A Grand Design 4.

Mid Autumn. Salme. Dalmar. Girdane.

"What was that?" asks Lisell Maera the messenger "I'm not sure" replies Tamric Drubine the field commander, who continues with "Wait here, I'll go down and take a look".
The attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury nods, and the nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin makes his way along the street to where a bit of a crowd has gathered to the entrance of the castle.
While Lisell Maera or Lis as she's more commonly called by the others in the group, remains at the town's airdocks.
The messenger or runner as they're often referred as, looks east across the town of Salme and sees in the morning sky, the approaching airship .
It's coming in from the otherside of the kingdom, to be exact from the capital city Oaklynn.
Lis knows that there'll be a message for them onboard. For the airship is a commercial vessel. A cargo ship belonging to one of the most prominent trading companies in all the Southlands.
It's out of the city-state of Vexil, and belongs to the vast fleet of the Reinholt trading company.
After watching the approaching airship for a while as she stands at the end of one of the piers in dock.
The attractive young woman originally from the city-state of Brattonbury, which lies on the coast of the Southlands.
Looks back along the street that leads to the main gates of the duke's castle, which dominates the town of Salme as it sits upon a hilltop on the north side of town.
And she spots Tamric Drubine heading back along the street in this direction, the nobleborn teen from the kingdom of Sarcrin is hurrying back to the modest sized airdocks.
Once he rejoins Lis at the end of one of the piers, the young field commander in the armies of Farque quietly tells her "That was the duke of Girnath and his retinue riding in".
Then switching to the elven language so that they won't be understood by the others on the pier, Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by others in the group says "Word is he's come to tell duke Hilloc that the rumours of the plague in his duchy are true".
Lis, who along with the rest of the group with them, have been back here in Salme for a week now, nods her head.
Then the attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury, whose mother was a street prostitute, and whose father, who she never knew, was a sailor.
Quietly says in the elven language "This should be interesting" the messenger in the armies of Farque continues with "This might prompt the duke into action".
"Into hiring us?" quietly asks the son and former heir of a previous knight of castle Drubine, a castle found in the forested north of the kingdom of Sarcrin.
"Hopefully" says Lisell Maera as the two of them watch the airship approaching from the east "Because he hasn't exactly been pleased with progress" adds the attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury.
The young field commander slightly winces at that assessment from Lis concerning lord Farque. She's right though, as the undead warlord is displeased that they've yet to be hired by duke Hilloc of Dalmar.
They watch the airship in the Reinholt trading company out of Vexil, that's just flown in from the city of Oaklynn, the capital of Girdane.
Make it's way over the town of Salme, then come into the airdocks just off to the east side of the duke's castle.
The large transporter takes up most of the pier, and as the vessel is moored. The ship's captain, who is expecting someone to be waiting here for him, and the missives he has.
And has been given the descriptions of those most likely to be waiting for him.
Hands the leather satchel over to Lis once he disembarks with some of his officers.
Lis thanks the ship's captain, then along with Tam, they make their way off the pier, and head to the Wayfarer, the inn that they and the rest of the group here in Salme are staying at.
With trees losing their leaves here in the back courtyard of the Wayfarer inn, Beldane the cleric blocks a vicious swing of the sword from sir Percavelle Lé Dic who says to him "You can hit my shield if thou likes".
"No thanks Percy" says Beldane the cleric, who though a younger man, is breathing much heavier than the former paladin, who is also in a suit of full plate armour as they spar, this cool autumn morning in the town of Salme.
The fighting cleric swings his mace, and is pleased to avoid the heavily armoured knight's shield, and hit him on the left arm.
There's a loud grunt of approval from where Dorc da Orc is sitting on the ground, beneath a tree here in the back courtyard of the Wayfarer inn when the nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic staggers sideways from that blow.
The powerful cleric who hails from the kingdom of Nastell, who is using his mace as a mundane weapon, and not using any of it's magical properties as he spars against the former earl of Lé Dic.
Goes to follow up that hit, with another swing from his weapon. Only to be blocked again by the knight in the order of Saint Mar-che's sword.
Beldane is just glad the large, heavily armoured knight who is extremely quick even though he's over fifteen years older than him.
Is using his longsword, and not the shortsword looking blade he has on his belt.
The fighting cleric in the church of Glaine knows he wouldn't last long if he was up against sir Percavelle Lé Dic if he was using both magical shield, and magical sword.
The cleric in the half plate armour knows he'd have to resort to magic if that was so. And that's not really the point as this is supposed to be a sparring contest between the two of them.
Though that doesn't stop the nobleborn knight who is originally from the kingdom of Druvic, from using his magical shield, the shield of Saint Mar-che.
"Smash his fucken brains in cunt!" calls out Dorc da Orc from where he sits beneath one of the trees on the edge of the back courtyard of the Wayfarer inn.
The large ork, who has an empty ale barrel beside him, and is drinking from another one, is watching the two sparring in the middle of the cobblestone courtyard at the back of the inn.
The ork warleader is hoping Beldane the cleric bashes in sir Percavelle's skull. That would make the ork weaponsmith's morning, seeing his rival's head caved in.
But no such luck, as the heavily armoured knight, for the most part. Is one step ahead of the younger man who hails from the kingdom of Nastell.
The big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world sourly smiles as the former knight of the first class drives the younger man across the courtyard.
Then as Dorkindle watches the pair sparring, he frowns as he notices something, then the large ork grunts, then after that grins.
"Low ya cleric cunt!" calls out the warleader of the ork race who is a general in the armies of Farque "Hit 'em fucken low, under that shitty shield!" adds the son of the former matriarch of the wolf tribe of orks.
Beldane the cleric swings low after ducking beneath a sword stroke from the heavily armoured knight.
"Narille!" yelps sir Percavelle Lé Dic as he jumps back out of the way, avoiding a whack to the legs as he was holding his shield up as he spars against the fighting cleric.
The former earl of Lé Dic, a fief found in the east of the kingdom of Druvic scowls as he glances over to where Dorc da Orc is sitting under one of the trees on the edge of the courtyard behind the inn.
He finds the ork general grinning as he watches the sparring match between the former paladin and the powerful cleric.
"Filthy beast" mutters sir Percavelle who is more commonly called Percy by the rest of the group, with the exception of Dorkindle, who calls him either cunt, or knight cunt, and sometimes cunt knight.
The knight in the order of Saint Mar-che after jumping back a second time to avoid a whack to the legs from Beldane.
Adjusts his shield, and lowers it, making the contest between the two much more even as they drive one another back and forth across the courtyard as they continue to spar.
They only stop when Tamric Drubine appears at the open backdoor, and tells the three of them to come inside, as lord Farque wants to speak to the lot of them.
In the back dining room, essentially a private room in the Wayfarer. They find that not only Tamric Drubine and Lisell Maera have returned from the airdocks.
But Helbe the elven thief along with Arvelle Ganard the plainsman are also here, as the two of them were at the duke's court, in his family's castle this morning.
At one end of the table, sits lord Farque. Who is reading letters from a leather satchel at his elbow. Once he's read each one, he hands them to Helbe the elven thief, who is on his right, down that side of the table.
"Killer?" asks Dorc da Orc as he sits down on the floor behind lord and ruler of the lands Farque's chair.
The undead warlord nods his full helmed head as he continues to read the latest piece of parchment he's taken from the leather satchel.
Then after both Beldane the cleric and sir Percavelle Lé Dic use the bowl of water on one of the side tables to freshen up, before they take a seat at the table with the rest of the group.
Lord Farque finally breaks his silence, and glances along the left side of the table and says "Arvelle tell them".
Beldane doesn't know what to make of the situation involving the tall plainsman with the shaved head.
In some ways he finds it more disturbing than lord Farque, who is undead. And from what he's been taught by his church. Is basically evil.
Though that really hasn't been the case since Beldane has been in his company. As he hasn't seen the undead warlord actually do anything evil.
But with Arvelle, it's something else entirely. In simple terms it's straight out possession of a body. Even though that body was dead before possession took place.
For the plainsman who was an illegal wrecker. Was previously Darid Parsen the cavalry commander. Who the fighting cleric briefly knew.
But before that, he's been in numerous other bodies from what the others in the group, with the exception of Dorc da Orc have told him.
Going back to when he was originally a barbarian hordesman by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, who actually died over a dozen years ago.
The member of the church of Glaine as he listens to the tall plainsman, doesn't know what's worse.
Arvelle who though dead, his body is alive and is inhabited by the soul of Zubutai the barbarian hordesman.
Or lord Farque, who is definitely not alive, who died many centuries ago, and is undead.
"The lord will inform us of what Mira, Shur Kee and Dalin have sent" says Arvelle Ganard the plainsman with a nod of his head to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, who along with Helbe the elven thief is continuing to read each missive in the leather satchel, that Lisell Maera and Tamric Drubine got from an airship a little while ago in the town's airdocks.
"But for now, i can tell you that duke Korros of Girnath has just arrived at the duke's castle and informed that the plague has wiped out hundreds of people in his duchy" adds the former illegal wrecker from the Kaldel Plains who follows that with "And like you lot found out last week, all the children and younger people in the villages affected are missing".
The tall plainsman with the shaved head who is a cavalry commander in the armies of Farque, waits a moment as the others listening, Tam, Lis, Beldane and Percy, nod.
Then he continues on with "Duke Korros got an interesting visit from a royal messenger from the capital, who informed him that the king was concerned about the spread of the plague in Girnath, and about the missing children and youngsters".
Arvelle aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman briefly pauses, before he says "So much so, that the king will send out a detachment of his army to help to stop the spread of the plague, and to help locate the missing children and young people".
There's a few moments of silence, which is eventually broken by Tamric Drubine who says "Now if that's not a lame cover for a first strike, then i don't know anything about warfare".
"Here, here" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic in agreement with the young field commander "This beguiling king wishes to take the initiative, and strike this duke of Girnath with his pants down wot" adds the nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic.
"Have you found out who was responsible for the plague?" asks Lisell Maera as she first looks at Arvelle the plainsman, then over to the otherside of the table to where Helbe the elven thief is sitting reading one of the missives that lord Farque has finished reading.
"No one at the duke's court is responsible, and they still don't know that it was magically created" says the former illegal wrecker from the Kaldel Plains, who after nodding over at his fellow member of lord Farque's personal council, Helbe the elven thief, he adds "And from what Helbe was able to quickly find out before we came back here, this duke Korros and the members of his retinue have no idea how this plague came about" Arvelle Ganard follows that with "They have no idea where the missing children and young people are too".
"So the king will send his army west under the pretense of stopping the spread of the plague, and to find these missing children and young people?" says Lisell Maera "Looks like it" says Arvelle the plainsman, who continues with "This will probably prompt duke Hilloc into his rebellion sooner rather than later" the former illegal wrecker from the Kaldel Plains then adds "And hopefully prompt him into hiring us too".
"How's that going?" asks Tamric Drubine "A little better" says Arvelle aka Zubutai Timaginson who then adds "Some of his allies have changed their minds about hiring mercenaries" the cavalry commander momentarily pauses before continuing in a slightly dry tone with "Well, i should say Helbe changed their minds".
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel flashes a grin when he hears that as he reads the piece of parchment in his hands.
The tall plainsman with the shaved head falls silent when lord Farque looks up from reading the last missive, and says "Mira says the capital is definitely preparing for war".
The heavily armoured deathlord continues with "The usual opportunists are popping up and setting up shop in the capital as they know war is imminent".
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque then adds "Shipping to and from the capital has increased in the last few weeks, and troop movements have picked up at the palace as well as the army barracks in and around the capital".
"War then?" says Arvelle the plainsman, the lord of the death realm nods his full helmed head then says "Probably at the start of winter the way things are going".
The undead being also known as Draugadrottin to the people of his lands looks at the tall plainsman with the shaved head, then at the elven masterthief and tells the two of them "Get the duke to hire us, if not his rebellion will end fairly quickly as he and his allies are no match for the crown".
"We're working on it" murmurs councillor Arvelle Ganard, the undead warlord nods then he falls silent.
"What is it?" quietly asks Helbe the elven thief after he finishes reading the last missive sent from the capital by Mira Reinholt the mage, and he looks at the deathlord of Farque who has fallen silent.
"I can understand the plague they've created as an excuse to send the king's army west" quietly says lord Farque, who after a slight pause adds "But what's with the missing children and youngsters" . . . . . .