A Grand Design 9.

Mid Autumn. The Kingdom Of Girdane. The Duchy Of Dalmar. The Town Of Salme.

Tamric Drubine the field commander ducks beneath a laboured swing of a sword from one of duke Hilloc's soldiers, who is breathing heavily as he continues to attack the nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin.
The duke's soldier who has staggered sideways in exhaustion, is met with the right boot of the young field commander, who hits the soldier in the face.
The head of duke Hilloc's man snaps back, before he topples slowly backwards to the ground. He's already unconscious before he hits the ground.
Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by the others in the group, looks away to his right.
There he sees another of the duke of Dalmar's men on the ground on his knees. With Lisell Maera the messenger standing infront of him.
The attractive young woman originally from the city-state of Brattonbury. Grabs the dazed looking soldier by the back of his head. And rams her right knee into his face.
That soldier in duke Hilloc's army, folds backwards on his knees with his feet trapped beneath him.
He's unconscious too, though his face is bloody, and he definitely has a broken nose after being kneed in the face.
Lisell Maera or Lis, as more often than not she's called by the others in the group. Looks away to her left. And shares a look with Tamric Drubine.
Then the two of them step back and wait.
With mouth agape, duke Hilloc of Dalmar stands there stunned. As a dozen of his best soldiers are scattered across the training yard infront of the barracks behind the main keep of his castle.
They're lying there either unconscious, or groaning in pain barely able to move.
While the two teenagers, who just took on his men, and gave them a good thrashing. Stand there looking in his direction, waiting.
The duke of Dalmar looks at his fellow dukes, Korros of Girnath and Lombasil of Falosen. Along with his cousin, sir Passic the knight.
They're just as stunned as he is as they look at the aftermath of what's just happened.
Hilloc of Dalmar looks further away to the left infront of his barracks. To where his guard captain is standing with some of his, and the other dukes advisors.
They're all looking on in disbelief at what's just happened. As a dozen of his best soldiers, that he and his guard captain carefully picked. Have just taken the beating of their lives.
Duke Korros of Girnath breaks the silence by clearing his throat, before quietly saying "Hell, i wasn't expecting that".
Then the youngest of the three dukes whose duchies are in the very west of the kingdom of Girdane, murmurs to the duke of Dalmar "Hire them".
Beside him, Lombasil of Falosen nods in agreement. As does duke Hilloc's cousin, the knight, sir Passic.
"Hell" mutters duke Hilloc of Dalmar who like his fellow duke, Korros. As well as the others, was definitely not expecting that. When the two youngster, without weapons. And wearing just leather armour. Stepped onto the training yard to confront a dozen of his best soldiers.
The duke of Dalmar quickly thinks about it, then he quietly says to his fellow dukes and his older cousin "If we do this, we'll have to go ahead with what we've talked about for the last few years" he continues with "No use hiring them and their army if all we do is sit on our hands and not do what we've so often discussed".
The dukes of Girnath and Falosen know exactly what their fellow duke is talking about. Rebellion against the crown and the king of Girdane.
For though their advisors and allies such as sir Passic can offer their opinions. It's ultimately just the three of them who have to choose what to do.
"If we do it now, it'll be a war during the winter, which won't be ideal" quietly says duke Korros of Girnath "And like you said it will cost a lot to hire them" adds duke Lombasil of Falosen.
Hilloc of Dalmar nods to that, then he quietly says "If my suspicions are true, and the crown had something to do with the spread of the plague out here in the west. Then that's reason enough to hire them and go ahead with our plans".
Both dukes Korros and Lombasil know that duke Hilloc has more personal reasons to begin a revolt against the crown and king.
But they can't deny that the facts are tending towards the plague in their duchies in all likelihood, was introduced by outside forces. Which in Girdane means the crown.
The dukes of Girnath and Falosen share a look then nod, after which duke Korros says to Hilloc "Do it".
"Hire them" adds duke Lombasil, duke Hilloc nods then looks across to the otherside of the training yard, and calls out "Give us a few moments to discuss things!".
The plainsman he has dealt with over the last eighteen months, the illegal wrecker named Arvelle briefly confers with the elf in the white hooded cloak named Helbe.
After they do, Arvelle Ganard the plainsman calls out "Of course my lord, take all the time you need!".
The duke of Dalmar nods, then he looks at the two youngsters still standing out in the middle of the training yard, surrounded by his soldier who are either knocked out, or barely moving.
Duke Hilloc grimaces, then he looks away to his left at his guard captain and tells him "Get them into the barracks and get them some help" as he gestures towards his men scattered across the training yard.
As the guard captain does, and calls out for stretchers. And as duke Hilloc talks things over with his fellow dukes, Korros and Lombasil, as well as his cousin sir Passic.
Tamric Drubine and Lisell Maera, turn and make their way back to stand with the rest of the group on the otherside of the training yard between the back of the main keep and the castle barracks.
"They're just discussing if they can pay us less than what we've discussed" quietly says Helbe the elven thief to Arvelle Ganard the plainsman.
"They've already made up their minds, and are going ahead with their rebellion, and they'll hire us" adds the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel.
"Good" quietly says Arvelle Ganard the plainsman, who after looking at Tam and Lis and seeing that they're unharmed, quietly and dryly says to the elven magic user "All they'll be doing is paying us back those two chests of gold and silver we stole from those wreckers and gave to them".
The elven masterthief, who along with the tall plainsman with the shaved head, is speaking in elvish, nods his hooded head in agreement, then he quietly says "That'll be to start with" the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel continues with "They'll soon start paying us what those wreckers previously sent down here".
The elven master assassin faintly smiles as he quietly adds "Well, i should say, what you sent down here previously".
Arvelle the plainsman sourly smiles at that, then mutters "Smart ass" as he looks sideways at the elven princeling from Laerel.
Then the two of them, look to their right, where lord Farque has slightly moved after being completely still since they first got here.
"Get the contract in writing" quietly says lord Farque in the elven language, who follows that with "Once you do, we'll have to send word south as quickly as possible to bring one of the armies up here".
Both Helbe the elven thief and Arvelle the plainsman nod to that, then the two of them, who are members of the personal council to lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
Look across the training yard, to the front of the barracks building, to where duke Hilloc has just called out to them, and is beckoning them over.
The young elven noble, and the tall, plainsman with the shaved head who is not who he appears to be. Make their way across the training yard.
Going around the injured and unconscious soldiers, who are now being stretchered away into the barracks, that are located behind the main keep of the castle.
"We'd like to hire you" says duke Hilloc once Helbe the elven thief and Arvelle the plainsman stand before him and his fellow dukes.
"Just not at that price" continues the duke of Dalmar as he looks at the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel.
"What price do you suggest?" asks the elven magic user who already knows the answer, as he's read the mind of the duke as he walked across the training yard.
Duke Hilloc gives a figure per week, and the elven princeling slightly turns his head to one side, and with his naturally enhanced hearing, he hears lord Farque from the otherside of the training yard quietly say in the royal elven language "That's fine".
The undead warlord who can easily hear the conversation infront of the barracks on the otherside of the yard, quietly adds in the royal elven language "No less".
"Fine" says the elven master archer in the common language to the duke of Dalmar "We'll accept that price of hire" adds the grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel.
Hilloc of Dalmar nods, then looks at the tall plainsman who he thinks is still an illegal wrecker, who plies his trade up on the Kaldel Plains, and asks him "Do you vouch for them Arvelle?".
"Like I've said previously my lord, they can be trusted" says the tall plainsman who in actuality is a hordes outrider from the southern tundra, by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, who just happens to inhabit the body of Arvelle Ganard.
"Very well" says duke Hilloc, who then looks at the elf he thinks is just the herald, or envoy for a mercenary army, and tells him "We've got a deal".
The elven princeling nods, then he and the duke of Dalmar shake on it, after the elven masterthief tells him he wants the contract for hire in writing, and the local nobleman agrees to it.
After the young elven noble along with the tall plainsman shake hands with the trio of dukes, whose duchies make up the very west of the kingdom of Girdane.
Prince Helbenthril Raendril says "Sorry about your men" as the last of the injured soldiers are helped into the barracks building.
"It can't be helped" says the duke of Dalmar, who continues with "We had to find out who we were hiring".
Then duke Hilloc gestures across to the otherside of the training yard, where the rest of the group are standing, and he asks the elf who is a member of the personal council to lord Farque "Are those two youngsters specially trained to fight like that?".
"Not particularly" lies Helbe the elven thief "Young Tam is an officer and has extra training compared to most of our soldiers" says the elven magic user, which is mostly true.
"But Lis is just a member of our scouts division" adds the elven master assassin, which is also mostly true, he continues with "And she hasn't had any specialty training" which is a lie.
"You could of fooled me" dryly murmurs duke Korros of Girnath, who then asks the elf in the white hooded cloak "Are all of your soldiers that good at fighting without weapons?".
"Some more, and some less" is the truthful reply of the young elven noble who is the third in line for the throne of Laerel, behind his mother, and older sister.
"Hell" murmurs duke Lombasil of Falosen, the dukes Hilloc and Korros nod in agreement with him.
Then Hilloc of Dalmar glances at his older cousin, sir Passic who has just quietly cleared his throat. The duke of Dalmar nods, giving his cousin the knight permission to speak.
"Over there" says sir Passic the knight to Helbe the elven thief, as he nods across to the otherside of the training yard "Is that an ork?" asks the lesser noble in the half plate armour.
"It is" says the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, who follows that with "I'd advise you all, that you and your soldiers keep well away from him" the highly talented elven magic user continues with "Especially during battle" he then dryly adds "He has a tendency to not care who he kills".
Arvelle aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman nods in agreement with the elven master assassin, as he's been killed at least a couple of times in the past by the large ork, who a lot of the time is pretty indiscriminate about who he kills during battle.
"We'll make sure to keep away from him then" quietly says Hilloc of Dalmar, who then asks the elf in the white hooded cloak "How long until your army gets here?".
"Not for at least a couple of weeks" is the honest reply of the elven princeling who continues on with "They should be here before the end of autumn".
Duke Hilloc who is calculating, and working things out in his mind, nods his head, and after glancing at his fellow dukes, and his cousin the knight, he quietly says in a satisfied tone of voice "Good".
The duke of Dalmar, who hopes the spread of the plague here in the three most western duchies of the kingdom has well and truly stopped by then.
Says to the elf in the white hooded cloak, and the tall plainsman with the shaved head "Might as well go and get my scribe and get this contract written up".
The duke of Dalmar, says to the two of them, along with his fellow dukes, as well as his cousin the knight "Come along then".
"You might as well head back to the inn" murmurs prince Helbenthril Raendril in the royal elven language "We'll be back a bit later with the contract" adds the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel.
"Let's go" says lord Farque to the others after hearing what the elven magic user just murmured.
The undead warlord turns, and leads the way around the main keep of the castle, with the rest of the group following him.
While Helbe the elven thief and Arvelle the plainsman cross the training yard with duke Hilloc and the others. Heading for the main keep of the duke's castle.
A little bit later, and in the chamber where duke Hilloc conducts business, the elven envoy sits upon a chair, which the tall plainsman stands beside.
"As we discussed, we'll take command when it comes to battle strategies" says the elven magic user "I understand" says the duke of Dalmar as he sits behind his large desk with his scribe who is busy writing the contract.
While off to one side of the chamber, along the wall there. The others, including the dukes of Girnath and Falosen, along with sir Passic and other advisors, are sitting on a few benches.
"Any word on the plague that's affected your duchies my lords?" asks the elven master assassin as he looks at duke Hilloc, then over at the dukes Korros and Lombasil.
"It's not spreading as it did at the start of autumn" says the duke of Dalmar, who glances over at the duke of Falosen, whose duchy has been affected the most by the plague. Who nods in agreement with what his fellow duke just said.
"Strange how it's not affected your neighbours directly to the east" muses the young elven noble, who after a slight pause adds "Most strange indeed".
Duke Hilloc just grunts at that, then points at the document his scribe is writing, and quietly tells him something.
The highly talented elven magic user after a few moments silence, then asks "And any word on the missing children and youngsters?".
Hilloc of Dalmar grimaces when he hears that, then he says through gritted teeth "Nothing".
The elven princeling from Laerel nods his hooded head, then he says "Once you've officially hired us, we'll help you find those who are missing".
The duke of the duchy of Dalmar looks up from what his scribe is writing, and looks at the elf sitting on the chair in the center of the chamber, and says to him "We'd appreciate that".
His fellow dukes, Korros of Girnath and Lombasil of Falosen nod their heads in agreement with that.
"It's the least we can do" says Helbe the elven thief, who along with the rest of the group find the missing children and youngsters in the three duchies affected by the plague, the oddest thing of all since they've been here in the kingdom of Girdane.
"There it's done" says duke Hilloc a little while later after he stands up with the document of hire in his hands.
Helbe the elven thief gets up and makes his way over to the desk. And takes the document and quickly reads it. Even though he knows exactly what's been written. As he was the one, by way of spellcraft, got the scribe to write what he wanted.
"It all seems to be order" says the elven master archer, who signs the document after duke Hilloc signs it, as well as his fellow dukes, Korros and Lombasil sign it. As well as the second copy the scribe has written.
Then after the duke's scribe rolls up the first, and pours a seal of hot wax on it. Which duke Hilloc then presses his signet ring into it as it cools.
The duke of Dalmar hands the document to the elf named Helbe, and says to him "You and your mercenary army are hired" . . . . . .