The Journey 12.

Autumn. Terrindim. Smalsare.

They make their way forward, low to the ground. Passing over a hill, a couple hundred yards behind a farmhouse in the middle of some fields.
There they stop and put down, when lord Farque tells the captain of the Quick Gull to halt the small, sleek looking single masted airship, that was previously in the fleet of the Sultanate of Dreese, a nation on the far east coast of the continent.
As the sun starts to rise in the east on this cool early autumn morning. Those onboard the Quick Gull look away to the west, where in the distance is the fleet they've been following as they make their way westwards across the kingdom of Terrindim.
A fleet that's increased in size expeditiously over the last day as they've joined others in their faction.
A fleet that's entering into battle this morning, as they confront their enemy once more.
"What's that other lot called again?" asks Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit, who then adds "The what faction?".
"Golmard" is the reply from Mira Reinholt the mage who is looking through his leather wrapped, brass cylindrical eyepiece as they stand in the bow, looking to the west.
"Those formations are crap" says the once powerful mage who is from a trading family in the city-state of Vexil, who have a large fleet of merchant and transport ships of their own.
The spellcaster who is in exile from his homeland the city-state of Vexil, who knows quite a bit about airships, and aerial battles, after all he's been in quite a few of them, then says "They're all in rows in basically one level".
The halfling who is a former air sailor himself, having served in the fleet of the Sultanate of Dreese, grunts in agreement, as he sees with his naturally enhanced eyesight, what's going on between the two enemy factions away to the west in the sky as the sun rises this morning.
"Both of them" dryly says the hobbit who is not what he seems, who briefly pauses before adding "Though that's the most amount of airships I've ever seen in the sky in one place" followed by "There must be over five hundred fighting ships alone, and half again as many support ships".
"I've seen more in a few battles" says the mage Reinholt who apart from being a spellcaster, is also a highly skilled swordmaster "Hell, one in the Southlands had way more than this" adds the Vexilian mage in exile.
"Where?" asks the hobbit from the Sultanate of Dreese.
"The battle of Vexil" says lord Farque as he walks forward and joins them on the bow.
The once powerful mage nods his hooded head in agreement with the undead warlord as they watch the two fleets approach one other in the air. While on the ground, their two armies are marching towards one another.
The heavily armoured deathlord gestures to the west at the two factions who are at war with one another, and says "Something this size would be a daily occurrence, in a number of places across the Southlands during the war".
Both Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit and Mira Reinholt the mage, glance sideways at the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
For whenever he mentions the war, he's referring to the invasion of the Southlands by the Holy Norstran Empire four and half centuries ago. When he died in battle killing the emperor of Norstran, effectively defeating the empire from across the Great Western Ocean that had invaded the Southlands.
"You're right" says the lord of the death realm to the mage Reinholt "The formations on both sides are fucking crap alright" adds Draugadrottin, the name he's also known by to the people of his lands.
The heavily armoured deathlord points, then says "Some of them know what they're doing" followed by "That's the lot we've been following since that fucking battle we got caught up in".
Both the halfling and the human spellcaster, both of whom are members of lord Farque's personal council.
See at the rear of the Balford faction, just infront of their supply and support ships.
A number of warships have spread out in a curved formation, and at various altitudes too.
Unlike the bulk of their fighting fleet infront of them. Who are in rows of two, as they head towards their enemy who are approaching from the west.
"By the shape of fire" mutters the spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands.
Until he lost the majority of his powers when he accidentally cast a rift/void spell that sent him offworld.
"No wonder they keep building so many damn airships here" adds Mira Reinholt who continues with "They keep fighting aerial battles like this, they're bound to loose so many of those warships".
The hobbit, who is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, who just happens to find himself inhabiting the body of Jarjin Littlefoot, nods his head in agreement with the Vexilian swordmaster in exile.
"It's starting" says lord Farque who points towards the rear of the Golmard faction in the west, as he adds "A Balford dragon".
The mage Reinholt looks quickly through his eyepiece, while next to him, Jarjin aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman looks to where the deathlord of Farque has indicated.
And they suddenly see a burnt orange coloured dragon appear out of no where, spraying fire from its maw down at the Golmard army on the ground.
After a few moments it shoots up towards the Golmard fleet as two other dragons suddenly appear out of thin air, and chase after it. They can't hear the two pursuing Golmard dragons roaring, but they can definitely see it from where they are.
"And so the shitshow begins" quietly says the undead warlord as they and everyone else onboard the Quick Gull watch the battle away in the distance to the west of them.
The front line of airships from both factions come within spellcasting range of one another, and spells go flying between the smaller warships in the front of both factions.
Some hit the mark, but are repelled by the wards around those vessels that are hit.
While others that hit the mark, penetrate those protective wards, and inflict damage. It's not long before the first ships on both sides of the conflict start falling out of the early morning sky, on this cool autumn day here in the province of Smalsare in central Terrindim.
"A battlecruiser, hell even a frigate with say thirty magetubes would wreck absolute havoc in a battle like this" says Mira Reinholt as he continues to look through his leather wrapped, brass cylindrical eyepiece at the aerial battle.
Jarjin Littlefoot nods in agreement, for if a battle like this was to take place in the Southlands, there would be magetube shots crisscrossing the sky.
But here in the kingdom of Terrindim, where such magical weapons don't exist. Each warship, has to rely on their spellcasters to conduct any kind of offence at range.
Though when enemy ships get close to one another, archers and crossbowmen will come into effect.
While when they get really close, crews will try to board an enemy ship and take it over.
As any warship gained in battle is a worthy prize. Considering so many airships are destroyed or badly damaged in aerial combat here in the kingdom of Terrindim.
Though most of that damage is conflicted by the most destructive weapon any faction has. Their dragons.
As it proves to be here this morning, over the farmlands in the central districts in the province of Smalsare.
Where the Balford and Golmard factions are engaged in battle once more. Where their dragons are inflicting the most damage.
The Golmard faction have the advantage of two extra dragons. As they have nine here, while the Balford faction have seven.
Though that numerical advantage isn't showing too much at this early stage in the battle.
For the simple reason two of the Golmard dragons, bright red beasts. Are in pursuit of one of the Balford dragons. The large burnt orange coloured one, that started the battle this morning.
It's weaving, ducking and diving through the rear of the fighting ships of the Golmard fleet.
Scorching warships, and flinging spells at others. Burning and destroying many of them, and badly damaging the rest.
"That dark orange one is getting stuck into them" says Mira Reinholt as he continues to watch the battle through his eyepiece.
"That one and it's rider know what they're doing" adds the highly skilled swordmaster who recognises the Balford dragon in question, as one of the two that they saw a handful of days ago, in the aerial battle further east in the province of Darnass that they found themselves get caught up in.
"Hmmmmm" murmurs Jarjin aka Zubutai the son of Timagin, who continues with "For now" followed by "But I'm betting the superior numbers in dragons the Golmard faction have will be the difference at the end of the day".
The halfling from the Sultanate of Dreese, and the spellcaster from the city-state of Vexil look at the large figure, in the dark blue/black suit of full heavy plate armour standing next to them, to see what he thinks.
"Maybe" says lord Farque who isn't actually watching the battle away to the west at the moment, he's looking northwards, and behind the faceplate of his full helm, the undead being has a slight frown upon his face.
"What is it?" asks the swordmaster Reinholt who notices the undead warlord isn't paying attention to the battle at the moment.
Looking at the once powerful mage, the lord and ruler of the lands Farque says to him "Tell him to look northwards" followed by "I'm pretty certain there's another fleet coming this way".
The mage Reinholt nods his hooded head, then looks straight up into the early morning sky above the Quick Gull, and casts a mindspeech spell.
Helbe the elven thief is floating in the sky. Infact he's lying down as he floats nearly a thousand feet above the farmland below.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel who is lying on his side, resting his head on his right fist as he observes the aerial battle away to the west.
Grunts, then stands up in midair, turns and looks away to the north.
"What is it?" asks Narladene the ground pixie who flutters over the hooded head of the highly talented elven magic user she's attached to, and lands upon his right shoulder.
"Another fleet apparently" says Helbe the elven thief, who continues with "Away to the north somewhere".
The elven masterthief who is a member of the royal family that rules the principality of Laerel says "I can't see".
"There" says Narladene as she interrupts the elf from the Southlands, who is a member of lord Farque's personal council.
Helbe the elven thief nods his hooded head a moment later, when he sees what the tiny winged creature standing on his right shoulder has spotted.
"Hell, they're flying fast" murmurs the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel, an island principality that's off the coast of the Southlands.
The highly talented elven magic user then informs the mage Reinholt by way of the mindspeech spell between the two of them, what he's seeing.
"There's about forty five, no fifty warships" says Mira Reinholt to lord Farque and Jarjin Littlefoot.
The once powerful mage who is speaking in elven, continues with "With about twenty support vessels trailing behind them" he then adds "They're less than twenty miles away to the north, and the warships are flying fairly quickly too".
"I wonder which faction they belong to?" says the hobbit who is a former air sailor, who nods away to the battle to the west of them.
"Or if they belong to another one?" quietly says the undead being who has the elven name of Des'tier, which translates to, The Destroyer.
The mage Reinholt briefly pauses at that, then he resumes with what Helbe the elven thief is telling him by way of mindspeech.
"No dragons with them" continues the Vexilian mage in exile.
Just a few moments after that, the lord and ruler of the lands Farque says "There is now".
A moment or two after that, the once powerful mage says "Three of them" as he relays what the elven masterthief is telling him.
The next moment, the young elven noble suddenly appears beside them on the bow of the Quick Gull, and he says "Fuck staying up there any longer" followed by "That new lot are going to pass by to the west of us by less than a mile".
For though he was blurred and shielded when he was floating up in the early morning sky, that won't be worth a damn to a dragon, who can see through anything he casts.
"Hopefully they won't bother about us, and concentrate on the battle instead" says Jarjin aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman a little nervously.
"You hope" dryly says Mira Reinholt the mage with a sideways glance down at the halfling who hails from the Sultanate of Dreese, which is found on the far east coast of the continent.
"You got that right" mutters the hobbit who is a former air sailor in the fleet of the Sultanate he's from.
"Those new dragons are all blue" says Helbe the elven thief to the undead warlord "Well, different shades of blue, but essentially all blue" adds the elven princeling from the principality of Laerel.
Lord Farque is silent for a bit as he contemplates something, then after he confers with his sword about something, the heavily armoured deathlord says to the three on the bow deck with him, who are all part of his personal council "This new lot is from a different faction than those two". As he gestures away to the west at the battle that's well and truly underway.
After a moment's pause, and after he glances at his fellow councillors, Helbe the elven thief asks "Are you certain?" and Mira Reinholt the mage adds "How do you know?".
"Of course I'm fucking certain" dryly says the lord of the death realm, who then adds "I know because of their dragons".
Draugadrottin who like his trio of councillors is speaking in the elven language, then explains to them "Each faction's dragons are different colours" followed by "That one i killed was a deep red colour, and the other Golmard dragons are various shades of red".
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque then says "While the Balford ones are various shades of orange and yellow" he then adds "While this new lot are different shades of blue".
"Makes sense i guess" says Jarjin aka Zubutai Timaginson with a nod of his head "A kind of logic to it" adds the halfling who is not what he appears to be.
The two spellcasters, the mage and the elven magic user nod their hooded heads in agreement. While on the right shoulder of the elven masterthief, the ground pixie Narladene, nods too.
"What will they do when they turn up is the question" quietly says prince Helbenthril Raendril of Laerel.
"Hopefully not attack us" mutters the hobbit who is a former air sailor.
"I doubt they'll attack both the Golmard and Balford factions" says the mage Reinholt, who continues on with "They don't have as many ships, or as many dragons".
"Or will they join one of the other factions, and help them?" says the elven masterthief, followed by "Or be totally opportunistic, and attack whoever is defeated" as he gestures away to the west, to the battle that's taking place.
"Well, whatever they do, we're going to find out fairly soon" says lord Farque who looks to the north, and even though the hill behind them is blocking their view in that direction, he can clearly sense these three new dragons, and the fleet they're with, heading in this direction.
"Because that lot are flying at speed as they come this way" adds the undead warlord as they all continue to watch the battle between the Balford and Golmard faction, here in the province of Smalsare on this cool, early autumn morning in this part of the kingdom of Terrindim . . . . . .