The Homecoming 57.

In The West...

"Riders heading this way" says lord Farque, who then adds "From the north". Mira Reinholt the mage looks back then asks "How far?". "A mile or so" says the undead warlord as the two of them speak in elvish "Probably soldiers belonging to the noble whose land that milling town is in" says the once powerful mage, who then adds in a slightly dry tone of voice "Took them long enough to send someone south to Poldaér to tell the earl what's happened". The lord and ruler of the lands Farque nods his full helmed head in agreement.
While behind the two of them, Tarong the troll wonders what they're talking about as they continue on their way south to the town of Poldaér, a small city really. That's the largest settlement not just here in the Almaeré fief, but in all northwest Druvic.
It's the second day they've been on the road, last night they stayed in a small village a couple miles off the road that leads south to Poldaér.
There the locals told them of the attacks on the road between Poldaér and the milling town, where until yesterday Tarong lived and worked.
At least half a dozen murders have taken place during the autumn and winter. The culprit or culprits haven't been caught as yet, and they, the villagers were hoping earl Almaeré's constable would apprehend the killer preying on travelers going up and down the road.
The same constable that lord Farque and Mira Reinholt killed, as he was trying to apprehend an innocent Tarong, for the murders along the road through the forest. Well essentially nothing but forest. With a few open fields every so often, near villages. Fields used for grazing herds, as well as for crops.
The land itself doesn't really open up, until one gets closer to Poldaér. For this area in the northwest of the kingdom, is predominantly forest. Where timber is the backbone of the economy here. And why the Almaeré family has had a stranglehold on power in this part of Druvic for centuries.
"If they are heading south to tell the earl down there what we did, you might want to delay them in someway" says the heavily armoured deathlord "Delay them?" says the mage Reinholt, who after a pause, adds "Indefinitely?".
"You don't have to go that fucking far" dryly says the undead being who is also known as Draugadrottin to the people of his lands, he then adds "Have them stop off at the next village or town for a few days, then have them go back home thinking they've told the earl what's happened".
The spellcaster, who is in exile from his homeland of Vexil, nods his hooded head in understanding. Then he hands his double bladed sword, as well as his longbow and quiver to the deathlord of Farque who tells him "They're almost here"
In trollish, lord Farque tells Tarong to follow him, and the two of them hurry off into the trees to the east of the road. While the mage Reinholt takes the hood of his cloak off his head, and casts a spell to disguise what he looks like.
It's only a short while later when a pair of horsemen come along the road from the north. They briefly ride alongside the disguised mage from the city-state of Vexil. And asks him if he's seen himself, along with lord Farque, and the troll Tarong.
The spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, tells them he hasn't seen a trio matching that description. And the only people he's seen on the road so far this morning, is a pair of empty wagons and their drivers, going north. Which is infact true.
The two soldiers thank him, and continue on their way. As they ride away to the south, the once powerful mage casts a spell upon the two of them. They'll soon stop at the next village, on or near the road. Where they'll spend the next three days, spending all their coin in a tavern. Before riding back north, thinking they've delivered their message to the earl of the Almaeré fief.
Once the riders are out of sight, lord Farque and Tarong the troll make their way out of the trees and rejoin the mage Reinholt. The undead warlord hands back the exiled Vexilian mage's weapons. And the three of them continue on their way southwards to Poldaér.
Later in the morning, they pass by the track that turns to the nearest village, and as it nears midday, the spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands, is about to suggest they briefly stop soon, so that he and Tarong can have a bite for lunch.
When lord Farque quietly says to the swordmaster Reinholt and the troll mill worker "There's someone just back from the road, about a thousand yards further to the south".
As Tarong is wondering how the man named Farque can know that, the lord of the death realm continues with "I guess he's watching the road".
Mira Reinholt looks at the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, then asks him "You think it could be?" the undead warlord nods his full helmed head, then quietly says "Could very well be".
Then Draugadrottin looks back at the troll walking behind him and the once powerful mage, and asks him "Tarong, how do you feel about being a local hero?".
"Er?" says Tarong the troll, who then asks "How?". "By capturing whoever it is that's been killing people up and down this road" says the heavily armored deathlord "Ah fine, i suppose" says the troll whose life has dramatically changed since yesterday. The lord and ruler  of the lands Farque nods, then says in a slightly dry tone "That's if the person up ahead is actually the killer".
They keep walking south along the road, which is in better condition the further south they go. Tarong has informed the two foreigners, that the road is actually paved for about four or five miles north of Poldaér. Something of a rarity for roads in the northwest of the kingdom of Druvic.
Just after midday, lord Farque leaves the other two and heads off into trees. When he's gone from sight, Tarong asks the mage Reinholt "Will he be able to find this person?". "I'm certain of it" is the reply of the exiled Vexilian mage, who then shrugs his shoulders in answer to the mill worker asking him "How does he even know someone is about?".
Trust me, you wouldn't believe me if i told you, the highly skilled swordmaster thinks to himself as he and the ten foot tall troll continue along the road. The two of them do stop for a while, sitting on some large rocks to the side of the road, eating their midday meal on what's a pretty benign day. Which is more spring than winter. Definitely warmer than yesterday, when flakes of snow fell in the mill town where Tarong lived and worked before fleeing from there.
It's after they've eaten, when lord Farque makes his way out from the trees, carrying an unconscious man over one of his broad, heavily armoured shoulders. The undead warlord is holding a travelers pack in one gauntleted hand, which he tosses to the mage Reinholt.
The Vexilian swordmaster in exile slightly whistles when he opens the pack and dumps the contents of it on the ground next to the road. There's a number of daggers, and other small blades, as well as couple of ropes, one thicker and longer than the other, which fall out of the pack.
"Think we might of found our killer" says the once powerful mage, who still to this day, is the youngest ever member of the mage council of Vexil. Mira Reinholt looks at the rather, short, indistinguishable looking man that lord Farque shrugs off his shoulder "Well?" asks the lord of the death realm.
The exiled Vexilian mage reads the mind of the unconscious man, and he quietly says "It's him" the highly skilled swordmaster slightly winces then adds "You won't believe why he's been killing people over the winter". "Oh?" says Tarong, Mira Reinholt nods then explains "He's a follower of what you lot here in Druvic call the old ways. Seems he wants to be a druid, so he took it upon himself to start sacrificing people, hoping that it'll make him a druid".
"Fuckwit" mutters lord Farque as he looks down at the unconscious man on the ground, he then nods for the mage Reinholt to put the contents of the pack back into it, with the exception of one of the ropes, which he uses to tie together the wrists of the wannabe druid. The heavily armoured deathlord loops the rest of the length of the rope, and asks Tarong "You want to carry him?".
"Not particularly" says the axe carrying troll as he looks with disgust at the unconscious man on the road "Fine" says the undead being who is known as Des'tier to an older generation of elven kind who know who he is.
"You get to lead him around once he wakes up though" says the nearly four hundred and fifty year old undead warlord, the mill worker nods, through he rather not have anything to do with killer, who has preyed upon travelers on the road between Poldaér and the mill towns further north in the Almaeré fief.
Draugadrottin picks up the unconscious man, and slings him over a shoulder. And the three of them set off, continuing on their way southwards to Poldaér.
As they walk down the road that goes through the forest, Mira Reinholt says "His name is Barbél" he continues with "He thought about attacking those two wagons we saw earlier going north. But he chickened out when he saw the wagon drivers had crossbows".
"Pussy" mutters lord Farque with a sideways glance at the man named Barbél he's carrying over his right shoulder "Seems he's out near the road most days. And is too afraid to attack those he sees go by" says the exiled Vexilian mage who continues with "Those he's killed during the autumn and winter, have been lone travelers. Mostly older people, or the infirm. Those he knows he can kill without too much danger to himself".
"Definite pussy" mutters the lord of the death realm, behind him, the troll mill worker nods his head in agreement. And his disgust for the roadside killer increases. He's glad that Barbél has been caught. And hopefully will be punished.
The spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, looks back at Tarong, and says to him "You'll definitely be seen as a hero when you bring him in" that mage Reinholt continues with "Who knows, you might even get a reward from the earl if things go your way".
The mill worker, who yesterday was going to be apprehended for the killings along the road. Perks up at the mention of a reward, and he says "Really?" followed by "A reward?" he then adds "You really think so".
The once powerful mage from the city-state of Vexil, shrugs his shoulders, then says "Who knows" the practitioner of magic, who is a member of one of the largest, and most important trading families, not just in Vexil, but all of the Southlands, continues with "What i do know is the earl will be delighted that a fairly notorious killer in his fief has been caught" he then adds "If he's worth the ink his title is written on, he should at least give some kind of reward for this asshole's capture".
Tarong grins at the prospect of a reward, as he's never had any large amount of coins of his own over the years. Though he tempers his excitement at the prospect of a reward, as he knows nobles aren't particularly free with their wealth. Even if it is for a rightful cause, such as the capture of a killer upon their lands, and in their fief.
"What i want to know, is why this asshole here" says lord Farque with a shrug of his shoulders indicating the unconscious killer he's carrying "Wants to be a druid" adds the heavily armoured deathlord who continues with "Belief in the druids isn't exactly prevalent here in the west of the kingdom. Infact it's hardly practiced and adhere to outside of the very east of the kingdom".
Behind the two foreigners, the troll Tarong grunts, then says "As long as I've been here in the northwest of Druvic, I've only ever encountered one family that's followed the old ways. Most people here abouts, if they believe in anything, they believe in the gods".
"Good point" murmurs Mira Reinholt, who after briefly touching a hidden spell gem within a pocket in his cloak, draining a little bit of it's power. He looks at the unconscious Barbél that lord Farque is carrying.
The Vexilian mage in exile once again reads the mind of the roadside killer. This time delving deeper and further. Something that in the past a number of years ago, the mage Reinholt found difficult to do. More subtle spells like mindread weren't exactly his area of expertise. He's a mage after all, powerful destructive spells are want mages are primarily good at. Everything else magically is just an afterthought.
Though it helps that the subject whose mind he's reading is unconscious. As that makes it easier to read someone's mind.
The once powerful mage slightly frowns as he sifts through the mind of Barbél. Then the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster nods his head as he finds what he's looking for.
"Well that's interesting" quietly says Mira Reinholt after he drops the mindread spell "What's that?" asks lord Farque "Seems he's originally from the very east of the kingdom. He's only been out here for the past few years" says the exiled Vexilian mage who continues with "He was told to come out here and spread the word so to speak. Seems he's a follower of some dark druid back east. He's taken things a bit far, wanting to become a druid himself".
"Religious fuckwits are always fuckwits, no matter what they believe in" dryly says the lord of the death realm, the mage Reinholt who doesn't always necessarily believe or agree with what the undead warlord thinks. Definitely agrees with him about that. It helps that the spellcaster from the city-state of Vexil is an atheist. Even though he knows that the gods of Volunell exist after his time through the rift/void he accidentally cast. For though he still can't remember everything that happened then. He definitely remembers seeing evidence of the gods of the world of Volunell during his time offworld.
"Another thing" says the swordmaster Reinholt, who continues with "Those six people he's killed since the late autumn aren't the only one's he's killed since coming here to this part of the kingdom. He's killed eight others over the last few years. And tried to kill another ten or so, and failed".
"What a fucking asshole" says Tarong from behind the two foreigners as he looks at the unconscious roadside killer Barbél "You got that right troll" says lord Farque, who then looks at the mage Reinholt walking beside him, and asks "Who's this dark druid in the east he's a follower of?".
"Palvarc" is the reply of Mira Reinholt, the undead warlord slightly frowns as the name is familiar. Having heard it as they traveled through the Lé Dic fief before they accidentally came through a druid's circle which brought them here to the northwest of the kingdom of Druvic.
"Palvarc, that's the druid who's the advisor to baron Harkonin in the far east of the kingdom" says lord Farque "The very one" says the once powerful mage "Now isn't that interesting" murmurs the lord of the death realm . . . . . .