A Grand Design 48.

Winter. Oaklynn. Girdane.

The lady Mera and the house maid Lissa look at one another when they hear another explosion.
This one much closer, from the sounds of it, over in the city council building, which is just next door.
The two of them hurry through the suite, into the drawing room. Where one has a good view of the council building next door.
"By the gods and all that's mighty" gasps the house maid Lissa as they look out the window, and see across the side courtyard to the city council building on the otherside of the fence.
There's a cloud of dust and debris coming from a hole in the roof of the building that's next door, where the regret of Oaklynn and the city council usually conduct business.
"Whatever is going on?" murmurs the lady Mera, who though hates her husband for what he does to her.
She can't help but feel worried for what's going on this morning in the capital.
"I'm not sure my lady" replies Lissa, who after a moments pause continues with "I'm sure your husband the regent is fine at the palace" the house maid then silently adds in a sour tone, unfortunately.
"That first explosion did sound like it came from up at the palace" muses the noblewoman who is from the duchy of Dalmar, where her older brought Hilloc is the duke.
Hopefully the regent got blown up there, Lissa thinks to herself, the house maid, who like her lady, is originally from the far west duchy of Dalmar, then says "Maybe i should go and find out what's happening?".
Though she doesn't particularly want to, as it's extremely cold this morning. And without a doubt even colder outside. Besides, she doesn't want to be out there if another explosion occurs.
It turns out the house maid doesn't have to go out and find what's happening. As they hear shouting from out in the hallway.
It's one of the housekeepers, who is calling for the lady of the house.
The young noblewoman who is the wife of lord Sammis the regent of Oaklynn, and the house maid share a look. Then they hurry through the suite, to the door to the hallway.
Which Lissa opens, and one of the housekeepers who has been knocking on the door. Stands there, looking half frightened to death.
"What is it Marg?" asks lady Mera "Oh my lady" gulps the housekeeper, who is younger than both the noblewoman, and the house maid.
"There be fighting out on the streets my lady" says the housekeeper, who continues with "The guards" meaning the regent's soldiers "Are fighting against invaders who have poured into the city" adds the young housekeeper.
"Invaders?" says the lady Mera in alarm.
"The rebels my lady" says the housekeeper Marg, who follows that with "The ones from out west" she continues in despair with "They're in the city".
How the hell did they get here? is the noblewoman's first thought, quickly followed by thoughts of her brother Hilloc, the duke of Dalmar.
Mera knows that her brother Hilloc rebelled against the king and crown for the betterment of his people in the duchy of Dalmar. And the two other far west duchies in the kingdom of Girdane, the duchies of Girnath and Falosen.
But she also knows deep down in her heart, that her older brother rebelled for her.
For it's fairly common knowledge throughout much of the kingdom, that lord Sammis the regent of Oaklynn forced the lady Mera into marriage.
And that the recently departed king of Girdane, king Jarnard the Second of his name.
Was complicit in the forced marriage of the lady Mera of Dalmar, to his cousin the regent of Oaklynn.
And that duke Hilloc of Dalmar, along with most likely his cousin sir Passic, who was like another older brother to Mera. Want revenge for what was done to her.
As the frightened housekeeper looks down the hallway, the lady Mera quickly glances at the house maid Lissa and grins.
The house maid is grinning too, a grin which she wipes from her face when the housekeeper looks back at them. "Best you go and check on the others Marg" says the lady Mera who continues with "Make sure everyone is okay".
The housekeeper gulps, then nods, and hurries away. As she goes one way along the hallway.
The lady Mera and the house maid Lissa after a quick look at one another, hurry the other way. Heading towards the front of the mansion, that's the regent of Oaklynn's residence here in the city, that's the capital of the kingdom of Girdane.
Here on the third floor of the mansion, in her husband's study, lady Mera along with the house maid Lissa, open the curtains and look through the glass windows.
Where across the front courtyard, they can see onto the long street that runs through this part of the city of Oaklynn.
"They don't look like soldiers from out home way" murmurs the lady Mera, who will always think of the very west of the kingdom, especially the duchy of Dalmar, as home.
"That they don't my lady" quietly says Lissa, who after a pause, continues on with "Wasn't there something about your lord brother and the other western dukes hiring a mercenary army?".
The young noblewoman who was forced into a marriage with lord Sammis, a man over twenty years older than her. Who had been married twice previously. Whose first two wives died in rather suspicious circumstances.
Slightly nods her head, then says "They did". As she overheard her husband a number of times over the last couple of weeks, complaining about a mercenary army that the three rebellious dukes had hired.
"That could be them" says Lissa the housekeeper, as they watch the black clad soldiers, most, if not all on horseback.
Fighting against her the regent's soldiers out on the long street that goes through the middle of the city that's the capital of the kingdom of Girdane.
"I do hope they are" quietly says the lady Mera as they watch a number of the black clad horse soldiers, ride in through the open gates of the regent's residence. After cutting down the small squad of the regent's soldiers who were on gate duty.
The noblewoman who is the younger sister of the duke of Dalmar, along with the house maid, who is her closet friend.
Can't help but feel a little worried as they watch the mounted soldiers all in black, ride across the courtyard to the mansion that's the residence of the regent of Oaklynn.
"Shit, did you see that?" asks captain Kilmane as they run through the park like grounds in the center of the city, between the palace of the king, and the mansion that's the residence of the regent of the capital city of the kingdom of Girdane.
"What?" asks lord Sammis the regent of Oaklynn, who is struggling to keep up with the younger captain, and the keeper Sarmac. Who might be around the same age as the regent, but is far more physically fit than he is.
Only the wizard Haric, who is following behind them, is struggling more than the nobleman who is the regent of Oaklynn.
And that's because the spellcaster, is fat. And is almost tripping up on the hem of his rumpled ruby coloured robes with every step he takes. As he runs while holding up the bottom of his robes.
"Riders in your residence" says the captain in the regent's army "Those mercenaries the rebel dukes have hired" adds captain Kilmane.
The keeper Sarmac nods his head in agreement, as he saw them too.
While the regent Sammis, who is near enough to being the defacto king of Girdane at the moment. Who was looking forward to today as his name was about to be put forth as the new king of Girdane.
Mutters "Shit, shit, shit" when he finds out who is in the grounds of his residence. A place that he and the other three are fleeing towards.
Seeing the look of concern upon the face of the regent of Oaklynn, the captain in the regent's army says "We should still be fine" Captain Kilmane continues with "We'll just go around the back, and get in that way".
The regent, the last living member of the royal family that's led the kingdom for the last one hundred and twenty years.
Nods his head when he hears that reassurance from the officer in his army that he trusts the most.
As they intend to get into his mansion, and enter the tunnels beneath it. Specifically the tunnel that connects his residence, with the city council building next door.
As beneath that building, is the start of a myriad of tunnels that go out beneath the city of Oaklynn.
"Through here" says captain Kilmane gesturing ahead to some row of trees, through which goes a path.
The captain in the regent's army looks back, and calls out "Keep up Haric!". For though captain Kilmane doesn't particularly care for the portly wizard.
He will admit, the spellcaster is there best chance of escaping with their lives.
That's if Haric even casts again. As he's too scared to do so. Fearing he might alert a mage who is nearby, who attacked the palace of the king, just a short while ago.
After going another seventy yards through the park, captain Kilmane brings them to a stop when they get to the fence on the northeast corner of the regent's mansion.
The captain who has ducked down behind some rocks, and a tree a few yards back from the fence.
Can see some of the mercenaries hired by the enemy, on the north side of the large mansion.
Just milling around the doors, holding the reins of their mounts, while others by the looks of it, have gone inside.
The captain in the regent's army looks back and sees Haric the wizard still coming this way.
The fairly powerful spellcaster is breathing heavily, and his face is bright red this particularly cold winter's morning here in the city of Oaklynn.
Captain Kilmane points away to their left, and quietly says "There, it's the hidden gate".
The keeper Sarmac nods, as he has used that gate a number of times over the years.
While lord Sammis, who has heard of it, has never actually seen it, let alone used it since he's taken up residence in the regent of Oaklynn's abode.
"We'll have to be careful going through, and crossing over to the mansion itself" quietly says captain Kilmane.
Pointing at the stables, and the building attached to it where the regent's covered coaches are stored, the keeper Sarmac says "We might want to use them as cover".
Nodding in agreement, captain Kilmane says "We will". Then all three of them turn their heads to the right, when the wizard Haric finally joins them, and drops down to the ground next to them.
As he sits there, half leaning against the rocks they're behind, Haric the wizard as he breathes heavily, gasps "Best we hurry" he follows that with "I think we're being followed".
After quickly looking back in the direction they've come from, and not seeing anyone, captain Kilmane takes the wizard's word for fact, and says "Come on then, let's go".
He stands up, followed by the regent Sammis, and the keeper Sarmac, who helps the heavily breathing wizard to stand.
The captain in the regent's army works his way around to the left, then he hurries forward to the fence of wrought iron.
And he grabs a hold of two of the bars, which has another two between them.
He runs his right gloved hand down one, until he feels the slight indentation, which he twists. He hears a slight click, and the captain pulls on the hidden gate that looks like the rest of the fence, which swings open.
Kilmane hurries through, and hurries towards the back of the stables, followed by the regent of Oaklynn, lord Sammis.
Then the wizard Haric goes through the gate, and the keeper Sarmac, who closes the hidden gate behind him.
Followed by the others, captain Kilmane makes his way, around to the south side of the stables.
"Shit" mutters the regent of Oaklynn's most trusted officer when he sees across to the city council building that's next door, and sees the damage that's been done by an explosion there.
Lord Sammis looks around the captain, and winces when he too spots the damaged city council building.
"Think they know about the hidden tunnels?" quietly asks the regent of Oaklynn, who was hoping to be the king of Girdane by the end of the day.
"I hope not" is the quiet reply of captain Kilmane, who after a quick look back at the others, says "Lets go".
The captain in the regent's army leads the way, and goes around the south side of the stables, and across the back courtyard, which is thankfully empty.
As he's behind captain Kilmane, lord Sammis sees the younger man stagger when they near one of the doors on the backside of the mansion.
Then his most trusted officer sprawls forward on the ground, just before the door. Completely immobile, and unconscious by the looks of it.
The regent of Oaklynn spins around, and sees Sarmac the keeper drop to the ground too.
While the wizard Haric briefly stands there, shaking his head as if he's trying to clear it, before he drops to the ground as well.
As he stands there in the early morning sunshine on what's an exceptionally cold day here in the city of Oaklynn, the regent of the capital city mutters "What the fuck?" as he wonders what's going on.
Then lord Sammis feels himself blacking out, and he drops to the ground as well.
The nobleman who is the last living member of the royal family, as he lies there on his side, inwardly rages at what's happened this morning before he falls into unconsciousness.
Lord Farque slows to a walk and sourly smiles as he senses what's happened nearby in the mansion of the regent of Oaklynn.
The undead warlord looks back, and waits for Dorc da Orc to catch up, once the ork warleader does.
They walk the rest of the way to the fence that surrounds the mansion of the regent of Oaklynn.
The heavily armoured deathlord grabs the ork weaponsmith, then leaps over the twelve foot tall wrought iron fence.
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque nods his full helmed head in greeting to some of his soldiers, who greet him when they spot him and the ork general.
Draugadrottin as he's also known by to the people of his lands, makes his way around to the back of the mansion with the big, burly ork who is from the southern polar region of the world.
There, just infront of one of the doors. They find the regent of Oaklynn, lying unconscious. Along with three others. A captain in his army, another soldier. And a wizard.
Standing over them, is the hooded figure of Helbe the elven thief.
As Narladene the ground pixie lands upon the right shoulder of the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel who she's attached to. Lord Farque dryly says "I see you got them".
"Of course" says Helbe the elven thief, who before dawn this morning, was over a hundred miles away to the west, in the central region of the kingdom of Girdane.
"Someone has to take care of things" adds the highly talented elven magic user who is a member of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
The lord of the death realm doesn't respond to that, instead he looks at the four on the ground, unconscious thanks to a spell from the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel.
And as Dorkindle starts to drool as he eyes the rather fat wizard in the ruby red robes.
Lord Farque looks at the elven princeling, who points at the unconscious regent of Oaklynn, and says "You won't believe what he's been up to" as he's already read the mind of the regent.
The elven masterthief then explains to the undead warlord what lord Sammis, the regent of Oaklynn has done . . . . . .