The Stone Hills. Winter...
In the late afternoon sunshine, he looks out across the bay. He knows somewhere over there to the south, is the enemy. An army from Belinswae. He can't see them yet, nor can the dwarven warriors with him up the tower. But they know the justifier's army will arrive soon, within the next few days.
He looks down at the water in the bay, there's white caps as the wind whips across the bay from the southwest. Here on the coast, the Stone Hills is still a windy place.
The tower, about eighty feet in height, stands on a promontory that sticks out into the bay. Behind the strip of land that juts out into the water, is the first of the rolling hills, on this, the very western end of the Stone Hills.
Down along the coastal side of the promontory, is a stone dock, that has a few fishing boats tied up to it at the moment. The dwarven fishermen whose boats they are, take most of their catch from the bay itself. Only ever venturing out of the bay into the open ocean, on days that are very calm.
The afternoon wind, which is cold as usual for this time of year, blows in through the opening at the top of the circular tower. An opening that goes completely around the top of the tower. As the very top, the circular roof, sits upon a central column. Within which is a winding stairwell.
Which is difficult to climb, and even worse to go down when you're not a dwarf, as he isn't a dwarf.
Since it will soon be early evening, he's just contemplating the climb down the tower stairwell. When one of the dwarves up here with him, one of the lookouts, says in the common language "Sails out to sea" followed by "To the south".
He can't see anything, and knows he won't for sometime, for the dwarves have much better eyesight than he has. And will spot things far in advance of when he, a mere human, will ever do.
"Two masts, black ship" adds the lookout, who pauses for a moment, before he adds "Aye it could be them" the dwarven warrior looks over at him, and asks "Ya think it be them brother?".
Shur Kee the monk briefly smiles at the salutation of brother that all the dwarves refer to him by, then he says "It might just be them friend".
The acolyte in the order of Bru Li who is holding his conical shaped hat in hand, looks across the bay to the south, as most of the dwarves in the tower are doing, and he quietly says "Maybe" in response to one of the lookouts asking "Think your friend will return soon brother?".
Shur Kee remains up in the top of the tower as the ship, which turns out to be a familiar schooner, a smuggler's vessel out of Falnic in Belinswae, enters the bay from the southwest.
As dusk takes over on the cold, windy winter's day here on the coast, the monk from the kingdom of Wah Lee on the far eastern coast of the continent can barely see the smuggler's ship, as it's running dark, with no ship's lamps lit.
Shur Kee heads quickly down the cramp stairwell after the lookout closest to him says "Well it looks like your other friend has returned, the elven spy".
The short statured monk, who is glad he's short, as he doesn't have to duck down as he makes his way down the winding staircase, is soon down to the ground floor chamber of the eighty foot tall tower.
He passes outside, and sees that there's a number of dwarves already out on the dock, who he joins. The physical adept hears wagons approaching along the promontory. They've come from underneath the nearest hill behind the tower, for the dwarves of clan Galve know that the approaching ship is a blockade runner. And will have supplies and goods for them, either stolen or legally purchased.
It also might have dwarves onboard who have escaped from Belinswae, in particular from Falnic, the coastal city which is the largest in the region ruled by the justifiers who have invaded the Stone Hills.
In this case when the twin masted schooner docks, it's both. There's supplies, mostly stolen. As well as a handful of dwarven refugees from the city of Falnic.
Some of the dwarves on the dock cheer when they see the innkeeper from Falnic, an inn that many of them have stayed at when they've visited the city over a hundred and twenty miles down the coast.
"Friend Dalin" says Shur Kee the monk "Shur Kee" replies Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy when he disembarks and clasps the hand of the short statured monk.
"I did not think you would return" says the acolyte who follows the teachings of the Jade Warrior Bru Li "Had to leave for a bit" says the elven spy from the principality of Alínlae in the Southlands, who continues with "Didn't want them to suspect that I'm the one who's going around killing their officials".
In the light of the lamps that some of the dwarves are carrying, Dalinvardél Tanith nods towards the dwarven passengers who are coming down the gangplank from the schooner, and he adds "And that I've been helping them to escape".
They get a ride on the back of one of the wagons that the supplies taken from Falnic are put onto. Sitting on the back of the tailgate as the wagon heads along the promontory, the spy Tanith says "We had to hole up in a secluded bay for most of yesterday" he continues with "Their navy has increased their patrols up the coast from Falnic".
The justifiers of Belinswae hold sway up the coast of their region, and along the coast of the Stone Hills. For the dwarven clans of the Stone Hills aren't really deep water sailors, and have very few tall sailing ships.
The justifier's navy is having an easy time of it bringing up guards and supplies to the north. Where they're put off along the coast in the north of Belinswae. They've found that landing on the coast of the Stone Hills isn't the best option, as the dwarven clans, clan Galve in particular as it's the largest clan on and near the coast, have been fiercely protective of their coastline.
And the fact that even here on the coast, the Stone Hills lives up to it's name. There's no harbours on the coast, nor sandy beaches for ship's boats to offload guards and supplies.
The coastline of the Stone Hills is just as rocky as the hills and mountains that are inland. Making it difficult for vessels to have a safe berth.
It's only in a few bays, such as this one, that boats and ships can come in an offload at a safe berth. And these bays are the most protected part of the Stone Hills coastline.
That's why right now, there's a justifier's army heading up from the south to this bay that's in the Galve clanhold.
As the wagon comes off the short causeway between the promontory and the land on the north side of the bay, and makes it's way along the track that goes between a pair of hills.
Dalinvardél Tanith, who is often referred to as just Dalin, looks south through the darkness of the early evening, south across the bay, and asks "Have you heard anything from the others?".
Shur Kee the monk tells him that a justifier's army has made it's way to the Kraelin clanhold further to the east, about thirty five miles inland from the coast.
And that the others are helping clan Kraelin face that particular army from Belinswae. The acolyte in the philosophical order of Bru Li from what messages he's heard, is that a battle is expected there any day now. Infact, it happened this very day, early in the morning, just after dawn.
"They'll be in for one hell of a surprise when they come up against an army that's led by the warlord of the lands Farque" quietly says the elf from the principality of Alínlae in the Southlands, who knows that even outnumbered, as all the dwarven clan armies are here in the Stone Hills. An army commanded by the deathlord of Farque has an excellent chance at victory on the battlefield.
And even if they're not entirely successful, an army from Belinswae that comes up against them, will be severely depleted. And will think seriously about wether continuing the fight against them is worth it.
As the wagon track heads to the base of one of the hills, towards what looks like the mouth of a cave, but is infact a dwarven made opening. The spy Tanith asks "Has he given any orders for here?" Dalinvardél gestures across the bay and adds "For what's heading here?".
"He has" replies Shur Kee who continues with "The lord has told the dwarves to harass the enemy on the road north to the bay" the short statured monk continues with "I believe there are a number of them south of the bay doing that".
Dalin nods his head to that, and as the wagon, and the three wagons infront ot it, heads in through the opening, much to the relief of the two from south of the equator, who are glad to be out of cold wind this evening.
The elven spy who was once a part of one of the noble houses of his homeland Alínlae, asks the short statured monk sitting beside him on the tailgate of the wagon "And the mage, where's he at, at the moment?".
Shur Kee gestures southwards at the bay just before it disappears from view as they go into the lamp lit entrance chamber within the base of the hill, the acolyte in the order of Bru Li, who happens to be a physical adept, whose body is as much as a weapon as the staff he carries, says "Friend Mira is away to the south".
Dalinvardél Tanith, who takes the hood of his cloak off his head, nods as the short statured monk tells him "He went with the dwarves who have gone into northern Belinswae" Shur Kee pauses for a moment, before he adds "He said he was going to cause as much disruption as possible to the justifiers forces".
"I don't doubt that he is" wryly says Dalin, which causes Shur Kee to chuckle, the spy Tanith joins in with the laughter, as they both know that the mage Reinholt, however limited he is, will be more than disruptive to any army from Belinswae that he runs across . . . . . .
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