Falnic. Belinswae. Winter...
It's nighttime, and on the rooftop of a building just on the inside of the east wall of the city of Falnic. The elven spy Dalinvardél Tanith looks eastward, then south, where in the distance are a number of low hills.
The elf from the principality of Alínlae in the Southlands is completely still as he watches for sometime. And eventually both his night vision and his natural farsight picks up something that no human, without the assistance of magic, would ever see.
Near the crest of one of the hills about five to six miles away to the east and south, Dalinvardél Tanith, or Dalin as he's often referred to, spots a figure. The elven spy from south of the equator sees the figure in the distance in the night, make a couple of arm movements, pause then do a few more, before disappearing out of view off the crest of the hill.
Tomorrow night it is then, Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy thinks to himself after watching Riley Hait the mercenary ranger disappear from view off the hilltop in the distance.
The spy Tanith slightly frowns, then nods his head as to the timing of things. He like a lot of people in the city, almost everybody actually.
Has heard about the army of tribal nomads coming up the road from the southeast to Falnic. Who are expected at the city in at least a couple of days, maybe even three.
Though what the city of Falnic doesn't know, with the exception of Dalin. Is that another decent sized army will be here tomorrow night, and attacking it, much to the surprise of the inhabitants, and the Justifiers and their guards defending the largest city in the region of Belinswae.
The elven spy who has been watching patrols leave the city, either on horseback or on wyvern during the day. Makes his way down off the roof, going down a trapdoor, and working his way down, then out to the lane on the right of the building.
The Southlander who thinks that there's too many buildings here in the east of the city, built too closely to the wall. Makes his way northwards through the city. Keeping well clear of the main east gate of the city. As there's now large squads of Justifiers guards on duty at all the gates of the city.
The spy Tanith stops at a boarding house that he's using as one of his safe houses. There he picks up something he has in storage.
The elf from south of the equator heads off, and once he's in the northern quadrant of the city. He makes his way to a tavern.
The establishment, like the streets outside, isn't particularly busy. As the residents of Falnic know that there's an army marching on their city. So most of them are in their homes, scared witless at what might happen.
People have tried to escape the city since this morning when the Justifiers ordered that the city be sealed. That none of the residents could leave. And the only people who could enter, are incoming guards, and farmers and traders bringing in their produce and wares. They're the only one's who are allowed out of the city too.
Some people have tried to leave by sea, but the blockade on the harbour has been intensified.
Even smugglers will find it difficult to slip away tonight from port, they'll more than likely use their safe haven that's nearby. And make their way to and from the city on foot, instead of sailing directly into port.
Dalinvardél Tanith puts a small purse of coins on the bar, that the tavern keeper scoops up. The hooded elf waits a few moments, and after the proprietor serves a customer, he follows the tavern keeper into the storage room behind the bar.
As the tavern keeper rolls a barrel out of the storage room, Dalin makes his way down into the cellar. He doesn't need any light to see by, and walks to the back wall of the cellar.
There he moves a barrel to one side, opens the hidden trapdoor it was covering, and goes down the ladder, closing the trapdoor above him.
Once in the sewers below, the spy Tanith goes left, while above him, the tavern keeper has come down into the cellar, and pushed the barrel back into place over the hidden trapdoor.
The elf who once served in one of the noble houses of the principality of Alínlae, heads downhill, westwards in the sewer, down to the harbour, where most of the sewers of the city empty out.
Dalinvardél Tanith is just glad for a human made city, the sewers of Falnic are pretty well maintained. Seems the Justifiers, or more likely the lesser spellcasters they have in their armies. Keep the sewers clear and running, burning away any build up and debris. And fixing any damage when it occurs.
The elven spy makes his way along one of the raised walkways on either side of the sewer, glad he won't get his boots wet, or get muck on them.
He has an uneventful walk down to the harbour, coming out in an abandoned warehouse. Which until the start of winter, belonged to a dwarven merchant. Who escaped Falnic with his family thanks to Dalin when the Justifiers of Belinswae invaded the Stone Hills.
In a back room of the warehouse, which the dwarven merchant once used when he was too busy to go home. The elven spy uses for the same purposes. Dalinvardél Tanith takes off his cloak and boots, puts what he took from the safe house, into a storage box next to the bed.
He gets into bed, and goes to sleep, fairly early considering all the late night's he's had throughout this winter in Falnic. He has a busy day tomorrow, and even a busier night.
The spy Tanith is up early in the morning, he washes, then dons his clothing and armour, covering them with his cloak.
He secures all his weapons beneath his cloak, including the ones he's had stored here in the abandoned warehouse. Finally he takes what he placed in the storage box last night, unwrapping the thick cloth, and looking at the two identical things that was wrapped up.
"By the forest gods i hope to hell they can't be sensed" Dalinvardél Tanith murmurs to himself, he's been told that they can't be, by both Mira Reinholt the mage and Helbe the elven thief. And by lord Farque himself, who confided to Dalin that he can sense them easily enough, but spellcasters won't be able to, until they're activated.
The Southlander takes one of the black metal, foot and half long tubes, and places into a loop on the inside of his cloak, that goes down his left side, beneath his arm. He does the same for the other one, on the otherside of his body.
He glances at the two mage canisters tucked under his arms beneath his cloak, and rolls his eyes at the thought of carrying them around all day as he plans to. The spy Tanith then shrugs, and murmurs to himself "Got things to do Dalin".
The elven spy, makes his way out of the abandoned warehouse, and heads to a nearby inn that he'll get a bite to eat. The streets, lanes, alleyways and squares, even here near the docks, aren't particularly busy for this early in the morning.
People are afraid, and are sticking indoors, even though weather wise, it's a cool but clear start to the day.
The thought of an army of tribal nomads from the plains, at the walls of the city in a couple of days, has the townsmen of Falnic in fear.
After getting something to eat and drink, Dalinvardél Tanith makes his way from the inn, and walks to the nearest dock. In the early morning light, he watches a few fishing boats leave port, stopping near one of the blockade ships out beyond the harbour, before continuing on their way out to sea.
He sees a cargo vessel being loaded up, and he looks across the harbour, to the docks and piers in the busier southern part of the port, and spots a merchantman coming into dock.
The spy Tanith glances up, and watches a pair of wyverns sweep across the harbour, circling east. The guards on the backs of the wyverns, are no doubt heading southeast, to watch the progress of the army from the Nomads Plains that is heading towards Falnic.
After watching the goings on in the harbour, the elf from the principality of Alínlae in the Southlands heads off. He has a meeting with a couple of his contacts in the smugglers community this morning, for he has something for them to do.
"Are you bringing people in and out of the city?" asks Dalinvardél Tanith a little while later in the backroom of a brass and coppersmiths shop "Not by sea" says one of the two smugglers the elven spy is meeting with "Even during the night it's too damn risky" adds the smuggler, the other smuggler sitting beside him, nods in agreement.
"Take it you're using your boltholes instead?" asks the spy Tanith, who continues with "Safer to move by foot then?". "It is" says the second smuggler "Though not during the day, too damn dangerous with the Justifiers who have come into the city over the last few days" adds the first smuggler, a swarthy man who is a captain of a small, single masted cutter.
The second smuggler, who works in the office of the navy of Falnic, the only organization in the city that the Justifiers all contribute equally to, says "More guards are coming in, both on land and by sea, as well as on the backs of wyverns" he continues with "Even from the war up in the Stone Hills from what I've heard, though those on foot and by horse won't be back here for a number of days yet".
"Seems the nomads have got them all worked up" says the elf from south of the equator "I wonder why" dryly says the first smuggler, the ship's captain.
Dalin knows that these two, like all the smugglers of Falnic, and for that matter elsewhere up and down the coast of Belinswae. Even though they're townsmen, their dislike of the nomads of the dry, arid plains to the east. Isn't as vehement as most other townsmen throughout the region.
Infact most smugglers, as well as the criminal community in general in Falnic, couldn't care less about the continuing animosity between townsmen and nomads.
"Well since you lot aren't exactly busy getting people in and out of the city, or transporting stolen goods at the moment, there's something i want you to do" says the Southlander "Oh what's that?" asks the smuggler who works in the office of the navy.
The elven spy from the principality of Alínlae takes out a rather large pouch of coins and puts it on the table between them, then he explains what he wants done.
As the smugglers check out how many coins, and what colour they are in the pouch. Their eyebrows lift up in surprise as they see how much gold coins are contained in the pouch.
Their eyebrows are raised again, and they share a look when the hooded elf sitting opposite them finishes explaining what he wants done.
"You want us to do what?" asks the first smuggler, the captain of a small cutter "You heard" says Dalinvardél Tanith "We heard alright" says the ship's captain, who then adds "We're not getting involved in any battle that's likely to happen".
"You're not" says the elven spy, who continues with "Everyone knows the nomads are a couple of days away". "This is true" quietly says the second smuggler, the first nods his head agreement, and Dalin tells them "I want a distraction, a fairly decent sized one, because of something I'm going to be doing".
"And that is?" asks the smuggler who works in the office of the navy, the elf from south of the equator replies with "You'll find out when it happens".
Both smugglers sourly smile, and the spy Tanith nods at the large pouch of coins on the table between them and says "That's half, the other half will be paid after you do it" he takes out another large pouch of coins and shows them.
"We'll do it" immediately says the smugglers, almost in unison too, Dalinvardél Tanith nods, pockets the second pouch of gold coins, pushes the first one towards them, and says "Done" as he leans forward and shakes their hands.
"Done" says the first smuggler "Done" adds the second after they shake the hand of the elven spy.
Well, the battle for Falnic has just begun, Dalin thinks to himself, for what he's just done will set into motion the battle for the city tonight, and not in a couple of days time when everyone in Falnic expects the army of nomad tribesmen to turn up . . . . . .
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