Falnic. Belinswae. Winter...
Near the main east gates of the city of Falnic, a group of Justifier's guards who are off duty, are drinking in a tavern as the day comes to an end.
Most of them are fairly new recruits, having only joined at the end of autumn, and early spring.
They're amongst the lucky one's, for they haven't been sent north as part of the invasion of the Stone Hills like a lot of their fellow guards.
For each Justifier of Falnic has left some of their guards back here in the coastal city that's the capital of Belinswae, if the region actually had a capital city.
As they don't want the sole remaining Justifier in Falnic, the wizard Sammacin. The youngest Justifier in all of Belinswae. To have complete control of the port city.
Hence, why they've left a number of their guards behind.
Though that might very well be a mistake more than anything else. For though most of these guards aren't pressed into service, and they've volunteered. There aren't many experienced guards to keep them in line, and more importantly, to watch out for them.
"You know, i think i might of met, well must of been your grandfather I'd say" says Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy who is talking to one of the off duty guards who has come up to the bar to get another drink, since he's been unable to get the attention of one of the two serving women. Who are busy with the late afternoon rush that's come into the tavern.
"You might of you know" says the Justifier's guard, who continues with "He was in the army of the father of the Justifier i now serve" says the guard, who has only recently gone off duty, and is already a little tipsy.
"You look like him" says the elven spy from south of the equator, who continues with "He was on gate duty when i was last here in Falnic". The spy Tanith, who is passing himself off as a visitor from the principality of Maladimbáh, waves in the direction of the nearby east gates and adds "He was on the main gates that way".
A wide grin splits the face of the slightly intoxicated guard, who then says "That was him alright, my old grandpa was on gate duty a lot" he continues with "He's the reason i joined up" the Justifier's guard then mutters "Hell if i was going to work in the tannery with da and my brothers".
Dalinvardél Tanith, or Dalin as those who know him, refer to him as. Knows all this, as he heard this particular guard going on about it to his fellow guards, as they made their way to the tavern.
The elven spy from the principality of Alínlae in the Southlands, walked across rooftops as he followed them to this particular tavern. Listening to everything they talked about.
And as the guard calls out to his cohorts at the table in the corner "Hey this elf fellow here knew my old grandpa!". Dalin slips powder from a hidden vial into the mug of ale that the tavern keeper has just put at the elbow of the guard.
Turning back, and seeing that he's been served, the Justifier's guard takes his mug of ale, and takes a decent swig from it. He wipes his mouth, then he looks slightly up at the elven spy, who is taller than everybody else in the tavern by quite some distance, and asks him "Be it true you fellows live over a thousand years".
"Yeah that's true" says the spy Tanith, who continues having a conversation with the guard, as they chat, some of his fellow guards yell at him to get them some more drinks too.
When they're put on the bar, Dalin distracts the guard, and puts two more vials of powder into a couple of the mugs.
They continue talking for a little while longer, until the guard returns to his table when the others shout at him to bring their drinks over.
Dalinvardél Tanith departs the tavern knowing that later tonight. A few of those Justifier's guards are going to get a bad bout of dysentery. And that it'll spread through their barracks, and it will last for quite some time.
Thank you your highness, Dalin thinks to himself as he makes his way along the street outside the tavern. The elven spy who always carries a number of potions, poisons and powders with him. Was given a whole lot of new one's by Helbe the elven thief when the group left Falnic in the autumn, and headed north to the Stone Hills, and he remained here in the port city.
The elf from the principality of Alínlae hadn't even heard of some of them, let alone seen them before. So he had to quickly learn from the elven princeling, what they can, and can not do.
Dalin who is a bit of an expert on toxins and potions. Knows that his knowledge of them, pales insignificance to what prince Helbenthril Raendril knows about them.
The elven spy from south of the equator is also glad that he's got quite a bit of them at hand, and in storage throughout the city.
As he has used a fair bit of it in the three weeks he's been back in the city of Falnic after visiting the Galve clanhold in the Stone Hills.
The spy Tanith heads in the direction of the east gates of the city, he stops at a few shops along the way, having a quiet chat hear and there with business owners and shop workers.
Then as eventually dusk takes effect, he gets to main east gates of the city. There's a handful of people entering the city, one pushing a cart, and there's a wagon entering too.
Just a few people are leaving though, a couple on foot, and one on horse. Apart from that, it's quiet here at the main gates on the east side of Falnic.
Dalin sees that Justifier Sammacin's guards are on gate duty at the moment, the elven spy slightly nods as he was hoping that they would be.
The spy Tanith stands to one side, looking out the gates, looking into the distance to the east of the city.
He garners the attention of a couple of the guards, one of whom asks him "See much out there elf?" Dalinvardél Tanith looks over at him, and says "Not much".
The guard, an experienced one, who knows a little bit about elven kind, and knows that they can see clearly in the night, and see far in the distance too, asks him "See many people on the road?".
"Not many" replies the spy Tanith, who continues with "There's a couple with a pony and cart a few miles away, and there's someone on foot a little closer" he then adds "They won't be at the gates until later tonight".
"Quiet night again" says the guard, the guard beside him nods his head, then adds "Good". "They'll have to come in through the small gate" says the first guard, who indicates the large main gates, and adds "We close these soon".
Dalin nods then says "I know" followed by "I've been here a few times in the past, and seen the gates close at night" he looks around then adds "Though the first time i was here, the city was a little different, not to mention a little smaller".
"Smaller?" murmurs the second guard with a frown upon his face, while the first guard asks "How long ago was that". "Oh about four hundred years ago" says Dalinvardél Tanith, who as a spy, finds it easy to lie.
The second guard goggles in astonishment, while the first one chuckles, then tells the younger more inexperienced guard "Elven folk live a long, long time" followed by "A thousand years or more".
In the fading light of dusk, the elf from south of the equator nods that this is correct.
Having struck up a conversation, the three of them, the elf from the principality of Alínlae in the Southlands, and the two Justifier's guards quietly chat.
As they're talking a lamp lighter comes by, and lights the lamps and torches nearby. The first guard then says to Dalin "If you're leaving, you better go now" he then adds "The others are about to close the main gates".
"No, i only got here a few days ago, still got a fair bit of business to do" says the spy Tanith, who has told the two guards that he's a trader from the principality of Maladimbáh.
"How is business?" asks the second, younger guard "A little slow" replies the Southlander "Bit like gate duty this winter" murmurs the first guard.
"But it's good when a deal is made" says the elven spy, who then adds "War is good like that". "I guess so" says the first guard, as the call by another guard says it's time for the city gates to close.
As other guards, start turning the massive winch wheels that close the gates, Dalinvardél Tanith says "You know I've never seen your city so quiet in all the years I've come here" he continues with "Even when it was smaller, and not as many people were living here".
"The war to the north will do that" says the first guard with a shake of his head, as the three of them watch the large gates being closed "Surprised your leaders are warring in the north" quietly says the spy Tanith who quickly glances sideways at the two shorter humans, who are still watching the gates being closed.
Then the elf who was once in the service of one of the noble houses in his homeland of Alínlae, nods to the east, and says "Considering your enemies are out there to the east".
The first guard sourly smiles, while the second, younger one, mutters under his breath, which Dalin easily hears "Rather fight the nomads, than freeze my ass off fighting the dwarves in the mountains".
"That's the truth" says the first guard, who continues with "Not all the Justifiers in the region have gone north to the war" he then adds "Our one, the wizard Sammacin has remained in Falnic, thinking it's more important than wandering around in the Stone Hills fighting the dwarven clans".
"Wise man" says Dalinvardél Tanith, both guards grin, for their Justifier who is in his early twenties, is the youngest Justifier in all of Belinswae. Who wouldn't normally be described as wise. But in this instance, he very well might be.
"I guess so" says the first guards, who like his cohorts in the army of Justifier Sammacin, has noticed the drastic shift in attitude from the young wizard since the middle of summer. The rumours about his certain behaviours have died down, and he's more amiable person to deal with.
Dalin waves to the east as the massive gates shut, and he says "Good thing he's stayed, what with your enemy gathering out on the plains". "Eh?" says the first guard, as he and his younger cohort, look at the taller elf they're standing next to.
"When i traveled through the plains to get here, i saw a whole lot of the tribes coming together" says the spy Tanith, who continues with "They do so on occasion, but not as many as i saw last week".
"Wonder why that is?" murmurs the younger of the two guards, the elf from south of the equator slightly shrugs then says "I'm not sure, but the last time i heard that they gathered in such large numbers was just over three hundred years ago".
Dalin who had to learn up on the local history between the tribal nomads of the plains, and the townsmen of Belinswae then adds "When they were last at war against you lot in Belinswae i believe".
The younger guard frowns and murmurs "They did?" while the older, more experienced guard, who is a bit more knowledgeable, says "That's when they pushed into the lands to the southeast" he continues with "Down where the half breeds have all their villages now".
"That was it" says Dalin, who continues with "Didn't see it myself, but heard about it in the years afterwards" the older of the two guards nods then says to the elf from south of the equator "Do you mind waiting here for a moment, just need to get the duty officer".
"No worries, as your humans say" says the elven spy, the experienced guard nods, then hurries over to the nearby gate house which is at the base of one of the two towers on either side of the massive gates that have just been closed.
"Do you know what happened back then?" asks the younger guard who has remained next to the Southlander "Not much" replies Dalinvardél Tanith who continues with "Think it was a bit of stale mate, they didn't push too far into Belinswae, but a lot from both sides were killed and injured".
"Bloody nomad scum" mutters the young guard, who like all townsmen of the region of Belinswae, hates the nomads who live on the dry, arid plains to the east.
The older experienced guard returns from the gate house with the duty officer, and another guard. The first guard asks Dalin to repeat what he told him about the gathering nomads out on the plains.
After the elven spy does so, the officer asks him "How many would you guess?". "About fifteen hundred, maybe closer to two thousand" replies the spy Tanith, who continues with "Whenever I've traveled across the plains, which I've done on and off for four hundred years or so, I've seen a few tribes gather once and while, but never more than a few hundred nomads in the same spot".
"What the hell are they up to?" softly says the officer who rubs his chin, the elf from south of the equator nods to the two guards he's been talking to, and says "Like i said earlier, the last time i heard of so many nomads in one place, was when they attacked Belinswae about three hundred years ago".
The officer is silent for a few moments as he looks up at the taller elf, whose facial features in the pale flickering light from the nearby lamps, look totally unhuman compared to him and his fellow guards.
Then the officer asks him "Where exactly did you see them?" Dalin frowns as if he's remembering, infact he's just trying to come up with a town or village to the southeast in Belinswae, when he does, he says "About sixty miles into the plains from the half blood village" he says the name of the village, then adds "I think that's the name of the place now, it was called something else when i first saw it years ago".
"Yeah i know the place" quietly says the officer, who has stopped at that village a number of times when he's gone raiding into the Nomad's Plains on the backs of wyverns.
"Thanks for the information" says the officer, who with the other guard who came from the gate house, move off. They talk quietly which the spy Tanith can easily hear. And a few moments later the other guard hurries away heading to the main barracks of Justifier Sammacin's army. While the officer returns to the gate house.
Let the rumours begin, Dalinvardél Tanith thinks to himself, who then continues to chat with the two guards on gate duty. After awhile he wishes them a goodnight, as he's off to get something for dinner. Which he actually intends to do.
As he walks into the city away from the main east gates, Dalin murmurs to himself in the elven language "Just hope those two have actually got themselves an army" referring to Riley Hait the mercenary ranger and Dorc da Orc.
If not, then spreading these rumours will be for nothing, the spy Tanith thinks to himself as he goes off in search for an inn to have dinner at . . . . . .
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