Winter. Northwest Farque.
They reach the coast road later that day. Then stay the night in a roadside waystation.
Covered structures, some with walls. Others with just pillars on the corners.
Which can be found throughout the lands of Farque. For those who are traveling, who need shelter.
A unique concept found only in the nation of Farque. Not just within the Southlands. But anywhere else on the world of Volunell.
Hamblin the teenage recruit is up early the next morning. And he makes his way out of the waystation.
Where the group of recruits, along with sir Percavellé Lé Dic spent the night.
The teenager from the farming village of Polsten. Which lies about forty five miles to the southeast of the forest town of Gildin Dale.
Looks across the road, to the ocean just thirty yards away.
Until yesterday afternoon, Hamblin had never seen an ocean before.
And as he stands there in the early morning light of the new day.
He still can't quite believe the vast scope of what he's looking at, The Great Western Ocean.
Which goes for thousands of miles to the west. Until you get to the other major continent on the world of Volunell.
Hamblin knows that the former Holy Norstran Empire which invaded the Southlands four and half centuries ago.
Was from that continent on the otherside of the vast ocean that he's looking at in the early morning light.
He slightly shakes his head at the thought of hundreds of thousands of soldiers crossing The Great Western Ocean.
But they did, and they were nearly victorious in their attempt to conquer The Southlands.
They were finally stopped by a combined army led by his lord. In the battle in which his lord was killed all those years ago.
"My lord wills it" murmurs Hamblin the teenage recruit, who watches the early morning light play off the surface of the water.
Before he makes his way around to the back of the waystation to use the outhouse.
The son of farmers from the village of Polsten screws up his nose. As behind the waystation lies Dorc da Orc.
The ork general is asleep. Thankfully not snoring too loudly. Though he is lying there asleep, hugging the half eaten brown bear to himself.
Both the large ork, and the bear carcass absolutely reek. And Hamblin keeps well away from them as he makes his way to the outhouse.
After they breakfast. The ten teenage army recruits of the first group, who have been living and training in the town of Gildin Dale this winter.
Along with two of their instructors. General Dorc, and the foreign knight, sir Percavellé Lé Dic.
Continue on their way. Heading north along the coast road.
The morning has dawned fine and clear. And out here on the coast. It's noticeably warmer compared to back in the forest further to the east.
Today could easily pass for an early spring day, and not an end of winter day that it actually is.
The only time the temperature drops, is when there's a sustained wind that comes off the ocean, and hits them as they walk along the coastal road.
Apart from that, the morning is rather pleasant. Much to the displeasure of Dorc da Orc. Who wishes it was colder, much colder.
As he's already sweating as he follows behind the group of teenage recruits, and his bitter rival, sir Percavellé Lé Dic.
At the front of the line of march, Hamblin the teenage recruit quietly says in the elven language "We should be there late in the morning" followed by "Definitely before midday".
Next to the teenager who at the age of just thirteen, is the unofficial leader of the first group of recruits who have been based in the forest town of Gildin Dale this winter.
Maselle the teenage recruit nods her head in agreement, and quietly says in the same language "And not too much hassle getting us there".
Hamblin nods, then faintly smiles as Maselle dryly adds "Apart from the general and the knight arguing most of the time" followed by "And that stinking bear carcass the general's got".
Hamblin grimaces at the mention of the half eaten dead bear that the ork warleader continues to drag around with him everywhere they go.
The teenager from the farming village of Polsten is pretty sure he can smell it from up here.
And he's more than seventy yards infront of the ork weaponsmith who is at the rear of the line of march.
They continue walking throughout the morning.
And away to their left, they see white sand beaches here and there along the coastline.
Hamblin figures it will be lovely to go out and swim there in the warmer months.
He figures you can probably do so in the early spring. As it's far warmer here on the coast, compared to the vast forest away to the east.
And the farmland where he's from, which is even further east of the forest.
While away to their right, on the inland side of the coast road.
They start seeing homes dotted here and there. Farmhouses, on the cultivated land that serves the town of Halmard.
Which is on the border with the unruled lands to the north. Which isn't all that far away.
And which is their destination. After they've traveled by themselves. Along with two of their instructors. From the forest town of Gildin Dale.
Hamblin glances back, as Dorc da Orc has just shouted out something.
"What was that?" asks the teenager who is from a farming family, who live in the village of Polsten.
"What did he say?" adds the unofficial leader of the first group of teenage recruits.
"Horsey" says Jinsa the teenage recruit, who is walking alongside sir Percavellé Lé Dic, just behind Hamblin and Maselle.
Switching to the common language, Hamblin calls back to the ork warleader with "Where general?".
"Fucken thataway!" shouts Dorc da Orc gesturing in the direction they're heading.
"Comin' fucken this way" adds the large ork, who has caught the scent of a number of horses and their riders heading south along the coast road.
"No doubt a patrol from the garrison at Halmard" says Hamblin the teenage recruit.
That's exactly what it is. As they find out a little bit later. And they're met by a mounted patrol from the border town.
Light cavalry in one of their lord's armies, who are on patrol. They've been expecting the recruits and their instructors.
And after briefly speaking with riders in black. The teenage army recruits continue on their way.
As do the patrol, who continue southwards along the coast road.
As they walk north, the group of ten recruits who have been living and training in the forest town of Gildin Dale this winter.
Along with two of their instructors, Dorc da Orc and sir Percavellé Lé Dic.
Soon see the small town of Halmard in the distance to the north.
As a farmer and his wife goes by them on their wagon, wishing them a good day, as they go back south to their farm.
Keeping a eye on the ork warleader as they do so. As he pays an awful lot of attention upon their two horses, hauling their wagon.
"Any idea what we'll be doing?" quietly asks Maselle in the elven language. As they were only given a broad outline by field commander Tamric Drubine, at what they'll be doing whilst in the border town of Halmard.
"Not really" is the reply from Hamblin in the same language, who continues on with "I guess we'll be going out on patrols while we're here".
The teenage boy from the farming village of Polsten then adds "As to what specific training we'll be doing" he follows on with "I've no idea".
As they get closer to the town of Halmard, which they see, the coast road goes through the middle of.
Dorc da Orc who is at the rear of the line of march, who is getting low on both booze, and bear meat.
Slightly frowns as he walks, then the large ork who is repeatedly sniffing, as he tends to do when he comes to somewhere new.
Suddenly comes to stop as he's caught the scent of something in the town just up ahead.
"The fuck?" loudly says the ork weaponsmith, who then grunts as Garmon who is about twenty five feet infront of that ork warleader, looks back at him, and asks "What is it general?".
The big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world, just sourly smiles in reply to the largest, and oldest of the teenage recruits. Not just in that first group who have been based in Gildin Dale this winter. But all four groups of teenage recruits too.
They find out a short time later what's got the ork general's attention.
When they get to the barracks of the small garrison based here in Halmard.
And they find lying out in the sunshine in the yard infront of the adjoining stables, is the undead wardog Axe.
Who remained in Gildin Dale when they left earlier in the week.
They find out a little bit later, the massive canine arrived in the border town a couple of days ago.
And by the looks of things, he's been waiting for them to arrive here in Halmard.
They're at liberty for the rest of the day. The only time they'll get off whilst here in the small town that's on the border with the unruled lands to the north.
Hamblin who reminded sir Percavellé Lé Dic to hand their orders to the garrison commander.
Who waited around, and made sure the nobleborn knight actually did so.
Explores the town that he and the rest of the first group of recruits have been sent to.
Both in the company of one or two others in the group, or by himself.
As he like the rest of the teenage army recruits want to see what the border town is like.
As this is the first time any of the teenagers have been here.
And most of them, with the exception of Claradene and Lamis. Have never even been out to the coast before.
There's a wall on the north side of town, and Hamblin climbs the steps to the top of the wall. Which is basically battlements. Similar to what you'd find in a walled city, or a castle.
On top of the wall, Hamblin looks back down, and into the town of Halmard when he hears a commotion.
The teenager from the farming village of Polsten grins when he sees Axe running by, down on one of the streets, here on the north side of town.
The undead wardog has the half eaten brown bear belonging to Dorc da Orc between his jaws.
Hamblin then spots a huffing and puffing ork general come into view.
Chasing after Axe, yelling at the undead wardog as he tries to retrieve the carcass of the bear he killed a few mornings ago.
"Good luck trying to get that back general" wryly murmurs Hamblin the teenage army recruit.
Who then spots a laughing sir Percavellé Lé Dic following after his bitter rival, the ork warleader.
Hamblin watches them until they all go out of view. Then he turns, and looks away to the north, into the unruled lands in that direction.
There, the lands that are not in his nation. Don't look all that different than what he's seen here along the coast of the lands Farque.
The only real difference is that there's no road there. As the coast road ends here in Halmard.
The teenager from the farming village of Polsten is just wondering if anyone north of the border, lives nearby.
When Maselle makes her way along the top of the wall, and joins him as he looks out to the north.
"Think anyone over there, lives close to here?" quietly asks Hamblin the teenage recruit.
"Doesn't look like it" replies Maselle the teenage recruit who continues with "Jinsa says her father has told here, that he and his patrols travel days up north before they encounter people".
Their fellow recruit Jinsa, is from a forest village on the northern border, about a hundred miles to the east of Gildin Dale.
And her father, who is a master archer. Is a ranger in their lord's armies.
"Though I'm guessing it might be different here on the coast" adds Maselle.
Hamblin nods in agreement, then says "Especially with the travelers they get out here at times".
Here on the coast of the nation of Farque. On land, air and just off the coast, out in the ocean.
You're likely to encounter foreigners who are making their way south to the kingdom of Melaurn, which is over fifteen hundred miles to the south of the northern border of the lands Farque.
The largest nation in all the Southlands, which is far larger from west to east, than it is from north to south. As it's over four thousand miles wide from the coast to it's border to the east.
"That's how sir Percavellé first came here" says Maselle, who after a pause adds "Kind of".
As she along with the rest of the recruits living and training in the town of Gildin Dale this winter.
Have heard the former paladin tell them about his first trip to the lands Farque.
Traveling onboard a dwarven dreadnought. The largest airships to be found in the skies of Volunell.
That came down the coast of the Southlands, then into the lands of Farque as it was heading to the kingdom of Melaurn.
As he, and everyone onboard, had something in common. They were all after Dorc da Orc, who they all wanted to kill.
They were intercepted by a krean strikeship that was on patrol. Which ordered them out over the sea if they wanted to continue southwards.
From the way sir Percavellé Lé Dic tells it, that was their plan all along. When infact they wanted to stop in the lands Farque for supplies, but were unable to do so.
"Wonder if we'll see any travelers?" says Maselle, as they know they'll be joining the patrols with the members of the garrison here in Halmard. And those patrols are on both sides of the border.
"Who knows" says Hamblin as he and Maselle continue to look away to the north, into lands that are not their lord's.
"We might do" adds the teenager from the farming village of Polsten.
Who before the winter began, and he became an army recruit. Never thought he'd see the ocean. Or land's they aren't his lord's.
Now he stands here on a wall in the border town of Halmard at the end of winter, having seen both . . . . . .
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