Navigrel. Northern Belinswae. Winter...
Of the two justifiers in the town of Navigrel. It's the sorceress Paelau, who has her army in full force, in and around the walled town.
The sorceress is an austere woman in her early forties. Never one to crack a smile, who expects her guards to do exactly as she says, and in a timely fashion too.
The sorceress, who is plump to say the least. Has taken over a large house off the market square in the south of the walled town. A house formerly owned by a wealthy merchant here in Navigrel.
While the other justifier, is one of the more powerful of the rulers of Belinswae. He's the mage Kalsane, who is residing in an inn near the west gate of Navigrel.
The justifier who is a mage, may only have about a hundred and fifty guards in an around town at the moment. As the bulk of his army has already gone north towards the Stone Hills.
Justifier Paelau might may have more than ten times the amount of guards here in and around Navigrel. But the mage from a river town south of the city of Falnic is safe in the knowledge that he is far more powerful magically than his fellow justifier.
The two spellcasters who want to be successful in the invasion of the dwarven clanholds in the Stone Hills.
Are long time rivals, who don't particularly want the other to succeed too well as they head north into the Stone Hills.
A rivalry that's lasted more than two decades, as it involves family members, who were jilted lovers. That both justifiers can't forgive the other family for.
Though there's been small attacks over the years, either through their business interests, or directly at one another's household. Nothing too serious, as in large, has ever taken place.
That is until now, if Mira Reinholt the mage has anything to do about it. The once powerful mage from south of the equator hopes to intensify the rivalry between the two justifiers. So much so, that they openly attack one another. Which they've yet to truly to do over the last two decades.
The exiled Vexilian mage crosses the market square here in Navigrel, heading for the street that leads to the nearby south gate.
The spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, pulls the hood of his cloak down further infront of his face, as heads towards a large two storey house.
The mage Reinholt sees that justifier Paelau isn't taking any chances, she's got sentries at every corner of the house. As well up on the second storey balconies Not to mention up off the roof too. The guards up there are glad the lightly falling snow has stopped. But they're not particularly pleased that they're out, and exposed in the cold wind that's steadily picking up.
The mage who is in exile from his homeland of Vexil in the Southlands, gives the guards upon the roof a quick glance as he makes his way to the front door of the large residence.
The swordmaster Reinholt is challenged by a pair of the guards up the steps to the front door. And when he tells them that he has a message for the sorceress Paelau from her fellow justifier, the mage Kalsane.
The spellcaster from south of the equator inwardly smiles as he sees the disgruntled looks from the guards on the steps, and by the closest of the sentries at the mention of the mage Kalsane's name.
The mage, who at one time, was more powerful than any other mage of his generation in the Southlands. Nods his hooded head after one of the guards on the front steps says "Very well, this way mercenary".
The highly skilled swordmaster who is passing himself off as a hired mercenary in the army of justifier Kalsane. Not that the mage from south of Falnic, or any of his senior officers know that.
Heads indoors behind the guard, who glances back at him, and tells him "Follow me. The mage Reinholt almost smiles as the guard, like nearly all of the native Belinswae residents. Have to look up to the Vexilian mage in exile. Who at about six foot in height, is considerably taller than the average person from the region led by the justifiers.
They head into a hallway, and towards halfway down the hallway, the spellcaster from the Southlands is told to wait on a bench up against the wall, next to one of the closed doors in the hallway. That has a pair of guards standing to either side of it.
The guard who led the swordmaster from south of the equator into the large house, opens the door and enters the room beyond.
The highly skilled swordmaster waits on the bench in the hallway, as he does, he takes a small envelope out of an inner pocket of his cloak.
The once powerful mage doesn't have to wait too long, because the guard comes out of the room, and tells the exiled Vexilian spellcaster "Enter".
"So Kalsane has a message for me" says justifier Paelau as she sits near the room's fireplace, where she's eating sweatmeats from a platter on the low round table next to her chair. "What does he want?" asks the austere looking woman, whose is more than a little plump.
"I have no idea" replies Mira Reinholt the mage, who holds out the small envelope. Also in the room, are a trio of officers, and a quartet of justifier's guards. It's one of the former, who takes the proffered envelope, and brings it over to the short, plump sorceress sitting near the fireplace.
As the justifier opens the envelope and reads the letter inside, she waves for the Mira Reinholt to take a seat, as he does, the sorceress who is from central Belinswae like her rival the mage Kalsane, asks the swordmaster from south of the equator "He paying you well mercenary?".
"Well enough" says the once powerful mage, who glances out the glass window to the right, where out in the back courtyard of the large house, are a pair of wyverns curled up, half lying on one another as they doze this morning.
"You willing to pay me more to join you?" says the exiled Vexilian mage "You are rather forward aren't you?" says the sorceress Paelau, who then scowls as she reads something she doesn't particularly like in the letter, that she thinks is written by her rival, the mage Kalsane. But it was infact written by the mage not from Belinswae, but the one from the Southlands.
Mira Reinholt who used a spell to correctly write in the handwriting of justifier Kalsane, when he wrote the letter earlier this morning before he left his inn.
Nods his hooded head, when the plump, austere looking sorceress looks up from the letter, and looks at him and says "Damn tall you are too".
The highly skilled swordmaster glances at the three officers in the room, which the senior one is sitting, while the other two are standing. Then he says "Well if you ever need someone else to train your guards with the sword, I'm willing to listen to any offers".
The justifier Paelau is quiet for a few moments, as she folds up the letter after finishing reading it. And she taps a corner of it against her forehead a few times as she contemplates something.
She then looks at the figure in the black hooded cloak sitting on the chair across from her, and she dryly says "Offers higher than what he's paying you of course".
"Of course" says the once powerful mage "So you train his guards eh?" says the austere looking sorceress, the exiled Vexilian mage nods in the positive, and the justifier asks him "Think his guards are better than mine?"
"They're much alike" is the answer from Mira Reinholt, who after a brief pause, adds "Except for the one's I've trained, who are far more skilled and prepared for battle compared to your guards".
The highly skilled swordmaster lets the justifier cast on him to see if he's telling the truth. The mage from south of the equator, sees the slight grimace upon the justifier's stern looking face when she finds out he's telling the truth.
Well, that's what the exiled Vexilian mage wants her to believe. As he's casting without her even knowing it, thanks to the amulet he wears on silver chain around his neck, beneath his shirt and armoured leather jacket.
Changing tact, the sorceress Paelau, who is of the opinion that most mercenaries are willing to talk about anything. The small number in her army do, as is this one here the mage Kalsane has hired.
"When's he planning to leave town and go north and join his army?" asks the justifier from central Belinswae, the highly skilled swordmaster from the Southlands shrugs his shoulders, and says "I've no idea" the once powerful mage continues with "But i assume it'll be fairly soon, he hasn't had any new guards arrive in three days" he then adds "And the bulk of his army will soon be into the first of the clanholds".
It's common knowledge that justifier Kalsane has been waiting for more guards of his to turn up from the south. But he can't wait too long here in Navigrel, as his army will soon be close to the Stone Hills, and he'll have to be in command of it when they strike the nearest clan on the coast, the Galve clan.
The sorceress nods her head, then holding up the letter, she asks "Does he want an answer straight away?" the mage Reinholt shrugs his shoulders, and replies with "I wasn't told to expect one".
"Typical" sourly says the middle aged woman who is one of the rulers of Belinswae, then after nodding she tells the exiled Vexilian mage who she thinks is a mercenary who trains her rival's guards "You may go".
The spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster slightly nods to her, gets up, and makes his way out of the room after one of the guards opens the door for him.
"Follow him" says justifier Paelau to her officers after the mercenary departs "If he goes straight to Kalsane leave him be" continues the sorceress who then adds "If he doesn't, kill him" she then says in a sour mutter "He's got too many damn good mercenaries working for him compared to us".
The senior officer gestures to one of his subordinates to carry out that order, then after the junior guard leaves the room, the senior commander asks the sorceress Paelau "What did Kalsane want this time?".
"Another offer for us to join him in his attack on this clan Galve" says the justifier from central Belinswae, her senior most commander snorts in derision, then dryly says "After he refused our offer on a joint attack further east earlier in the winter".
The austere looking sorceress after she pops another sweetmeat in her mouth and chews it, says "The bastard always wants things on his terms, and his terms only" she continues with "Even if we weren't rivals he would be the same" the justifier then adds in disgust "Typical bloody mage".
Mira Reinholt knows he's being followed, infact he was hoping that he would be. The once powerful mage from south of the equator, heads northwards first, knowing that will pique the interest of those following him.
Now i need some luck, the Vexilian mage in exile thinks to himself, the highly skilled swordmaster stops at a shop, and talks to the tradesman who is infront of it, about his wares he's selling.
As does, the mage Reinholt casts a viewing spell he learnt during the autumn. It takes him a couple of times to cast it correctly, as it's an elven magic users spell taught to him by Helbe the elven thief.
Ah it's you then, the once powerful mage thinks to himself, as at the corner of the street further behind him, he sees one of the officers who was in the room where he met the sorceress Paelau. Is standing at the street corner, along with a pair of justifier Paelau's guards.
The swordmaster from the city-state of Vexil in the Southlands wishes the tradesman a good day, and he continues on his way. The mage Reinholt drops his spell once he sees the officer and the two guards start to follow him again.
Mira Reinholt eventually turns to the left, and heads west through the town of Navigrel, which is the largest military staging point in northwest Belinswae. As he walks through the walled town, the once powerful mage looks for a suitable victim, but more preferably a suitable place. Somewhere close to a certain location that he knows a number of people will be.
There's a tavern in the west of the town, not all that far from the inn near the west gate, that justifier Kalsane is using as his headquarters. The Vexilian mage in exile heads in that general direction, looking for a suitable place close to that particular tavern. Where he knows some of the younger, and more rowdy like officers in the mage Kalsane's army, who are still here in Navigrel. Like to congregate, even in the mornings like it is now.
The once powerful mage who has been hanging around justifier Kalsane's army for the last three days, spots an officer in the mage Kalsane's army, heading in the direction of that particular tavern.
The spellcaster from south of the equator quickly casts Mind Control upon that particular officer. Mira Reinholt slightly winces as he's never been that subtle when it comes to spells of the mind. For the officer stops suddenly short, and seems to be completely confused as he stands there in the middle of the street.
The exiled Vexilian mage smooths things out, and after draining a little power from a spell gem in one of his cloak's pockets. He sends the officer under the influence of his spell underway.
Knowing of a quiet lane close to the nearby tavern, and hoping it's empty at the moment. The mage Reinholt sends the officer in justifier Kalsane's army there. The highly skilled swordmaster heads there too, heading in a more roundabout way, whilst the officer and two guards in justifier Paelau's army continue to follow him.
The once powerful mage turns into a small square, and heads to a shop that he knows has a courtyard behind it. He hurries into it, and quickly casts Invisibility upon himself.
Mira Reinholt moves to one side, and watches the officer and two guards who have been following him since leaving justifier Paelau's headquarters, enter the courtyard.
Where one of the guards quietly says "Which way did he go?" and as the officer points and quietly replies with "Keep going that way" the invisible spellcaster has already left the courtyard, and is hurrying back across the small square.
The mage Reinholt moves quickly, almost running around to where the officer in justifier Kalsane's army, has stopped and is waiting in a nearby lane. The spellcaster from south of the equator, who is struggling a bit with his limited powers, to continually cast two spells at the same time.
Draws the sword at his hip, the one with the black blade, a blade that was burnt by dragon fire. The invisible swordmaster runs into the lane, and is relieved to find it empty apart from the officer in the mage Kalsane's army who is under the influence of his mind control spell.
Mira Reinholt drops that particular spell just before he cuts down the officer with his sword. There's a look of confusion, then complete astonishment on the face of the officer in justifier Kalsane's army when the invisible blade cuts down across his neck and throat, and down his chest.
The invisible mage who knows he can't be sensed thanks to the amulet he wears, wipes his sword clean on the cloak of the dead officer. Returns it to it's scabbard. And he quickly casts Immobile upon the three people who have just walked into the lane.
Well look at who we have here, how convenient, the mage Reinholt thinks to himself, as the looks at the officer and two guards from justifier Paelau's army who have been following him, who have just walked into the lane, and drawn their swords at seeing the dead justifier's officer on the ground.
I'll take that, Mira Reinholt thinks to himself as he takes the sword out of the hand of the immobile officer, the spellcaster from the city-state of Vexil wipes that blade across the bloody front of the dead officer on the ground. Then he puts the sword, hilt first back into the hand of the officer in justifier Paelau's army.
After wrapping that officer's fingers back around the hilt of his own sword. The once powerful mage quickly exits the lane. And he grins as his luck is with him. The invisible spellcaster sees a pair of junior officers, along with a four guards in justifier Kalsane's army walking this way, as they head to the nearby tavern.
By the shape of fire Mira, you're riding your luck today, the Vexilian mage in exile thinks to himself, who makes sure that the passing officers and guards look into the lane, so he says as they walk by him "Hey wants that in the lane". As he does, he drops the spell he has cast upon the trio in justifier Paelau's army who are in the lane.
While one of the guards in justifier Kalsane's army says "Who the hell said that?" the rest of them look into the lane. Where they see the stunned looking trio from justifier Paelau's army, standing over the body of an officer that they know, and serve with in the mage Kalsane's army.
There's a moment of stunned silence as they all look at the bloody sword in the hand of one justifier Paelau's officers, and the dead officer in justifier Kalsane's army at his feet.
The brief moment of stunned silence is broken when one of the officers in the service of justifier Kalsane shouts "Get them!".
Now that's done it, the invisible Mira Reinholt thinks to himself with a sly smile upon his face as he watches what happens . . . . . .
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