The Stone Hills. Winter...
Tamric Drubine lands the wyvern, and the dwarven warriors with him on it, get down off the large winged creature.
It's the fifth time this morning the nobleborn youngster from the kingdom of Sarcrin in the Southlands has done this.
As he's brought warriors from further west at Išorkam Uñd, to here about half a dozen miles away from the solitary mountain.
Tam watches as the dwarves hurry away across the snow covered ground. He sees that two of them are carrying a barrel. While a third, has one of the dragons that has been recently made.
The son of the former knight of castle Drubine in Sarcrin, hopes for their sake that no enemy spellcaster quickly figures out what's in the barrel, or the dragon. As that will be the end of those three, as well as anyone else around them.
He's just about to head back up, when he spots a group of dwarven warriors, led by Jarka Mard and the mute Omick, hurrying towards him.
"Ho Jarka, what is it?" calls out Tamric Drubine in the dwarven language when he sees the son of the Mard clan chieftain wave out to him.
"Can we be borrowing you and that beastie there for a little while lad?" says Jarka Mard in the common language, as he knows the adolescent from south of the equator is more comfortable speaking that, than he is the dwarven language that he's only recently started learning.
"Sure, no worries" says Tamric Drubine, who truth be told, has found learning dwarven, far more difficult than it did for him to learn the elven language "Hop on up" adds the nobleborn youngster.
"Up there" says Jarka Mard as he gets up onto the back of the wyvern, and sits in the saddle directly behind Tam. The dwarf from clan Mard as he straps himself into the saddle, points to where he wants to go, then he adds "Good place to see what's happening".
Tam nods in agreement as he looks up to the ridgeline that Jarka Mard has pointed out, then once all ten dwarven warriors are strapped in. The Southlander commands the wyvern with "Rise!" followed by "To air!". The large winged creature lifts off from the ground after letting out a loud squawk.
In the morning sky to the west, two more wyverns are approaching the same location, as they too bring more dwarven warriors from Išorkam Uñd.
While in the distance, more wyverns can be seen coming from the mountain that stands by itself in this part of the Stone Hills.
Shouting so that he can be heard over the strong wind they're flying up through, Jarka Mard asks "Seen any of their beasties up this morning?".
"None so far!" is the shouted reply of Tamric Drubine "The lord and his highness must of taken care of them" shouts the son of the Mard clan chief.
"Must of!" shouts the near thirteen year old youngster from south of the equator, who knows that lord Farque and Helbe the elven thief have spent the last two days and nights, hunting any enemy wyverns in and around the Omban clanhold.
Those that they haven't captured, they've killed, along with the enemy guards upon those wyverns.
"All the same, best to keep an eye out, just incase any are still around!" shouts Tam as he looks along the south facing ridgeline, searching for a suitable place to land. He finds one, and has the wyvern come down and land there.
It's three days since the army led by the dwarven clan chief Baedin Kraelin has made their way here to the Omban clanhold.
And now lord Farque has deemed it the right time to attack the enemy here in the Omban clanhold in earnest. When previously the dwarven warriors have be engaged in mainly hit and run attacks against the Justifier's army that has pushed into the lands of clan Omban.
"They've engaged them" says Jarka Mard as they sit upon the back of the wyvern, looking away to the south. Where just over a quarter of a mile away, a battle has got underway.
It's the first large scale battle here in the Omban clanhold since the early morning attack by chief Polm Omban and his army, when the clan chieftain got injured a few weeks ago, when he and his army halted the advance of the enemy.
Across the snow covered rocky ground between hills, an army of more than seven hundred Justifier's guards have been confronted by an army of dwarven warriors. Predominantly from the Omban, Kraelin and Mard clans. Along with a small number of free folk fighters. They're outnumbered by a couple hundred by the Justifier's army, which is just part of a larger force here in the Omban clanhold.
For the army of the wizard Maxime, is the second largest Justifier's army from Belinswae to invade the Stone Hills. Only the army of Justifier Kaellin, further to the east in the Stone Hills, being larger.
"I doubt their Justifier is here with them" says Tamric Drubine as they watch the battle that's just got underway, Jarka Mard nods in agreement with the Southlander who says "Bet he's sent this lot forward to try and wipe out the remnants of the Omban army" Tam continues with "They're going to be in for a surprise when they realise they're fighting more than just the Omban warriors".
The mute Omick taps his chieftain's youngest son upon the shoulder, and points away to the west, Jarka Mard looks that way, then says to the young human sitting infront of him "Lord Farque is flying in".
The nobleborn youngster from the kingdom of Sarcrin south of the equator, looks to the west in the clear, sunny morning sky.
And spots the large, dark, almost iridescent green coloured wyvern that lord Farque has been using, coming in with a squad of dwarven warriors on the back of it with him.
With more wyverns turning up from Išorkam Uñd, so are more warriors. Who are increasing the numbers of those who are facing the enemy from the region of Belinswae this morning here in the Omban clanhold.
"We should head back down" says Tam to Jarka Mard, the dwarf who leads the warriors from his clan, nods in agreement as they have one last look at the battle that's just got underway, from the ridgeline they're on.
The Southlander has the large, winged creature lift off, once it's in the air, it drops down beneath the ridgeline and heads down below.
The wyvern lands on the ground, near the larger, dark green one that the lord and ruler of the lands Farque is upon.
"How does it look?" calls out lord Farque "It's started" calls back Tamric Drubine, the heavily armoured deathlord nods his full helmed head, then he looks back and quietly says something to about half of the warriors with him, who have yet to get down off the wyvern.
"We'll go and harry their mounted guards, and the camp followers and support guards" says the undead warlord, the nobleborn youngster nods in understanding, then looking back at Jarka Mard, he says to the dwarven warrior "You lot want to come along?".
"Might as well" says the youngest son of the Mard clan chieftain who grins, though a little nervously when Tam adds "Well hold on tight, it's going to be a wild ride". The dwarven warriors from clan Mard strap themselves in even tighter.
Then the son of the former knight of castle Drubine in the Southland kingdom of Sarcrin has the wyvern lift off after the larger, dark green one that lord Farque is flying.
Behind them, two more wyverns are coming in. They're being flown by dwarves, a number of whom, the deathlord of Farque has taught to fly the large winged creatures.
Tam looks over at other wyvern, and the undead warlord seeing the nobleborn youngster looking his way, lifts his left arm, and gives a couple of hand signals.
Tamric Drubine nods in understanding, and he has the wyvern he's on, circle away to the east as they fly south. While the wyvern lord Farque is flying, starts circling to the west, as they too head south.
As they circle around to come at the enemy from the rear. The adolescent from south of the equator sees that there's maybe seventy to eighty mounted Justifier's guards. They're behind those on foot. And just infront of the camp followers and support guards. Who have only small wagons and carts.
As the terrain around here is unsuitable for horses. Ever since the track, one could almost call it a road. That's further to the west, and south of Išorkam Uñd, has been blocked.
When Tam created an avalanche with blast powder, in the canyons the rugged track goes through.
The nobleborn youngster suspects that this part of the wizard Maxime's much larger army. Are those that Helbe the elven thief had a trio of trolls attack at the beginning of last week.
Tamric Drubine who briefly wonders where the elven princeling is this morning, as he took off in the middle of the night to do something.
Has the wyvern he's flying dive down at the enemy. As the large winged creature swoops down, Tam shouts to the dwarves sitting behind him "Hold on, and 'ware bolts and arrows!".
The wyvern, which over a week ago, was flying for the Justifier's army below. Let's out a squawk, as it comes in low, there's a slight thump, then the wyvern is lifting back up into the late morning sky.
Between it's front claws is a horse, and a Justifier's guard. The guard from Belinswae is screaming in agony, as one of the claws has gone through his left thigh, and into his horse.
Then the wyvern drops them when it gets a couple of hundred feet off the ground.
The guard continues to scream as he and his mount that he's clinging onto, plummet to the ground. Until they smash into a pair of mounted guards below. Killing them as they hit them, then the ground at speed.
Horses below panic, with some running into the guards on foot infront of them, while others take off in all directions. Which isn't wise on such rocky ground, that's covered in snow.
The Stone Hills isn't usually so snowy unless it's higher up in the peaks. But there's been constant snowfall over the last week and half at nighttime, here in this part of the Omban clanhold.
The following days, like today. Are usually clear and sunny, though cold, and windy, as it usually is in the winter here in the Stone Hills.
Tamric Drubine has the wyvern circle back around to the east, and south again. As it turns, he looks away to the left, and spots the larger, darker, iridescent green wyvern.
In it's front right claw, is a man that's been skewered right through by the four foot long black claws.
Tam sees that he's not a guard, and as the wyvern lord Farque is flying, flings away the dead man. The nobleborn youngster realises he must of been a spellcaster in the army of Justifier Maxime.
The son of the former knight of castle Drubine in the kingdom of Sarcrin calls out his warning again to the dwarven warriors sitting behind him.
He briefly smiles as he hears a few of them shout swear words in their own language. Then the wyvern is diving down at the enemy again.
This time the wyvern grabs a horse, and lifts it up and out of the traces off the small wagon that it's hauling.
The squawking wyvern flings away the screaming horse, which goes flying sideways before it drops down to the ground, and lands with a splat amongst some guards on foot, killing a few of them.
Tam nods his head, when Jarka Mard taps him on the shoulder and points to the west. The Southlander spots another wyvern approaching, and after a few moments, he sees that it's Lisell Maera and the large, winged creature that she's been flying.
The orphan teenager, who with Helbenthril Raendril not here at the moment. Is the only other flyer capable enough, and skilled enough, to dive attack the enemy.
Has come to join her fellow Southlanders in harrying the enemy from the region of Belinswae.
Yep, the battle has well and truly begun, Tamric Drubine thinks to himself as the wyvern he's flying circles around again, to dive at the rear of the enemy army once more.
There's a rather joyful looking grin upon the face of the nobleborn youngster from south of the equator as the winds buffet them as the wyvern goes into another dive . . . . . .
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