Aftermath 20.

The Kaldel Plains...

Riding out infront of the others as it approaches dusk. Lisell Maera reins in when she hears her name being called out from behind.
The attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury who is a messenger in the armies of Farque. Looks back and sees the others hurrying to catch up to her, as she's been scouting out infront of them.
Once they join her, Tamric Drubine the field commander says "Beldane is pretty sure he recognises just up ahead".
Lisell Maera or Lis as she's more commonly called by those who know her well. Looks over at the cleric Beldane, who nods his head then says "Skirt along those trees up ahead, and there's a creek that leads to a way point".
"Way point?" asks Lisell Maera the messenger "Where caravans tend to stop where several routes cross" is the reply from the powerful cleric, who is a member of the church of Glaine.
Lis nods, then asks "How far?". "About a mile and a half away" replies the churchman who hails from the kingdom of Nastell.
"Want me to check it out?" asks the attractive messenger as she looks at the young field commander in the armies of Farque "Will probably get there before sunset" adds Lisell Maera.
The nobleborn teenager who is originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin nods his head yes, then says "Take Beldane with you".
Then in the elven language, Tamric Drubine adds "Keep him out of trouble if anyone is there".
Lis nods at that, then in common, Tam says to the fighting cleric "Listen to what Lis has to say" followed by "And do what she says" the nobleborn teen briefly pauses before adding "I'm not exactly asking you there cleric".
"I understand field commander" says Beldane who perfectly understands an order when he's given one. And he doesn't takes umbrage at one given to him by a teenager who is more than a decade younger than him.
"Come on" says the messenger or runner as they're often referred to, who nods her head for the powerful cleric to follow her.
The two of them ride ahead, while Tamric Drubine and Tovis the war engineer follow at a distance, and a slower pace. As the two of them are also leading the spare mounts.
Out infront, Lisell Maera and Beldane the cleric ride around the scrubby looking trees, and soon come upon the creek. Which they follow eastwards. As they do, the messenger in the armies of Farque sniffs, then says "I think someone's there, i can smell smoke".
The powerful spellcaster in the church of Glaine, nods his head as they ride side by side, and he says "Same here".
Then the attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury asks the fighting cleric "Can you sense anyone there?".
Beldane, who often forgets that those he's with now, those who aren't spellcasters themselves. Know an awful lot about practitioners of magic, and their ways.
Which he knows has a lot to do with them always being around spellcasters. Shakes his head no, then says "I can't sense anyone".
"At least that's something" says Lisell Maera, who peers ahead in the last light of the day as it nears sunset. Then she quietly tells the churchman who hails from the duchy of Phelm in northern Nastell "There's some wagons there" followed by "A caravan is there, maybe more than one".
As he peers ahead, Beldane the cleric nodd his head, and quietly says "Looks like it" the fighting cleric who is a member of the church of Glaine then adds "Plainsmen for sure".
The way point turns out to be pile of rocks were two well known caravan routes cross here in this part of the Kaldel Plains.
The pile of rocks are about four feet high, and in the shape of a rough pyramid. With a long pole sticking out of the top of it. The pole that's about twelve foot tall, has strips of coloured cloth hanging from it.
Gently blowing in the late afternoon, early evening breeze that's across this part of the plains.
Beldane quietly informs Lis that the coloured cloths are prayer flags to the gods of the plainsmen.
The two of them dismount, and walk their horses forward to the caravans that have stopped here at this way point.
There's definitely two distinct caravans, one with a trio of wagons, and the other with four.
There's some distance between the sets of wagons. Though the plainsmen from both caravans are for the most part around one large fire between the two caravans.
When the attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury and the fighting cleric from the kingdom of Nastell are spotted walking their mounts towards them.
They're warmly greeted by the two sets of plainsmen. Who Beldane quietly informs Lisell Maera, are always cordial to other travelers on the plains. Even those who aren't plainsmen like themselves.
The powerful spellcaster, who knows a lot of the ways and customs of the plainsmen of the Kaldel Plains, as he spent a year and a half traveling here on a mission for his church, trying to convert the plainsmen.
Takes the lead, when Lis murmurs to him "You know them and their ways, you talk to them" the messenger in the armies of Farque adds "See if you can find out anything about that lot who have been taking down ships".
Then as the churchman from the north of the kingdom of Nastell, speaks with the plainsmen. Lisell Maera waits for Tamric Drubine and Tovis the war engineer to catch up.
As she does, the attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury, observes the plainsmen of these two caravans, that have stopped at this particular way point at the crossroads of these two routes.
Lis who has noticed that the heavy wagon tracks they've been following since the site of the crashed cargo ship they came across, or what was left of that airship. Heads northwards from the way point here.
Spots a couple of children coming back along those tracks. As they've spent the late afternoon playing around to the north of the way point.
The attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury sees men, women and children all helping to cook at the fire between the two sets of wagons.
While others are preparing beds in the wagons. Which are large, and are covered with a box like structure. Some of the side walls of the wagons have been opened. While the doors at the back of them are all open.
Lis spots a small herd of goats, nearby under the watchful eye of two order children and a young man.
The messenger wonders about the hardships of the plainsmen living their lives where they're continually traveling. Though she must admit they also have a lot of freedom, and not constrained to living in one spot. Apart from during winter, which they tend to settle down for.
Beldane has explained that even those who live in the settlements they've come across. And others in the villages and towns further to the northeast. Travel and wander across the Kaldel Plains for part of the year.
The messenger in the armies of Farque faintly smiles as her life isn't all that different really. For since the age of eleven, she has continually traveled across the Southlands, and even beyond.
She realises she has a lot more in common with the plainsmen of the Kaldel Plains as it first appears.
And though she doesn't travel in a family group like they do. She's never really had a family anyway. Apart from a younger brother who is growing up in one of the temples back in Brattonbury.
Lisell Maera turns and sees Tamric Drubine and Tovis the war engineer approaching as the sun drops down to the horizon in the west.
When the two of them arrive leading the spare mounts. They too are greeted by the plainsmen of the two caravans.
And Beldane after talking with some of the plainsmen, makes his way back from the fire to speak with Lis, Tam and Tovis.
"Some of them have heard of those who have been taking down airships across the plains" quietly says the fighting cleric as he informs the others what he's found out.
The churchman from the kingdom of Nastell continues with "They're based out of a pair of villages up in the northeast of the plains".
"You know these villages?" asks Tamric Drubine, who then adds "Have you been there before?".
"I don't" says Beldane, who then adds "They're further north than I've ever been on the plains" the member of the church of Glaine continues with "Though i have been to a town about thirty, or forty miles south of them".
The nobleborn teenager originally from the kingdom of Sarcrin nods his head to that, then he asks the powerful spellcaster "Can you get us to this town?".
"I can" says the fighting cleric who then adds "It'll take me two gateways, but the second one will be over a much shorter distance".
Tam then looks over at Lis who asks him in the elven language "Should we go to this town tonight?" followed by "Or in the morning?".
The young field commander in the armies of Farque is silent for a few moments as he looks around, then quietly says in elven "In the morning" he follows that with "Tonight might be the only bit of respite we get for a while".
The messenger nods to that, then in the common language, Tamric Drubine says "We'll leave in the morning by gateway".
"The horses?" asks Tovis the war engineer "We'll give them to the plainsmen here" answers the former heir of a previous knight of castle Drubine, which is located in the north of the kingdom of Sarcrin.
The four of them are invited to have the evening meal with the two caravans of plainsmen. Which they gladly accept. As the food is of much better quality, not to mention better prepared and cooked than what they've been eating of late.
After the meal, there's singing of songs by the plainsmen around the camp fire. And though the plainsmen speak the common language. They also have their own patois, or dialect. Which nowadays is mainly used for songs and the recital of their oral history.
The four outsiders all come to the silent agreement that the plainsmen should speak their own dialect. As it's a much finer language upon the ear than the common tongue.
Which is considered a clipped off, and murky language compared to many other languages spoken across the world of Volunell.
Once the singing of songs is completed. The plainsmen of both caravans start to slowly wander off to their wagons. Until eventually Tam, Lis, Tovis and Beldane are the only ones left at the fireside.
They bed down there, and as the fire is large. It's the warmest night's sleep they've had so far since their ship was brought down. As the fire for the most part keeps the chilly night at bay.
They're up early the next morning, well before dawn as are many of the plainsmen and women, who prepare for the day, as they get ready to set off from the way point.
After a cooked breakfast, the four of them split the amount of horses they have. And give four mounts each to the two caravans. A generous gift for sure. As the prolonged thank you's from both sets of plainsmen testify to.
Then as the two caravans are getting ready to leave as the sun starts to rise in the east. The field commander, the messenger, the war engineer and the fighting cleric make their way from the way point. Walking to the northeast across the plains.
Once the caravans have departed the way point, with one going north and the other heading south.
Beldane the cleric looks at Tamric Drubine, and the nobleborn teenager gives him the go ahead to create a gateway.
Which is exactly what the powerful spellcaster from the kingdom of Nastell does. Once it's formed, Lis goes through first, followed by Tovis, Tam and finally Beldane. A couple of moments after they've gone through. The gateway disappears from the plains.
A goat that's wandered away from a nearby heard bleats at Beldane once he's dropped the second of the gateways behind him.
They're about a mile south of a town, nearly three hundred miles away from the way point they spent the night at with the two caravans of plainsmen.
As Tovis shoos away the gate, Tamric Drubine asks the fighting cleric form the kingdom of Nastell "Where's the town?".
"North, about a mile or so from here" says Beldane who has brought them to a cluster of scrubby looking trees.
They set off, and immediately they notice small mounds of dirt dotted across the plains in the distance to the west and northwest.
"What's that?" asks Lisell Maera who points to the mounds of dirt, who continues with "Is that holes in the ground too?".
"Digging for gold" says Beldane who then explains "Gold was discovered in this part of the plains centuries ago. And though the last big rush was well over two hundred years ago. People still dig for it these parts".
"Explains why all the towns and villages are up here in the northeast of the plains" says Tovis the war engineer, who hails from the kingdom of Druvic, where he once served a baron Harkonin.
"Exactly" says the churchman who is a follower of the god Glaine, who then quietly adds "You'll also find a lot more foreigners up here like us, than you will elsewhere on the plains".
"Keep an eye on things" quietly says Tamric Drubine in elven to Lisell Maera "As well as on the cleric and Tovis too" adds the young field commander who continues with "I will too".
Then switching to the common language, the nobleborn teenager originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin who leads their small group, says to the young engineer and the fighting cleric "Be careful what you say and do".
Tam continues with "There's a good chance that some of those we're after could actually be here, since the villages they're in are just thirty to forty miles north of here".
Both Tovis and Beldane nod, then Lis says "Is that a road over there?" as she gestures away to the east.
"It is" says the powerful spellcaster, who continues with "It heads to the next town in that direction, and goes even beyond that, where it eventually turns into a track that finally leads into Nastell".
After a little while they get to the road that comes up from the southeast, and they walk along it as it leads to the town, which is far bigger than what Tamric Drubine, Lisell Maera and Tovis the war engineer were expecting.
"We'll try and find out what we can" quietly says field commander Drubine as they walk along the road, and approach the town on this fairly cool morning on the Kaldel Plains at the very end of summer . . . . . .