The Journey 5.

Autumn. The Kingdom Of Terrindim.

Factions. Those organizations within Terrindim that encompasses pretty much everything in the kingdom.
The factions are along political and religious lines.
Where within a faction, you have similar beliefs as others. And true you might have various differences here and there. For the main part your beliefs are the same.
Anyone can be in factions. From the lowest born peasant to a prince of the realm.
If you have more or less the same beliefs. You'll find yourself in the same faction.
The factions don't discriminate when it comes to your standing in society.
If you're a base born commoner who believes in the same thing as a high prince. Then you'll be in the same faction.
For the most part. Families tend to be in the same faction.
You'll find farmers and their families in the same faction with a nobleborn family who have the same beliefs.
You'll have nobles who have a blood feud with other family members. Put aside their gripes when it comes to the wants of the faction they all belong to.
Though this might be the norm. That doesn't mean all family members belong to the same faction.
As individuals have different beliefs no matter what their standing in the kingdom's society.
And you'll often find family members in different factions.
Though when it comes to influential families, typically nobleborn. They'll put all differences aside, so that they can belong to the same faction.
It's in rare circumstances that in such influential and important families where you'll find individuals in a different faction than the rest of the family.
For the most part, the factions don't have much of an impact on everyday life.
In villages, towns and cities throughout the kingdom. You'll find people of many factions working and living alongside one another.
And true, where some noble families, who rule a city or province might also command a particular faction.
That doesn't mean others in various factions don't live and work in those places. Infact it's pretty much well the norm that they do. Anywhere in the kingdom.
From the mountain country in the north of Terrindim, to the lush farmland in the centre and the south of the kingdom. To the heavily forested east of the kingdom, to the more drier, and less fertile lands out west.
The only time that's there actually tension between the factions is when it comes to dragons. In particular dragon eggs.
Tension rises, and occasional battles break out when a female dragon in a particular faction lays an egg.
While once or maybe twice in a generation or two, outright war breaks out when a dragon egg is found in the wild.
As is the case right now in the kingdom of Terrindim. Where a wild dragon egg has recently been found.
And the two largest and influential factions in the kingdom have gone to war with one another.
As they vie for the family of egg hunters who found the wild dragon egg to join their faction.
For within the kingdom, there are those few who are without a faction.
Most prominent of all, is the monarch. At present, the king of Terrindim. As the ruler of the kingdom is supposed to be above the factions.
The others who are without factions. Are those families, predominantly commonborn, who are egg hunters. Who for centuries and centuries, try to find a wild dragon egg. And when they finally do. They basically became the most important people in the kingdom as factions fight to see if they'll join them.
Now with the two largest factions in the kingdom. The Golmard faction, and the Balford faction at war with one another.
Some of the more prominent minor factions are waiting around the fringes to see if they'll enter the war, so that the family of egg hunters will have other options.
As the fight for the newly found dragon egg continues in the kingdom of Terrindim.
That's what they find out when they chased down a damaged airship from the battle they found themselves in the middle of yesterday morning.
The Quick Gull is down on the ground at the edge of some woods, behind some farmland.
Next to the small, sleek looking airship that was previously in the fleet of the Sultanate of Dreese, a nation on the far east coast of the continent.
Is the wreck of a war galley, in the fleet of the Golmard faction.
They found it and chased it late yesterday afternoon, well after the two warring fleets broke off. And brought it down in the middle of the night.
Now it lies in ruins about forty yards from where the Quick Gull is moored on the ground.
In the light on what's a cool early autumn morning, Mira Reinholt the mage after yawning, shakes his hooded head, and says "Whoever thought dragons would have such names, it's weird".
The once powerful mage who is looking at the wreck of what was a twin masted warship in the Golmard faction, then adds "They're not dragon names".
Next to the spellcaster from the city-state of Vexil in the Southlands. His fellow practitioner of magic, Helbe the elven thief nods his hooded head in agreement and says "That's what you get when you have humans raise them i suppose".
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, who questioned the couple of survivors off the nearby wreck last night, briefly pauses before he adds "What's weird is that humans raise them, and fly upon their backs".
"That's for fucking sure" dryly says the mage Reinholt, who knows dragons quite well.
As one taught him when he was a student at the Mage College of Vexil. And he was good friends with another dragon when he lived in the city of Leeabra, the capital of the kingdom of Druvic.
No way would either of those dragons let a human, or anyone else for that matter, put a saddle on them, and ride them like a horse.
Nor would they have such strange names. As a dragon's true name, has only three letters. In homage to the Greater Dragons who created the world of Volunell.
"Sunblaze" snorts Mira Reinholt, who then adds "What a stupid fucking name".
The elven masterthief, who like the Vexilian mage in exile, is a member of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque. Nods his head in agreement with the once powerful mage.
As they learnt from questioning the survivors of the nearby war galley, that the dragon lord Farque killed yesterday morning, was called Sunblaze, whose rider was a man named Cyril. Who belonged to their faction, the Golmard faction.
"And all this faction nonsense" quietly says the highly talented elven magic user, who follows that with "What's that all about?" he then adds "It's a wonder this kingdom functions at all".
The young elven noble who is the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel, briefly pauses for a few moments, before he says "Though from what we've seen so far, this place looks pretty prosperous".
Next to the elven master assassin, the mage who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, nods his hooded head in agreement. As the two of them stand at the starboard rail of the Quick Gull, looking at the nearby wreck.
As they're in the southeastern central region of the kingdom. After flying over the vast tracks of forests in the east of Terrindim. They've started to see rich farmland, with villages dotted here and there. And larger towns too. They've spotted a city in the distance as well.
And from what they've seen, this kingdom even with it's strange sort of governance, seems to be more prosperous than a lot of a nations the two of them have traveled through in the past.
It's obvious that Terrindim is fairly well off in comparison to other nations of a similar size. An obvious benefit of the amount of dragons that call this kingdom home.
They saw it first hand yesterday morning. With the air battle they were caught up in.
As that was just one of a number of fleets that both the Golmard and Balford factions have.
The two largest factions in the kingdom are wealthy, who have hundreds and hundreds of warships in their fleets.
The two spellcasters turn, and watch a yawning Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit walk their way. The halfling who has had something to eat down in the galley, has made his way up onto deck, where he joins his fellow councillors at the starboard rail.
As he looks at the wreck of the warship not far from the Quick Gull, Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit asks "How many ships did they have in that battle yesterday?".
"Over forty, nearly fifty of them" is the reply from the grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel, who then adds "The other mob had a similar amount" he briefly pauses before continuing with "And that was just the warships, they both had a bunch of transport and supply ships at the edge of the battle".
"Hell" says the halfling who was a former air sailor in the fleet of the Sultanate of Dreese.
"And that was just one of their fleets?" asks the hobbit, who isn't exactly what he seems to be.
"Yep" says Mira Reinholt, who is in exile from homeland, the city-state of Vexil "And that's the problem" adds the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster.
Jarjin Littlefoot, who is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra, by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, who just happens to find himself inhibiting the body of the halfling from the Sultanate of Dreese.
Looks at the elven masterthief, who along with lord Farque questioned the survivors of the nearby wreck last night.
"They're fighting right across the kingdom" explains Helbe the elven thief, who follows that with "It's going to be difficult for us to cross as we continue westwards" the elven master archer adds "The only reason we didn't run into them further east, is they tend not to fight over all those forests".
Prince Helbenthril Raendril then says "They don't like any kind of damage to all their wood supplies, since they build so many damn airships here".
"Makes sense i guess" murmurs Jarjin aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman, who then says "And this is just two of these, what are they called again?".
"Factions" says the highly talented elven magic user, who continues with "Yeah, just two of them".
The former air sailor from the far east coastal nation of Dresse grunts, then says "And now some of these other factions might get involved?".
The elven master assassin, and the once powerful mage nod their hooded heads yes in response to that.
"Fuck me, by the tundra gods" mutters Jarjin Littlefoot, who then quietly says "Talk about a hassle flying west".
Once again, the spellcasters nod in agreement with what the hobbit just said.
Then the three of them all turn as lord Farque comes up on deck, and makes his way to where they're standing at the starboard rail in a midships.
"They know?" asks lord Farque as he looks at councillor Reinholt.
"They know how difficult it'll be to cross the kingdom" says Helbe the elven thief, who after a brief pause, adds "We could go south down to the coast i guess" followed by "And head west from there".
"From what we learnt from those survivors, and what i remember from the last time we went by sea" says the undead warlord with a nod of his full helmed to indicate Mira Reinholt "That could take longer than flying through their fucking war they've got going on here" adds the heavily armoured deathlord who continues with "Even with their multi fleet battles happening most days".
The mage Reinholt winces as that's probably most likely, then knowing what else is a threat to them here in the kingdom of Terrindim, the once powerful mage asks his fellow spellcaster Helbe the elven thief "Did you find out how many of these pet dragons these factions have got in total?".
"We did" quietly says the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, that lies off the coast of the Southlands.
Who then slightly winces before he says how many dragons there are that belong to factions here in the kingdom of Terrindim.
"By the shape of fucking fire" mutters Mira Reinholt in disbelief, while next to him, Jarjin aka Zubutai the son of Timagin grimaces.
"From my best guess, that's more than all of the Southlands" says the elven masterthief who is a member of the royal family that rules the island principality of Laerel.
"It is" says the undead being who to the people of his lands, is also known by the name of Draugadrottin.
"Infact it's more than the rest of the world combined" says the undead warlord, who momentarily pauses before adding "So I've been reliably informed".
The other three, all members of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, look at the massive sword strapped to the heavily armoured deathlord's back.
His family's sword, known as the Sword of Power, which happens to contain the soul of a Greater Dragon. One of those beings that created the world of Volunell.
"So" says the Vexilian mage in exile after a few moments of silence, who then adds "What's the plan?" followed by "Fly west, and try and avoid the worst of the fighting?".
"That's our best bet" says the lord of the death realm, who with a nod of his full helmed head towards the nearby wreck, he continues with "From what those survivors said last night, they fight down on the ground, almost as much as they do in the air".
The undead warlord who has the elven name of Des'tier, who prematurely ended the air battle they found themselves in the middle of yesterday morning, simply by killing one of the dragons that was in the battle, says "We'll just have to try and avoid the fuckers as much as we can as we continue westwards".
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque tells his councillors "We have an advantage with the Gull, it's quicker than any of the ships i saw in that battle yesterday" followed by "So that's something".
Helbe the elven thief, who often acts as the envoy and negotiator when the armies of Farque are hired out in the Southlands, nods his hooded head then says "Still, we'll have to be careful" he continues with "Especially with their lot" as he gestures at the nearby wreck, a vessel in the fleet of the Golmard faction.
"Oh?" says Jarjin Littlefoot, who then adds "Why's that?".
"Well we did destroy a number of their ships yesterday in that battle" is the reply from the elven master archer, who continues with "And only their ships".
"We did?" says a frowning Jarjin aka Zubutai Timaginson, who follows that up with "I couldn't tell, as things were a bit bloody hectic".
"Mira teleported me over to that battlecruiser in the other fleet because it was getting too close to the Gull" says lord Farque who wryly continues with "Before i could do anything, that fucking dragon blew it up".
The lord of the death realm shrugs his broad, heavily armoured shoulders then adds "Next thing i know I'm falling out of the air, and i took the opportunity to kill that overgrown fucking lizard".
"And that's another thing" says the elven princeling who continues with "If any of them saw the lord do that, they'll be wanting revenge".
Both councillors Reinholt and Littlefoot nod to that, then the elven masterthief adds "That other faction, the Balford might not be too pleased with the lord too, if any of them saw him kill that other lot's dragon". Helbe the elven thief continues with "They might see him as a threat".
"That's because i am a threat" says lord Farque in a cold tone of voice, who after a moment's pause as the trio from his personal council look at him, he dryly adds "I can't help it" . . . . . .