To War 66.

Summer. Corlinda. Melaurn.

"See anything?" quietly asks lord Gormica of Salmah Forest.
"Nothing" is the quiet reply from his twin brother, baron Wilmot of Pirtgott, who then asks "You?".
"Nothing" quietly says the nobleman from the province of Karricaw who finds himself at war with the crown and king of Melaurn.
"Damn rain" mutters the baron of Pirtgott, who wipes his face, then steps back beneath the branches of the tree behind him.
His twin brother, Gormica who is already beneath the tree branches, nods in agreement with his brother.
Who not all that long ago, they were on opposite sides of the war between their two provinces. The provinces of Karricaw and Corlinda.
It's early in the morning, and it's raining in this area of the north of the province of Corlinda.
The first bit of substantial rain all summer in the south of the kingdom of Melaurn.
The twin brothers are with the senior officers of their combined army. Which is waiting for the enemy to show up. As the latest reports have them not that far from here.
"Maybe they'll stay put, and not set off this morning with all this rain" quietly says Krissner the son of baron Wilmot.
Next to the baron's son, his cousin Elmond, the son of lord Gormica, nods in agreement.
"Nah, they'll be on the move" says sir Crissen, one of the vassals of the baron of Pirtgott.
"They're the king's own from the capital" adds sir Crissen, who continues on with "Not some lord's get from one of the provinces, who is afraid his army might get bogged down by a little bit if rain".
The twin brothers Wilmot and Gormica nod in agreement to that. Then they and the others look away to their right. As along the side of the hill they're on.
Walks a couple of the councilors to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
They come to a stop next to the nobleborn brothers, who greet them.
Then Gormica of Salmah Forest asks the two of them "We know if they're still coming this way?".
"They are" says Mira Reinholt the mage, who then adds "They left where they camped for the night, just a short time ago".
The once powerful mage originally from the city-state of Vexil, who is now a member of the personal council to lord Farque, points to the nearby road, as he adds "We'll see them coming down the road soon enough".
The Vexilian mage in exile, who also happens to be a highly skilled swordmaster continues with "Not even this rain will slow them down that much".
Next to the spellcaster, who was once the most powerful mage of his generation, to be found anywhere in the Southlands.
Until he lost the vast majority of his powers when he went offworld through a rift/void spell he accidentally cast.
Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit nods in agreement with the mage Reinholt, and says "We'll see them shortly i guess".
The halfling who hails from the far east coast of the continent. The Sultanate of Dreese to be exact. Where he was an air sailor in the Sultan's fleet. Who isn't exactly who he seems to be.
Points northeast, the direction the enemy are approaching their position from.
"Half a turn a glass from what our scouts report" says the hobbit, who is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra by name of Zubutai Timaginson.
Who happens to find himself inhabiting the body of Jarjin Littlefoot. Who died in a battle in the Sultanate of Dreese last summer.
"We'll try and draw them this way the best that we can" says the spellcaster from the city-state of Vexil, who is also a highly skilled swordmaster.
The once powerful mage continues with "It shouldn't be too hard, even with all this rain".
The nobleborn twins nod in agreement as they look down at their combined army.
The army is about a half a mile from the road to the north that goes by to the west from here.
And the ground is quite open from here to there. So the enemy army, made up of the king's own. Will definitely see the combined army from the provinces of Karricaw and Corlinda.
"Think the ground will get boggy with all this rain so far this morning?" asks lord Gormica of Salmah Forest.
"Maybe" replies Jarjin aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman, who continues on with "But the ground is pretty hard, considering there's hardly been any rain this summer in these parts".
The hobbit who is from the far east coast of the continent is just about to say something else.
But instead falls silent when his fellow council member, Mira Reinholt the mage quietly says in the elven language to him "Beldane senses their magic users".
The spellcaster, who was the youngest ever member of the mage council of Vexil, in that city-state's long and storied history, continues in elven with "And he says Helbe is amongst them".
The halfling who is former air sailor, rolls his eyes, and sourly smiles, before he quietly asks the once powerful mage in the elven language "Beldane know what he's doing?".
The mage Reinholt is silent for a few moments as he communities via a mindspeech spell that Beldane the cleric has cast to him.
Then the exiled Vexilian swordmaster quietly, and dryly says in the language of the elves "The royal thief is finding out what their plans are if they confront an army like us".
Mira Reinholt briefly pauses again as he listens to what the powerful cleric has to say to him in his mind.
Then with a wry smile upon his face, councilor Reinholt dryly says "He's also going to capture that city lord who is in command of them".
Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit, rolls his eyes, and dryly says "Why does that not surprise me?".
As Helbe the elven thief didn't mention he'd do that, when they came up with the plans to take on the king's own that are in this area of northern Corlinda.
The twin brothers, lord Gormica and baron Wilmot share a look. As they wonder what the two councilors to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque are discussing.
No doubt something to do with the enemy army that's on it's way here, to where their own army is located.
Narladene the ground pixie pops up, well from the ground, obviously.
The naturally magical creature looks around as horses go over her.
Then she wings her way back through the king's own army in this area of northern Corlinda.
Even though it's still early in the morning, and it's raining quite steadily.
The tiny winged creature sees how disciplined the enemy army are.
None of them, whether they're on horseback. Or if they're walking. Voice any complaints. If any of them feel like doing so. Narladene sees that they're keeping it to themselves.
The ground pixie, who is originally from the Sunreach Mountains. Where she was born over seven hundred years ago.
Who nowadays is attached to Helbe the elven thief. Who she first met in the city of Leeabra, the capital of the kingdom of Druvic, over fifteen years ago,
Heads up and over the enemy army, as she heads back through their ranks.
The naturally magical creature who can sense all magic, and from quite a long distance too.
Senses this army of the king's own, getting closer to the combined army of lord Gormica of Salmah Forest, and baron Wilmot of Pirtgott, that are waiting fairly close by.
The tiny winged creature originally from the Sunreach Mountains heads to where some of the riders are behind the front of the army. Amongst the vanguard, of the king's own.
And though Narladene has seen how disciplined, motivated and quiet the enemy soldiers, both mounted and on foot have been so far.
The same can't be said of some of the riders the naturally magical creature is making her way towards.
Narladene nods her head, as some of these are noblemen from the capital city of Calinar.
And though the army, are for the most part from the capital city and it's surrounds too.
These nobles aren't like the soldiers they command. They're demonstrative, and boisterous.
Complaining about getting an early start. And complaining even more about the rain this morning.
The ground pixie wings her way over to where the blurred and shielded, Helbe the elven thief who is floating in the air alongside the nobleborn riders.
"Complaining bunch aren't they?" murmurs Helbe the elven thief to Narladene as she lands upon his right shoulder.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, is floating upright in a standing position.
With no one the wiser that he's amongst them. As he's completely invisible. And he's unable to be sensed by the spellcasters in the enemy army.
"Beldane's holding his power within himself now" murmurs Narladene the ground pixie to the highly talented elven magic user she's attached to.
The elf who is the envoy for the armies of Farque, nods his hooded head, then murmurs "We're not that far away".
The elven master assassin continues murmuring with "Their foreriders should see our scouts fairly soon".
Nodding her head, the tiny winged creature who is attached to the young elven noble quietly asks "Think they'll take the bait".
"They will" is the murmured reply of the elven thief who is a member of the royal family that rules the island principality of Laerel.
"If they don't, I'll make sure they will" adds the elf who is part of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
As she sits upon the right shoulder of the elven master archer, Narladene looks at the commander of this particular army of the king's own.
He's a city lord from Calinar, by the name of Simkins, a man in halfplate armour, who looks to be in his early thirties.
The ground pixie sees he isn't as demonstrative, or as noisy as some of the other nobleborn officers.
Though he does look to be annoyed at riding through the rain this early in the morning.
The tiny winged creature who comes from the Sunreach Mountains, murmurs to the highly talented elven magic user "He looks pissed off, doesn't he?".
"He does" is the murmured reply of the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel.
"And he's going to be even more pissed off when he finds out there's an army not all that far from here" adds the elven master assassin.
The naturally magical creature nods to that, then murmurs to the elven princeling "Riders heading back".
Helbe the elven thief floats upwards, and spots the foreriders heading quickly back from where they've been out infront of the king's own army.
"Well they've spotted our scouts" quietly says the elven envoy, who floats away to one side, then sets down on the ground.
And watches the enemy army, particular their nobleborn officers. Chief amongst them being lord Simkins of Calinar.
The grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel, watches how the enemy army react to knowing that the combined army of lord Gormica of Salmah Forest, and baron Wilmot of Pirtgott isn't all that far away.
Prince Helbenthril Raendril bides his time as he waits and watches the enemy. Ready to act when it's necessary.
"There" quietly says lord Gormica as he briefly points away to the north.
"I see them" says baron Wilmot as he spots the mounted Farqian scouts riding back this way.
The baron of Pirtgott a few moments later, nods his head in agreement with his twin brother Gormica who quietly says "And there they are".
As the first of the enemy come into view on the road to the north, a road which goes to the west of their location.
The nobleborn twins turn and look at the two councilors who are standing close by.
"Best you get the rest of your officers down to your men" says Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit.
"You might want to join them too" adds the halfling who is a former air sailor from the far east coast of the continent.
The lord of Salmah Forest, and the baron of Pirtgott wave for their officers, both nobleborn and commoner alike, to go down to their combined army.
"Looks like they're taking the bait" says lord Gormica, followed by "And spotted us too".
"Looks like it" says baron Wilmot in agreement as he nods his head.
Then after the nobleborn twins, who led their respective provinces in the recent war between Corlinda and Karricaw.
Head down the hill to join their combined army, on this wet and rainy morning here in this area of northern Corlinda.
Jarjin aka Zubutai Timaginson and the mage Reinholt share a look as the nobleborn twins head downhill to their army.
Then they look away to the approaching enemy army, made up of the king's own from the city of Calinar, and it's surrounds.
"So, here we go then" quietly says Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit.
"Yep, looks like it" says Mira Reinholt, as they and the rest of the army under their command, watch and wait for the battle to get underway . . . . . .