The Lost Ones 59.

Summer. The Far East Coast Of The Continent.

Early the next day. And in the small cabin that Mira Reinholt shares with Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy.
The once powerful mage has a smile on his face as he looks down at his sword that lies on his bunk.
The spellcaster who is from the city-state of Vexil in the Southlands, lifts the unique looking weapon up. And admires it his hand.
The mage who also happens to be a highly skilled swordmaster, looks at the double bladed weapon for a while longer. Then attaches the leather sling to it, and puts it across his back. With one of the blades sticking up over his right shoulder.
The mage Reinholt, who already has his other sword. The longsword, that has a black blade, created by dragon fire. On his belt, at his left hip.
Looks around the small cabin as the early morning sunshine comes in through the porthole.
Then he picks up his pack. That has his remaining possessions. Unfortunately missing most of the spellbooks he had with him when the group came through the rift/void he accidentally cast. As they were taken off him by the Sultan of Dreese.
He stuffs his pack beneath his bunk. Then makes his way out of the small cabin he's sharing with the spy Tanith.
The Vexilian mage in exile who is a member of lord Farque's personal council, heads down the passageway. Until he gets to the first ladder, he makes his way up the steps. And comes up onto the deck of the Quick Gull, in a midships.
He looks around in the early morning light. Then heads forward to the bow. Where he sees Dalinvardél Tanith standing with Tovis the war engineer and Beldane the cleric.
They're looking out over the coast of the continent. As the small, single masted airship that was in the fleet of the Sultan of Dreese, has just reached the coast. And down below is the coastline of the kingdom of Yandiv.
On the aft deck, which is slightly raised in comparison to the rest of the deck.
Jarjin Littlefoot the halfling who is standing with lord Farque near the wheel. Watches the mage Reinholt make his way to the bow, where he joins in the conversation that Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy, Tovis the war engineer, and Beldane the cleric are having.
The hobbit, who is a former air sailor in the fleet of the Sultanate of Dreese. And who is from the mainland of Dreese.
Glances sideways and up at the large, heavily armoured figure standing next to him. Who towers over everyone else on board the small, single masted vessel.
By the looks of it, the undead warlord is unconcerned about the presence of the mage Reinholt on deck.
The halfling, who in actual fact is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, who just happens to inhabit the body of Jarjin Littlefoot.
Figures the lord and ruler of the lands Farque must of spoken to the once powerful mage, about how they all ended up here on the far east coast of the continent.
And that they've put it behind them. As the heavily armoured deathlord made no secret at how annoyed he was that they went through a rift/void that Mira Reinholt accidentally cast back in the Southlands, in the springtime.
As Jarjin aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman goes back to watching those in the bow.
Lord Farque quietly says to the ship's captain and the helmsman "Three points to port".
"Aye sir" says the captain of the Quick Gull who nods to the helmsman to carry out the order.
After the helmsman turns the wheel, and some of crew tighten the lines on the main sail.
The small airship turns to the south, and starts following the coastline in that direction.
The halfling who is a member of lord Farque's personal council looks away from the others in the bow. And pays attention to the conversation that the undead warlord strikes up with the captain of the Quick Gull, who along with most of his crew, have now left the fleet of the Sultanate of Dreese.
"How's things between the Sultanate and the kingdom of Yandiv?" asks the heavily armoured deathlord who is also known by the name of Draugadrottin to the people of his lands.
"They on friendly terms?" adds the undead being, who also happens to be the lord of the death realm. That realm of existence that lies between life and the afterlife. A realm that Jarjin aka Zubutai Timaginson knows well, as he's been to it numerous times over the last fourteen years or so.
"As well as two neighbouring nations can get along i suppose" says the ship's captain, who is keeping an eye on those of his crew, who are manning the lines of the sails.
"Skirmishes happen along the border all the time" adds the ship's captain, who continues with "Which is often undefined, as there's hardly anyone living in the very south of the kingdom, and in the north of the Sultanate".
The undead warlord nods his full helmed head in understanding. For during their time on the mainland of Dreese. They saw that most of the population lived along the coast in the middle of the nation, and further south. The capital itself, lies in the southern part of the Sultanate.
While up in the very north of Dreese, close to the border with the kingdom of Yandiv. Which is the fifth of the nations known as the five kingdoms. Which start a good three thousand miles further north in the kingdom of Wah Lee. And eventually come down to the kingdom of Yandiv, which straddles the equator.
The population is sparse to say the least. As the first town of significance in northern Dreese, is nearly fifty miles south of the border region with the kingdom of Yandiv.
"We've done patrols in the border region in the past" says the ship's captain, who continues with "And the fishing villages on either side of the border couldn't care less if they were in the Sultanate or the kingdom".
The captain of the Quick Gull after he calls out to slightly slacken one of the main sheets, says to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque "It's even worse the further you go inland" he continues with "That lot, no matter what side of the border they live on, if they have their way, will attack both the Sultanate's soldiers, and the kingdom's troops if they get the chance to do so".
"Just like a lot of the unruled lands back in the Southlands" quietly says Jarjin Littlefoot the halfling in the hobbit language to the heavily armoured deathlord.
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque, who has the elven name of Des'tier, which translates to, The Destroyer.
Nods his full helmed head in agreement with what the former air sailor in the fleet of the Sultanate of Dreese just said.
"Hopefully we can keep clear of any trouble that's going on along the border" quietly says Jarjin aka Zubutai Timaginson.
"Us?" snorts lord Farque in the hobbit language "I rather doubt it" dryly adds Draugadrottin, who dryly follows that with "We find fucking trouble when we're not even looking for it".
The halfling from the mainland of Dreese winces. Then he nods his head in agreement with the lord of the death realm.
As the two of them look forward to the bow. Where Mira Reinholt the mage is standing and talking with some of the others in the group from the Southlands.
Further south in the kingdom of Yandiv, just a half a dozen miles or so from the Quick Gull.
Helbe the elven thief who often scouts out infront. Is down on the ground, looking at a village in the southern part of the kingdom, in the border region with the Sultanate of Dreese.
Well what's left of a village. As it has obviously been attacked in the last day or two. With many of the houses and buildings burnt down.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, which lies off the coast of the Southlands, which is all the way on the otherside of the continent.
Has blurred and shielded himself. As he often does when he goes about by himself, out infront of the rest of the group.
The highly talented elven magic user, who is about four or so miles in from the coast.
Stands there and waits. He doesn't have to wait for too longer in the early morning sunshine of the day.
As Narladene the ground pixie soon pops up through the ground just infront of him, and wings her way up to the right shoulder of the young elven noble she's attached to.
"Definitely no one there" quietly says Narladene the ground pixie, who as usual when the two of them are alone, she speaks in the elven language.
"It was hit a day and half, maybe two days ago" adds the naturally magical creature who is originally from the Sunreach Mountains in the Southlands.
"The survivors fled north" continues the tiny winged creature who has just returned from the village that stands about eighty yards away.
The elven masterthief, who just happens to be a member of the royal family that rules the principality of Laerel. Infact he's the third in line to the throne. Which is a position he hopes to never have. And is unlikely to ever have too.
Nods his hooded head as he looks at the nearby village for a few moments longer.
Then the elven master assassin, who is a member of the personal council to lord Farque, shifts away, heading south through the border region of the kingdom of Yandiv.
The grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel comes across a destroyed homestead. As well as a farmhouse as he continues onwards to the border with the Sultanate of Dreese.
The elven spellcaster from the Southlands, through a mix of shifting and teleporting. Heads back towards the coast as he continues southwards.
And it's not long before he's on the coast. Where he quickly finds a fishing village that's been attacked recently too.
The village, whose inhabitants see themselves as being neither from Dreese or Yandiv.
Is badly destroyed in parts too. Though here, those who survived the attack, have remained.
From a distance, the blurred and shielded elven magic user observes them. Reading a few of their minds as he does so.
"Interesting" murmurs Helbe the elven thief, it's the first thing he's seen in sometime.
Then after he watches the survivors in the fishing village. He continues onwards to the south. And in the warm tropical climes of the equator. He teleports up onto a hill that's on the coast.
He's basically more or less on the border. If the Sultanate of Dreese and the kingdom of Yandiv bothered to draw one up and agree to it.
Prince Helbenthril Raendril of Laerel looks southwards, and in the distance, over eight miles away, and about two to three miles further inland.
Both he and Narladene the ground pixie who is on his right shoulder. Spot the burnt out ruins of what looks like it was a farmhouse.
The outbuildings, and the barn near it, are burnt out shells of what they previously were.
The elven master archer then looks directly south down the coast. He can't see it too clearly, but about four miles away, he thinks he spots another fishing village.
Councillor Reinholt shifts up into the air a few hundred feet. Then he nods his hooded head as he gets a clearer view of the fishing village he's spotted.
A fishing village that looks like it's certain to be the first settlement in the very north of the Sultanate of Dreese.
It too has been attacked. With a number of charred out remains of houses and buildings giving testament that it's been attacked recently.
Even from this distance the elven magic user can see that there's some people still living there. He can also see fishing skiffs out on the water, as some of the villagers see if they can catch anything on the morning tide.
The elven princeling from Laerel suspects that if he was to read the minds of the survivors in that particular village.
He would find out the exact same thing he found out from the survivors in the fishing village to the north, just over the border in Yandiv.
The elven master assassin who is a member of the personal council to lord Farque looks far and wide to the south, and southwest.
Not seeing much in the way of settlements, whether they be villages or farmhouses.
They population here on either side of the border, is minimal at best. With hardly anyone living here for miles.
The elven masterthief has probably come across the significant population spots in the border region between the two nations. And they've all been attacked recently.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, which lies off the coast of the Southlands.
Turns around in midair when Narladene mentions something to him.
Prince Helbenthril Raendril slightly nods his hooded head when he spots the Quick Gull in the distance, flying this way, southwards down the coast of the kingdom of Yandiv.
The highly talented elven magic user waits a little while, then with Narladene holding onto his right shoulder as she can sense he's about to cast, he teleports away, heading towards the approaching airship.
"A village?" asks Jarjin Littlefoot the halfling "Yeah two of them by the sounds of it" replies lord Farque, after they hear Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy call out something from the bow.
The elf from the principality of Alínlae in the Southlands, whose keen eyesight has spotted something. And without looking back, the spy Tanith calls out something in the elven language.
"Yeah" says the halfling from the mainland of Dreese "Two of them" adds the former air sailor in the Sultanate's fleet, after hearing what the spy Tanith just called out.
"One on the coast, and one further inland" quietly says the undead warlord, who like the hobbit standing next to him is speaking in the elven language.
Then as the heavily armoured deathlord glances to one side. Jarjin aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman quietly asks "Wonder who attacked them?".
"We did" says Helbe the elven thief as he suddenly appears right where the lord and ruler of the lands Farque glanced to.
The elven magic user, who stands on the other side of the former air sailor, Jarjin, then adds "Well, i should say some of those in the Sultan's forces who remained on the mainland".
The young elven noble who is the grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel, gestures away to the south as he continues with "Over the last day or two, they've attacked places on both sides of the border".
The hobbit who is a member of the deathlord of Farque's personal council, looks up at the large heavily armoured figure standing next to him, who towers over him and everyone else onboard, and quietly asks him "What should we do?".
"Nothing" is the reply from lord Farque, who pauses for a moment or two, as Jarjin Littlefoot and Helbe the elven thief share a look, then the undead warlord adds "Unless we have to" . . . . . .