Wonderful 60.

The Principality Of Maladimbáh...

"There's another one up ahead" says Riley Hait the mercenary ranger, who continues with "He's gone to check it out" beside the ranger Hait, kneeling on the trail looking down the heavy forested hill, Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy nods his head, then looks back along the trail, to where the others can just be seen.
Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman looks that way too, then wryly smiles as he sees sir Percavelle Lé Dic pacing back and forth across the trail "Seems someone's itching to get back to civilisation" dryly says the mercenary ranger who was brought up and trained in the elven principality of Envadarlen in the Southlands.
"Maybe this place is a little bit bigger than the last one we came across" says Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy "Looked like it from a distance" says the ranger Hait who like the spy Tanith, is speaking in the elven language.
The two of them continue to look down the hill that the trail eventually goes down, they know that a town is around the side of the peak they're on at the moment, one that Helbe the elven thief is checking out.
"Hopefully this one is bit more receptive to travelers" quietly says the elf from the principality of Alínlae in the Southlands, the mercenary ranger beside him nods in agreement, then Riley Hait says "Well we are in the middle of nowhere" he continues with "I doubt this part of the principality gets many visitors" the spy Tanith can only nod to that.
It was yesterday morning that they went through the portal in the nomads plains they came across, the otherside of which brought them out into the central part of the mountainous principality of Maladimbáh. And ever since yesterday morning they've been traveling south, keeping mainly to the valley's, foothills and lower peaks, that their mounts can easily traverse. Unlike the higher peaks and mountains, which are no places for mounted travel, well mounted upon a horse that is.
The ranger Hait moves to his right and sits upon a flat rock next to the trail, as he and the elven spy continue to look downhill through the trees. The mercenary ranger, who in actual fact is a hordes outrider form the southern tundra appreciates the cooler climate here in the mountains of Maladimbáh, compared to the hot, dry, arid plains of the nomads they were in previously.
Even here on the heavily forested peak they're on, it isn't particularly warm, and it's the middle of the day too, a day that's in the later half of summer.
"Well, since we're here, i wonder if she's here to confront us" quietly says Dalinvardél Tanith, it's a topic on all their minds, though one they've hardly spoken about since leaving the city of Falnic. Especially not spoken of infront of the elven princeling who leads them in the absences of lord Farque, Dorc da Orc and Mira Reinholt the mage.
"I'd count on it" says Riley Hait who continues with "She's been after us" he pauses for a moment, before saying "Well, him really" the mercenary ranger then adds "For three years straight, now she's back in her homeland, we're she's bound to have an advantage or two".
"Unfortunately" dryly says Dalinvardél Tanith, who the others often refer to him as just plain Dalin, the elven spy who has been with the group for the last three years, continues with "I wonder where she's from exactly?". "Hopefully he can find out in the town nearby" says Riley aka Zubutai Timaginson, who then adds "But from the previous place we came across, they hadn't heard of her" the spy Tanith nods, then says "This place has a lot more isolated communities than the principalities in the Southlands" he continues with "I doubt there's not that much travel between the lands of various lords in different parts of the principality, only those who are close to one another".
The two of them, the mercenary ranger and the elven spy continue to quietly discuss things. While back along the trial, the heavily armoured knight sir Percavelle Lé Dic continues to pace back and forth. While the others, Shur Kee the monk, Lisell Maera and Tamric Drubine, sit beneath the trees off to one side of the trail, near where their horses are picketed.
Meanwhile, down the slope and around to the east, where the forest trail leads, Helbe the elven thief is in small town beside a river, the town may be small, but it's definitely bigger than the previous settlements they've come across since coming through the portal from the nomads plains yesterday morning.
The young elven noble from the principality of Laerel in the Southlands, is blurred and shielded as he makes his way through the riverside town. The elven princeling is in the home of one of few traders in the town, and is going through his books and maps in the traders little office.
The elven magic user nods his head when he finds out exactly where they are in the central part of Maladimbáh. The map the trader has of the principality is much more detailed than the one's the elven masterthief has, so he decides to take this one, just straight up steal it as it's better.
Helbenthril Raendril sees that the lands of a lord Haldéilv is in the south of the principality, not that far from the northern reaches of the nomads plains.
Must be her father, Helbe the elven thief thinks to himself, who then rolls up the map he's taken from a pile on the desk in the office he's in, and puts it into an inner pocket of his hooded cloak. The elven magic user then looks out the clear glass window of the office, and shifts outside. The blurred and shielded elven masterthief looks around, then continues on his way through the small riverside town, finding out any relevant information that may be important to him and the others in their search for the missing trio of lord Farque, Dorc da Orc and Mira Reinholt the mage.
As well as any relevant information about Kaldeàlil Haldéilv, who the elven master assassin, knows has finally got her wish, of having him come to her homeland of Maladimbáh.
As Helbe the elven thief is walking through the town, Narladene the ground pixie appears on his right shoulder and says "There's some here" the tiny winged creature gestures to the nearby piers that jut out into the river, and the houses just back from them "They mostly work as fishermen, or on the river barges that take goods to the local lords town".
The young elven noble nods his hooded head as he spots a couple of humans working on some nets behind one of the houses near the piers "Any goblins?" asks the elven magic user "None that I've seen" quietly replies the ground pixie who is 'attached' to the elven prince.
"Good enough then" quietly says Helbenthril Raendril who then adds "Go to Riley and tell him and the others to start heading this way" the elven masterthief continues with "I'll meet them on the trail before it reaches the town".
Narladene sourly smiles at the prospect of showing herself to any of the others, though out of the rest of the group who the young elven noble is in charge of. It's the man who was once Zubutai Timaginson the barbarian hordesman she's most comfortable appearing infront of, more so than Shur Kee the monk who she has known for longer.
The tiny winged creature disappears as she drops down into the ground, and heads up to the peak behind and to the west of the riverside town. While she does, the elven master assassin she is attached to, continues to explore the small town.
"Should be able to purchase some more supplies there" says Riley Hait the mercenary ranger who continues with "Looked like it was next to a river, so I'm guessing that get a fair bit of commerce going through, as well as the occasional visitor or two".
"Hope so, I'm kind of getting sick of having dried fruit with every meal" says Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy, which causes the ranger Hait to grin, then softly chuckle, the mercenary ranger is just about to say something about that when out of the corner of his eye, he spots something a bit down the trial.
About twenty feet away, Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman spots Narladene the ground pixie about six feet up in the air. The ground pixie nods her tiny head when she sees him looking at her, then she points down the trail, and waves in a beckoning manner.
The mercenary ranger who is from the elven principality of Envadarlen in the Southlands slightly nods in understanding, then the ground pixie disappears from sight.
"Come on, we're going" says Riley Hait "We are?" asks the spy Tanith, the ranger Hait nods his head that they are, then he looks back along the trail, and whistles. Sir Percavelle Lé Dic stops his pacing and looks their way, he nods his head when he sees the mercenary ranger waving him forward.
The group from south of the equator are soon leading their mounts along the trail, heading downhill through the trees. With Dalinvardél Tanith in the lead as the travel single file, while Shur Kee the monk is in the rear.
It's early in the afternoon once they get downhill through the heavily forested peak, and are on more flat land, through the trees up ahead where the trail widens out to what one would call a wagon track, wide enough so that it's easy enough to mount upon their horses and ride at walking pace, Helbe the elven thief waits for them.
The young elven noble takes the reins of his horse from Tamric Drubine who has been leading it, and he gets up in the saddle, and rides forward next to the ranger Hait, who is behind the spy Tanith.
"We're definitely in the middle area of the principality, more east than west" says the elven princeling, who is the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel "We'll keep heading south" adds Helbenthril Raendril, who after a slight pause says "Seems her father's lands are in the south of the principality, not too far from the edge of the plains".
The ranger Hait lifts his eyebrows in surprise at that, then he says "We'll continue our search as we head there?" the elven magic user nods his hooded head in response to that as the river, then the small town beside it comes into view.
The crazy bitch is probably waiting for us there, Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman dryly thinks to himself, the mercenary ranger then nods to the town they're approaching, then says to the elven master archer riding beside him "Looks like a city compared to the other two places we've come across so far".
Prince Helbenthril Raendril slightly grins at that, then he says "Looks like it alright" the young elven noble from the principality of Laerel continues with "We'll be able to get plenty of supplies for our journey along the river" he then adds "It goes more or less south for another twenty miles or so, before turning east to a number of lakes".
The ranger Hait nods, as he's seen from the maps they have, that Maladimbáh is a principality that's much longer east to west, than it is from north to south due to the mountain ranges that run east, west through it.
After glancing at the rest of the group, Riley Hait quietly says to the elven masterthief as they reach the outskirts of the riverside town "Hope we don't get into too much difficult while we're here in the principality".
"The word you're looking for is trouble" quietly says Helbe the elven thief in reply, the young elven noble continues with "Knowing us, we probably will" Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman sourly smiles at that as they ride into the town . . . . . .