The Journey 37.

Autumn. The Province Of Wilshaw.

"Well one of them knows what the fuck they're doing" says lord Farque who then adds in a sour tone "Unfortunately".
The undead warlord points away to the west, and then to the northwest as he continues with "See they're patrolling in grids" followed by "With their quicker ships, their cutters and the like, on the outer fringes keeping an eye out for their enemies".
The heavily armoured deathlord is silent for a few moments, before he says "No doubt they've sent their dragons out to look for them too".
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque briefly pauses before he adds "Which might be the only good thing really" he follows that with "If we proceed cautiously we might be able to continue westwards" the lord of the death realm then mutters "Well i fucking hope that we can".
They set down this morning after following the battlefront between the Balford and Golmard factions here in the province of Wilshaw.
The reason they landed the Quick Gull, was because the battle. Well more like skirmishes on a long front that goes for miles.
Broke apart when the black and white dragons, the royal pair from the capital Fanile.
Suddenly turned up and killed a quartet of red dragons in the Golmard faction. And as suddenly they appeared, they disappeared.
The effect of which sent airships and armies in both warring factions, scattering across the sky, and the across countryside below.
Though they followed at some distance, lord Farque along with Helbe the elven thief, Jarjin Littlefoot the halfling, and Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy.
Along with the two spellcasters, Mira Reinholt the mage, and Beldane the cleric all witnessed the attack by the royal dragons on the Golmard faction's dragons.
With the lord and ruler of the lands Farque saying as they watched, that finally there were two dragons acting like dragons elsewhere in the world would act and behave.
Without riders, and more vicious than the tame dragons of the various factions they've seen whilst here in the kingdom of Terrindim.
The heavily armoured deathlord who is on the stern deck of the Quick Gull with the members of his personal council, looks to the north and points, and says "A merchant vessel".
"And they're going to intercept it" says Helbe the elven thief as in the distance, those with longsight, see a few of the quicker Balford faction vessels heading towards the slow moving trading vessel.
The undead warlord, who is also known by the name of Draugadrottin to the people of his lands, grunts when he sees this, then mutters something in a language the others don't understand.
Then in the elven language, which they're speaking, the heavily armoured deathlord says "There's a village away to the north of us" followed by "We'll head there, and wait to see if they continue these new patrols, or if they'll go off and fight that other lot again".
The undead being, who has the elven name of Des'tier, which means The Destroyer, turns to the captain of the Quick Gull and tells him in the common language, to lift off, and head due north.
It's not too long before the small, sleek looking airship, originally from the Sultanate of Dreese, which is on the east coast of the continent.
Is heading north in the late morning sunshine, on what's a cold autumn day here in the province of Wilshaw. The province considered the first of the western provinces in the kingdom of Terrindim.
They get to the village just seven miles to the north fairly quickly, arriving just before midday.
Where they put down just outside the decent sized village that's in the middle of some farmland here in the province of Wilshaw.
A province that definitely has more wilderness than in the central provinces they've gone through.
Only some of the eastern provinces with their thick forests, can compare to what they've seen so far in places here in Wilshaw.
And apparently the further west you go in the kingdom, the more uninhibited and wild looking it becomes.
Which isn't much an advantage to them as they continue their journey westwards back to the Southlands in the western half of the continent.
It's more of a disadvantage really, considering the various factions here in Terrindim who are war with one another.
Like to fight where there's little to none of the population. Making the west of the kingdom, the ideal battleground for those factions who are at war.
Though it's only been two days since they left the capital city of Fanile, where they last got supplies, and a number of other things.
Some of them head into the village to see what they can buy, as well as find out anymore information as to what's happening further to the west, not just here in the province of Wilshaw, but in the other provinces in the western half of the kingdom.
While everyone else remains onboard the Quick Gull, keeping an eye for both airships and dragons, from the Balford and Golmard factions.
Who until earlier in the morning, were fighting across a long battlefront that stretched for dozens and dozens of miles, mainly from southeast to northwest, here in the province of Wilshaw.
There's a couple of farmers who have come into the village to sell their wares. Mainly stone fruit, and root vegetables, considering it is autumn after all.
And after they sold some of their produce just after dawn when they arrived here in the village. They're selling the rest of it at midday.
Which the mage Reinholt buys all of, and for a good price to the farmers as well.
And after the once powerful mage has a few of the Quick Gull's crew carry the fresh produce back to the airship that just sits outside the village.
The spellcaster from the city-state of Vexil, who happens to also be a highly skilled swordmaster. Along with Tovis the war engineer, gets to chatting with the pair of farmers, whose farms are next to one another, just a few miles to the north of the village.
"A lot of airships in the sky of late" says Mira Reinholt the mage, who like the others onboard the Quick Gull, doesn't bother trying to hide the fact that they're foreigners.
They've learnt that in most places that they've stopped at here in the kingdom of Terrindim. The locals like to chat with people from outside their kingdom, as they don't get that many in Terrindim.
It's no different here in this village, where they haven't seen foreign visitors for years.
"Aye that there is" says the older of the two neighbouring farmers, who continues with "Always the way out this way, the factions at war always seem to fight here, and further west in the kingdom".
"It's the way it's always been" says the other farmer, who might not be grey like his neighbour, but he's definitely bald. 
The two of them go through those factions, that they know of, who are at war with one another.
Turns out there's quite a lot actually, for there's more than a dozen factions in the kingdom who are warring against one another.
It's just that the two largest factions in Terrindim, the Balford and Golmard factions. Are just the latest war in the kingdom. A war that earlier in the week, had the Salmain faction join in on the action.
And though that war is just a few weeks old. As the two largest factions fight over the right to have a family of wild dragon egg hunters join them.
There's other wars that have been going on for years. Infact some have been going on for decades.
The two farmers, who belong to the Lombac faction, who they proudly state the queen's own brother, lord Kinvar, the lord of the exchequer is essentially the leader of.
Rather appreciate the various wars that have been continually going on for years.
As more often than not, they get to sell most of their produce to various factions who stop here in the village, and at the surrounding farms, including their own.
"Not to mention the dragons and their riders who always stop off" says the older of the two local farmers "They pay well for any stock the beasts be wanting to eat, when they get sick of hunting wild deer and the like".
"No matter what faction they be, they all pay well for a cow or sheep, and even hogs" adds the younger of the two farmers, whose properties lie just a few miles away to the north.
The mage Reinholt, who always wondered how the kingdom could sustain so many dragons within it's borders.
Nods his hooded head in understanding, as he sees how the people of the villages and towns help supply the dragons with their feed and upkeep. And for a good price by the sounds of it.
"That i am" says Tovis the war engineer, who continues with "More of an engineer than a blacksmith really".
In response to one of the farmers asking him if he's a blacksmith, considering the young engineer wears a leather smock like apron similar to what blacksmiths wear.
While the war engineer from the kingdom of Druvic, and the Vexilian mage in exile continue to chat with the two farmers.
Elsewhere in the village, as Helbe the elven thief, without anyone seeing him. Wanders around reading the minds of the unsuspecting locals.
Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit, and Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy. Who have just left a dry goods store. Where they've bought barrels and sacks of pulse, milled wheat and grain. And had them delivered to the Quick Gull. Which sits just outside the large village.
Enter a tavern that's just picking up in business, as it's now noon. And people are coming in for the midday meal.
The halfling, Jarjin Littlefoot, who the locals, and everyone else he's met so far in the kingdom of Terrindim, thinks he's a beardless, or at the very least, a very young dwarf. From one of the northern provinces, where there's a sizeable dwarven population in the mountainous region of the kingdom.
Looks around, and picks a table, which he and the spy Tanith sit at.
After ordering their drinks, and something to eat. They end up chatting to a small group of apprentices of various masters. Who are sitting at the table next to their's.
Who are ever grateful to speak with a pair of outsiders, one of whom they think is a dwarf. The other they have absolutely know idea about. As there's no elves here in the kingdom of Terrindim.
They find out the apprentices who are on their break, belong to various factions. Thankfully none who are at war with one another. As that tends to end friendships.
After the serving maid brings them their ale and food, Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit says to the lot sitting at the next table "Bit of action going on just to the west of here".
The halfling who is a former air sailor, who previously served in the fleet of the Sultan of Dreese, then adds "It's why we stopped in at your village, didn't want to get caught up in it".
The hobbit, who is not what he seems, continues with "Hopefully we're able to continue on our way to the very west of the kingdom".
"You should be alright" says the apprentice baker, who then spits to the side in disgust, before he adds "Well, you'd hope so, but you can never tell with that Balford lot".
The apprentice baker, obviously a member of the Golmard faction then says "You'd be safe if you ran across any of the warships in the Golmard faction".
"I don't know about that" dryly murmurs Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy in his native language to the hobbit sitting beside him.
The halfling former air sailor, who is not who he appears to be. As he's actually a human by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, a hordes outrider from the southern tundra, who just happens to find himself inhabiting the body of the former air sailor from the Sultanate of Dreese.
Slightly nods his head in agreement with the elven spy sitting beside him, before he takes a drink from his mug of ale.
Jarjin aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman then asks the youngsters at the next table "Any others we have to be careful of if we continue our journey west?".
"Quite a few actually" says a big young man, who is the striker for the blacksmith in town.
"But over the last couple of days, apart from the Golmard and Balford faction fleets in the skies here abouts" continues the blacksmith's apprentice, who then adds "We've caught sight of a few of who we think are the Salmain faction".
"Don't usually see them down these ways" says another apprentice, who works in the nearby mill "What them being from the northern mountains".
He nods at the halfling who he thinks is a dwarf, as he says "You'd probably know more about them than us.
"Fairly dark looking ships?" says the hobbit who is a member of lord Farque's personal council, who then describes the colours flown from the Salmain faction.
Jarjin aka Zubutai the son of Timagin, then adds "Blue dragons too" followed by "Mainly darker blue ones".
"That's them alright" says another of the apprentices at the table next to the one that the halfling and elf are sitting at.
"They've been lurking around for the last few days" adds the apprentice, who by the looks of him, and his attire, works in a shop of some kind here in the village.
"They'd be wanting to move in on the big war between the Balford and Golmard faction no doubt" says the blacksmith's apprentice.
"More like on Balford faction" says the baker's apprentice, who then adds "That lord Ganulf was in the Salmain faction until a few years ago, and his family still run it, and they still aren't all that pleased he went and left them" he follows that with "They'll be wanting to kill him for sure".
The other apprentices at the table nod in agreement, and though they don't know a lot about the various factions at war.
They do know that the two largest factions in Terrindim, are hell bent on having a family of wild dragon egg hunters join them.
And the one of the largest of the so called smaller factions, the Salmain faction.
Want to disrupt that war, by declaring war upon the Balford faction. Because of who is the advisor to the crown prince.
Even in this fairly remote farming village in this corner of the kingdom, they know about this.
Even though the war between the Balford and Golmard factions is still only a few weeks old.
Jarjin Littlefoot and Dalinvardél Tanith share a look, as they wonder if the Quick Gull, will ever be able to get free. And fly westwards without being interrupted by a warship or a dragon from any faction.
Particularly from the Balford and Golmard factions. And to a lesser extent, the Salmain faction.
They both rather doubt it, as they continue to chat with the table of apprentices next to them.
Here in the village tavern, on this cold, but clear and sunny autumn day, in the province of Wilshaw, in the kingdom of Terrindim . . . . . .