The Homecoming 159.

Further In The Domains...

"I shall confront him and demand an explanation" declares the knight general Dalacell, who then adds "That's if the allegations are true" as he glares at the wizard in the Druvician aircorp, who is looking more than a little nervously at those around him.
"And pray tell, how dost you think that will go hmmm?" asks sir Percavelle Lé Dic as he looks at the senior member of his knightly order, the order of the knights of Saint Mar-che.
Sir Dalacell sourly smiles as he looks at the former paladin, who he and a number of others in the order, not only demoted, but wanted eliminated when they heard he had returned to the kingdom of Druvic.
The knights general shakes his head, then mutters "I can't believe it of Twimen" Dalacell continues with "A supporter of those followers" he pauses as he at a loss for words, then he eventually adds "Pagan filth".
"Me thinks he is not just a supporter" says the former earl of Lé Dic, who continues with "I do believe the lord high constable is a follower of the old ways himself".
A look of disgust passes across the face of the knights general of the order of Saint Mar-che, who then looks over at the officer in the aircorp of the kingdom, and asks him "Is this true?".
"I believe so sir knight" says the wizard who is actually part of the personal fleet of the lord high constable, within the kingdom's aircorp.
"Hells" mutters sir Dalacell, who then adds "Narille" as he looks over at the heavily armoured knight, who he demoted, and wanted dead, he asks him "So what do we do then?".
Sir Percavelle Lé Dic glances at lord Farque, who quietly explains what they'll do.
A little bit later and they leave the building they've been in. Which Dalacell discovers is just across the street from the south gates of the grounds of his own order.
They head south through the third domain, heading towards the center of the city of Leeabra, the capital of the kingdom of Druvic.
Knights general Dalacell who finds himself walking beside the former paladin, who is the most famous member of their order, says "It will".
He stops what he's saying as he realises he doesn't sound like himself, then he glances at sir Percavelle and finds that his fellow member of the order of Saint Mar-che doesn't look like himself.
"By Narille, what the hell?" mutters sir Dalacell, who then says "Percy why do you look like that?" he pauses then adds "And how come i sound like this?".
"We've been bewitched" says the former earl of Lé Dic who resembles a short, fat, and rather unkempt looking man.
The nobleborn knight from the east of the kingdom nods towards Mira Reinholt the mage walking infront of them, and says "The mage here has bespelled us so that no one can recognise us".
Sir Dalacell, who resembles the illusion that sir Percavelle is, so much so that they could pass for twin brothers. Grimaces in disgust, then mutters "Magic".
Next to him, the former knight of the first class nods his head in agreement with the knights general of the order of Saint Mar-che, as they walk south through the third domain of Leeabra, towards the center of the city.
"Twimen will not easily incriminate himself" says the senior most member of the knights of Saint Mar-che, who continues with "Especially not infront of the court, and especially not infront of the king. Who is known for his dislike of those who follow the old ways and the dark druids and their interference in the running of the kingdom".
Sir Percavelle or Percy as he's more commonly called by the rest of the group, and by those who know him well, nods his head in agreement with the knights general of his order.
The nobleborn knight from the Lé Dic fief in the east of the kingdom says "Not to worry, the lord high constable will confess his hideous beliefs in public, I'm sure of it".
The former earl of Lé Dic falls silent, as does sir Dalacell beside him, as up ahead, lord Farque looks back at them, and says "Silence" at them.
The knights general of the order of Saint Mar-che who like his fellow nobleborn knight. Who like him is in disguise, thanks to a spell cast by the mage named Mira walking infront of them.
Finds that two of those who captured him, are gone. The elf in the white hooded cloak. And another cloaked figure, who he also thinks is an elf.
And though he walks behind the mage in the black hooded cloak. Who walks beside a young man in leather armour wearing the colours of the Lé Dic fief on his tabbard beneath his cloak.
He's followed by four others. Walking in two's behind him and sir Percavelle Lé Dic.
Two teenagers by the looks of it. One an attractive young woman in tight fitting leather armour. And a young man in a mix of leather, chain, and half plate armour. Who has an exquisite looking longsword at his side.
While at the rear of the group, is another young man, who wears a leather smock beneath his cloak. And next to him, is a rather short individual. Wearing the strangest of white clothing beneath his cloak. And wearing an even stranger looking hat, that's conical in shape.
Sir Dalacell is certain he's seen the the short fellow wearing the odd, conical shaped hat before. With the company he's keeping. It was probably during the war in the Sunreach Mountains. Or during the incident here in the city of Leeabra, at the end of a winter a decade ago, that set off the civil war across the kingdom of Druvic.
Infront of the group, leading them through the third domain towards the center of the city. Is the ork creature, who is carrying the wizard in the lord high constable's personal fleet over one of his massive shoulder.
Sir Dalacell sees that the spellcaster who is an officer in the Druvician aircorp is fast asleep as he's carried by the big, burly looking ork.
Next to the ork creature out front. Is the large heavily armoured figure, that the knights general of the order of Saint Mar-che knows as the general. Who he doesn't know, is the person who badly damaged the basilica of Saint Mar-che on the grounds of his order's headquarters.
The one known as the general during the invasion of the Sunreach Mountains over a decade ago. Is clearly the one in command from what sir Dalacell can see. As they continue southwards through the city.
They're soon at the edge of the third and second domains. And as they cross the massive square which has some of the largest buildings in the city located off of it. Including the largest of them all, an arcade that's over a mile and half long. And is over a hundred foot tall.
The senior most member of the order of Saint Mar-che is pleased to find himself sounding normal, and that next to him, sir Percavelle Lé Dic looks like himself once again.
As they cross the massive square, which looks empty even though a couple hundred people are on it at the moment, crossing from one domain to another.
The former earl of Lé Dic quietly says to the knights general of his order "I see they have not rebuilt the top of that conjurer's tower" as he nods towards one of the tall free standing towers in the second domain.
"No one has wanted to ever since that conjurer Milo Baines was killed in the upheaval a decade ago" quietly says sir Dalacell.
While infront of the two nobleborn knights, one from the east of Druvic, and the other from the middle of the kingdom. Mira Reinholt the mage listens carefully to what they're talking about.
The most senior member of the order of the knights of Saint Mar-che nods to another of the free standing towers in the second domain, this one the largest, and tallest in the entire city, as it stands nearly four hundred foot tall.
"The dragon's tower has stood empty since then too" quietly says sir Dalacell who continues with "No one has ventured in, as there's a number of spells still active in it, that members of the various magic guilds have been unable to break".
Infront of the two knights in the order of Saint Mar-che, Mira Reinholt looks towards the tall tower sir Dalacell is talking about.
The tower that was the abode of the dragon Nol. Where the once powerful mage spent a lot of time when he was living and working here in the city of Leeabra.
Chatting and studying with the dragon who was his friend and confidant. Until the mage Reinholt rejoined the rest of the group at the time, and turned against those in power here in the kingdom of Druvic.
The mage who is in exile from his homeland, the city-state of Vexil. Wonders what, if anything has been left behind in the massive tower that the dragon Nol used to live in.
A dragon that the spellcaster, who is also a highly skilled swordmaster. Still admires and likes. Even though he's been dead for ten years. And that he bit off a fair bit of the mage Reinholt's left arm. Then killed him.
The once powerful mage slightly shakes his hooded head. As he can't believe he's had two dragons as friends during his life so far.
True, one of the dragons, Kor, who was one of his tutors at the mage college of Vexil. Was more teacher than actual friend.
And true, Nol did kill him and bite half of his left arm off.
But to the highly skilled swordmaster, he considered both of them his good friends. Which is more than can be said about some of those who have part of the group he's traveled with over the years.
Leading the group across the massive square, lord Farque glances back at Mira Reinholt the mage who quietly says in elven "How are we going to get into the king's domain?".
The once powerful mage who is in exile from his homeland, the city-state of Vexil continues with "We should be able to enter the second domain fine enough, but the king's is well guarded".
"Can you make us all invisible?" quietly asks lord Farque in the same language "Not all of us" is the reply of the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster as they continue walking across the square "Too many, i only know how to cast invisibility on an individual basis, not a group. Hell, even when i had all my powers, i couldn't cast it on more than four or five people at a time, not as many as there are here" adds the mage Reinholt.
The undead warlord nods his full helmed head, and says "Well, we'll just have to come up with a distraction then".
"Have Dorc kill someone, that usually works" dryly says the Vexilian mage in exile, which causes Darid Parsen, who is walking beside him, and struggling to follow the conversation spoken in elven, to wryly smile after he guffaws.
"We don't have to go that far" says the lord and ruler of the lands Farque in a deadpan tone of voice, the heavily armoured deathlord then adds "I'm sure we can figure something else out".
After diagonally crossing the massive square, they enter the second domain of the city of Leeabra, which like the first, or as it's more commonly referred to, the king's domain. Is predominantly walled. By either buildings, fences, or actual walls.
Though where the lord of the death realm leads the group into the second domain, it isn't walled. As it's next to the ruins of the palace that Mira Reinholt blew up a decade ago. Blew up with a spelled gem that was activated for him by Narladene the ground pixie. As she was living here in the city of Leeabra at the time. It's when she decided to attach herself to Helbe the elven thief, who located her for the mage Reinholt.
As they walk along a wide path next to the ruins of the palace, as others are doing.
The spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere within the Southlands, only briefly glances at the destruction he caused a decade ago.
Then he says to the heavily armoured deathlord leading the way out front "There's a public walkway through that large building up there on the left" Mira Reinholt continues with "The avenue on the otherside of it leads straight to the king's domain".
The lord of the death realm nods his full helmed head, and turns in the direction of the building the exiled Vexilian mage indicated.
As they head that way, the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, who is listening to the conversation behind him between the two nobleborn knights in the order of Saint Mar-che.
Has a better view of the nearby tower here in the second domain, where the dragon Nol used to live.
It's not all that faraway, and from here the mage Reinholt can sense it. As he does, the once powerful mage is able to sense some of the dead dragon's spells that are still active on, and in it.
And though spellwork usually disappears once the caster is dead. Mira Reinholt senses that his old friend and mentor, Nol. Locked those spells to the tower that was his home here in the city of Leeabra.
The Vexilian mage in exile faintly smiles as he used to pass some of those spells all the time when entered Nol's tower.
He could probably do so again. But he knows a certain elven princeling who happens to be a masterthief, who could more than likely enter the abandoned tower at ease.
And as they enter the covered walkway that cuts through one of the large buildings here in the second domain, a building that houses the royal archives. The mage Reinholt wonders if the young elven noble from the principality of Laerel will be willing to enter the massive tower for him.
He has a sneaking suspicion that the elven masterthief would do it, even if he didn't ask him to.
The once powerful mage slightly shakes his hooded head as they walk through the vaulted walkway, which is over fifty feet wide, as well as fifty high at the top of the curve. As it runs through the building that's nearly three hundred feet, or a hundred yards in length.
"They definitely don't do buildings small here" dryly says Darid Parsen as they make their way out of the covered walkway that went through the large building that houses the royal archives.
Next to the young soldier from the Lé Dic fief, the Vexilian mage in exile nods his hooded head in agreement. While behind the two of them, sir Dalacell says "There's a gate just a bit further along the avenue here" followed by "On the right".
"I see it" says lord Farque as they start making their way down the tree lined avenue. An avenue, that isn't particular wide by Leeabra standards, but it does run straight. For the king's domain, is the shape of a large square near the very center of the capital city of the kingdom of Druvic.
There's others walking, or riding in both directions along the straight avenue. And the deathlord of Farque keeps the group close to the left line of trees, that are evenly spaced along both sides of the avenue. With the king's domain of the city on the right.
The undead warlord who is also known by the name of Draugadrottin to the people of his lands, stops near a large tree, that has basically split in the stone box it's grown up in. And is now like two trees, with it's wide branches hanging far out over this side of the avenue.
As they stand behind the split tree, the lord and ruler of the lands Farque who is sensing that Helbe the elven thief, Narladene the ground pixie and Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy are already within the king's domain.
Looks further down the avenue, across on the otherside, where there's open gates, that are heavily guarded in a tall, iron wrought fence that runs behind the trees on that side.
The domain guards, in this case the king's guards, are stopping and checking everyone who wants to enter into the first domain of the city. To see if they have a legitimate reason for entering the king's domain. They're also checking a lot of those who are leaving via those gates as well.
The undead warlord who dismissed the idea of sir Dalacell leading the way into the king's domain, a place he often visits every week. Looks around and murmurs "Time for a distraction".
Lord Farque looks at the ork warleader for a moment, then he mutters in the ancient language of command "Fucking might as well".
"Dorc go take a shit" says the heavily armoured deathlord to the large ork "Okay" says Dorc da Orc.
"Not here you fat fuck" sourly says the undead warlord, the ork weaponsmith who just shrugged, and was in the process of pulling down his pants grunts, then grunts again, when Draugadrottin tells him "Over there, right infront of those guards at that gate".
"Right" says Dorkindle, who then adds "Here, hold this cunt" and hands the unconscious wizard to the lord of the death realm, who puts the sleeping spellcaster across his left shoulder.
The big, burly ork walks around from the tree, and heads down the avenue, as he does, Mira Reinholt asks the deathlord of Farque "What's he doing?" as the undead warlord and the ork warleader were speaking in the incomprehensible language of the orks.
"A distraction" dryly says lord Farque "Oh?" says the once powerful mage, who then adds "Such as?".
"Taking a dump" is the reply of the heavily armoured deathlord, which causes the mage Reinholt to wryly smile, then dryly say "It might of been better for us if you just had him kill someone instead".
As they all watch the large ork come to a stop infront of the open gates to the king's domain just down on the otherside of the avenue. Then squat as he pulls his grubby, knee length pants down . . . . . .