Maladimbáh. Winter...
Riley Hait the mercenary ranger who is looking out a window on an upper floor of lord Walashàele's tower, down at the ground below that was covered in frost earlier, which is now melting.
Turns around and looks at Dorc da Orc who has just grunted.
The large ork makes his way over to the desk in the suite they've been using. There Dorkindle takes a piece of parchment, and a quill, which he dips in the ink well.
The ork warleader with the delicate quill in his ham like fist, writes something on the parchment, which he's covering up with his other hand.
The mercenary ranger from the elven principality of Envadarlen in the Southlands, rolls his eyes and makes his way over to where the ork weaponsmith is.
Dorc da Orc quickly lifts the hand covering the parchment before placing it on top of it again. The ranger Hait nods his head, then the large ork screws up the parchment, and throws it in the nearby fireplace, where a hearty fire is burning this morning.
The warleader of the ork race wrote just one word, pixie. Though it took Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman a moment to figure it out because Dorc actually wrote PyGzeE.
The human ranger who was raised and trained by elven warders in his homeland of Envadarlen glances at the large ork.
And sees the scowling ork looking at something that isn't there. Dorkindle may not see it, but he can definitely smell it. And if he listens carefully, his enhanced hearing can sometimes hear it.
After a little while as the ranger Hait goes back to looking out the window, the weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks grunts again, then Dorc da Orc says in his deep, growling voice "It fucken gone now" he then mutters "Fucken pixie cunt".
Nodding, Riley Hait the mercenary ranger asks his traveling companion from south of the equator "You sure?". "Yeah cunt" replies the ork warleader who gestures away to the right and adds "Little shit gone that fucken way" he continues with "Prolly gonna see that fucken lord Wally Shell".
The mercenary ranger who is in actual fact a hordes outrider from the southern tundra, nods his head and quietly says "Probably" then after a moment's pause, the ranger Hait adds "And we finally get to see him today".
Dorkindle sourly grunts then loudly mutters "Bout fucken time" the large ork then adds "Fucken pointy eared dick face".
After traveling through both the lands of house Haldéilv and house Walashàele's, both of which are ruled by lord Walashàele. Where they've hired a number of elven mercenaries.
They've finally been granted an audience with lord Walashàele after spending the last three days here in the tower of house Walashàele, trying to get a meeting with the elven lord.
The most powerful one, not just here in southern Maladimbáh, but the most powerful one, both politically and magically, in all of Maladimbáh.
From a close by table, the ork weaponsmith takes a decanter of wine and a tray of various types of cheese, and slices of beard.
The ranger Hait opens the balcony door as the warleader of the ork race approaches, Dorc da Orc walks outside into the cold blustery wind that's whipping down off the nearby mountains.
While the mercenary ranger closes the door as the large ork sits down on the balcony and looks at the snow topped mountains, and nibbles on the cheese and bread, and sips the wine.
Meanwhile Riley Hait sits down on a divan near the fireplace, the elven trained and raised ranger is soon lying down and starts to doze as they continue to wait. They know they've got an audience today with lord Walashàele, they just don't know when.
Later in the morning and Riley aka Zubutai Timaginson is woken by a knock on the door. It's a servant to inform him that their presence is requested by the head of house Walashàele.
Gathering the ork warleader from out on the balcony, where he's been napping too. Riley Hait and Dorc da Orc follow the elven servant through the tower of house Walashàele.
The tower, like the one of house Haldéilv in a mountain valley further west. The seat of power of lord Walashàele is a tower in name only, because it's basically a palace.
Though unlike the tower of house Haldéilv, it doesn't sit upon a rocky tor that thrusts hundreds of feet out of a thick forest.
The tower of house Walashàele is on more open ground near the foot of the mountain range that runs east to west, here in the south of the principality of Maladimbáh.
And while the tower of house Haldéilv by necessity goes upwards. The house Walashàele tower is spread out, with a lake and river to the east of it. While the large plateau that makes up a lot of house Walashàele's lands, is to the west of the seat of power of Maladimbáh's most influential and powerful lord.
"Dorc remember what we've spoke about?" quietly asks the mercenary ranger "Huh?" grunts the large ork "About magic" mutters Riley Hait "Oh yeah that" says Dorkindle who then adds "Me fucken 'member".
The son of the former matriarch of the wolf tribe of orks gives a thumbs up. Which doesn't exactly inspire confidence in the ranger Hait, who attempts to refrain from shaking his head, but he's unable to.
"Loud grunt Dorc" murmurs the ranger Hait "Uh huh" says the ork weaponsmith as they turn a corner after crossing an inside bridge that goes through part of the tower as they follow the elven servant who is taking them to their audience with lord Walashàele.
The two from south of the equator are silent the rest of the way they follow the elven servant to their meeting with lord Walashàele.
They end up at a set of large doors on first floor of the tower. There, a pair of house guards open the doors, and the elven servant leads them into a large hall.
House guards line the walls, while others are positioned at each column down the hall, there's two rows of columns, about seventy feet apart, in what must be the single largest room in the tower.
Dorc and Riley follow the servant to the other end of the hall that's at least twice as long as it is wide.
At the far end of the hall is a long table on a raised section of the floor. Behind it are a number of seats that are occupied. While other seats are fanned out to either end of the table, like a curved circle, some of them are occupied too.
All who are seated are elves from house Walashàele. With the head of the house sitting in the centre seat behind the table.
Bloody hell, the lord or that damn elven thief should be hear doing this shit, Riley Hait thinks to himself, who glances sideways at the large ork standing next to him, and refrains from wincing as Dorkindle is standing there scratching his nuts as he looks with curiosity at those sitting on the raised part of the floor watching the two of them.
Probably deciding which one's he wants to kill, the mercenary ranger dryly thinks to himself, which is indeed what Dorc da Orc is thinking. The ranger Hait then glances at what the ork warleader is carrying, strapped to the back of his weapon harness. Riley aka Zubutai Timaginson just hopes they've got enough.
The mercenary ranger who is actually a hordes outrider from the southern tundra, inclines his head when the elf at one end of the table, the chamberlain, stands and in elven introduces the two from south of the equator.
This gets a slight grunt from Dorc da Orc who doesn't understand a single word said, then he like the ranger Hait looks at the head of house Walashàele seated in the middle, who starts talking when the chamberlain sits back down.
"Greetings, i understand you've come with a proposition, and wish to enter negotiations" says lord Walashàele, whose daughter Jalindílth sits to his immediate left, while his cousin Galacithàné sits on his right.
"Please" says Riley Hait in perfect elven who holds up a hand before continuing with "If you could proceed in the common tongue, because my friend here beside me doesn't understand your language" switching to common he adds "I'd appreciate it".
"Of course" says lord Walashàele in the same language "Thank you" says the mercenary ranger from south of the equator, who then adds "And yes indeed, we are here with a proposition for you, and wish to negotiate to you about it".
Beside Riley Hait, Dorc da Orc who has been sniffing, loudly grunts, and the ranger Hait holds up a hand again and quickly says "I would appreciate it, and take it in good faith that you, and others wouldn't cast now as we speak of this proposal, and maybe come to an agreement about it".
Lord Walashàele glances sideways at his cousin Galacithàné and slightly raises a hand, his cousin who was about to read the minds of the two from south of the equator, refrains from doing so.
"It would probably be wise if you didn't do such a thing" says the ranger Hait who gestures at the large ork beside him, and adds "If you were to read the mind of my friend here". "Not your friend cunt" mutters Dorkindle in the ork language "You would regret it" continues the mercenary ranger who ignores whatever the hell the ork warleader just muttered in his incomprehensible language.
The head of house Walashàele lifts a questioning eyebrow, but refrains from saying anything about what was just said, as he looks at the large green creature, that's definitely not a goblin, nor is it a troll.
His chamberlain suggested it might be a mythical ork from the very bottom of the world. Lord Walashàele and others in the household scoffed at that idea. He's not so sure now, because Palamarc the ground pixie who has been observing the two visitors to the tower on and off over the last three days. Has also said that the large green individual, who lord Walashàele can smell from where he sits, an unpleasant smell it is too. That indeed it is an ork.
Aren't orks supposed to be immune to certain types of magic? lord Walashàele thinks to himself, who says "Very well" in response to the mercenary named Riley, who without any spellcasting ability, knew that Galacithàné was going to cast.
"Let's get to the point" says the elven lord who during the summer, defeated his rival lord Haldéilv, he continues with "What is it that you want?".
"My lord Walashàele, it's what do you want is the question" says Riley Hait who knows why he and Dorc da Orc were sent here. Because during the summertime when they were in the tower of house Haldéilv. Where Galacithàné Walashàele was also on the day of the battle where lord Walashàele killed lord Haldéilv.
The two of them weren't seen by the cousin of lord Walashàele, while others in the group were. Specifically lord Farque and Mira Reinholt the mage.
"Dorc" quietly says Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman who gestures to what the ork warleader is carrying on his back.
As the large ork grunts, and undoes what's tied to the back of his weapon harness, the ranger Hait says to the elven lord seated behind the table "I understand that the Justifiers of Belinswae have come to you recently asking to garrison their guards here in your lands, as they did previously with the former lord to your west?" he briefly pauses before adding "And that you weren't exactly happy with the terms".
Lord Walashàele nods his head as this is common knowledge.
"Well what i propose is much more simpler" says the mercenary ranger from the elven principality of Envadarlen as Dorkindle puts down on the floor infront of them, a strongbox.
"For this" says Riley Hait who points at the strongbox and says "I would like the use of your house guards" he continues with "To take to Belinswae, to attack the city of Falnic".
Dorc da Orc opens the strongbox taken from the tower of house Haldéilv during the summertime, revealing a fortune in precious gems.
After a few moments of silence as all the elves seated behind the table, and to the sides of it, stare at what's contained in the strongbox, the ranger Hait breaks the silence by saying "Shall we begin negotiations my lord?" . . . . . .
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