is familiar to the elven magic user. A figure she sent to the bottom of the Great Western Ocean over a month ago.
Then Kaldeàlil Haldéilv mutters "Shit" a third time, as the tall figure in the heavy plate armour, turns his full helmed head, and looks directly at her . . . . . .