The Hire 85.

Almaic. Phelm. Nastell...

Helbe the elven thief walks the streets of the city of Almaic this night, without a disguise. Magic or otherwise.
And though parts of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm is more like a war camp than it is a city.
Other parts of it, is like any other city of a similar size found not just here in the kingdom of Nastell. But throughout the Southlands.
The young elven noble who is from the island principality of Laerel is in the northwest of the city this night. And is walking towards the center of Almaic.
The elven magic user who as usual is shielded. Can easily pass himself off as one of the many mercenaries in the city at the moment.
Figures most of the people on the streets this night don't know that there's a number of armies arriving on their doorstep, so to speak, at this moment.
Though he suspects those upon the top of the north wall know by now. As do those outside the city in their battlelines.
The elven masterthief who just happens to be a member of the royal family of the principality of Laerel. Briefly gets distracted as a guarded wagon rolls by the street he's on.
And in the back of the wagon are a number of strongboxes used to hold coins. The elf who is a member of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque briefly gets itchy fingers as he watches all that loot roll by.
But he eventually ignores it, and continues on his way down the street, continuing towards the center of Almaic.
The elven master assassin sees mercenaries go by. Singly, or in pairs or small groups. Some look to be on duty as they head to a position in the city. Or on the walls, which are along the north and south sides of the city.
While others look like they've got the night off. And are heading to the many taverns and wine shops in Almaic.
The young elven noble who is the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel. Sees many a soldier out this night. Most wearing the tabbards of their individual lords. While few are actually in the army of Phelm.
The elven master archer has seen most of them along the top of the walls. Or outside the city. In the battlelines that are to the north, as well as to the west of Almaic.
As he makes his way through the northwest of the city, and heads towards the middle of Almaic. The elven princeling from Laerel spots the ducal alace in the distance.
The highly talented elven magic user slightly frowns as he's sure he spots airship masts in the palace grounds. Something a little out of the ordinary. As the duke's palace supposedly doesn't have any airdocks. And the main airdocks of Almaic are in the south of the city.
The member of lord Farque's personal council who has been the envoy dealing with the robber barons of the unruled lands in the Colevar Mountains is just wondering about that as he rounds a corner.
When a familiar sight suddenly appears right infront of his face grinning. He refrains from rolling his eyes as Narladene the ground pixie does a twirl, before hovering to one side, and landing upon his right shoulder.
"You probably don't want to enter the palace" quietly says Narladene the ground pixie in the elven language.
Prince Helbenthril Raendril glances sideways at the tiny winged creature who is 'attached' to him, and lifts a questioning eyebrow.
"I'll show you why" quietly adds the naturally magical creature who is from the Sunreach Mountains.
The young elven noble nods his hooded head, as he continues towards the duke's palace. A little curious as to why Narladene thinks he shouldn't enter it.
The elven princeling then listens to the ground pixie who has spent the time since she arrived here in the city of Almaic earlier in the day. Getting in contact with a number of the spies who have infiltrated duke Hargen's army, and who have made it here to Almaic. One of whom is Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy.
Helbe the elven thief listens in silence to what the tiny winged creature has to say about what she's found out.
The elven master archer who hails from the island principality of Laerel looks back to the north in the direction of the wall when Narladene mentions something about it.
Prince Helbenthril Raendril who can just see it at the moment due to the surrounding buildings. Spots what the ground pixie has described.
He saw them earlier, but he didn't take a closer look, and actually see what was beneath the canvas coverings. But from the shape of them from what he saw. He could make a fairly good guess at what they were.
Now the tiny winged creature who he first met over a dozen years ago in the city of Leeabra, the capital of the kingdom of Druvic. Confirms for him what they are. And they're exactly what he thought they were.
The elven magic user as he gets closer to the ducal palace, continues to listen to Narladene. Who tells that there's a couple of warships located in the palace. Also confirming what he thought he spotted earlier.
And as they turn onto a street that leads directly towards the palace of the duke of Phelm. The elven masterthief who is a member of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque. Spots the masts of the airships again, here on the west side of the palace grounds.
The grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel comes to a stop near some street side stalls. A small night market, that are number of soldiers and mercenaries are around. Mostly the food stalls.
The young elven noble glances sideways at Narladene who has told him to not go any further. And his eyebrows shoot up in surprise when she whispers to him "Wards around the palace".
He looks at the west side of the palace again, and doesn't sense anything. Then he slightly winces when the tiny winged creature whispers "They're shielded like you".
The elven masterthief turns, and walks back the way he came from. And enters an alley about a hundred feet from the palace. The elven magic user blurs himself, and floats up to the roof of the building to his right.
Once on the rooftop, looking back towards the ducal palace, Helbe the elven thief quietly asks Narladene "In the air too?".
"Yes" is the answer from the naturally magical creature, who after a slight pause adds "And beneath the ground as well".
The elven princeling is genuinely surprised at that last bit. As spellcasters, however experienced or powerful. Hardly ever put wards beneath the ground. Or any spell for that matter.
"Hmmm" murmurs the highly talented elven magic user who has the unique ability to cast multiple spells at one time. "What type?" asks the elven masterthief.
He listens as Narladene reels off a fairly decent sized number of spells. The more of which the elven princeling hears, a frown starts to form on his youthful looking face.
By the forest gods that's a fucking lot, Helbe the elven thief thinks to himself, the elven master assassin then asks the tiny winged creature "Who the hell cast all of those?".
"A sorcerer by the name of Yarrim" replies the ground pixie "He's a noble from further south in the duchy" adds Narladene, who continues with "He's rather powerful too".
"Locked wards?" quietly asks prince Helbenthril Raendril, who then adds in a mutter "Because that'll be a hell of an effort if he was casting them continuously".
"Locked" is the answer from the tiny winged creature who is a little over seven centuries old. Still fairly young for a pixie or a sprite.
The young elven noble from the principality of Laerel, which is located off the coast of the kingdom of Melaurn and the lands Farque.
Slightly nods his hooded head as he tries to think of a way to get by the shielded wards that have been placed around the palace of the duke of Phelm.
The elven spellcaster can easily defeat any number of the wards, and combinations of them. Can't think of a way to get by all the wards that have been placed on the ducal palace. Especially considering they're all shielded. Which hides them from being sensed.
He can rely on Narladene to point them all out to him. As she is immune to magic, and can sense spellcraft no matter what.
But it's not the same as sensing it yourself. Especially considering there's over a dozen different individual wards, placed all around the ducal palace.
"He definitely had help casting all those spells" murmurs Helbe the elven thief, who continues with "Especially considering the size of the palace".
"Probably the court wizard, a fellow by the name of Melbar" says the naturally magical creature who is only visible to those she allows to see her. Unless you're an animal, or undead, or a naturally magical creature yourself. All of whom can see her normally.
Prince Helbenthril Raendril is silent for a little while as he thinks things over, then he asks the ground pixie "Have you warned the contacts away from the palace?".
"I have" answers the tiny winged creature who stands about four inches tall "Well, that's something" murmurs the elven masterthief, who continues with "I'll speak with Dalin tomorrow sometime".
The elven envoy who is a member of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque then asks "He's still in there tonight i gather?".
"He is" replies Narladene who continues with "They had rather an eventful afternoon when they showed up". The ground pixie then explains in detail what took place during the afternoon in the court of duke Hargen of Phelm.
Hell, that's more than eventful, the elven spellcaster dryly thinks to himself, who after the naturally magical creature has explained things, asks her "So he named his younger sister his heir?".
"He did" is the answer from the tiny winged creature "Not that it'll mean much when the city is taken" dryly murmurs the elven master assassin who then asks "And the cousin Tanvar?".
"They hanged him in the palace at sunset" says Narladene who like Helbenthril Raendril, is speaking in the elven language.
The elven princeling nods his hooded head, and murmurs "The duke is direct if not anything else" he then adds "Shame he's got no military leaders of note still with him".
"The commander of his personal guard is still with him" says the ground pixie who originally hails from the Sunreach Mountains.
"They'll never allow him to lead the army" quietly explains the young elven noble from Laerel, who then adds "No matter how good he is, he's still a commoner and the nobility won't stand him leading their army".
The blurred and shielded elven magic user looks around, then down at the street below as some nobleman's soldiers wander by, and he quietly says "Especially with some many of the nobility here in the city".
The grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel, who is third inline to the throne of his homeland behind his mother and older sister. Who couldn't think of a worse thing to happen to him if fate made him ruling prince of Laerel one day.
Considering he's particularly weak in magic compared to the rest of his powerful family. He might be talented and unique. But when it comes to straight out power. He's a fairly average spellcaster at best.
While his family are amongst the most powerful practitioners of magic on the entire world of Volunell. Especially his grandfather, Prince Raendril.
Looks down at the passing soldiers for a while, then murmurs to Narladene "This campaign might of been stretched out and more of an ordeal if the southern nobles of the duchy had gone north with the duke's armies".
The elven princeling continues with "Good thing most of them are a selfish bunch, because it's made this war a whole lot easier for us".
The ground pixie attached to the young elven noble, nods her tiny head in agreement with that assessment from him.
Then Narladene quietly says "Still, the battle here for this city will be a lot more difficult than one for that city in the north of the duchy".
The elven masterthief nods to that, then quietly says "That it will". Then the blurred and shielded elven magic user turns and looks away to the east across the city.
The ground pixie hunkers down, and holds onto the right shoulder of the elven master assassin as she senses he's about to cast. A moment later and prince Helbenthril Raendril shifts away, heading east across the city of Almaic.
The young elven noble shifts about five times, and finally gets to a rooftop of a building that's on the last street behind the wide boulevard that runs along much of the eastern side of the city.
Across the boulevard are numerous docks and slipways in the river Mareb that runs down the east side of Almaic, the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
Even at night, there's quite a bit of traffic upon the river. Mostly barges heading further south into southern Phelm, and the rest of the kingdom of Nastell.
There's a few rivercraft on the water, but most of the masted boats are tied up at the moment.
The member of lord Farque's personal council glances at Narladene who quietly tells him "One of the coursers is in the river a bit further to the south" followed by "Dalin's usual contact".
The elven masterthief nods his hooded head, then he looks from the busy docks, to out east beyond the otherside of the Mareb river. Which is fairly wide as it goes by the city of Almaic.
Even with his naturally enhanced sight, he sees no sign of general Halvane's army. He didn't expect he would. But come the morning. He expects to see the Farqian general's army moving into position to the east of Almaic.
As the other armies led by the three field commanders Talbot, Leivyn and Drubine are already getting into position to the north and northeast of the city that's the provincial capital.
"They're making a huge mistake thinking we won't attack from the east" murmurs Helbe the elven thief, as there's very little in the way of battlelines from the duke's army on the otherside of the Mareb river.
Most of their defensive battlelines are to the north and to the west of the city. The north because that's the obvious place the robber baron's armies will attack from.
And west, because that side of Almaic isn't walled like the north and south sides of the city.
The elven princeling watches the activity on the river and in the docks for a little while longer, then he quietly says to Narladene "Come on, let's head back, and see what Tam and the others have come up with to take the city".
He looks to the north, then the blurred and shielded elven magic user shifts away into the night . . . . . .