The Homecoming 88.

Leeabra...

"Does he consort with others?" asks lord Farque "Not that i recall m'lord" replies the manager of the establishment.
It's not really an inn, though it does have rooms for hire. Nor is it a tavern, though there is a common room, as well as private rooms off it.
Though comparing it to a common room in a tavern, even an expensive one. Would do it an injustice of the highest order.
It's more of a private club than anything else. Located in the second domain, on the eastern edge of the King's Domain.
It's a meeting place for the nobility and the wealthy in the city of Leeabra, and the kingdom of Druvic.
A place to conduct business, and other assorted affairs. Where deals are brokered, and where alliances are formed, not to mention, broken.
More than a few battles between fiefs in the kingdom have been determined in this establishment when deals have soured between nobles.
Lord Farque, who can easily pass as a visiting noble from another kingdom. Easily gained access to the establishment. Which is in a discreet looking building, just back from the corner of where two streets meet, next to a large square.
Across the square to the west, is the King's Domain. One of the palaces in that particular domain can be seen from the third floor balcony of the establishment.
The undead warlord is just about to thank the manager, and depart when the manager, who doesn't own the establishment, rumour is that a member of the current royal family owns the place.
Says to the large figure in the dark blue and black, heavy plate armour "Though i do seem to recall he has met with a member of a knightly order a few times".
Behind the faceplate of his full helm, the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, who has got the manager of the establishment to talk, by simply giving him a bar of platinum, which he got from a nearby counting house that he has an account with.
Lifts a questioning eyebrow, then quickly guessing what order of knights the equerry in question has been talking to, lord Farque says "Let me guess" followed by "A member of the knights of Saint Mar-che?".
The manager blinks in surprise, then says "Yes indeed m'lord, it is". The lord and ruler of the lands Farque, who is also know as Draugadrottin to the people of his lands, nods his full helmed head, then asks "Which member of that order?".
The manager glances at the platinum bar on the desk between them, and the lord of the death realm rolls his eyes, then after slightly sighing, he says "You're not going to get anymore" the undead being continues with "That's probably more than all the other bribes you've gotten all year combined".
"So answer my question" says lord Farque, who waves a gauntleted hand, then adds "If not I'll inform the owner of this fine establishment that you've been taking bribes for information about the private business conducted by your guests here".
Taking a guess at who owns the private club, the deathlord of Farque adds "I don't think his highness would be too pleased you've been selling information" he continues with "Especially to a foreigner like me".
The manager, a bald headed man in his late forties, coughs uncomfortably as he clears his throat, then he says "Yes quite".
The manager then tells the undead warlord "With Knight General Dalacell himself".
Fucking hell Percy! Someone definitely doesn't like you, lord Farque thinks to himself, who then asks "And you don't know who the equerry specifically works for?".
"No m'lord" replies the manager of the private club who continues with "There's many attendant to the royal household over in the King's Domain" he follows that with "Some of them work for more than one person, and the one you've asked about could work for anyone from a lowly officer to the king himself" the manager then adds "He certainly comes in with many a member of the royal household".
The undead warlord who is also known as Des'tier by an older generation of elves, who might know who he is. Gets the feeling the manager of the private establishment is telling the truth, and that the equerry he's been asking about, could work for anyone over in the King's Domain.
The heavily armoured deathlord nods his full helmed head, then stands up and says "I'll let myself out". He turns and makes his way out of the office of the manager.
Draugadrottin closes the door behind him, walks down the quiet corridor, then heads downstairs. In what one would call a common room, the deathlord of Farque quickly glances around as he makes his way to the front door of the private club.
What would be considered a common room, is plush in appearance, with wooden floors inlaid with marble.
Most of the tables are in booths against the walls of the room, while those out in the open, are all near the pillars that run in two rows down the length of the room.
Which is slightly dim on purpose, with few windows open. And even less lamps lit. There's a lit fireplace at one end of the room providing light, but no tables are near it.
Lord Farque garners a few looks his way, after all he's large, in what can only be described as foreboding looking armour. And he's obviously a foreigner.
Though he isn't the only person in the establishment wearing a suit of full plate armour. There are a few others in what one would term the common room of the establishment. Either belonging to a knightly order, or a local nobleman, sometimes both.
Lord Farque who is surprised he isn't recognised from the battle in the city that started the civil war. Makes his way across the common room of the private club, and exits it.
The undead warlord senses for Mira Reinholt the mage, and quickly locates him. The lord of the death realm heads off in his direction. Hoping that the once powerful mage has found out more information about the equerry in the King's Domain, that the party of Harkonin scouts met with early this morning.
Mira Reinholt the mage stands upon the roof of a building, he looks away in the direction of the basillica of Narille in the distance.
The large doom upon the top of that particular building is still under repair as it was a few weeks ago when he was last in Leeabra.
Infact it's been under repair for a number of years, ever since the civil war in the kingdom of Druvic came to an end.
The mage Reinholt looks away from the basillica in the distance that stands within the grounds of the order of the knights of Saint Mar-che.
Instead he looks towards the main airdocks of the capital city, which are further to the east.
The spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands, casts another spell. As he's already cast invisibility upon himself.
The exiled Vexilian mage who has cast a spell to see great distances. Looks at the kingdom of Druvic's aircorp's docks. And the two warships that he, along with lord Farque saw earlier in the day, being readied.
The vessels are still in dock, and have yet to leave. The spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster has learnt that the ship's crews of those vessels are on leave, and have the liberty of the city.
And that the order for them to get ready to depart was given without notice, and now the officers of those two airships are scouring Leeabra for their respective crews.
The once powerful mage from the city-state of Vexil looks back in the direction of the King's Domain, and the second domain.
He looks along the wide boulevard to the left, and he eventually spots the distinctive figure in blue and black plate armour amongst the people walking in this direction, on what's an overcast spring day here in the capital city of the kingdom of Druvic.
The invisible spellcaster sees lord Farque look up at him, and slightly nod. The swordmaster Reinholt nods his hooded head in return.
The exiled Vexilian mage steps off the edge of the roof infront of him, and levitates down to the lane below.
He makes his way into a deep, recessed doorway to his left, and there he drains some of the power in the spell gem in one of his pockets, before he drops his invisibility spell and becomes visible again.
The mage Reinholt remains in the doorway until he spots lord Farque turn into the lane from the boulevard to the left. The highly skilled swordmaster steps out into the lane proper as the undead warlord walks towards him.
"Anything?" asks lord Farque, who gestures that they should continue walking down the lane.
"A bit" replies Mira Reinholt the mage, who like the heavily armoured deathlord, speaks in elvish. The once powerful mage then informs the lord of the death realm about the two aircorp vessels that are preparing to leave the capital. And that a light frigate left earlier this morning. Before they arrived here in Leeabra.
All three aircorp vessels are bound for the east of the kingdom. To the Lé Dic and Harkonin fiefs.
"Let me guess" says Draugadrottin, who continues with "To assist the baron, or more specifically, his advisor Palvarc".
"That's it exactly" says the Vexilian swordmaster in exile "You know who gave them the order?" asks the lord and ruler of the lands Farque "Someone high up in the admiralty" is the answer from the mage Reinholt, who continues with "Who? I'm not sure" he then adds "Whoever it is, they're important enough to send three vessels, without them disguised, flying the crown's colours, to a dispute between two warring fiefs".
"That's a bit of a fucking worry" murmurs the undead warlord, who then asks the spellcaster, who to this day, is still the youngest ever member of the mage council of Vexil "Find anything out about our equerry?" followed by "Who he works for?".
"Nothing there" is the answer from the highly skilled swordmaster as they turn a corner onto a street that goes east, in the direction of the airdocks of Leeabra.
"And you?" asks Mira Reinholt, who then adds "At that place?". The exiled Vexilian mage was the one who told the deathlord of Farque about the private club near the King's Domain.
An establishment he had heard much about during his time living here in Leeabra. Though a place he could not visit. As all spellcasters not in the royal household are banned from it.
The undead warlord explains what he discovered at the establishment, the swordmaster Reinholt slightly whistles, then says "Hell, the head of the knights of Saint Mar-che doesn't want Percy around that's for sure" he then adds "But who is it in the king's court who doesn't want him around?" the once powerful mage follows that with "Who's all tight with that dark druid of baron Harkonin's?".
"That's the question isn't it" quietly says Des'tier, or The Destroyer as it's translated from elven to common, he shrugs his broad, heavily armoured shoulders, then adds "We'll find out one day i guess".
"We're not going to hang around and find out who?" asks the Vexilian mage in exile, who already knows the answer, as the lord and ruler of the lands Farque is heading back towards the main airdocks of the city.
"No" says the lord of the death realm, who gestures in the direction of the airdocks, and adds "Hopefully Davik has found us an airship going east" Draugadrottin then quietly says "And we'll have to deal with those two warships heading that way too".
"In dock?" asks Mira Reinholt, who even he'd admit, it's a little audacious attacking a pair of Druvician aircorp vessels flying the royal colours in dock, in the capital of the kingdom.
Attacking and destroying one that was disguised in the smaller city Pasemár is one thing. This would be something else entirely different.
"If need be" says lord Farque, who then adds "Though it'd be best if we were out of sight of the city" the heavily armoured deathlord then dryly adds "Don't want the entire fucking aircorp and royal army after us if we did get noticed".
"That's for fucking sure" dryly murmurs the mage Reinholt as they head back to the area around the main airdocks of the city, to where the offices of the Reinholt trading company is located.
As they walk back, the highly skilled swordmaster tells the undead warlord about the private club lord Farque visited. And how everyone from clerics and magic using priests in every church and temple in the city. To spellcasters who belong to guilds, such as the Guild Alchemica. To individual spellcasters, such as Mira was when he lived and worked in Leeabra.
All wanted to get into the establishment where the powerful of the kingdom meet. The mage Reinholt can only recall his friend at the time. The dragon Nol, who lord Farque brought down in flight, basically killing him, with Helbe the elven thief and Sephiryn the elemental finishing off the dragon. The dead dragon, that Dorc da Orc was able to take a plate of armour off, with the help of the undead warlord.
Was the only spellcaster in the city who couldn't care less about entering the private club. For starters he was far too big to enter it. And secondly he didn't care what was discussed there. As he knew, which was what the mage Reinholt would learn. All the decisions that really counted in the kingdom. Were made, and still is made, in the King's Domain. To be exact, in the court of the king of Druvic.
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque listens in silence as they walk back to the offices of the Reinholt trading company. He hears in the voice of Vexilian mage in exile, fondness when he speaks of the dragon Nol.
Who the mage Reinholt would turn against, and who bit off Mira's left arm before killing the once powerful mage. Who lord Farque had to bring back to life. And only by chance too, as Draugadrottin had gone into the death realm when he took the dragon Nol out of the air, and hit the ground from thousands of feet up in the sky.
The heavily armoured deathlord remains silent when they finally get back to the offices of the Reinholt trading company, where they're led upstairs to the managers office.
"You're back" says Davik the office manager, who then adds "Good timing too" he continues with "I've found you an airship heading southeast, a passenger vessel out of Vexil, heading back there. It'll take the two of you further east into Druvic".
"When?" asks the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster "It leaves later this afternoon, just before dusk" replies the manager of the Reinholt trading company here in the kingdom of Druvic.
Mira Reinholt glances at lord Farque, who slightly nods his full helmed head, and says in the elven language "Might as well head over there now since it's already the middle of the afternoon".
"We'll go over now" says the exiled Vexilian mage to the office manager "Thanks for everything Davik" adds the practitioner of magic.
"Of course mage Mira" says the office manager Davik, who then tells the black sheep of the family whose company he works for "Best of luck on your ah, adventures" . . . . . .