Wonderful 106.

The Principality Of Maladimbáh...

In the midday sun, a green mist forms in part of the forest in the valley. And those guards in house Haldéilv who are caught up in it, fall out of their saddles, and drop to the ground, while their mounts continue on their way along the forest road.
In retaliation, a ball of liquid green fire sprays away to the right from the mist. Heading towards the elven spellcaster from house Walashàele, who brought forth the choking green mist.
The green fire passes through the forest, not harming any tree, shrub, bush, or any type of vegetation. Not so any house guard in the service of lord Walashàele. Who ignite in green flames when they're struck by the ball of liquid green fire.
This is just one confrontation of many that's taking place throughout the valley, now that the two local lords who are rivals and neighbours, lord Haldéilv and lord Walashàele. Are fighting one another in the clear midday sky above the valley on this warm, late summer's day.
Further west of where much of the fighting is taking place in the forest that covers much of the valley, a squad of mounted guards in the service of house Walashàele have stopped and gone off the track they're on. Well it appears they're in the service of lord Walashàele by the tarbards they're wearing, but appearances can be deceiving.
The elven mercenaries hired by Kaldeàlil Haldéilv dismount, and change out of the colours of lord Walashàele. And change into the tarbards of house Haldéilv, which they put on over their armour.
Once attired in the colours of lord Haldéilv, they remount, and are quickly riding west, to the nearby tor, where the tower of house Haldéilv is located. They're approaching it from the southeast, after taking a long roundabout way to it after crossing the river that marks the border between the lands of the two noble houses that are right next to one another here in the south of the principality of Maladimbáh.
"There's our trap" lord Farque murmurs to himself after he steps out from behind a tree, and continues to watch the disguised elven mercenaries riding along the forest track, that joins up with one of the roads that goes to the tor, and the tower of house Haldéilv that's upon it.
The undead warlord saw the same elven mercenaries earlier in the morning, not long after they crossed over into the lands of house Haldéilv. He was expecting them at the seat of power of lord Haldéilv, now seeing them heading that way, he figures they'll probably get there before he and Helbe the elven thief get there. As they're moving at a slower pace due to the fact the young elven noble is luring Kaldeàlil Haldéilv after him.
The heavily armoured deathlord heads back north and west, running to where he senses the elven princeling at the moment. As he runs, the lord and ruler of the lands Farque senses in all directions, keeping track of just about everything here in the valley that's bordered to the north by a range of mountains, while away to the south is the Nomads Plains.
A bolt of lightning blasts through the midday sky, going from one griffon above the valley, to the other. Lord Walashàele who has blocked the lightning bolt directed at him and his griffon, sends one back the way that one came from. Back at lord Haldéilv who is half a mile away to the northwest of him at the moment, as the two of them circle one another, throwing spells at each other as they do their best to try and kill one another.
In the forest, back near the river in the lands of lord Haldéilv. Lord Walashàele's daughter Jalindílth teleports herself and a trio of house guards quickly away.
The ground where they were just standing, erupts in a shower of dirt and debris, and torn up shrubs, bushes, and couple of nearby trees that shatter into untold pieces.
The nobleborn elf who is a cousin of lord Haldéilv who just cast the blast spell aimed at Jalindílth Walashàele. Senses for her, and feels where she has teleported to. The elven noble teleports in that direction, accompanied by the four house guards in his own family's service.
Further west in the forest that covers much of the valley, Kaldeàlil Haldéilv the elven magic user stops once more, and Harrick the mercenary guard quietly says to her "What is it now?" he then adds "Is it him again?". For the attractive elven maid has informed him and his fellow mercenary from Belinswae, Linden. That she has recently sensed the elven noble from south of the equator who is their quarry.
"Yes" quietly says Kaldeàlil Haldéilv the elven magic user who has briefly sensed prince Helbenthril Raendril once more. The illegitimate daughter of lord Haldéilv looks back in the direction they've come from, and a little while later she murmurs to herself "No help there" as Galacithàné Walashàele, a younger cousin of lord Walashàele, hasn't given her any directions lately.
Knowing of a clearing not to faraway, the attractive elven maid teleports herself and the two mercenaries there blind.
A rather dangerous technique unless you're absolutely certain of how things look and appear. As you normally have to see where you are teleporting to.
As the illegitimate daughter of lord Haldéilv and the two mercenaries from Belinswae continue on their way westward in the direction of the tor, on which sits the tower of house Haldéilv.
Inside the tor itself, nearly halfway up it, Mira Reinholt the mage glances around a corner. The once powerful mage winces as he hears a sound behind him. He looks back along the passageway he's in, and sees Dorc da Orc has got to the top of the stairs, and is now stomping his way in this direction.
The Vexilian mage in exile waves the large ork to a stop, the ork warleader grunts and does stop. He leans against a wall in the passageway, and drinks from one of the two wine barrels he has taken from a storage room lower down in the tor.
The ork weaponsmith also took two smaller ceramic jugs of mead, he's already finished those off. Infact he drunk them in the corridor outside the storage room he took them from.
The mage Reinholt after looking around the corner again, waves the large ork forward again. Dorkindle grunts then makes his way to where the spellcaster from the city-state of Vexil is standing at the corner of the passageway.
"Do you have to be so noisy Dorc?" dryly asks Mira Reinholt the mage "Yep" chuckles Dorc da Orc, who after drinking more of the wine in the open barrel, adds "Nots to fucken worry killer, no cunts close" he nods his large head upwards then continues with "Cunts up above us, none fucken here on this level".
"And the others?" asks the mage who is also a highly skilled swordmaster "Ups fucken higher" replies the large ork after he sniffs a few times as he locates the rest of the group from the Southlands, who are further up the tor than the two of them are.
The spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found in the Southlands nods, then after looking around the corner, he asks the big, burly ork "Which way is the nearest steps or stairs?".
"Right" answers the ork warleader, who gestures with the barrel of wine he's holding, to the left "Left then" wryly murmurs the mage Reinholt in the elven language, who then turns left around the corner, followed by the weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks.
The two of them from south of the equator, who have known one another a dozen years, make their way to a set of steps. They head up them, and the swordmaster Reinholt sees that there's small windows on the wall to the left of them.
He looks out of one, and immediately identifies the land to the south of the rocky tor. It's a sight he's very familiar with, as the suite he was held prisoner in further up in the tower, was south facing as well.
After murmuring "Keep as quiet as you can" to the large ork, the exiled Vexilian mage who has reached the top of the steps, looks to his right, in the direction the passageway goes. He's pretty sure he hears something at the other end of the passageway, and he looks back at Dorc da Orc, who grunts then quietly tells him "Peoples" followed by "Fucken flower peoples".
No shit, of course there's going to be elves here, the once powerful mage thinks to himself, the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, not to mention, a fair hand with a bow, knows that he and the ork weaponsmith will be heard by any nearby elves, before they even see them.
The accomplished mage who as usual is holding his power within himself, sighs, then dryly murmurs "Wonderful" then he quietly says to the large ork "Come on then" and he starts making his way along the passageway, Dorkindle follows him.
It's as the mage Reinholt predicted, they're heard before they get to the small hall at the end of the passageway. Because an elven maid, a servant, comes into view, and screams when she sees the two of them making their way along the passageway towards the small hall.
The pair from the Southlands share a look as the elven maid, and another servant, run to the door at the other ends of the small hall, and quickly exit it. "Ah well, i guess everyone will know we're here fairly soon" says Mira Reinholt, Dorc da Orc chuckles, and says "Fuck 'em".
The once powerful mage and the ork weaponsmith hurry through the small hall, and make their way out of the door at the other end. Once they're in the hallway beyond, the Vexilian swordmaster in exile sees that it heads inwards into the tor.
As they walk quickly along the hallway, the spellcaster from south of the equator slightly frowns as he thinks of something "I wonder?" murmurs the mage Reinholt, who then looks at the warleader of the ork race and asks him "Dorc do you smell a hollow opening with wind flowing through it?".
"Huh?" says the weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks who comes to a stop, which forces the once powerful mage to come to a halt "A shaft that runs down the center of this tor" says Mira Reinholt who then adds "Can you smell an opening to it nearby?".
Dorkindle repeatedly sniffs, then after a little while, he waves a large meaty, frying pan sized hand in the direction they're going, and he says "Fucken that-a-way".
They get underway again, with the Vexilian mage in exile quietly saying "I guess we're taking the quick way up" as he says this, the large ork takes a throwing axe from the front of his weapon harness, then says "Cunts" followed by "Cunts with swords".
As they get to the end of the hallway they're in, the mage Reinholt draws the longsword that lord Farque used to kill a dragon with, that now has a black blade due to dragon fire.
The once powerful mage hears a number of people around the corner to the left, and when he and Dorkindle turn that way, they see a trio of elven house guards running this way "Fucken get some" says a grinning Dorc da Orc, who is the first to act by throwing the axe he's taken from his weapon harness.
Further up the tor, in the tower proper, Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy has punched a Haldéilv house guard in the face with a open palm. The spy Tanith grabs the unconscious house guard before he drops to the hallway floor, and he hauls him through the open doorway to the right.
Dalin after lying the knocked out Haldéilv housebguard on the floor, of what turns out to be a suite, looks back out the open doorway, and looks back in the direction he's come from. He spots Riley Hait the mercenary ranger glancing around a corner into the hallway. The spy from the principality of Alínlae in the Southlands waves the ranger Hait forward.
Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman followed one by one by the others, make their way to the suite that Dalin is in.
"I don't know how long we can do this for" quietly says Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy once everyone is in the suite and the door to the hallway is closed "We're going to be discovered sooner rather than later" adds the elven spy.
"Good, i can't abide all this skulking around" loudly mutters sir Percavelle Lé Dic, which the others all ignore, and Riley Hait the mercenary ranger says "We might as well wait here". "Sounds good to me" says the spy Tanith.
The suite they're in is on the southeast corner of the tower, giving them a good view away to the east, and to the south, when they look straight down from some of the open windows, they can see the small town below at the base of the tor.
After Dalinvardél Tanith holds up a hand for them to be silent, and they all hear a number of people, most likely house guards, running by in the hallway outside the door to the suite.
The elven spy from Alínlae in the Southlands says to the mercenary ranger as the two of them look out an open window "Hopefully we see them approaching".
"Hopefully" quietly says Riley Hait as they along with the others look out the windows at the forest to the east of the tor, and wait for lord Farque and Helbe the elven thief to show up . . . . . .