Aftermath 4.

Above The Kaldel Plains...

In the stewards cabin just forward of the galley in a midships. Darid Parsen the cavalry commander is playing Pokiir with a number of others in his cavalry company, and members of the destroyer's crew.
As he sits there at the table, the member of lord Farque's personal council, frowns at his cards. As once again he's been dealt a less than desirable hand.
The cavalry commander, who in actuality is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, who just happens to inhabit the body of Darid Parsen. Who before he died, was a foot soldier from the fief of Lé Dic in the kingdom of Druvic.
Is just wondering if he should throw in this hand as it's not worth playing. When he and the others in the cabin. Hear shouting up on the deck of the tri-masted warship.
"Wonder what's happening up there?" quietly says Kalleb the second in command of the cavalry company that Darid aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman leads.
Kalleb who has been winning far more hands than he's been losing this evening.
Looks to the open cabin door, as does councillor Parsen. As at the door, in the passageway beyond. Stands Zaneff the water elemental spouter. Along with others, who have been looking into the cabin watching the Pokiir being played.
The water elemental spouter who is the lead scout in the cavalry company is frowning as he looks upwards.
Then just as Darid Parsen is just about to ask his lead scout what's going on up on the deck, as he knows the spouter can hear what's happening up there. Zaneff the water elemental spouter quickly says "Mageglobe!".
The crew members in the cabin are up and moving. And those in commander Parsen's cavalry company get out of their way.
While others in the crew, who have been watching the Pokiir from out in the passageway, hurry back along it, heading for the nearest ladder that leads up to the top deck.
Then as Darid Parsen and his second in command Kalleb stand. And Kalleb lifts an enquiring eyebrow as he looks at his commander. The councillor shrugs his shoulders in reply.
Just as he does, and explosion rocks the tri-masted destroyer. Somewhere further to aft. Along the hull, infact it's the keel.
Darid Parsen the cavalry commander yelps "Fuck" as he thrown forward over the table in the cabin, and slams into the wall on the otherside as the airship suddenly pitches forward and down.
There's a thump next to the councillor, as his second in command Kalleb hits the wall right next to him. Others in the cabin still on their feet, help the officers to their feet.
And as Darid aka Zubutai Timaginson stands up wincing. The destroyer which this evening has been flying at the very rear of the fleet, where it's been on sentry duty. Starts to break apart as it falls out of the night sky now that it's magical keel has been all but destroyed.
Councillor Parsen with the help of others, is able to get out of the cabin, and into the passageway beyond.
And though the passageway goes both forward and aft. It doesn't really matter, as they all start falling, and end up rolling and tumbling, forward down the passageway as the airship continues to pitch down towards the ground.
Darid Parsen finds himself sliding down the passageway, he reaches out with his left hand, and grabs a hold of a doorframe to an open door of a cabin. Halting his fall down the passageway.
As someone goes tumbling over him, the member of lord Farque's personal council reaches out with his right arm. And grabs the next person who is sliding down the passageway floor.
It's his second in command Kalleb, who is half dazed, and bleeding from a cut to the forehead.
With all of his strength, Darid aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman hauls himself and Kalleb halfway into the open cabin.
Just then there's a loud crash from up on the deck. Then something slams down onto the otherside of the passageway. Basically obliterating it, and smashing open the port side hull to the night air.
The cavalry commander blinks in surprise as he looks that way. As he sees at least half of one of the masts of the warship go tumbling away into the night sky.
"We're fucked" Darid Parsen mutters to himself in the hordes dialect of the southern tundra, the language he reverts back to during times of stress.
Decking and wood goes flying by, and as the cavalry commander continues to hold onto to his second in command, he looks back up the passageway.
And sees one of his company, the scout Varric. Clinging onto a section of the hull where it's open to the night sky as the airship continues on it's decent towards the ground.
There's a loud cracking sound, and councilor Parsen grimaces as the section of the hull Varric is clinging onto, rips away from the destroyer. Flinging away into the night air, taking Varric with it.
Darid aka Zubutai the son of Timagin grunts as a dead crewman goes tumbling by, hitting him and the dazed Kalleb, who he's still holding onto.
Then the member of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque flinches as burning debris goes flying by as the airship nose dives even deeper.
With the aft section, or what's left of it, goes up. And the bow goes down, so that the airship is now at a steep angle as it heads towards the ground.
There's a massive shudder as a part of the destroyer breaks away. And Kalleb is flung over commander Parsen, who barely keeps a hold of him.
Then the passageway they're half in. Starts to crack, then break apart. Sending wood planks flying out into the night air as the tri-masted warship continues to break apart.
Holding onto his second in command as he continues to cling onto the doorframe next to them. Darid aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman looks up, or sideways really.
And sees a large section of the passageway break apart.
Debris goes flying, with a chunk of decking hitting both him and Kalleb. Who is wrenched out of commander Parsen's grip.
Sending the second in command of the cavalry company tumbling down the passageway then out where the hull would normally be, and into night air.
Then even before the councillor can shout in anger. He feels a wet mist around him. Then the next moment the scout Zaneff is crouching beside him, the water elemental grabs him.
"I've got you commander" says Zaneff the water elemental spouter "Fuck about me" says Darid Parsen, who nods out to the night sky and shouts "Get Kalleb!".
"You'll die if i leave you!" shouts back the lead scout in the cavalry company. "What's new?" sourly says councillor Parsen.
Nodding in understanding, as he knows the history of his commander, the spouter Zaneff says "I'll always remember you in that body sir".
Darid aka Zubutai Timaginson nods, and the lead scout disappears in a spray of mist.
The cavalry commander sighs. For though he's died numerous times. And come back into a new body. Dying always sucks. And it hurts like nothing imaginable. And it's something he'll never get used to, or even accustomed to.
There's a loud crack, and the decking beneath the councillor breaks away, as does the doorframe, and bulkhead around it.
Darid Parsen grimly smiles as he sent out into the night sky amongst the falling debris. And as he falls to the ground as the tri-masted destroyer breaks apart above and around him, the cavalry officer mutters "Fuck i hate dying".
As he's falling through the air, commander Parsen sees burning debris away to his right. While away to his left, he hears a woman scream. If it's one of the crew, or one of his company, he's not too sure.
Something large and heavy goes by him, barely missing the council member. Who realises it's one of the destroyer's magetubes. Which would of killed him if it had hit.
Darid aka Zubutai the son of Timagin, who is spinning and tumbling around, rights himself. So that he's now freefalling. He looks down and wonders how long it will be before he hits the ground.
Not too long, for when he looks down, he can see the outline of things in the darkness below, as well as the contour of the Kaldel Plains.
And the fact he can now hear things hitting the ground. Bits of the warship, as well as bodies.
Zubutai the barbarian hordesman who has spent the last eighteen months as Darid Parsen, and quite enjoyed it. As he's liked the body. For starters he's male, and not female. Which is difficult to say the least.
Nor is he a spellcaster. Which he's been once, and thoroughly disliked.
Nor is he a nonhuman. Though he must admit he liked the stamina, and the senses he had when he was a dwarf. Though not the lack of height. And the constant threat of death from a certain ork member in the group.
All that aside, he's liked being in the body of the foot soldier from the Lé Dic fief in the kingdom of Druvic.
Someone he's no longer going to be in a just a few short moments as he falls out of the night sky towards the ground.
Then all of a sudden someone has a grabbed a hold of him, and he hears a familiar voice says "I've got you".
Then the next instant, Darid Parsen is standing on the ground, blinking in surprise that he's still alive. 
He turns and looks around, expecting to see Helbe the elven thief. But the young elven noble who just saved him, is no where to be seen.
Though suddenly, there's a female crew member standing a few yards to his left.
The next instant, someone else. Looking just as dazed as the crew member, and councillor Parsen himself. Is standing to the right of them.
Then as more and more people start appearing around them, Darid aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman looks away to the left in the night sky.
And a few hundred feet away, he can see the destroyer, or what's left of it. Parts of it on fire. Less than a hundred foot above the ground.
A few moments later, and the warship crashes into the Kaldel Plains with a loud thud that reverberates through the night. Smashing apart as it hits bow first into the ground.
After watching the destroyer plow into the ground, commander Parsen looks around and sees dozens of people around him.
Then Helbe the elven thief appears beside him saying "That's all i can save" followed by "A couple of the officers got quite a few off too" referring to the spellcasters who were onboard the warship.
Darid aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman nods, then the young elven noble who is from the island principality of Laerel points and says "Mira is that way".
"Right" says the cavalry commander, who starts heading that way, then stops as he realises his fellow councillor has stepped away and is looking away to the east.
"What are you doing?" asks commander Parsen, who like the elven magic user, is speaking in the elven language.
"Trying to locate who did this" says the elven masterthief who is a member of the royal family that rules Laerel "I'll catch up to the rest of you later" adds the elven princeling, who then disappears as he shifts away.
Councillor Parsen, who is still surprised that he's still alive, starts walking north, in the direction Helbe the elven thief said the mage Reinholt was.
The other survivors from the downed warship that prince Helbenthril Raendril saved, follow behind the member of their lord's personal council.
And as they walk, occasionally passing dead bodies, and wreckage from the destroyer that was knocked out of the night sky.
They start encountering other survivors who were able to get off the tri-masted warship before it crashed.
Either by one of the jolly boats or the ship's boat. Or by one of the spellcasters who were onboard.
Then as Aeviss the second moon of Volunell starts to rise into the night sky to join the largest of the three moons, Ilnari which is already up.
Darid Parsen spots two of the survivors walking towards him from the left.
The cavalry commander grins as he sees it's Zaneff the water elemental, who is helping a limping Kalleb to walk. The second in command of the cavalry company looks a little dazed.
But he grins in relief when he spots his commander the council member.
They continue northwards for a short time, encountering other survivors. Until they come across Mira Reinholt the mage and those with him.
The fact that they hear a disgruntled Dorc da Orc swearing and yelling before they see them. Made it a lot easier to find them.
Darid aka Zubutai Timaginson rolls his eyes, as he sees Dorc da Orc shaking his right arm, which a frightened looking Teabagger the goblin Cunt is clinging onto, and refusing to let go of.
The large ork is also glaring at sir Percavelle Lé Dic, who is standing nearby scowling at the ork warleader.
Not wanting to know what's going on with them, commander Parsen walks over to his fellow councillor, the mage Reinholt who is standing with Shur Kee the monk and Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy.
"You still alive eh?" says Mira Reinholt the mage when Darid Parsen walks up "Thanks to the royal thief" says the cavalry commander.
Darid aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman looks in the direction of the crashed destroyer and asks "What happened?".
"We were attacked by a mage" is the quiet reply of the once powerful mage.
Councillor Parsen winces when he hears that, then he asks his fellow councillor "Still around?".
"I can't sense whoever it was" says the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, the exiled Vexilian mage gestures towards a nearby officer from the destroyer and adds "The sorcerer can't sense them either".
The cavalry commander who is looking around at the other survivors nods, then says "Helbe has gone off to find who it was".
The mage Reinholt nods his hooded head, and knows that if there's one person who will be able to find who it was that was responsible for knocking the tri-masted warship out of the sky this night, it will be the elven princeling, Helbenthril Raendril.
Then as Darid Parsen continues to look around, the cavalry officer asks his fellow council member "Where's Tam and Lis, and Tovis?" he then adds "And that cleric Beldane?".
"I don't know" is the reply from Mira Reinholt, commander Parsen looks sharply at the once powerful mage, who tells him "I sensed that cleric cast a gateway, so i know they got off the ship before it crashed".
Councillor Reinholt briefly pauses before he continues with "As to where they are, I've got absolutely no idea" . . . . . .