A Grand Design 23.

Winter. In The West Of The Kingdom Of Girdane.

Lisell Maera the messenger who has just dismounted, hands the reins of her mount to one of the soldiers.
Then makes her way forward to the advanced camp, where she finds Tovis the war engineer.
Sitting on a boulder, protected by some trees. Out of the cold wind of the morning.
After greeting the young engineer, who is originally from the kingdom of Druvic.
Lisell Maera says "Not much" in reply to Tovis the war engineer quietly asking her "Did they find out much?".
The engineer, who is a captain in the armies of Farque grunts. As he knows lord Farque went off to where some of the waagen had been killed, the first to be killed, as they've attacked both sides in the conflict that's broken out here in western Girdane.
"Seems they've only been told what they need to know" says the attractive young woman who is originally from the city-state of Brattonbury as she sits down next to the war engineer.
"Helbe reckons they don't even know the names of the humans they're working with" adds Lisell Maera who is more commonly called Lis by the others in the group.
"Well, the one the lord ah spoke to, doesn't seem to know" continues the messenger in the armies of Farque.
The young engineer, who once served in the army of a baron Harkonin, in his homeland of Druvic.
Slightly grimaces at the mention of that from the messenger Maera. As he knows the deathlord of Farque went to raise the waagen who were killed. And to find out any information he could.
And by the sounds of it, he hasn't been all that successful in finding out information about the waagen.
Who they are, and why they are attacking the armies of both the three dukes who have rebelled against the crown, and the king himself. Who is trying to quell the revolution, and to stop the war from spreading further east into the kingdom.
"That's a pity" murmurs Tovis the war engineer, Lisell the messenger nods her head in agreement, then after she looks around at the area they're in, she quietly asks the young engineer "How are things here?".
"Good i guess" is the reply from the captain in the armies of Farque, who looks up through the trees around them, then quietly adds "At least it isn't snowing out here" the war engineer continues on with "Apparently it doesn't snow much out here" continues on Tovis, who then adds "Though it gets windy out here, as you can see" as he gestures around them. As the wind blows between the branches above them.
Lis looks through the trees to where some of the tents are, then she quietly says "Arvelle and his company should be here soon".
The young engineer who hails from the kingdom of Druvic, who is now a captain in the armies of Farque nods, then says "Has the field commander come up with a new plan?".
"He has" says the attractive young woman originally from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury, who continues with "The councillor will tell us of Tam's plans once he gets here".
Tovis nods, then he stands up and stretches, the war engineer offers a hand to Lis, who after slightly lifting an eyebrow, she takes it and stands as the young engineer says "Let's go and take a look at them".
After letting go of the messenger's hand, the war engineer leads the way through the trees, leaving the advanced camp behind.
They follow a game trail by the looks of it, occasionally passing a black clad soldier in the army of Farque.
As the trees thin out, and they start going uphill, they keep low as they walk. And eventually get to where a squad of Farqian soldiers are scattered across a hilltop, about a mile from the advanced camp.
Keeping low, Tovis and Lis join them. And when they're about to crest the hill, they drop down to the ground. And crawl forward as the wind sweeps across the hill they're on, here on this cold winter's morning in the west of the kingdom of Girdane.
On the top of the hill, the war engineer takes out a cylindrical eyepiece he's been given. And after looking through it to the east, he quietly says "There they are". Then he hands the eyepiece to the attractive young woman beside him.
The messenger, or runner as they're sometimes referred to, looks through the eyepiece. She could already see the enemy in the distance to the east. Now she gets a better look at them.
They're in hill country here in the west of Girdane, specifically the duchy of Isanor. Which is considered to be the first of the duchies in the west of Girdane. Followed by Poldis, then the three most western duchies, Dalmar, Girnath and Falosen.
The armies of the trio of dukes of the three duchies who have rebelled against the crown. Didn't have much trouble with the king's army crossing the duchy of Poldis. Nor with the duke of Poldis and his forces. As he's quite sympathetic to their cause.
And that many of the king's men who were already out here in the west of the kingdom to help stop the spread of the plague that hit the three western most duchies during the autumn. Pulled out of Falosen, Girnath and Dalmar.
And across much of Poldis, where they met the first of the king's forces to come out west to stop the rebellious dukes and their armies.
And in very east of the duchy of Poldis, the first fighting between the king's army and the armies of the dukes Lombasil, Korros and Hilloc got underway.
Now after the king's army has fallen back into the duchy of Isanor, and now the first few weeks of winter have passed. Things have ground to a halt.
With the forces of the rebellious dukes not advancing much further. And the forces of the crown hunkering down. As they hope to stop the armies from the very west of Girdane, entering the duchies in the middle of the kingdom. Which they intend to do, once they go through Isanor.
Lisell Maera or Lis as she's more commonly called by those who know her well. Watches the enemy in the distance. Where beyond a valley, she can see their camp, which looks to be growing by the day.
"We don't want to be fighting them down in that valley" quietly says Tovis the war engineer, the messenger nods in agreement with him, and does so again when he quietly adds "But we just might have to".
"I'm sure Tam and the others have figured something else out" quietly says the attractive young woman, whose mother was a street prostitute, and whose father, who she never met, was a sailor.
Well, i hope they have, the messenger thinks to herself, as she continues to look through the eyepiece at the king's army in the distance.
"They really don't want us to go further do they?" quietly says Lisell Maera "They certainly don't" quietly says the young engineer who is a captain in the armies of Farque.
As once the armies of dukes of Falosen, Girnath and Dalmar are out of the duchy of Isanor. And are into the three relatively small duchies in the middle of the kingdom.
Travelling, even in the wintertime, is fairly easy. And they'll be quickly into the eastern duchies of Girdane. Including the duchy of Marsin, where the capital city Oaklynn is located.
For if the rebellious dukes and their forces get into the duchy of Marsin. That means the crown has already lost, for there is no way to defend such a large city like Oaklynn. A city that isn't walled, that has it's airdocks outside of the city proper.
"There's quite a few of them there" quietly says the messenger as she observes the enemy in the distance.
"That there is" quietly says the war engineer, who figures the king can muster a larger army than the forces of the dukes of Dalmar, Girnath and Falosen. Even with army of Farque they've hired.
"They're pretty green, just like the armies of the dukes" quietly says Tovis, who continues with "Though they've hired mercenary companies too".
"They have?" asks Lis "To the rear, you can just make them out" says the captain in the armies of Farque.
The Brattonburian looks to the rear of the enemy, and after a few moments, she slightly nods as she spots some of the mercenary companies that have been hired by the crown.
"They definitely don't want us to go further east" murmurs the messenger, who then hands the eyepiece back to the young engineer who hails from the kingdom of Girdane.
The captain takes it, and after looking through it for a little while longer, he returns it to an inner pocket of his thick winter cloak as the cold wind blows across the hill they're on.
Then Tovis looks at the attractive young woman lying beside him, and nods back in the direction they came from.
Lis nods, then the two of them crawl backwards for a bit, then once they're below the crest of the hill, they get up, and still keeping low, they head back towards their advanced camp.
Only standing upright, once they're back amongst the trees.
"This is going to be a grind for sure" quietly says Tovis the war engineer, who gestures around them, as he continues with "This hill country isn't the place to have a decisive battle" he follows that with "And with their numbers, it'll be best if we spread out as much as we can, to thin them out".
"An insurgency Arvelle called it" quietly says Lis as they back to the advanced camp, as the wind continues to blow through the trees.
"Pick them off in smaller skirmishes as much as we can" adds the messenger, who follows that with "Until they're forced to do something they don't want to do".
"Insurgency" quietly says the young engineer, who after a slight pause, adds "Yes that's a good name for it".
Around midday of the cold and windy winter's day here in the hill country of the duchy of the Isanor.
Councillor Arvelle Ganard and his company reach the advanced camp. After going ahead on foot, to the hilltop where the enemy can be seen. And observing them for a while, the member of the personal council to lord Farque returns to the camp. And details what the new plans are.
Telling the officers, including Tovis, what they're going to do.
The war engineer's eyebrows lift up in surprise as he listens to the plan devised by field commander Drubine, ork warleader Dorc da Orc and others.
The young engineer originally from the kingdom of Druvic, looks at Lisell Maera, who though not an officer in the armies of Farque. Is here listening in on the meeting called by councillor Ganard.
And he sees that the attractive young woman originally from the city-state of Brattonbury, is also surprised at the new tactics devised by field commander Drubine and others.
Once the meeting is ended, and the officers given their orders. The councillor keeps the young engineer, and the messenger back.
Along with Larris the sorcerer, who at the moment, is part of councillor Ganard's company.
"Not much for me and my corp to do until we get to some favourable ground, and there's an actual battle" says Tovis the war engineer to the tall plainsman with the shaved head.
"I know" says Arvelle the plainsman, who continues with "That's why you will go north with the smaller force" he then adds "You'll take some of your corp and equipment with you".
The tall plainsman, who is a former illegal wrecker, then says after a brief pause "The lighter stuff that can be moved easily, not the larger war machines".
The war engineer nods in understanding, then nods again when the member of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque gestures at the sorcerer and says "Larris will go with you".
Both the spellcaster and the young engineer slightly grin as they served together during the campaign in northern Nastell, and worked well together.
"Lis you'll remain with me" says the tall plainsman who isn't what he appears to be.
As he's really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, who just happens to inhabit the body of Arvelle Ganard the plainsman.
"I need a reliable runner to relay messages back to Tam and the main force, with us here with the advanced forces" explains the member of lord Farque's personal council.
"I thought Dorc would be out here leading the advanced forces" says the attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury, who continues with "After all, this is what he's good at".
"No he'll be going north with you Tovis" says councillor Ganard.
The war engineer who hails from the kingdom of Druvic slightly frowns, then says "Is that a good idea?" followed by "Isn't Percy with those companies?".
"Normally I'd say it was a totally fucking stupid idea having those two together" says Arvelle aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman, who then adds "But not this time" he continues with "Lord Farque himself will be going north too".
The three of them, Lisell Maera, Tovis the war engineer, and Larris the sorcerer share a look, as councillor Girdane didn't mention that in the meeting a little earlier.
"The less who know about that, the better" quietly says Arvelle the plainsman in the elven language "Even amongst our own ranks" adds the former illegal wrecker who used to ply his trade up on the Kaldel Plains.
The three of them nod, then Arvelle aka Zubutai the son of Timagin says to the young engineer, and the spellcaster "You two might as well gather those here you're taking, and head back to the main camp" the tall plainsman with the shaved head then adds "They're expecting you lot".
Both Tovis the war engineer and Larris the sorcerer nod, then they move off, to collect those of the engineering corp who are in the advanced camp, who they'll take north.
Meanwhile, the member of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque says to Lisell Maera "Might as well go and take a look at them again since they're not all that far away from here".
The messenger in the armies of Farque nods, and she along with councillor Ganard, and a handful of others in his company, head up to the hilltop where the nearby enemy can be seen from.
By the time they've got to the crest of that particular hill, here in the duchy of Isanor.
Tovis the war engineer, Larris the sorcerer, and others in the engineering corp, have mounted with their gear. And are riding back to the main camp of the armies of the dukes of Falosen, Girnath and Dalmar.
To join up with those who will be traveling north, as the new plan for the campaign against the crown of Girdane gets underway.
Up on the crest of the hill, where the king's forces are being observed from. Lisell Maera as she lies there on the windy hilltop, quietly asks the member of the personal council to lord Farque "So what exactly are we doing here?".
As he looks through a cylindrical eyepiece, Arvelle Ganard the plainsman replies to the messenger's question with "We're going to pick a fight, that's what we're doing here".
The attractive young woman originally from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury, slightly winces at the prospect of that. Now that a sizeable number of their own army are leaving, and heading north . . . . . .