The Stone Hills. Winter...
They leave the watchtower, and cross the bay well before dawn. They reach the south shore of the bay at sunrise. And after they drag the boats up the pebbled beach to the small fishing village, Shur Kee the monk looks west across the water to the open ocean beyond the bay.
The way Dalinvardél Tanith went last week onboard the smuggler's ship that was heading back south.
The short statured monk who is a believer in the path of the Jade Warrior Bru Li, knows that the elven spy will be back in the city of Falnic by now. Causing the justifiers all sorts of trouble as Belinswae continue it's war against the dwarven clans of the Stone Hills.
The physical adept in the order of Bru Liu and the war party he's with sets off south towards northern Belinswae. As they do Shur Kee asks the dwarven warrior Tarong who is in command "Friend Tarong how do we know when we have left the Stone Hills, and are then in Belinswae?".
"If it still be hilly and rocky, we still be home in The Hills" says Tarong who speaks with a thick accent, the dwarven warrior continues with "If not, then we be in Belinswae". "Makes sense i guess" murmurs the monk in the conical shaped hat, which he holds with a gloved hand as the wind gusts in from the Great Western Ocean that isn't all that far away.
They walk through the morning, heading inland as they travel south. The acolyte in the philosophical order of Bru Li is glad that the hills, though barren and rocky, are much more gentler and rolling here in the very west of the Stone Hills, compared to how it is further to the east.
They stop for lunch at an abandoned farmhouse on the southern outskirts of the Galve clanhold. Shur Kee is glad for the break, though the cold meal of diced cooked potato and spicy sausage the war party has, is a bit strong tasting for him.
And the fact that he has the cold water in his skin to drink. As the warriors broach one of the barrels of strong, dark ale they've brought with them. Each having a mug full with their quick meal that was cooked last night.
They set off again, and again Shur Kee has to keep up with the dwarves. Who with their strong constitution, and natural stamina. Can march throughout an entire day with ease and little rest.
The monk from the far eastern coast of the continent, who though shorter than average for a human, which is about average height if he was from Belinswae. Is glad to have longer legs, and a longer stride than the dwarves, as that's the only reason he doesn't fall behind the rest of the war party.
As they head south, the wind starts to drop off, though still windy, it's no where near as blustery as it is back on the bay, on the north shore of which, is the way to the clan Galve mountainhold.
And in the middle of the afternoon, as they top a hill, and the wind is now just a strong breeze, and the sky more cloudy than it is further north. The dwarven warrior Tarong briefly stops and points to the south and says to Shur Kee "Not the Stone Hills".
The physical adept nods as he looks in the distance, where maybe six or seven miles away, the hills drop away, the ground becomes greener and flatter, and there's a lot more trees about.
Belinswae, the monk thinks to himself as they get underway again, the acolyte in the order of Bru Li, glances up at the sky, and does his winter cloak up a little tighter. It looks like it could rain later on.
It does, and it's heavy too, and the war party stops in a copse in a small valley nestled between some hills.
The trees here aren't as scrubby and scraggly as they are further to the north in the Stone Hills. And there's more of them the further south they go, the closer they get to Belinswae.
When the rain lightens, they leave the shelter of the copse, and continue on their way. They trudge through the sodden ground. Though it isn't muddy since they're still in the Stone Hills, where much of the terrain is rocky.
As they make their way around a hill on what looks like a trail used by sheep or goats. They're met by a pair of dwarves who have been waiting for them. It's not far to their destination. A small village, the southern most one in the clanhold.
And where the bulk of the clan Galve army is based at the moment.
It's late afternoon when they reach the village, the village may only have half a dozen houses, and a lone storage shed. There's more than fifty tents up, in and around them. As more than three hundred warriors, and those that support them, such as armourers, smiths, healers and the like. Are based here, as they continue to defend their clanhold against the armies of the justifiers of Belinswae.
As the war party of about thirty warriors go to set up the tents that they've brought with them, Shur Kee and Tarong are led to one of the houses.
They enter, and find a handful of dwarves inside, one of whom, sitting at the table in the main room, is slicing up a cold spicy sausage, and eating the slices, it's the clan chieftain Lomi Galve.
Shur Kee stands to one side as Tarong reports to his clan chief, and after the two of them talk in dwarven, the clan chieftain gestures to the short statured monk to take a seat at the table. The physical adept has to sit on the low bench slightly sideways so that his legs don't hit the table.
Shur Kee who is glad for the warmth from the small fire burning in the fire place, slightly grins and says "Thank you chief Lomi" when the clan chieftain Lomi Galve says "Here you go brother, i know you not be liking our black ale, so here be some cider that the free folk brew" and he pours from a pewter jug, a mug of warm cider for the acolyte in the order of Bru Li.
"Truth be told, I'm quite fond of it too" says the chieftain of clan Galve who continues with "Especially warmed up like this" as he pours himself a mug too.
Lomi Galve then goes onto explain what's been happening recently. Shur Kee as he sips the warm cider, listens in silence to the clan chief.
After the clan chieftain explains what's been happening, Shur Kee the monk says "So friend Varl is off to find the war party that friend Mira is with?". "Aye" says the Galve clan chief, who continues with "They be in northern Belinswae somewhere harassing the enemy" Lomi Galve then adds "It shouldn't be to hard to find your mage friend, brother" he then says in a dry tone "He tends to blow things up so it's kind of easy like to know where he's been".
The few other dwarves in the main room of the house, as well as Tarong, who is now sitting on the floor near the fire drinking from a mug of dark ale, chuckle at that. As does Shur Kee, for he more than any of them, knows how Mira Reinholt the mage can get at times.
The acolyte in the order of Bru Li slightly shakes his head, and wonders what the dwarven warriors of the Galve clan would make of the mage Reinholt when he was at the height of his powers.
When he would blow up castles, towns, and entire sections of cities, without much effort, and not caring about who would get caught up in the destruction he would wrought.
They would be much surprised, and over awed at how truly destructive he once was, Shur Kee thinks to himself.
Who then looks at the dwarven clan chieftain, who tells him "I'm sending a war party off early tomorrow to join up with swordmaster Varl" Lomi Galve continues with "You're more than welcome to go with them brother if you want to be joining up with the mage again" he nods over at Tarong and says "Tarong could be going with you if you like, that's if he wants to".
"Aye, i mean yes, that would be good" says the short, for a human that is, monk "That's settled then, before dawn you'll be off" says Lomi Galve, who then says to one of the other dwarves, a young warrior "Marldèn show the brother to the place across the way there" the clan chieftain gestures to the right of the house they're in "They got a bit more room in there, he can stay in there for the night".
After Shur Kee drinks his warm cider, and he thanks the clan chief for it, and his hospitality. The physical adept follows the young warrior Marldèn out the door, and they head to the next house to the right.
After the door closes behind the monk and young Marldèn, there's a stretch of silence within the room, which is eventually broken by Warkin, the clan chief's acting second "He's an odd one for sure the brother is".
"Aye" is the chorus of murmurs from the others in the room, except for Lomi Galve who just slightly nods his head. "Strange prayers and sayings he got, even for a human" says old Kalend, who taught the clan chief the axe and hammer when Lomi was a youngster, the old warrior continues with "Don't think i ever seen any of the free folk like him, or any of them fuckers from down in Belinswae too".
"Aye" is the quiet murmurs from others in the room, apart from their clan chieftain who remains silent.
Lomi Galve looks over at Tarong sitting on the floor, who says to him "Why was he sent to us along with the mage?" he continues with "I like the brother even with his odd ways, but he doesn't exactly do much" he pauses for a moment, then adds "Though i hear he does help out the healers and surgeons when the wounded come back to the mountainhold".
The others in the room look at their silent clan chieftain to see what he says, Lomi Galve is still silent for a few more moments, then he eventually says "When the two of them first came here, they went off to see what the approaching justifiers armies were up to" he then adds "You know, when they went with a small war party led by Varl".
"Aye chief, we remember" says old Kalend who has long white hair, to match his long white beard "Well you heard that they ran into a large squad of justifier's guards, part of their exploratory force" says the clan chief, who continues with "And the war party had to fight like hell to get away, and they only did because that mage blew up most of those mounted guards who were after them".
There's head nods all around from the dwarves in the room "What you didn't hear, is that Varl almost died in that skirmish" says Lomi Galve, who then adds "If fact he basically did" the clan chief points at the door the monk went out a little while ago, and says "The young brother saved him, brought him back to life the lads who survived the attack say".
The dwarven warriors are all silent as they look at their chieftain, who after a few moments says "Aye he's not" in response to Tarong quietly saying "He not be a magic user or one of them human clerics, the delver Belkig says he's not".
Lomi Galve nods his head, then says "The mage basically admitted it to me, told me that the brother brought Varl back from the death's front door, even though Shur Kee be not a caster of spells" he continues with "That Mira said that the brother has some unique abilities, and that as powerful as Shur Kee can heal, he's equally as destructive in combat when he chooses to be".
The three other dwarves in the room, the acting second Warkin, the old warrior Kalend, and Tarong all look at one another, before they look back at their clan chieftain who is sitting at the table.
Lomi Galve who has just poured himself another mug of cider, which is lukewarm now, lifts a eyebrow and quietly says "Strange indeed".
There's a few moments of silence, then after Tarong puts a log on the fire, the dwarven warrior who arrived here this afternoon quietly says "I think I'll be going along with the brother tomorrow".
Old Kalend then says to his clan chieftain "You be needing me for the next little while lad?" Lomi Galve faintly smiles, for no matter how old he is, and the fact that he's chieftain, his old teacher will always call him lad.
"If not, then I'll be going off with Tarong and the others, along with brother Shur Kee" adds the old dwarven warrior, the Galve clan chief nods and tells old Kalend "Aye you're free to go".
"I'd go to, if i wasn't needed elsewhere" says Warkin, the acting second to his chieftain, pauses for a moment, before continuing with "Just to see what the mysterious brother gets up to in a scrap".
Lomi Galve after drinking some of the cider in his mug, nods his head, then quietly says "Aye, me too" as he like the other three here with him in the house wouldn't mind finding out what the human monk, who they call brother, actually does during combat against the enemy . . . . . .
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