A Grand Design

Mid Autumn. The Kingdom Of Girdane.

Tamric Drubine the field commander glances at Lisell Maera the messenger and nods.
The attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury turns, and makes her way back down the rise, back down the road behind them.
While the young field commander in the armies of Farque continues to watch the village a few hundred yards away in the distance.
It's a sunny day here in the northwest of the kingdom of Girdane. Just like it was yesterday, and it has been for most of the autumn so far.
And though the days are cool, the weather for the most part across the north of the kingdom has been fine this autumn. Though on those odd days when there has been rain, the rain has been heavy but brief.
Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by the others in the group, is lying down on the ground, observing the village in the distance.
He continues watching it throughout the middle of the morning, and eventually looks back down the road behind him, and sees the others approaching.
The nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, gets up and goes back down the road a bit to wait for the others.
"What is it?" asks lord Farque when they get to where field commander Drubine is standing to one side of the road.
"There's something out of place at the village up ahead" is the reply from Tamric Drubine the field commander who continues with "It looks empty, but i don't think it is".
Lisell Maera nods in agreement with the son and former heir of a previous knight of castle Drubine, a castle located in the forested north of the kingdom of Sarcrin.
The undead warlord who has sensed that all is not right with the village up ahead, gestures to the top of the rise, and heads up there, followed by the others.
As they head up the road, Tam says to the heavily armoured deathlord "There's a flag flying there" the young field commander continues with "I don't recognise it".
"Plague flag" says Beldane the cleric once they get to the top of the rise and see the village in the distance.
"Isn't plague usually a summer thing?" says Lisell Maera the messenger who more often than not, is referred to as Lis by the others in the group.
"Most are, but some are all year round" says the fighting cleric from the kingdom of Nastell.
"Dorc, Beldane with me" says lord Farque who then adds in the ground pixie language "You too gnat" without even looking at Narladene the ground pixie who is on the right shoulder of Helbe the elven thief.
Then the deathlord of Farque continues in the common language with "The rest of you stay here" he glances back at the elven masterthief and adds "That means you too".
Then the lord and ruler of the lands Farque heads down the road towards the village, along with the ork warleader and the fighting cleric.
"Check it out" quietly says the lord of the death realm in the ground pixie language to Narladene who is flying alongside him.
The naturally magical creature nods her tiny head, then dives down into the ground and quickly makes her way towards the village.
As she does, the undead warlord says to the member of the church of Glaine "Ward yourself from disease".
Beldane nods, and doesn't have to ask the lord and ruler of the lands Farque if he needs warding, as he now knows what lord Farque is.
Something that he's definitely not comfortable with, even though he found out over six weeks ago that the tall, heavily armoured man walking beside him is undead. Instead, the fighting cleric says "What about Dorc?".
With a snort of laughter, Dorc da Orc says "Me can't get sick you dumb cunt".
With a look of surprise upon his face, the powerful cleric from the duchy of Phelm in northern Nastell, asks lord Farque "Is this true?".
"He's immune to all diseases and poisons, all orks are" says the undead warlord as they approach the village, which is off to one side of the road that goes through open farmland here in the northwest of the kingdom of Girdane.
"I never knew that" quietly says Beldane in a tone of surprise, the large ork walking to his right, snorts in derision, then tells the fighting cleric "There's a lot you don't know cunt".
The Nastellian cleric looks sideways at the big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world, and keeps silent.
As he knows getting into an argument with the ork warleader is something he doesn't want to endure again.
He has done so a couple of times since they've come south from the Kaldel Plains at the start of autumn.
And those arguments have ended with the large ork attempting to kill the member of the church of Glaine.
Beldane has quickly learnt that arguing with Dorkindle could lead to his death if he isn't careful.
"There's definitely disease here" quietly says the fighting cleric who has protection spells against disease and plague up around him as they enter the village.
"But is it the plague?" quietly says lord Farque who is also known as Draugadrottin by the people of his lands.
The lord of the death realm who senses a lot of dead people here in the village, and just a small number of the living, then adds "I don't think so".
They enter a house on the edge of the village, where they find a couple of corpses on the floor in the main room. They've obviously been dead for at least a month, maybe even longer.
As he crouches down to examine the dead bodies, Beldane the cleric who ignores Dorc da Orc licking his lips as he eyes the corpses, says "They definitely died from a disease, which one, I'm not exactly sure".
The powerful cleric in the church of Glaine, continues with "It could be a plague, but again I'm not sure which one".
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque nods his full helmed head, then makes his way back outside, followed by Beldane, and eventually Dorc, who started to drool as he looked at the two dead bodies inside.
The lord of the death realm looks around, then points and says "That way" the undead warlord senses the living in that direction.
And as they go that way through the village, they stop at houses, and look in. They find more of the dead. All in various stages of decomposition. Those who have died recently within the last couple of days. To others who have been dead for weeks.
As they approach a house, lord Farque sees Narladene the ground pixie fluttering around the front door of it.
And as he and the ork warleader and fighting cleric approach, the naturally magical creature wings her way over to the large, heavily armoured deathlord.
"A couple inside, they're barely alive" quietly says Narladene the ground pixie in her race's language.
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque nods his full helmed head, while the ork weaponsmith scowls when he hears the ground pixie he can smell, but not see.
Des'tier as he's known to elves who might know who he is, opens the front door of the house, and enters. He's followed by the large ork, who has to duck down to get through the doorway. Who is then followed by the fighting cleric in the heavy half plate armour.
Inside they find two people, one on the floor, and the other on a bed in the only room in the house.
They're both caked in blood, bleeding from every orifice possible. The eyes, nose and ears to name just a few. The one on the floor, a man. Is trying to crawl as he slowly bleeds out.
While the woman on the bed, is repeatedly groaning as she tosses her head from side to side.
"Damn" mutters Beldane the cleric as he crouches down next to the man on the floor, who is trying to crawl to the woman on the bed.
The heavily armoured deathlord leans down to get a closer look at the man on the floor too.
Meanwhile the ork weaponsmith remains near the open doorway, sourly smiling as he looks at the state of the two villagers who are slowly bleeding out.
"I could heal them i guess" quietly says the fighting cleric to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
"Why bother" says Draugadrottin who continues with "You know it'll only be temporary, and they'll end up like this again pretty soon afterwards".
The member of the church of Glaine grimaces, then slowly nods his head in agreement.
Then undead being in the dark blue, black heavy plate armour says "You know what spell was used?". As the disease that has struck the village, was definitely created by magic.
"I've no idea" says the powerful cleric from the kingdom of Nastell, which lies to the east of the vast Kaldel Plains. While the kingdom of Girdane is further south of the plains. "Never seen anything like it" adds the fighting cleric.
Lord Farque glances at Narladene the ground pixie who is hovering off to one side. And slightly nods to her.
She shakes her head no, as she doesn't know what spell was used to create the disease that has struck down these villagers. She has no idea what it was.
The lord of the death realm then silently asks The Sword of Power Ryn. His family's sword, that's strapped to his back. If she knows what the spell could be.
She gives him a handful of possibilities of what it could be. But she isn't certain of what it actually is that's affected this village and it's inhabitants.
Des'tier as he's known by to elven kind, usually those of an older generation. Des'tier which translates to common as The Destroyer.
Slightly frowns, then quietly asks Beldane "Think a dark cleric or a necromancer is responsible for this?".
The member of the church of Glaine, a god that's widely worshiped in the north of the kingdom of Nastell, grimaces when he hears that, then he quietly says "More than possible".
He continues with "They're the ones most likely to do something like this" the fighting cleric momentarily pauses, before adding "Though anyone could cast it if they've learnt it".
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque slightly nods his full helmed head, then he gestures at the bleeding man on the floor, and the woman bleeding out on the bed, and quietly says "Best to put them out of their misery".
"I can't do that" says Beldane who is perfectly fine taking a life during combat and battle, after all he is a fighting cleric.
But to take a life at any other time, is against his personal beliefs and his church's doctrine.
"Me will do it" Dorc da Orc says with enthusiasm from where he stands near the open doorway.
The undead warlord rolls his eyes as he knows the large ork will make a hell of a mess if he was to do so.
Then as Beldane gets out of the way, lord Farque moves forward and picks up the man on the floor.
The large, heavily armoured deathlord carries him over to the bed, and places him on it, next to the woman who like him is slowly bleeding to death.
Then as the man rolls onto his side, and looks at the woman, who stops groaning, and stops tossing her head from side to side. And she turns her head to look at him as he takes one of her hands in his own.
Lord Farque who has taken his massive sword from across his back. Slams the blade into the man's back, through him, and out his chest. And into the woman's chest, all the way through her and out her back.
The undead warlord pulls his sword out of the dead couple, then makes his way outside, followed by Dorc da Orc, then Beldane the cleric who takes one last look at the dead couple on the bed.
The three of them, along with Narladene the ground pixie continue to go through the village. Finding plenty more dead. And just a handful of others who are still alive in various houses.
And those who are still alive, are like the couple they found that the deathlord of Farque ended up killing.
They're all in a similar state. Slowly bleeding from every orifice possible. Some worse than others. And no way that Beldane could heal any of them.
He'd have to dispell the spell that created the disease, as well as cast healing on those who have been inflicted by it.
So the heavily armoured deathlord ends up killing the others that they find alive.
As they stand outside a small tavern, inside of which Dorc da Orc is gathering some booze that remains.
Beldane the cleric looks up at the plague flag that's flying from a pole up on the roof of the tavern.
"Someone wanted this to look like the plague had struck" says the powerful cleric from the kingdom of Nastell "That's obvious" says the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, who continues on with "The question is, who did it, and why".
The member of the church of Glaine nods his head in agreement, then does so again when the undead warlord says "The crown or the rebellion?" Draugadrottin as he's also known as by the people of his lands, then adds "Or someone else?".
The fighting cleric who only joined the group at the end of the summer, is silent as he contemplates the possibilities. And what they could mean to them, and why they're here in the kingdom of Girdane.
Eventually Dorc da Orc makes his way out of the small tavern, carrying a couple of barrels of ale, and a sack full of wine casks.
The three of them, along with Narladene the ground pixie who is invisible to the ork warleader and the powerful cleric.
Make their way out of the village, and head back to where the others are waiting further down the road.
As they walk back to where the others are, lord Farque says "Did you notice it?".
"No" says Beldane the cleric, who then adds "What?".
"There were no children or young people amongst the dead in the village" says the large, heavily armoured deathlord.
The powerful cleric blinks in surprise, while the ork weaponsmith grunts. As they didn't realise that until lord of the death realm just mentioned it . . . . . .