Aftermath 24.

The Kaldel Plains...

After spending part of the morning at the town that Beldane the cleric brought them to.
Where they purchased some more supplies, including some more bolts for Lisell Maera's crossbow. And more importantly a map of the area from a trader who remembered Beldane when he last visited the town.
They leave, heading north. On foot, as they were unable to purchase any horses. As none were available.
Not that they care. For once they were out of sight of the town. The powerful cleric created a gateway, which took them another eight miles north. The furthest north the fighting cleric had been to previously here on the Kaldel Plains.
He brought them to a waypoint. That clearly had tracks leading to the south, in the direction of the town they'd just been to. And to the north, in the direction of the villages they're making their way to.
As Tamric Drubine sits on the pile of rocks that marks the waypoint, and looks at their recently purchased map.
Lisell Maera says to the cleric in the church of Glaine "They were a tight lipped bunch back there in town" the attractive young woman who hails from the city-state of Brattonbury continues with "And not just the plainsmen too, but the foreigners as well".
"I know what you mean" says Beldane the cleric, who then adds "They've always been reticent to outsiders up here in this part of the plains. Unlike elsewhere, where what settlements there are. Are quite small, and pretty inviting".
Lisell Maera or Lis as she's more commonly called by those who know her well, nods to that. As she recalls the canyon settlement they came upon further south on the plains. Where the locals were friendly and informative.
"I think it's got to do with something about them not traveling across the plains so much by caravan like elsewhere" muses the powerful spellcaster who is from the kingdom of Nastell "I think?" adds the churchman, who continues with "And the influence of all the outsiders who live up here in this part of the plains".
The cleric who is a follower of the god Glaine, who is primarily worshiped in the north of the kingdom of Nastell, then says "Both Nastell and Druvic, aren't all that far away from this area of the plains" he briefly pauses before continuing with "Well, if you can call hundreds of miles not that far, but in comparison to elsewhere on the plains they're fairly close".
The fighting cleric in the half plate armour, who doesn't wear a black tabbard as Lisell Maera, Tamric Drubine and Tovis the war engineer wear over their armour, says "I think that has an influence on the locals. And well, all the digging for gold around here too".
Lis who is a messenger, or runner in the armies of Farque nods slightly, then says "That maybe true, but i think there's more to that back there in that town".
The churchman from the duchy of Phelm in northern Nastell is quiet for a few moments, then he says "You think they know about what's happening up in those two villages further to the north?".
"Definitely" says the attractive young woman who is originally from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury, the messenger, who is in the scouts division of one of the armies of Farque "They have to get their supplies and the like from somewhere" she then adds "And whatever they can't get from the airships they bring down. I'm guessing they get from that town we were just in".
The powerful cleric nods his head, when Lisell Maera says to him "I'm guessing that trader fellow you know has had dealings with them".
The spellcaster in the church of Glaine, along with the messenger look over at Tamric Drubine and the map he's looking at, then Beldane says "You think it's accurate?".
"What map is?" dryly says the attractive young woman who is almost as tall as the fighting cleric himself. And he stands just over six foot tall.
"Do you think it's accurate?" asks Lis, who then adds "Or near accurate?" the cleric in the church of Glaine is silent for a few moments, then he says "I think it is".
As he recalls the trader back in the town they were just in, was formerly from Nastell, and that's why they got along when Beldane was first out here on the Kaldel Plains, on a mission to convert the locals to his church.
"Like you said, what map actually is accurate" says the fighting cleric, who follows on from that with "I'm guessing it's as accurate as can be". Lisell Maera nods, and hopes it is.
Tovis the war engineer who has been looking through the brass, cylindrical eyepiece that belongs to Tamric Drubine. Walks back to the mound of rocks in the shape of a pyramid that the young field commander is sitting on.
The strips of coloured cloth, that are prayer flags, tied to the wooden pole coming up from the middle of the pyramid of rocks. Are fluttering in the constant breeze, which is coming directly from the north.
"Looks like there's a stream to the north of here" says Tovis the war engineer, who nods at the map that the young field commander in the armies of Farque is studying, and he adds "So that's at least accurate with that".
Tamric Drubine nods his head, then says "That's something i guess".
Then as he folds up the map, and tucks it into an inner pocket of his cloak, and he takes back his eyepiece from the war engineer, the nobleborn teenager originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin says "Looks like there's a little over twenty five miles or so to the first village".
Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by the others, looks away to the north, then looks at the position of the sun, on this mild day here at the end of summer on the Kaldel Plains.
"We'll get there late in the afternoon, or at least nightfall" says the young field commander, who stands up from the pyramid shaped pile of rocks he's been sitting on.
Then he looks over to where Lisell Maera and Beldane the cleric are standing about twenty yards away, where they're quietly talking to one another. And he calls out to them "Let's go".
The four of them set off, heading north across the plains. Following the well used wagon track that goes north from the waypoint they just stopped at.
Tam, who as a field commander in the armies of Farque. Is in charge of their small group. Could have Beldane teleport them every so often. But he won't do so unless necessary. As having the cleric cast all the time. Will tire him out. And the nobleborn teenager originally from the kingdom of Sarcrin, knows that it's best to have the powerful cleric as ready as possible when they get close to the first of the two villages. That the illegal wreckers are believed to be based at. As who knows what could actually be there.
And the fact that at least one of them is a mage. As it was a mageglobe that brought down their warship. Then the cleric in the church of Glaine will need to have all of his powers at his disposal.
The young field commander, who is a former heir of a previous knight of castle Drubine in northern Sarcrin. Has them move at a steady pace. With the messenger Lisell Maera out infront as their scout. Followed at a distance by Tovis, the war engineer who hails from the kingdom of Druvic. While Tam and Beldane walk side by side, about thirty yards behind the young engineer.
One of the few times that field commander Drubine has the fighting cleric cast.
Is when they get to the stream, which turns out to be much wider than expected. Though like all waterways here on the Kaldel Plains, which can get scorching hot in the middle of summer, is fairly shallow.
But since it's wide, the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin, has the powerful cleric teleport the four of them across it. The churchman teleports them nearly a mile to a spot he can see from the south side of the stream.
The four of them continue on their way without missing a step. Lis hurries out infront of the others. She's followed by Tovis. Then a bit further behind the war engineer. Walks Tamric Drubine and Beldane the cleric.
As they walk northwards, they see in the distance away to the west. People digging holes in the ground. Searching for gold, as it can still be found in this part of the Kaldel Plains.
And as they walk, they occasionally come across swathes of ground, where it's been dug up over the years.
Usually round holes, that have been filled in. Some look fairly recent. While others are centuries old. Where the ground looks like it's hardly been disturbed. Where time and weather has slowly turned it back to what the ground originally looked like.
Just before midday, they see a herd of antelope grazing in the distance to the east.
Something happens to spook the antelope, which take off running on masse. They spot figures giving chase, and realise it's lions hunting. Trying to bring down any of the antelope that are lame or old.
They see more than a few of the antelope go down, as some of the lions are successful.
The herd eventually settles down again, as the hunt was fairly quick. No doubt it'll happen again when one or more of the lions spots an easy prey they think they can bring down without much difficulty.
The four of them briefly stop at around midday for something to eat. Stopping near a big pile of dirt from a recent gold dig earlier during the summer.
Beldane mentions they probably won't see much more of this. As the gold fields come to an end about twenty miles north of the town they were in early this morning.
Tamric Drubine who has just checked the map again, nods to that. Then after they've eaten. He calls for them to resume their march northwards.
Following the wagon tracks of a well used trail that links the town they were in previously, with the villages further north. Villages they believe the wreckers responsible for bringing down their warship are in.
Before they set off, the young field commander gives his eyepiece to Lisell Maera, and quietly tells her "If they're any good, they'll have watchers of this trail between their villages and that town".
The nobleborn teenager continues with "Keep an eye out for them" followed by "As they'll be closer to where they're based out of, than back this way towards town".
The attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury nods, then heads out infront of the other three. Who follow along behind her, as they continue northwards on what's a mild day here at the end of summer on the Kaldel Plains.
The walk throughout the afternoon is pretty uneventful. And as Beldane predicted they see no more evidence of gold prospectors digging up the ground.
The only remotely eventful thing. Is that they see a lioness cross infront of them. Roaring as she does, as she's followed by her two small cubs.
They briefly stop to let her go by, then resume on their way. With Lis out infront again in the lead.
It's getting late in the afternoon, when the messenger is out infront by about a hundred yards. Has stopped, and is down low looking through the brass, cylindrical eyepiece. Where in the distance there's quite a large area of the scrubby looking trees that can found across the plains.
Lisell Maera waves the others forward, gesturing for them to keep low. The three of them hurry forward, running in a crouch to reach the messenger who is kneeling on the ground.
"What is it?" quietly asks Tamric Drubine "Movement ahead in the trees" is the quiet reply of Lis who continues with "People" she follows that with "They're trying to keep out of sight. But they probably haven't spotted us yet". She hefts the eyepiece and says "Unless they've got one of these, or there's a spellcaster amongst them".
The messenger, the field commander and the war engineer all look at the fighting cleric, who tells them "They don't".
Beldane briefly pauses before he continues on with "Well i can't sense any, that doesn't mean their isn't".
Tam nods, then says "There probably isn't" then the nobleborn teenager takes out the map of this area of the plains and looks at it.
"Here's these trees, the area is pretty big by the looks of it, as it's marked like they're woods, it's at least a few miles across" says the young field commander in the armies of Farque, who continues on with "And the wagon trail goes right through it".
Tamric Drubine pauses for a few moments, then he quietly adds "The first of the villages is on the otherside, about a quarter of mile from the area of trees" the nobleborn teenager originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin then says "The second village is about two miles north of the first if this map is accurate".
The others all nod, then Tovis the war engineer asks the young field commander "What do you suggest?".
Looking at the trees in the distance, Tamric Drubine quietly says "We'll go around" then looking at the fighting cleric, he says "We'll teleport to the east side, so those in there can't catch sight of us".
"We can't go too far" says Beldane the cleric, who continues with "Because if that mage of theirs is in that village and he happens to sense this way, well he'll locate me".
"What makes you think the mage is a man?" asks Lisell Maera "Because most are" dryly says the member of the church of Glaine, who continues on with "Unlike other spellcasters who are split fairly evenly, mages are predominantly male".
"Figures" mutters the messenger, who then adds "That explains a lot".
"It certainly does" says Beldane, who then adds "May i?" as he gestures at the eyepiece.
Lis hands it to him, and the fighting cleric who doesn't want to waste power on an unnecessary spell such as farsight, looks through the brass, cylindrical eyepiece, then nods before handing the eyepiece back.
"Should we go?" asks the powerful cleric who hails from the kingdom of Nastell, Tamric Drubine nods then says "We'll head around this patch of trees, and by the time we get near that first village it'll be dusk" followed by "Maybe even early evening".
"If they're there?" asks Lisell Maera, who then adds "Then what?".
"We'll observe them, and see what they get up to, and study their routines and habits" says the young field commander, who looks at Lis and says in elven to her "Study your enemy".
"Study your enemy" repeats the messenger in the same language, as they've been taught that repeatedly over the years they've known one another.
The attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury nods, then the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin says in common to the fighting cleric "Take us away".
The four of them stand up, and they draw their weapons. Then they disappear when Beldane the cleric teleports them away . . . . . .