To War 20.

Summer. Pirtgott. Corlinda. Melaurn.

"Do you have any tomes on the arcane arts?" asks Mira Reinholt the mage, who briefly pauses before adding "Magic".
"Yes sir" says the nervous looking scriviner.
Who has a right to be nervous, as the once powerful mage threatened to destroy his shop if he didn't open it.
The shopkeeper, who was hiding in his small cottage out in the back courtyard of his shop when the mage Reinholt came a knocking.
Gestures away to the shelves along the right of the shop.
The spellcaster originally from the city-state of Vexil, his homeland that he's exiled from.
Nods his hooded head, and moves off towards the shelves indicated.
While the scriviner lets out the deep breath he was holding.
The mage Reinholt who is a member of the personal council of lord Farque knows that there's no actual spellbooks in the shop.
Even with his lack of power, he can sense no spellbooks.
What he does find are a number of tomes and scrolls dealing with magic, along with it's history.
He finds the usual suspects, books and scrolls he's read since childhood.
But the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster is looking for something else.
The unusual, or unpopular theories about the various forms of magic.
The mage, who when he still had his vast powers. When he was once, the most powerful mage of his generation to be found in the Southlands.
Before he was stripped of his powers when he went offworld through a rift/void spell he accidentally cast.
Was dismissive of other types of magic. Especially the other types of magic practiced by other humans.
Is now willing to accept, and learn theories by those who aren't mages.
And he finds two books of interest, one written by a wizard, more than five centuries ago. Which he's never seen before.
And another book, a more recent one. Written less than a century ago, by a sorcerer. Which he's seen years ago, but never bothered to read.
When the figure in the black hooded cloak takes a seat at one of the reading tables, and starts going through one of the two books he's got down from the shelves.
The shopkeeper realises the foreign man isn't going to destroy his place of business anytime soon.
The scriviner makes his way over to the table, and quietly asks the spellcaster in the black hooded cloak "Do you need anything sir?".
"Not right now" replies Mira Reinholt the mage, who continues with "But I'll purchase these two books after i quickly go through them".
The scriviner brightens at the prospect of a sale, when a short time ago, he thought his shop was going to be burnt down.
The shopkeeper is about to step back, when the Vexilian mage in exile tells him "Have one of the runners outside come in here".
"Yes sir" says the scriviner, who hurries to the front door, opens it and looks out.
There he finds a number of black clad soldiers infront of his shop.
Once again, a little nervously as he finds them all looking at him, the shopkeeper clears his throat and says "He would like one of the runners to come in".
One of the soldiers, who the scriviner sees to his surprise, is a young teenage girl.
Nods and steps inside after he quickly backs away.
"Councilor?" asks Marshay the runner who speaks in the elven language.
Without looking around, Mira Reinholt the mage says in elven "I saw a tavern at the end of the street, you and the other runner get the squad something to eat and drink".
The highly skilled swordmaster turns a page in the tome he's going through, and he adds "I'll have something too".
The once powerful mage who is a member of one of the most powerful, and wealthiest trading families. Not just in his homeland of Vexil, but all the Southlands too.
Then says to the runner "Don't take anything, pay for it with your stipends".
"Yes councilor Reinholt" says the runner Marshay, who bows to the exiled Vexilian mage, then turns and makes her way back outside.
A little later, and the shopkeeper is straightening up some of the shelves.
While the foreigner at one of the reading tables, is staring out the front window, as he nurses a mug of cold ale.
The scriviner who is more upbeat, now that the customer who threaten to destroy his shop. Has paid for the two tomes he's got. In gold too, which is even better.
Clears his throat to get the silent spellcaster's attention, then asks him what he's been thinking about all morning, probably what most inhabitants of Pirtgott have been thinking about since their city came under attack just after dawn.
"Ah sir" says the shopkeeper, who has gathered his nerves, so he quickly asks "Why have you attacked our city?".
With a quirk of his lips, the member of the personal council to lord Farque, looks away from the scene outside through the window, and looks at the scriviner "Because the baron and your province are at war with your neighbours to the east in the province of Karricaw".
"I thought we had defeated them?" loudly mutters the shopkeeper, who heard the rumours yesterday go through his neighbourhood here in the south of the city.
That they, the province of Corlinda had defeated the province of Karricaw in the border conflict between the two provinces.
"You did" says the swordmaster Reinholt, who briefly pauses before he continues on with "And now you're going to lose".
The practitioner of magic, who is in exile from his homeland, the city-state of Vexil, downs the rest of the cold ale in the mug.
Gets up, and takes the two tomes he's purchased, and nods at the empty mug and plate on the table, and says to the shopkeeper "Return those to the tavern down the street".
"Yes sir" says the scriviner, as the foreigner in the black hooded cloak, nods to him, then heads to the front door of the shop.
As the spellcaster in black steps outside, the shopkeeper who usually says "Come again" to his customers as they leave.
Doesn't particularly want to say that to this customer, so instead says "Have a good day sir".
"You too" replies Mira Reinholt the mage before he steps out through the front door, and steps out into the midday sunshine.
The spellcaster who is a member of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, who is carrying the tomes he's purchased, tucked under an arm.
Heads to the right, down the street, here in the southern part of the city of Pirtgott.
As the once powerful mage is followed by the squad of black clad Farqian soldiers.
He looks away to the left through the buildings on that side of the street. And sees the keep of the baron of Pirtgott, or what's left of the keep. As it's basically one giant pile of rubble, after being attacked by the flagship in the fleet, first thing this morning.
The mage Reinholt who is just wondering how the search is going there, when suddenly out of nowhere his fellow council member, and practitioner of magic.
Helbe the elven thief appears right beside him, walking at the same pace as him.
"Find it?" asks the spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands.
"We have" replies Helbe the elven thief, who like his fellow council member, is speaking the elven language.
"A lot?" asks the Vexilian mage in exile.
"Definitely" is the answer from the young elven noble who is from the island principality of Laerel.
"Lord Gormica is certainly the smarter of the two brothers" quietly adds the highly talented elven magic user.
"He can pay us for how ever long he wants now" continues the elven master assassin who like the once powerful mage, is a member of the personal council to lord Farque.
The swordmaster Reinholt nods his hooded head in agreement with his fellow spellcaster, who quietly tells him "Not to mention what we took from the city's counting house".
Mira Reinholt arches an eyebrow, and the elf who is the envoy for the armies of Farque, says to his fellow councilor "Seems basically every noble here in the province of Corlinda kept a fair bit of their fortunes in the city's counting house".
The mage, who is also a swordmaster, a highly skilled one at that too.
Nods his hooded head in understanding when the elven masterthief quietly tells him "The lord of Salmah Forest wanted that taken too".
The elf, who is a member of the royal family that rules the island principality of Laerel then says "He wants it to help rebuild his province".
The mage Reinholt nods, as he just like his fellow councilor, is nonplussed about the destruction they and the first army of Farque wrought upon the province of Karricaw.
They were hired by the province of Corlinda to win their war with Karricaw. Which they did, and fairly quickly too.
Then after that hire came to an end. They took up the hire of the defeated. Lord Gormica of Salmah Forest in the heart of the province of Karricaw.
"If the baron wasn't so hell bent on taking out his brother himself, then those here in the city, and across the province wouldn't be in the position they're in at the moment" quietly states the exiled Vexilian mage as they come to a stop at a square, which gives them an unobstructed view to the north, and what remains of the baron's keep in the middle of Pirtgott.
"His decision" says the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel.
"He made it, so he can live with it" adds the elven envoy with a shrug of his shoulders.
The two of them are silent for a moment as they look at the destruction wrought by the flagship in the fleet.
Then prince Helbenthril Raendril who has noticed the tomes his fellow spellcaster is carrying, nods at them, and asks "What did you find?".
"Here" says Mira Reinholt, who shows his fellow council member what he purchased from a nearby scriviner's shop.
"That wizard Mimall was a blowhard if there ever was one" states the elven master archer with authority, followed by "Couldn't come up with an original idea if it hit him in the head from what I've read".
The once powerful mage wryly smiles, then lifts a questioning eyebrow when the highly talented elven magic user says "The sorcerer Gomos is another matter".
The elven princeling from the island of Laerel briefly pauses before he continues on with "He was a total crackpot, but his theories are sound, and he did come up with a few new spells, which is rare for a human spellcaster".
The mage Reinholt nods at hearing that. As it's true that very few practitioners of magic, especially human ones. Create brand new spells.
His fellow councilor is the exception to the rule. For though he's young for an elf, not yet two hundred and twenty five years old.
He has already created dozens of brand new spells that no one has ever thought of.
A few of which he's taught to the spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found throughout the Southlands.
"You sound like you know him" says the Vexilian mage in exile as he holds up the tome, a copy of the original work, written by the sorcerer Gomos.
"I did" says Helbe the elven thief, who continues with "Well, i should say, i met him about ninety years ago, he was an old man then, and apparently he had calmed down and relaxed in his later years, but he was still a crackpot when i met him".
The spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster slightly snorts when his fellow councilor quietly says to him "He was rich as all hell, having many a noble up in the kingdom of Druvic be his patron, so i robbed him".
The human spellcaster nods his hooded head, and says "Thanks".
In response to the elven magic user telling him "I took a few of his magical scrolls among other things, i used them years ago, but i can write them out for you one day".
From the brief flick he did through both tomes he brought, the mage Reinholt can already tell the one by the sorcerer Gomos is the more interesting of the two.
And having councilor Raendril confirm it's the more interesting tome.
Not to mention having the highly talented elven magic user create a few magical scrolls from the dead sorcerer himself.
Will make for what little free time the once powerful mage gets, be a lot more interesting for him.
Knowing that the elven masterthief will be off sometime soon, Mira Reinholt quietly asks him "Where exactly are you going?".
"I'm not sure" replies Helbe the elven thief who is looking up into the midday sky above the city of Pirtgott.
And he spots the krean strikeship, that's the command ship of the Farqian fleet high in the clear blue sky, at least twenty thousand feet above the ground, slowly circling the only city in the province of Corlinda.
"Guess I'll get back to Tam and the others" says the exiled Vexilian mage, who nods his head in the direction of the destroyed keep of the baron of Pirtgott, and asks "They still over that way?".
"They are" says the elven master assassin who is a member of the royal family that rules the island principality of Laerel.
"Someone's gone off to find Dorc" adds the elven princeling who continues with "Apparently he took off to search the bakeries of the city, looking for chocolate cake".
The highly skilled swordmaster rolls his eyes when he hears that, while the elven masterthief chuckles.
Then the young elven noble whose mother is a princess of Laerel, and his father is the Warden of Quinthain. The elven forest city-state to the east of the lands Farque.
Glances at his right shoulder, and slightly nods before he looks up into the sky, before looking at his fellow councilor and saying "I better be off".
As he sees the krean strikeship is dropping down towards the city of Pirtgott.
"I'll see you when i get back" says Helbe the elven thief, Mira Reinholt nods his hooded head.
Then the elf in the white hooded cloak looks at the squad standing nearby, who are waiting patiently.
"Keep an eye on the councilor Reinholt here" says the elven magic user, who then adds "He's bound to get in trouble".
"That's rich coming from you" dryly says the once powerful mage, which illicits a laugh from the elven masterthief just before he disappears.
The mage who is a member of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque shakes his hooded head.
Then the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster says to the black clad squad of soldiers "Come on, let's head back".
Mira Reinholt sets off, leading the way back to where the keep of the barons of Pirtgott stood as recently as this morning, in the middle of the city of the same name . . . . . .