To War 42.

Summer. Melaurn.

"I could never understand anyone wearing a suit of full plate" says Beldane the cleric as they watch a fully armoured knight and what looks like his retainers ride by.
"Hell, even half plate is bad enough" admits the fighting cleric who is in his half plate armour.
"Summertime in full plate must be the worst" continues the member of the church of Glaine.
The powerful spellcaster who hails from the kingdom of Nastell then adds "It would drive anyone nuts".
"That explains Percy then" dryly says Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit, which causes the cleric to chuckle.
They're sitting on the covered front porch of a tavern here in the port city of Ramaee, in the province of Selvah Na.
They're sitting in the shade, and drinking cold beer, thanks to Beldane who has cast a spell on their tankards, keeping their drinks cold.
They're not just sitting here for the shade and the cold drinks. They're sitting here because it gives them a view down the street they expect the others they've come here to the city of Ramaee, to head along anytime soon.
They haven't discussed it as they wait, but eventually the cleric from the kingdom of Nastell quietly asks "Think they got them to join?".
"I'm not sure" is the reply of Jarjin Littlefoot, who is not exactly what he appears to be.
The halfling 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, then adds "Maybe they have".
The hobbit who is a member of the personal council to lord Farque, follows that with "If those brothers stopped arguing long enough, then i think there's a good chance they've got a deal done".
Beldane the cleric nods his head in agreement, and says "I hear ya". As he had similar thoughts on the matter.
They don't have to wait too much longer, for when the fighting cleric in the church of Glaine.
A god predominantly worshiped in the north of the kingdom of Nastell is just contemplating ordering a couple more beers.
He spots Helbe the elven thief, along with the twin nobleborn brothers, baron Wilmot of Pirtgott, and lord Gormica of Salmah Forest making their way along the street.
"There they are" quietly says the powerful spellcaster.
The halfling who is a former air sailor, who is from the Sultanate of Dreese, which is on far east coast of the continent, looks the other way down the street from where he's been looking, and he spots the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, along with the twin brothers Gormica and Wilmot.
"I think they might of struck a deal" quietly says Jarjin aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman.
"Looks like it" says Beldane the cleric as they see the noblemen from the provinces of Karricaw and Corlinda deep in discussion as they follow behind the elven magic user, who like Jarjin Littlefoot is a member of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
Once on the front porch of the tavern, lord Gormica of Salmah Forest wryly says "I need a drink after all that".
For once his twin brother, baron Wilmot of Pirtgott doesn't argue with him, and instead nods in agreement with the nobleman from the province of Karricaw.
Then the twin brothers head inside to get something to drink, while Helbe the elven thief sits down on the bench that Beldane the cleric is sitting on.
The churchman from the kingdom of Nastell sees the elven magic user glance at his own right shoulder, then nod his hooded head to the door that the brothers Gormica and Wilmot just went through.
The fighting cleric knows his fellow spellcaster has just got Narladene the ground pixie to go and follow the lord of Salmah Forest, and the baron of Pirtgott inside, and keep an eye on them.
"Here, this is for you" says Helbe the elven thief who tosses a coin sack on the table, right infront of his fellow council member, Jarjin Littlefoot.
"Oh?" says the halfling, who is really a barbarian hordesman from the southern tundra, who just happens to inhabit the body of the hobbit who is a former air sailor in the fleet of the Sultan of Dreese.
Looking at the heavy coin pouch that landed with a clunk, Jarjin aka Zubutai the son of Timagin asks "Why's that?".
With a wry looking smile upon his face, the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel quietly says "I've noticed of late, especially in that body you're in, your arms have got short, and your pockets deeper".
"The hell" mutters councilor Littlefoot, while on the bench across the table, Beldane the cleric chuckles.
"You don't exactly pay for anything of late" says the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel, who gestures at the pouch stuffed with coins as he adds "So you might as well put that to use".
"I pay my fair share" mutters the halfling who is from the far east coast of the continent.
"Oh really" sarcastically says the highly talented elven magic user, who nods his hooded head at the near empty tankards infront of Jarjin and Beldane, and asks his fellow councilor "Did you pay for them?".
The hobbit keeps his mouth shut, and doesn't answer that.
"I thought not" dryly says the elven master assassin, while the powerful cleric chuckles as Jarjin aka Zubutai Timaginson sourly smiles.
"You're getting as bad as Mira nowadays" states the elven masterthief.
"Hang it all" says Jarjin Littlefoot in an offended tone of voice, who continues on in the same tone with "I'm not as bad as that tightwad".
The mage, Mira Reinholt who has changed a lot in the more than a dozen years he's been without the vast majority of his magical powers.
Hasn't changed at all when it comes to one aspect. He's just as bad now, as he was when he was a younger man, and was incredibly powerful when it came to being a mage.
He's still a notorious spendthrift, who doesn't particularly like paying for anything if he doesn't have to.
Especially when it comes to paying for the others in the group, who usually share the responsibilities when they buy things together.
"Almost" says the elven princeling with a twist of his lips, to stop himself from laughing as his fellow member of lord Farque's personal council looks daggers at him.
The halfling from the otherside of the continent then shakes his head, and takes the pouch and opens it.
Then whistles in appreciation at the amount of gold coins that's inside of it.
Looking at the elf who is a member of the royal family that rules the island principality of Laerel, who also happens to be a masterthief.
Jarjin aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman dryly asks him "Where did you get it?".
"Back at the place we met up with them" replies prince Helbenthril Raendril, who hikes a thumb back over his right shoulder, in the direction he and the twin brothers, Gormica and Wilmot have just come from.
"Belonged to a marquis, or a viscount i think" says the elven master archer, who shrugs his shoulders as he continues with "Probably doesn't even know it's gone yet".
Rolling his eyes, the halfling who is a former air sailor from the far east coast of the continent, stuffs the stolen coin pouch into his tunic.
Then Jarjin aka Zubutai Timaginson asks his fellow council member "How did it go then?".
Switching to the common language as the twin brothers lord Gormica, and baron Wilmot come back outside onto the porch, and join them at the table.
Helbe the elven thief says "Quite well actually" followed by "They'll be joining us".
With a nod of his hooded head at the nobleman from the province of Karricaw, the young elven noble room the island principality of Laerel says "And lord Gormica doesn't have to pay them as much as we feared".
The highly talented elven practitioner of magic then adds "Which is a good thing".
"That's for damn sure" says lord Gormica of Salmah Forest, who suddenly feels his tankard get cold in his hands before he goes to take a drink from it.
"Thanks" says the younger of the twin brothers, who doesn't know which spellcaster just made his beer cold. But he's appreciative that they did.
So is baron Wilmot of Pirtgott, who also says "Thanks". After taking a sip from his now cold tankard.
"How much?" asks councilor Littlefoot, and who then adds "And when?".
The elven princeling from Laerel gives the answer to the first, and both Jarjin Littlefoot and Beldane the cleric are equally impressed that lord Gormica doesn't have to pay the local nobility here in the province of Selvah Na, particularly all that much as they join him in the fight against the king and crown.
"They will start mobilising, well right now actually" adds the highly talented elven spellcaster who is a member of the personal council to lord Farque.
"They were sending word of to their armies when we left them" adds the elven master assassin.
Then briefly switching to the elven language, prince Helbenthril Raendril says "A lot of them would of done it for free because they hate the crown so much, but they decided in taking payment for form sake more than anything else".
Both the fighting cleric and the former air sailor nod their heads when they hear that.
For in the short time they've been here in the city of Ramaee, they've overheard a couple of times people's contempt for the crown.
"Are they willing to let us command them?" asks Jarjin aka Zubutai Timaginson in the same language.
As that's the one stipulation that lord Gormica had to get from the local nobility here in the province of Selvah Na, if they wanted to enter the war against the crown.
"They are" says Helbe the elven thief, who switches back to the common language as he nods his hooded head at the nobleman from the province of Karricaw as he adds "I'd say lord Gormica got a good deal".
"I hope to think so" says lord Gormica of Salmah Forest, who continues on with "Even if i hadn't, and they still joined us, it would still be a good thing".
Nodding his head in agreement with his twin brother Gormica, baron Wilmot of Pirtgott says "We need their numbers, let's face it, even with you lot, we're badly outnumbered by the crown".
They all know this, for as it stands, before the nobility here in Selvah Na joined them.
Lord Gormica's army, and baron Pirtgott's army, along with the first army of Farque were outnumbered by the king's army by at least four to one, maybe even five to one.
And that doesn't include all the allies of the king has in many of the other provinces in the kingdom who have joined him.
As that has basically doubled the forces the crown has at it's disposal as it goes to war against the lord of Salmah Forest.
The twin brothers, who don't like one another, and until recently, were on opposing sides in a border war between their two provinces.
Share a look, as they both felt out of their depth when they came here to the city of Ramaee, with just these three from the armies of Farque.
None of their vassals came along, or any of their soldiers, not even their personal guards.
Lord Gormica suspects it was done on purpose by those in the Farqian mercenary army.
Forcing him to work with his twin brother Wilmot, who he recently defeated in the war between the provinces of Karricaw and Corlinda.
The lord of Salmah Forest nods his head when the elven envoy Helbe says "They'll bring their armies up by both land and air" he briefly pauses then adds "And I'll have some of them come by sea too".
"Oh?" says lord Gormica, who along with his twin brother Wilmot, nods his head when the elf in the white hooded cloak quietly explains "They'll go around the corner of Melaurn and head up the Kuyriers Strait, and stop along the coast in either the provinces of Alindar or Calinar, and come at the enemy from the rear".
Both the lord of Salmah Forest and the baron of Pirtgott dart a look at the other customers sitting on the covered porch along the front of the tavern.
"Don't worry, no one can hear what we're saying" says Helbe the elven thief, who follows that with "They can hear us talking, but not what we're actually saying".
"Good spell" murmurs Beldane the cleric, who as usual had no idea the elven princeling was casting.
The nobleman from the province of Karricaw lets out a breath in relief, while next to him, his twin brother, audibly sighs knowing they can't be understood by the nearby patrons.
For you can never be too careful. Even though the vast majority of the local population here in the city of Ramaee, and for that matter the province of Selvah Na.
Are just like the local nobility, they dislike the crown. And have done for centuries, as the southern most province in the kingdom of Melaurn has always been the most rebellious.
There are still those, even here in the port city of Ramaee, who are loyalists to the crown and king.
Lord Gormica, who until recently was pretty indifferent to the crown, finishes his cold beer, as does twin brother Wilmot next him. When the hobbit named Jarjin says "We should get going".
The five of them, six if you count Narladene the ground pixie who is on the right shoulder of Helbe the elven thief.
Make their way from the tavern, and head to the public stables next door.
In the early afternoon sunshine on what's a hot day for Ramaee, which is a warm summer day for elsewhere in the kingdom.
They make their way around to the empty courtyard behind the stables.
And prince Helbenthril Raendril with a spell has the stableboy, who is watching from the backdoors of the stable, wander away.
So that Beldane the cleric can cast a gateway, a few moments later, and a door shaped black gateway appears.
And the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, with Narladene invisible to the others, on the right shoulder of the elven masterthief, is the first through the gateway.
Next is baron Wilmot, followed by his twin brother, lord Gormica. Then it's Jarjin aka Zubutai the son of Timagin.
Last through is Beldane the cleric, who drops the spell once he's through it, and behind him the gateway disappears.
They're a little over two hundred miles north of the city of Ramaee, they're in the south of the province of Corlinda.
And the five of them, walk along a hillside, to where a fast frigate in the fleet of the first army of Farque has been waiting for them, since they left via a gateway just after dawn this morning . . . . . .