The Homecoming.

A Forest Glade...

Lisell Maera sits upon a log watching the pot on the trivet over the campfire. The teenager from the city-state of Brattonbury is keeping an eye on the stew they're making for dinner.
At the other end of the fallen tree, sits Tamric Drubine, who like Lis is wrapped up in a winter cloak, as flakes of snow can be seen in the late afternoon light.
The nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin is inspecting the blade of his sword. Something he does at the end of everyday, especially when they're traveling.
Sitting on a nearby rock is Riley Hait the mercenary ranger, who is looking at a map of the area. The ranger who was raised and trained in the elven principality of Envadarlen, is rubbing his chin and frowning as he studies the map.
Thirty yards away, at the edge of the nearby stream, Shur Kee the monk who has just washed his hands and face. Is kneeling on the ground, with his eyes closed. The acolyte in the order of Bru Li is meditating before they have something to eat.
Walking into camp is Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy. The elf from the principality of Alínlae has a young buck over his shoulder that he's shot.
The ranger Hait gets up and goes over to the spy Tanith to help him dress the deer, which they'll probably quickly cook some strips of tonight, and save the rest of the meat for the coming days.
There's no sign of Dorc da Orc, who wandered off shortly after they stopped here. The large ork said he'd caught wind of a bear nearby, and that he was off to kill it. It's probably not the only thing he's going to do to it.
Lying on a bedroll behind the log that the two teenagers Lis and Tam are sitting on, is sir Percavelle Lé Dic. The nobleborn knight is just lying there, staring up at the sky, waiting for dinner to be cooked.
The former paladin in the order of Saint Mar-che has been withdrawn. Well withdrawn for him at least, not so loud and boisterous ever since they arrived here in the kingdom of Druvic a couple of weeks ago.
Especially in the last few days since they've made their way east in the kingdom, an area where his fiefdom is located.
The three others in the group, lord Farque and the two spellcasters, Mira Reinholt the mage and Helbe the elven thief are elsewhere in the kingdom. They'll meet up with the rest of them once the group finally gets to the fief of the earl of Lé Dic.
"Yeah you fucken liked that ae cunt?" says Dorc da Orc as he rolls off the bear, the large ork who has blood running down the side of his face, chortles as he looks at the large brown bear beside him.
The bear, which is obviously dead, and was so before Dorkindle fucked it silly. Is missing it's front right paw, the one that swiped the side of the ork warleader's face as he attacked it with just a dagger. After all he wanted to give the bear a bit of a chance, as he likes the wild animals that intends to fuck to be a bit fighty.
The weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks who is on his back, lying on the ground next to the dead bear, reaches over and pulls his dagger out of it's bloody throat, and returns it to his weapon harness.
"Good fluffy" says Dorkindle who pats the dead bear, and wonders if he should eat some of it here. Though tall, it's rather scrawny as a lot of it's winter fat has come off.
The large ork who wipes some of the blood off the side of his face, as the claw marks are already starting to heal. Is just contemplating if he should start eating fluffy, when he catches the scent of something.
"Ooohhh horsey" murmurs Dorc da Orc who sits up and looks around in the late afternoon light, the warleader of the ork race sniffs, as he tilts his head to one side.
He grunts as he smells and hears a number of horses with riders in the distance, riders who are armed and armoured.
The large ork stands up and pulls his grubby knee length pants up, he looks down at the dead bear and says "Bye fluffy" and starts making his way back to where the others have made camp. Where he can smell the horses and the riders are heading towards.
After dressing the deer, the ranger Hait and the spy Tanith are a bit down stream washing up. When the elf from the principality of Alínlae who has just stood up and is drying his forearms and hands, quickly turns and looks north.
"What is it?" asks Riley Hait the mercenary ranger "Riders approaching from the north" replies Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy whose naturally enhanced hearing has picked up the sound of horses in the distance coming through the forest.
The two of them walk quickly back up stream, as they approach then walk by the mediating Shur Kee, the ranger Hait quietly says to the short, statured monk "Riders approaching Shur Kee".
The acolyte in the order of Bru Li slowly nods his head, then opens his eyes. The monk from the otherside of the continent, gets up, and follows after the other two who are walking quickly back to camp.
After oiling his sword and returning it to it's scabbard, Tamric Drubine looks up as the ranger Hait and the spy Tanith approach. The nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin notices that when Dalin stops, the elven spy stares off to the north through the trees.
"What is it?" quietly asks Tamric Drubine, Lisell Maera who has just taken the cook pot off the fire, looks at Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman, who says "Riders".
The mercenary ranger who was brought up and trained by the elven warders of Envadarlen, who is the nominal leader of the group with lord Farque, Mira Reinholt and Helbenthril Raendril away, then quietly says "You know what to do" followed by "Act casually".
The ranger Hait who is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, looks over at sir Percavelle who is still lying on his bedroll.
"Percy any chance these riders will be your men?" asks Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman "No, we're still too far from my lands" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic as he continues to lie there, looking up at the late afternoon sky.
"Most likely the earl of Sandol's men" adds the nobleborn knight, who then adds "If I'm not mistaken, which i'm never am, we are in his fief at the moment" the former paladin in the order of Saint Mar-che pauses for a few moments, then says "Or close to it".
"Whoever they are, we're about to find out" says Dalinvardél Tanith who points away to the north, where in the distance through the trees, a number of riders can be seen approaching the glade.
Riley Hait looks at sir Percavelle and tells him "Keep quiet Percy and let me do the talking". The mercenary ranger frowns and is immediately suspicious as the earl of Lé Dic nods that he will. Instead of arguing with him, which the ranger Hait was expecting.
As the teenagers stay near the fire, and the knight in the order of Saint Mar-che continues to lie on his bedroll. Riley Hait moves over to where his pack is. While Shur Kee stands near a tree on the otherside of the glade, and Dalinvardél Tanith stands next to the tree the skinned and dressed buck is hanging from.
The riders approach the glade, with some entering it, and others circling around it, and staying just back amongst the trees. There's a dozen of them, all soldiers as they're wearing uniforms, though their armour and weapons are all varied, and of various quality.
"Greetings" says Riley Hait to the rider who moves furtherest into the glade "Greetings" replies the lead rider, who continues with "I'm constable Parreth".
The ranger Hait who knows a fair bit about the society of Druvic. After all it's the kingdom he was traveling in, when he was still Zubutai Timaginson, when he first meet the group led by lord Farque,
Knows that a constable is like a guard captain, mixed with an arbiter of the law for the local lord.
"Constable for the earl of Gallus" adds Parreth as he looks around the glade "Gallus?" says the mercenary ranger from the elven principality of Envadarlen, who then adds "Is this not the fief of the earl of Sandol?".
The constable sourly smiles, and in a tone of voice that matches his smile, he says "No more" he continues with "The earl of Sandol was killed during the war, as was his heirs". The war in question is the civil war of Druvic from a number of years ago.
Which was started by the group, just before Riley Hait met them. Of those in the forest glade, only Shur Kee the monk was in the group of travelers at that time. Dorc da Orc was too, but he's off in the forest somewhere. Which the ranger Hait is glad of for the moment.
As the large ork would definitely say something to get them into trouble.
"What's the reason you're traveling through my lord's lands?" asks the local constable, who along with his patrol, spotted the smoke from the fire coming up through the trees, when they left the nearby village a couple of miles away as they were coming to the end of their patrol for the day.
"We're heading further east to the fief of the earl of Lé Dic" says the ranger Hait "Earl?" says constable Parreth, who then adds "There's no earl there nowadays".
After looking sharply at sir Percavelle, who thankfully remains silent, Riley Hait says "Is sir Percavelle not the earl there anymore?".
"No, he took off years ago, during the war i think" says the constable a man in his early thirties, who continues with "After the succession was finalised, the king had sir Percavelle vacate his fief by absentia" he then adds "But it was allowed to stay in the Lé Dic family".
One of the other riders has moved forward, and the constable turns to him, and says "Is that not so Karbill?".
"It be" says the other soldier who is slightly older, he then adds "The younger brother Maxiss became earl".
Riley Hait slightly nods, as that's what they heard when they briefly stayed in the capital Leeabra a few days ago, and what sir Percavelle guessed. Was that his younger brother Maxiss is now the earl of the family fief. "He got himself killed last year in some battle with a baron further east near the border" adds the older soldier Karbill.
Riley aka Zubutai Timaginson along with Tamric Drubine and Lisell Maera all look at the large heavily armoured knight who is still on his bedroll, the Druvician nobleman winces at the mention of the death of his younger brother.
Though they were never really close, as sir Percavelle was often absent from the fief that bares their family name due to him being a knight in the order of Saint Mar-che. He stilled cared about his younger brother Maxiss.
"Earl Maxiss daughter now rules that fief" says the local constable, who shakes his head then adds in a slight tone of disdain "A lady ruling a fief, a child at that, whatever next".
Lisell Maera scowls at that, so does sir Percavelle, who can barely remember his niece, as she was only a toddler when he last saw her. She must only be nine or ten years old now.
The older soldier Karbill leans towards the constable, and points to their right and quietly says something to the constable, which the ranger Hait doesn't hear.
Constable Parreth looks away to the right, and he spots the dressed deer hanging from a tree branch.
He looks at the mercenary ranger, and while before his tone for the most part was convivial, it's now accusatory, and he points to the hanging deer and says "That belongs to the earl of Gallus" the constable continues with "Poaching is punishable by death". Behind the local constable, the soldiers in the patrol draw their swords.
"Oh hell" mutters Riley Hait in the hordes dialect of the southern tundra, who repeats it, when sir Percavelle Lé Dic stands up and loudly says "This is not crown land!" followed by "Even travelers have the right to take one decent size animal for sustenance as they pass through a fief, for shame constable, you of all people should know the law".
"Sir knight, i didn't see you there" says constable Parreth who immediately recognises the device etched into the breastplate of the large, heavily armoured knight as the symbol for the order of Saint Mar-che. One of the most powerful knightly orders, in both wealth and influence, and not just in the kingdom of Druvic too. Whose headquarters are located in the capital Leeabra.
The local constable looks nervously about then he says in a determined voice "Laws have changed sir knight since the war of succession, and a local lord of the rank of earl and above, can set his own poaching laws now" he points at the deer carcass hanging from the tree, and adds "And that has been poached".
"Bugger" loudly mutters sir Percavelle, who then looks over at the ranger Hait, who winces as the local constable says to his patrol "Arrest them, you have free reign if they resist".
"Fuck" mutters Riley aka Zubutai Timaginson under his breath, as he can predictably guess what's going to happen next . . . . . .