The Hire 26.

The Southern Reaches. The Duchy Of Phelm. The Kingdom Of Nastell...

Tovis the war engineer makes his way forward through the drizzle, walking with him is his second in command, the sorcerer Larris.
Away to their right, trees are being felled by members of the engineer's corp that Tovis leads.
While behind them, in a dip in a hilltop, sits a number of the war machines that Tovis is in charge of.
While the siege towers, are further back from the rest of the army, still on the road. As they won't be needed anytime soon.
"They should of come forward a half a mile or so, and used this area as their frontline" says the sorcerer Larris, the spellcaster from the lands Farque continues with "They could of fired upon us as we came down that road if they did".
"True" says Tovis the war engineer as he nearly slips on the wet ground, then the young engineer who is originally from the kingdom of Druvic, adds "I suspect they can resupply, as well as have an easier way to escape to the south, where they've dug in".
"More than likely" quietly says the sorcerer, who is fairly young himself, still not yet twenty five years old.
The spellcaster in the mercenary army from the lands Farque, then adds in a quiet tone "No more complaining i see".
Beside him, the commander of the engineer's corp in the Farqian mercenary army nods his head in agreement.
As they stop, and look down the rise, and see quite a lot of the robber baron Markell's army digging trenches, and sticking up bulwarks under the supervision of those in the engineer's corp from the lands Farque.
Tovis looks across the valley to the enemy, and through the steady drizzle, which has been getting lighter and lighter throughout the day.
He can make out their battlelines, where they've dug in. And put up palisades of their own.
"Hopefully they think there's more of us here than there actually is" quietly says the young engineer from the east of the kingdom of Druvic as he looks out across the valley at the enemy.
"Hopefully" quietly says the Farqian spellcaster, as he like the commander of the engineer's corp know, they're outnumbered by the enemy, whose army is growing all the time as more and more soldiers from further south in the duchy of Phelm join them.
"Still, we've got the two councillors with us" quietly says the sorcerer Larris, who continues with "They'll definitely make a difference".
Tovis definitely agrees with that, as he gestures away to their left. Then the two of them head to a nearby trenchline in that direction.
As they jump down into the trench, the sorcerer says in a loud voice "Spell coming in!" he then adds to the war engineer "Probably sensed me coming forward".
After a moment's pause, the sorcerer calls out "It won't reach our frontline!". As they spot a fireball coming through the drizzle from the frontlines of the enemy across the valley.
"Have to be pretty damn powerful to hit our trenches and palisades from that distance with a fireball" explains the sorcerer Larris to the young engineer.
"Could you hit them with one from here?" asks Tovis as they watch the fireball, come rolling and hissing across the valley, a valley where a lot of the trees have been cleared over the last two days by both sides of the conflict.
"With a fireball?" says the spellcaster from the lands Farque, the war engineer nods, and his second in command tells him "No way" followed by "I'd have to be a lot more powerful to do that".
Larris briefly pauses, then adds "Though I've got other spells that will be able to hit them on the otherside of the valley".
The fireball from duke Hargen's army across the valley, doesn't even hit the base of the incline that the army who have made their way south from the unruled lands, are digging in.
The fireball hits a tree, and explodes in a burst of liquid fire. Burning the tree away, and setting the ground around it, on fire. It takes a little while for the constant drizzle to put the fire out.
"When this rain finally clears, and it's dry again, which won't take so long with the hot weather we've had lately" says the sorcerer Larris, who then adds "Fire is definitely going to be a hazard".
"I suspect that's what councillor Reinholt wants" says Tovis in a slightly dry tone as they stop, and climb up onto one of the bulwarks that his engineers have built.
The enemy is under half a mile away. And with the fireball that one of their spellcasters just sent over. They're testing the lines of the army from the unruled lands to the north of the kingdom of Nastell.
As are the army of the robber baron Markell, which is led by field commander Talbot and others in the mercenary army from the lands Farque. Who include Tovis, his second in command Larris. And the others in the engineer's corp in the Farqian mercenary army they've brought along with them.
The war engineer Tovis points, then quietly tells Larris as they stand upon the bulwark "You can just make out the road from the south there" he follows that up with "A couple of wagons have just rolled in, with more soldiers too".
"Mercenaries no doubt" quietly says the Farqian sorcerer, as they've learnt duke Hargen has been hiring mercenaries from not just here in the duchy of Phelm, and elsewhere in the kingdom of Nastell. But throughout this region of the Southlands.
Pretty much non stop, ever since five of the robber barons of the unruled lands in the southern reaches of the Colevar Mountains. Banded together, and launched their campaign against the duke, and the duchy of Phelm.
Tovis as he's done a number of times already, studies the enemy's lines. Seeing where they've dug in, and where they're expanding their trenchlines and palisades.
The young engineer, who previously was the war engineer to a baron Harkonin in the east of his homeland of Druvic, sees were the duke's forces have installed heavy ballista.
He glances at the sorcerer Larris, and quietly asks his second in command "Do they have any magetubes in position?".
"None that i can sense" is the quiet reply of the spellcaster from the lands Farque, the largest nation, in size at least, in all the Southlands.
"Those things are damn heavy to move about on the ground if you haven't got the correct wheeled cradle to haul them around with" adds the sorcerer who was assigned to the engineer's corp, just before they left the lands Farque.
Tovis nods his head, then he looks up at the grey skies. And as the drizzle continues to fade, and turn into a fine mist.
He wonders if the duke's forces will bring up any airships to complement their army on the ground, on the otherside of the valley.
The young engineer hopes not, as he knows that even though they've got their own warships to counter the duke's vessels. Just a single warship can be totally destructive against ground forces.
"Let's hope they don't bring any airships against us" quietly says Tovis "Our own fleet should be able to handle them" quietly says Larris, who follows that with "Especially the krean strikeship".
"That's if it's around" wryly says the war engineer, who like other senior officers in the mercenary army from the lands Farque. Knows that the Fídiablo, is the flying headquarters of lord Farque.
And it could, at anytime, be anywhere in the border region between the unruled lands and the kingdom of Nastell.
"There is that" murmurs the sorcerer from the lands Farque who also knows that the krean strikeship could turn up at anytime. And not just when they need it during a battle against the enemy in duke Hargen's army and fleet.
Then the sorcerer gestures down to the left, at the next trenchline down. Tovis looks down that way, and catches sight of who the Farqian spellcaster has spotted.
"Come on" says the war engineer, who then along with his second in command, makes his way down off the bulwark. And heads down to the next trench, one of many that have been dug into this particular hillside, on this side of the valley. A valley that has an abandoned hamlet in it at the western end.
The locals left weeks ago, when the robber barons of the unruled lands to the north of the kingdom of Nastell. First began their incursions, and sent squads south into the duchy of Phelm before the summer got underway.
The two of them walk behind the trench for about forty yards, then they leap across it, and climb a few wooden steps up to one of the bulwarks.
There behind the palisade, stands Mira Reinholt the mage, along with field commander Talbot. They're watching the enemy across the otherside of the valley.
Tovis looks around, then he spots Shur Kee the monk a bit further away. The short, statured monk has found a stool from somewhere.
And he's sitting on it along the bulwark, eyes closed beneath the wide brim, of his odd, conical shaped hat. That handily shelters him from the light, though constant drizzle.
After nodding in greeting to the member of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, and the large, heavily armoured field commander standing next to him.
Tovis asks the two of them "Any movement on their part?" the young engineer from the Harkonin fief in eastern Druvic, continues with "Apart from the odd spell they've sent this way?".
"Nothing much" is the reply from field commander Talbot, who then adds "Just the odd scout now and then coming across the valley to get a closer look".
The field commander, a large man standing six and half foot tall, who wears heavy plate armour, and has a large hammer strapped to his back, then says "Which is exactly the same thing we've been doing".
The war engineer nods, while his second in command, the sorcerer Larris asks the other practitioner of magic on this part of the palisades "Need to cast at all councillor Reinholt?".
"No" is the answer from Mira Reinholt the mage, who faintly smiles as he continues with "I'm going to keep myself back as a bit of a surprise for them".
The once powerful mage nods his hooded head away to the left, to the next trench along at this level, then says "I've got them to cast every once in a while, to keep the duke's army alert".
Both the war engineer Tovis and his second in command Larris look that way, and see on the bulwarks of that trench. A few of the robber baron Markell's spellcasters.
"There's enough of them, so we might as well use them" says the mage who is in exile from his homeland of Vexil, referring to the robber baron's spellcasters.
Markell the robber baron has more practitioners of magic in his army, than the other four robber barons combined.
And though the mage Reinholt thinks the majority of them are useless. Who more than likely will be a liability in battle, than any advantage. Has decided to put them to use. Occasionally sending a destructive spell over to the enemy, who are entrenched on the otherside of the valley, the south side of the valley.
The Vexilian spellcaster in exile, who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, looks at the commander of the engineer's corp, and asks him "How did your range calculations work out?".
"All fine" is the reply from Tovis, who continues with "We can hit them from where the war machines will be placed" he pauses before adding "Well, the trebuchets will be able to".
The war engineer carries on with "The ballistas will be brought down later" he then adds "I was hoping to use the cover of darkness to put them into place, but Larris send not to bother, and put them into position as soon as possible".
Both the field commander and the once powerful mage nod to that, then the member of lord Farque's personal council says "Their spellcasters will be able to see anyway, not to mention if they've got any dwarven or elven mercenaries over there" the highly skilled swordmaster then adds "Bring them down once you've got them fully assembled".
"Yes councillor" says the young engineer who hails from the kingdom of Druvic, then Tovis as he looks up at the sky, with the misty drizzle getting more intermittent, quietly asks "Think they'll make a push once the rain stops" he pauses before quietly adding "Because they've definitely got a larger army than ours".
"I doubt they will" is the reply from field commander Talbot "I concur" adds the spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation, to be found anywhere in the Southlands.
"They're waiting as more and more of their forces show up" says the Farqian field commander, the large, heavily armoured commander, continues with "They want enough of them over there, so that when they do attack, they'll overwhelm us".
The mage Reinholt nods his hooded head in agreement, then the spellcaster clad in all black, says "It's what i would do in the same position".
The Vexilian mage in exile then continues with "Hell, that's what anyone would do if they were in that position".
After a few moments of silence, the young engineer from the kingdom of Druvic asks "So what are we going to do?".
Councillor Reinholt smiles in reply to that, as does field commander Talbot, who says "Something" he momentarily pauses before adding "We'll do something".
The war engineer Tovis shares a look with his second in command, the sorcerer Larris. The two of them figure that whatever the once powerful mage and the field commander have devised. It will be spectacularly destructive in some way.
A little while later, and the mage Reinholt along with the field commander Talbot, watch as they war engineer Tovis and the sorcerer Larris, head back up the rise through the trenchlines.
After a few moments of silence as the drizzle comes in patches now. The large heavily armoured field commander turns to the spellcaster in the black hooded cloak, and quietly says to him in the elven language "You didn't tell them".
"It's for the best" quietly says Mira Reinholt the mage in the same language, the highly skilled swordmaster from the city-state of Vexil continues with "The less who know, the better" he briefly pauses then adds "Including our senior staff".
The field commander nods to that, then he along with the once powerful mage turn to look across the valley as one of the nearby spellcasters in the robber baron Markell's army calls out a warning.
"An energyball" says the mage Reinholt who spots it before he senses it coming through the drizzle from the otherside of the valley.
"It will hit the hill" adds the member of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
"Seems things are about to pick up" quietly says field commander Talbot. The exiled Vexilian mage nods in agreement, then switching to the common language, Mira Reinholt calls out to the nearby spellcasters in the robber baron Markell's army "One of you send something back at those bastards!" he then adds "And the rest of you put up a barrier, that energyball is going to hit our lines!" . . . . . .