Wonderful 99.

The Principality Of Maladimbáh...

They're off their mounts, and leading them through the forest as they head westwards. In the lead, Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy frowns, then holds up a hand for the others to stop. The elf from the principality of Alínlae in the Southlands looks back in the direction they've come from, though more to the north, than directly east where they parted ways with lord Farque and Helbe the elven thief.
"Something the matter?" quietly asks Riley Hait the mercenary ranger after he's walked forward and joined the elven spy who was once part of one of the noble houses of Alínlae.
"Thought i heard something in the distance to the north" says Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy in response to the ranger Hait's question "You know what it was?" asks Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman "It sounded like a roar" is the quiet reply of the spy Tanith.
The mercenary ranger who has been looking in the direction Dalin has been looking, looks at the elven spy and lifts his eyebrows. The elf from south of the equator slightly nods, as they both know what that could mean.
"Seen any signs of forest cats?" quietly asks the human ranger who was raised and trained in the elven principality of Envadarlen "Nothing" answers Dalinvardél Tanith, who then adds "No bears either". "Same" quietly says the mercenary ranger who in actual fact is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra.
After a few moments of silence, Riley Hait quietly says "Well then it's probably" the spy Tanith nods in agreement, and says "They're supposed to be close, so it probably is" the elf from the Southlands then asks "Should we wait for them?".
The mercenary ranger who has been told to lead them westwards, looks back at the rest of the group for a few moments, then he says "No we'll keep moving" the ranger Hait continues with "They'll catch up soon enough" he then dryly adds "No matter what they run into".
The spy Tanith faintly smiles then nods, and though he and the others haven't seen who he and Riley Hait have just been talking about for a few months now. He walks on leading his horse westwards through the forest.
The rest of the group, starting with Riley aka Zubutai Timaginson follow after the elven spy from the principality of Alínlae.
Meanwhile, further east in the valley, nearer to the river that's the natural border between the lands of the Haldéilv family and the lands of the Walashàele family.
Helbe the elven thief is up a tree, the blurred and shielded elven magic user, who a short time ago spotted some of lord Walashàele's house guards here in the lands of lord Haldéilv. Making their way quickly along a forest track, that was more north, south than it was east, west.
Looks back behind him to the west, and after a few moments, he spots lord Farque running through the forest in this direction. The elven princeling who knows the undead warlord could easily keep up with him, then looks to the east. He can't see the river itself, but he can clearly see the hill that overlooks the riverside town that's just over the border in lord Walashàele's lands.
The young elven noble from the principality of Laerel spots guards in the colours of house Walashàele making their way down the hillside road, presumably to the town below.
As he watches the mounted house guards, the highly skilled practitioner of magic senses all around, then he looks away to his left, to the north, where only about half a mile away, he senses who can only be lord Haldéilv.
"He's waiting for something" Helbe the elven thief murmurs to himself as he stands upon a thick branch over halfway up the tree he's in. The elven masterthief who is using no spell to stand upon the tree branch he's on, only his natural ability to perfectly balance on things.
Looks back and searches for lord Farque again, after a few moments the prince Helbenthril Raendril slightly frowns as he can't see the heavily armoured deathlord anymore.
The elven master assassin thinks about going back to look for the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, but he decides to wait when he briefly spots a dark blur of motion along part of the forest track nearby that runs more north, south than it does east, west.
The grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel wonders what has caught the attention of the heavily armoured deathlord from the Southlands.
Lord Farque slows down as he runs off the track, the lord of the death realm cuts through the trees on the right, and briefly rejoins the track, before running off it again, into the trees to the left of it.
The undead warlord who spotted riders on the track heading southwest, sees them in the distance through the trees. And though they're mounted, and he's on foot. The deathlord of Farque is moving far quicker in a straight line, even when he's sprinting through the forest, and not using all the available speed to him through the unique power he has.
Draugadrottin as he's also known by to the people of his lands faraway to the south beyond the equator, slows down even more when he hears what's about to happen, then he sees it a few moments later.
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque runs up behind a thick oak tree, where he stops, he looks around it and gets a good view of the track, which is only about forty yards away. On it are the riders he was following, who have encountered other riders, who have come through the forest from the west. They're house guards in the service of lord Haldéilv. While those who are on the track heading southwest, are guards in the service of house Walashàele. Or so it seems.
The lord of the death realm slightly frowns after a few moments as the riders from both sides of the border attack one another. Almost immediately the undead warlord sees that lord Walashàele's house guards are more interested in fleeing than fighting. Which is surprising since they clearly out number the squad of guards in the service of house Haldéilv.
The fight is over quickly, the bulk of the house guards in the service of lord Walashàele have ridden away, either on the track, or through the trees off it. All of them heading in the direction they were originally heading, to the southwest. A couple are wounded, while two more of them lie dead on the track.
One of lord Haldéilv's guards is dead, while two more are wounded. One quite seriously as he took a sword thrust to the stomach, while the other has a cut along her right forearm.
One of the guards in the service of house Haldéilv heads off and follows the feeling house guards from across the border. While another heads away to the north along the track, riding at a fast gallop.
The rest of the small squad, including the wounded, head that way as well. As they ride away, lord Farque senses that the house guard with the stomach wound will soon be dead if he isn't healed by a spell or potion.
The lord and ruler of lands of the lands Farque waits a few moments, then steps out from behind the oak tree, and makes his way to the track, to where the dead lie.
One of the horses of the fallen house guards is wandering through the trees, it spots the heavily armoured deathlord and starts walking towards him. The horse stops, and thinks better of it, it quickly turns and trotts away through the trees.
The undead being who is also known as Des'tier to an older generation of elves in the Southlands who might know who he is, barely spares a glance for the dead Haldéilv house guard.
Instead he looks at the two dead Walashàele house guards, who lie about fifteen yards apart, one in the middle of the track, while the other is just off it, at the base of a tree.
Draugadrottin bends down and rips open the tunic of the dead house guard in the service of lord Walashàele, who is lying in the middle of the forest track. He looks at the armour beneath, then at the fallen house guards weapon,
Next the undead warlord searches the dead elf, he slightly nods his full helmed head, then makes his way over to the dead house guard lying at the base of a tree.
Lord Farque pulls away the torn tunic of the dead guard who served lord Walashàele, after looking at the dead house guard's sword, he searches the body, and finds what he's looking for.
Looking at the coin pouch in his right gauntleted hand, the lord of the death realm doesn't need to open it to tell that it holds gold coins.
Far more than any house guard would have on them at any one time. But not for a mercenary, who hasn't had the opportunity to spend all his pay, which mercenaries tend to do.
The lord and ruler of the lands drops the coin pouch and stands up. If the coins didn't give them away, then their armour and weapons certainly do.
For house guards most often have the same type of armour and weapons to their companions. In this case lighter armour, and sabre like swords as they're light cavalry.
Not so the two dead guards who are apparently in the service of house Walashàele.
One wore steel plate on his chest and back, something no elven house guard would ever wear, and he wielded a heavy axe, which is why he's dead, as it took too long to pull his weapon from the holder across his back.
While the dead elf at the base of the tree, is in ringmail, which along with chain is usually the heaviest armour an elven house guard would normally wear. Though only if they were heavy cavalry, or heavy infantry, which elven kind tend not to have, as they're of the belief that speed is more important whilst on foot, than being heavily armoured. Unless you're a nobleborn who has the benefit of magic, or unless you're a mercenary.
Getting the feeling that lord Walashàele would never hire mercenaries and put them in his own colours, lord Farque murmurs to himself "So you're starting a war between your father and him, all too get the thief" the undead warlord slightly shakes his full helmed head, then he turns and starts running back the way he came from, heading to where he senses Helbe the elven thief.
It's not long before the heavily armoured deathlord is a dark blur as he runs on and off the track, and through the trees as he head north and east towards the river that's the natural border between the lands of the noble houses of Haldéilv and Walashàele here in the south of Maladimbáh.
Meanwhile, further west in the valley, Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy and Riley Hait the mercenary ranger have slipped off their mounts, which are with the others further back amongst the trees.
While the two of the them are lying on the ground, on their stomachs. Looking over a deadfall that's in front of them, looking down at the main forest road, that leaves the tower of lord Haldéilv and heads east through the valley.
"If that isn't a sign of imminent war, then i don't know what is" whispers the ranger Hait as they look down to the road which is about seventy yards away from small hill they're on. Where on the road is a troop of house guards, both on horseback and on foot, nearly two hundred of them, who are heading east.
The spy Tanith slightly nods in agreement with the mercenary ranger as they watch the house guards walking and riding in the mid morning sunshine, the elven spy then looks away to his and the ranger Hait's left, where he sees the tower of lord Haldéilv, upon the tor that sticks up out of the forest floor. The palace like tower, where the troop of house guards have come from, is only a mile away.
"Well i doubt Mira and Dorc will run into this lot" dryly whispers Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman which causes Dalin to grin, for they have figured the once powerful mage and the ork warleader are on or near the road that's further north in the valley, where from what the spy Tanith is pretty sure he heard earlier, the two of them have most likely encountered guards in the service of lord Haldéilv.
The ranger Hait looks at the tower upon the tor about a mile away, then he looks at the elven spy next to him, and whispers to him "You're the expert on this" he continues with "How are we going to get into that place?". "I'm working on that" is the whispered reply of Dalinvardél Tanith . . . . . .