A Grand Design 15.

Late Autumn. Falosen. Girdane.

Lisell Maera the messenger looks down at the remains of a child lying in the middle of the floor.
A boy, around the age of seven or eight, missing the lower half of his torso and his legs.
While away to the left, is the right arm of an adult. A woman's arm, most likely the boy's mother.
As lying out infront of the house, must be the father. Who is missing his head and left arm.
The attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury turns as Tovis the war engineer enters the house, and asks "Anything?".
"Nothing" is the reply from Lisell Maera the messenger, who then asks the young engineer who is originally form the kingdom of Druvic "How long ago?".
"Arvelle says the day before yesterday" is the answer from Tovis who slightly pauses, before continuing with "Though Dorc did tell him ten, but he was holding up two fingers as he said that".
"It was two days ago" dryly says the messenger or runner as they're sometimes referred to.
Lisell Maera who more often than not, is just called Lis by the others in the group. Takes one more look at the body of the dead child. Then she turns and exits the house. The war engineer follows her.
Outside, the attractive young woman from the coast of the Southlands, after stepping away from the headless body infront of the house.
Looks around at the village, as it approaches twilight on this cold, but fine late autumn day, here in the north of the duchy of Falosen in the very west of the kingdom of Girdane.
Lis glances at Tovis who stands beside her, and quietly asks him "You notice it?".
"I did" says the war engineer, who once served in the army of a baron Harkonin in the kingdom of Druvic.
"Just like in the other village earlier today" adds the young engineer who is a captain in the armies of Farque "Not many dead children" continues the war engineer.
The messenger Maera who hopes they don't stay here the night, nods her head in agreement. Then she along with the war engineer look to their left. Where they see Larris the sorcerer walking towards them.
"Dorc has found their trail" says Larris the sorcerer, who was the second in command of the engineering corp Tovis led during the campaign in the very north of the kingdom of Nastell in the summer that's just gone by.
"And of the two scouts of duke Lombasil's who went after them, and didn't come back" adds the spellcaster who is a subaltern in the armies of Farque.
As they head through the village, Lis asks the sorcerer "Does the councillor intend to follow their trail into the night?".
"He does" replies Larris, who is young, around the same age as Tovis, in their early twenties.
"Figures" sourly says the attractive young woman originally from the city-state of Brattonbury, who doesn't fancy tramping off into the wilderness after those who attacked this village the day before yesterday.
As they make their way to where the others are gathering, the messenger asks the sorcerer "Do you know much about these waagen?".
"Only a little from what I've read" says Larris, who looks around as he adds "Unlike werebeasts, they retain their intelligence when they're in their beast form. And are able to think and talk like a normal person as they do so".
As they walk between a couple of houses, and go around a wood shed, the spellcasting subaltern continues with "A lot of them tend to stay in their beast form all the time. Which makes them especially dangerous".
As they spot the others gathered at the northern end of the village, the young sorcerer quietly says in a dry tone of voice "And the fact they're immune to magic, makes it even worse".
"Percy has fought them, and says they're a nuisance to vanquish" quietly says Tovis the war engineer.
"If he says they're a nuisance, it means they're difficult as fuck to kill" quietly says Lisell Maera.
"Dorc reckons they're a piece of piss to kill" quietly says the young engineer.
"He would" dryly says Lis who continues on with "He finds everything easy to kill".
They join the others at the edge of the village, and as the sun sets in the west, Arvelle Ganard the plainsman says "Lead the way Dorc".
Dorc da Orc, who of course has found himself some booze in the village. As he's holding a couple of clay fired jugs of ale. And is drinking from a bottle of wine. Grunts, then sets off. With the others following behind him.
The messenger Maera finds herself walking beside Arvelle the plainsman, who quietly says to her "Hopefully their trail doesn't end up in a dead end like at the other village".
Lisell Maera nods in agreement, as earlier today. When they were further east here in the north of the duchy of Falosen.
The tracks of the waagen they followed from a village there, suddenly disappeared in the woods behind the village. Which annoyed Dorc da Orc no end.
Now the tracks of the waagen here, along with two of duke Lombasil's scouts who never returned to the village and their squad.
Are fresher, and more recent. Making it much easier for the ork warleader to follow.
As they leave the farmland near the village behind them. They start heading into rougher terrain as night falls.
The cleric Beldane asks Arvelle Ganard if he should provide some light. The member of lord Farque's personal council declines. As one moon is already up in the early evening sky, and another, Ilnari is rising over the horizon to the east, on what's turning into a cold night here in the very west of the kingdom of Girdane.
Up infront, the big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world, comes to a stop and grunts.
Councillor Ganard, and Lisell Maera move forward, and when they reach the large ork, who is busy sniffing, Arvelle the plainsman quietly asks the ork weaponsmith "What is it Dorc?".
"Peoples" grunts Dorc da Orc, whose head is tilted to one side as he continually sniffs, the warleader of the ork race who is a general in the armies of Farque, then adds "They dead".
Dorkindle, who gestures ahead to where some woods can just be made out by the others who lack his nightvision, continues with "Fucken in there".
The weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks breathes in deeply through his wide, flaring nostrils, then after grunting, and softly growling, he says "One of them cunts in there" followed by "A man doggy".
"Alive?" asks the tall plainsman with the shaved head, 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.
"Nah cunt, it dead" says Dorc da Orc. Next to councillor Ganard, Lisell Maera breathes a sigh of relief. As she was not looking forward to encountering a waagen in the middle of some woods in the night.
The tall plainsman who is a former illegal wrecker, who plied his trade up on the Kaldel Plains. Nods his shaved head for the ork warleader to continue on his way.
Dorc da Orc grunts, and sets off after tossing away one of the clay jugs, that's now empty.
The rest of the group follow after the big, burly ork who is from the frozen bottom of the world.
In a few hundred yards, the large ork who is sniffing and listening, leads the way into the woods.
The trees aren't particularly thick or close, and there's large clearings within the woods. Which does go on for quite a bit. As the ork weaponsmith leads on for more than a mile, before he turns to the right. Goes for another thirty yards or so, then grunts when he comes to a stop.
"A little bit of light" says Arvelle Ganard, Larris the sorcerer obliges and casts a lightball, sending it up about twenty feet up, to illuminate the surrounding area.
"Well, there's one of the duke's men" says Lisell Maera who then adds in an extremely dry tone of voice "Well, what's left of him".
Bits of a body is strewn across the ground between a couple of the trees. The only clearly identifiable feature, is the right side of the torso, and the right leg.
"Where's the other one?" says Arvelle the plainsman who continues on with "Duke Lombasil said two of his scouts went missing".
Dorc da Orc points up and to the right. The rest of the group look to where he points.
And they see the body of the other scout in the duke of Falosen's army, hanging over a branch about twenty feet up.
This scout is more intact, with what looks like half of his throat missing, and some of his face.
After looking up at the body in the tree for a few moments, Arvelle the plainsman looks at the ork weaponsmith, and asks him "Where's the dead waagen?".
The son of the former matriarch of the wolf tribe of orks grunts, then says "This fucken way".
With the lightball created by Larris the sorcerer following them, the large ork leads them by the tree with the dead scout up it.
And walks on for nearly another hundred yards or so, going across uneven ground between the trees. Before he finally stops at the base of a tree and growls.
Where lies a dead waagen, that's missing the right arm below the elbow. Has at least ten arrows, most of them broken off, sticking out of it. And is covered in multiple slashes and cuts through it's thick matted fur.
No one says anything for a little while, until the silence is broken by sir Percavelle Lé Dic saying "Hmmm it doth seem to be much smaller than those I've encountered in the past, wot".
Dorkindle grunts in agreement with his rival, the nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic.
Arvelle aka Zubutai Timaginson who has encountered waagen once before. Over a dozen years ago, in a winter war between two nobles in the southern kingdom of Melaurn. Where he was still Zubutai the barbarian hordesman. Which incidentally was the last time that both the former earl of Lé Dic and the ork warleader fought waagens.
Crouches down and looks closely at the dead waagen, that's lying face down on the ground.
He sees that it isn't particularly tall, probably around the same height as Larris the sorcerer, who at five foot, ten inches tall. Is the shortest one of them here.
Nor is it as bulky or muscular as any waagen he's ever seen or fought against in the past.
The former illegal wrecker stands up, and looks at the ork general, and asks him "What do you think happened here?".
"This fuzzy cunt was left behind, he too fucked up to carry on" explains Dorkindle, who continues on with "And those two fuckers back there ran into him, and they have a scrap".
The large ork who can easily read what happened by the tracks and marks across the ground then says "Fuckface here killed them two scout cunts" he then adds "Not before that one ripped to fucken bits got in a killing blow".
The ork warleader steps forward and says "See" as he kicks the dead waagen, rolling it over. Revealing that there's a gaping whole in it's stomach, and that most of it guts and intestines are on the ground beside it.
"This lil' man doggy gots mads and tore that cunt back there a new asshole for cutting him open" says the big, burly ork who is from the southern polar region of the world, who then adds "Then he came this fucken way with his tummy all open and leaking out, then he fall down here and fucken die".
Arvelle Ganard nods as that seems more than plausible, and infact knowing the ork warleader it's probably accurate.
The member of lord Farque's personal council is silent for a few moments as he looks down at the dead waagen.
Then the tall plainsman with the shaved head looks over at Larris the sorcerer and quietly asks him "Didn't you say they grow at an extraordinary rate just after they've been turned?".
Nodding his head, the subaltern in the armies of Farque says "So I've read" the spellcaster from the lands Farque continues with "In the first few weeks their rate of growth is phenomenal".
Larris as he looks at the corpse of the waagen, then says "Though you wouldn't guess it from looking at this one".
"I think it did" murmurs councillor Ganard in the hordes dialect from the southern tundra.
While behind him, Lisell Maera the messenger and Tovis the war engineer share a look after looking at the dead waagen, which is a lot smaller than what they've been told they usually are.
After one last look at the furry creature, with the vaguely canine like face and snout.
Arvelle the plainsman says to Dorc da Orc "Which way did the rest of them go?".
Gesturing in the direction it looks the dead waagen was trying to go, the ork weaponsmith says "That-a-way".
The former illegal wrecker from the Kaldel Plains nods, then says to the large ork "Lead the way".
Dorkindle sets off, and the rest of the group follow him. With Larris keeping his lightball up above them, as they head through the woods with it's many clearings, on this cold, late autumn night here in the very west of the kingdom of Girdane.
The ork warleader goes for another half a mile or so, until he suddenly stops, and growls.
"What is it?" quietly asks Arvelle aka Zubutai the son of Timaginson, as the large ork drops to his hands and knees, and looks closely at the ground.
"Fucken gone" says the general in the armies of Farque, the council member crouches down next to him, when he says "Fucken see".
Arvelle Ganard looks at what the ork weaponsmith points at, and the tall plainsman with the shaved head sees the tracks on the ground, from a number of waagen, that suddenly disappear.
"Magic" says the former illegal wrecker as he stands back up.
"A gateway" says Beldane the cleric "Or a portal, or a rift" adds Larris the sorcerer, as any one of those spells is what's likely to explain the waagen disappearing without further trace.
"They can't cast" quietly says the subaltern in the armies of Farque, Larris continues with "Since they're immune to magic, that also means they can't cast".
Arvelle aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman nods, then he quietly says "Well we now know they've got a spellcaster working with them".
The member of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, then turns and looks back in the direction they've come from, and after a few moments of silence, he says "And also know something else too".
"What's that?" asks Larris the sorcerer.
"All those missing children" says Arvelle Ganard, and as Lisell Maera and Tovis the war engineer share another look.
The tall plainsman with the shaved head continues with "We know what's happening to them" after a brief pause he adds "They're being turned into waagen" . . . . . .