To War 94.

Summer. The Province Of Moleau.

Thirty miles into the province of Moleau after crossing over the border from the province of Corlinda.
They come across the first decent sized town, almost a small city really.
Their army gives it a wide berth, and starts heading to the west of it. While some of them head into the city to see how things fare in this part of the province.
Lisell Maera the scout looks up, and sees a bird of prey pass overhead, winging it's way towards the large town. On what's a mild summer's day, temperature wise at least. In this area of southern Moleau.
"Saanea's?" quietly asks Lisell Maera the scout to the large, heavily armoured figure walking beside her.
"It is" says Arveem the undead heavy foot trooper who like the attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury, is speaking in elven.
The two of them, along with Arveem's aide. The young teenager, and officer in training, Hamblin. Are walking along the road that approaches the small city from the south.
"Has he noticed anything?" quietly asks the scout Maera a little bit later as they get closer to the large town, that's walled.
The first truly walled place they've come across since entering the province of Moleau.
"Nothing interesting yet" is the reply of Arveem, referring to his brother Dargarven, who is already in the small city.
After he entered it, just before dawn this morning. And though it's still fairly early in the morning.
Dargarven has been in the large walled town for quite some time already.
"The spouter is over in the west of town" quietly adds the massive figure of the undead heavy foot trooper.
Lisell Maera or Lis as she's more commonly called by those who know her well.
Nods her head in understanding, knowing that one of the water elemental scouts is now inside of the small city.
Arveem glances down to his left, and slightly behind him, to where his aide is walking.
"Keep your eyes open, and listen carefully to things young Hamblin" quietly says the undead heavy foot trooper.
"Yes trooper" is the quiet reply of Hamblin the adjunct in training.
Then looking ahead, Arveem says in a slightly dry tone of voice "Looks like they've spotted us".
"I can't imagine why?" sarcastically says the scout who hails from the coast of the Southlands.
The city-state of Brattonbury to be exact, as she glances sideways at the massive figure walking between her and young Hamblin.
A chortle comes from behind the faceplate of Arveem's full helm.
Then he nods his head, when Lis quietly asks him "Think they'll let us in?".
"They should do" is the quiet reply of the nearly seven foot tall, more than three hundred pound, undead heavily armoured heavy foot trooper from the lands Farque.
Both Lisell and Hamblin have discarded their black summer cloaks, and their tabbards. On which in a lighter tone of black, is the Farque family crest.
As for Arveem, he doesn't wear the black cloak of the Farqian armies, nor the tabbard.
Infact none of the Farqian undead do. As they all essentially wear the armour and clothing they wore when they died four and half centuries ago.
Either the originals such as Arveem wears, or reproductions that are exact copies.
The massive figure of the undead heavy foot trooper then quietly continues with "We'll easily pass as mercenaries looking for hire".
"If you say so" murmurs the attractive young woman from Brattonbury, whose mother was a street prostitute, and whose father.
A man she never knew, or for that matter, met. Was a sailor who plied his trade upon the Great Western Ocean.
The undead heavy foot trooper just nods his full helmed head to that. Then he and the scout, and the teenage officer in training fall silent, as they join the line entering the walled town this morning.
The town, or more precisely, the small city. Is called Julmard.
The largest city in the south of the province of Moleau.
And as Arveem predicted, they gain entry fairly easily. As both the city guard, and the local noble who rules this city, are looking to hire mercenaries.
As most if not all of the local noble's garrison has gone south to fight alongside the other allies of the king and crown.
In the war against the lord of Salmah Forest, lord Gormica. The nobleman from the province of Karricaw, that the crown is at war with.
And a fair chunk of the city guard has joined the local garrison, and gone off to war down in the province of Corlinda.
Inside the walls of Julmard. Walls that don't exactly go right around the small city.
As Julmard is continually expanding northwards, and most of the wall is gone in that direction.
Or where it still stands on that side of the city, it's in the process of being torn down.
They find that although there's a war raging along the border region just thirty miles south of here.
The citizens of Julmard are going about their day to day tasks as if there's no war happening at all.
As the morning carries on, the undead heavy foot trooper, the scout, and the teenage officer in training.
Hear very little in the way about the war between the crown and lord Gormica of Salmah Forest.
The only time they actually do hear about it, or in this case see it. Is when they cross a square, and see a couple of wagons pull up next to a church.
In the wagons are wounded and injured, who have just returned this morning from the war with lord Gormica of Salmah Forest.
"That's odd" murmurs Arveem the undead heavy foot trooper as they stand at the corner of a building.
Watching across the square, the wounded and injured helped out of, and lifted out of the wagons, and taken into the church.
"What's odd?" quietly asks Lisell Maera.
"Why are they being taken into that church, and not their own garrison" quietly says the massive, heavily armoured heavy foot trooper, who died four and half centuries ago. Alongside his younger brother, and their lord.
During the invasion of the Southlands by the Holy Norstran Empire.
"I assume their garrison has got it's own infirmary" quietly adds Arveem who is speaking in elven.
"Good point" murmurs Lis, who after a brief pause, quietly adds "Out of sight, out of mind?".
Gesturing around at the relatively quiet square, the attractive young woman originally from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury says "This square and the surrounding streets, aren't exactly busy".
"We could go in and have a look" quietly says Hamblin the adjunct in training, with a nod of his head at the church across the square from them.
"You mean, you and the scout Maera could go in and have a look young Hamblin" dryly says Arveem, who continues in the dry tone with "I can't exactly go in".
The undead heavy foot trooper then adds in the same dry tone, after a brief pause "Unless you want me to go up like a candle, then burn to a crisp".
Lisell Maera winces at that, and Hamblin, the aide to Arveem has the decency to blush, and look embarrassed.
"Sorry trooper" quickly and quietly says the young teenager, who hails from the northwest of the lands Farque.
"Sometimes i forget" quietly adds the young officer in training, who has been assigned as the aide to the undead heavy foot trooper, Arveem.
"Not to worry young Hamblin, we all make mistakes" quietly says the undead being, who continues on with "Hell, truth to be told, sometimes even i forget that I'm not alive anymore".
Arveem then nods at those being helped into the church across the square, and he quietly says "We can probably find out more at the palace".
"Palace?" says Lis in a tone of surprise.
"That incorrigible brother of mine says the local lord's place looks like a palace" says the undead heavy foot trooper, who continues with "It's over on the west side of the city".
Arveem, who is communicating with his younger brother Dargarven, by way of the mindspeech of the undead.
Then says to the scout, and his aide "The spouter has just gone through the palace, and is making his way to Dargarven".
The undead being continues with "Might as well go over there, and see what's happening".
He nods his full helmed head at the church across the square, where the last of the injured are being helped inside, and he says "Maybe they can shed some light on why the returning wounded are being brought here, and not their own garrison".
A little while later and they're in the west of Julmard. And though the middle of the small city was busy when they went through it.
The western quarter of Julmard, predominantly residential. Is a lot more quiet in comparison to the middle of town.
They walk along tree lined streets, the trees offering shade for those who are out and about this summer's day.
Which is finally warming up after the cool start earlier at dawn.
As they walk beneath the leafy shade down one street, Arveem quietly tells Lis and Hamblin in the elven language "Around the corner up here to the right".
The undead heavy foot trooper leads them around the corner, then a bit along the street.
To a large tree, between a couple of houses. Beneath the tree, stands the younger brother of Arveem, Dargarven the undead scout.
When they reach the undead scout from the lands Farque. He gestures across the street, to a lane directly opposite the tree they're standing beneath.
Looking down the lane they get a clear view of the local lord's residence here in the city of Julmard.
"That's a palace alright" dryly says Arveem the heavy foot trooper as they can see much of the local lord's residence about sixty yards from where they're standing.
"Lord Dameér isn't lacking for anything, that's for sure" dryly says Dargarven who as they speak outloud, is also conversing with his brother via the mindspeech of the undead.
"That's for sure" quietly says Lisell Maera the scout, who after a slight pause, adds "I'm guessing he didn't go off to war with his army".
"You are correct scout" says Dargarven, who though stands just over six foot tall. He's dwarfed by his older brother Arveem.
"He's in residence at the moment" continues the undead scout, who wears a full helm upon his head. Even though he wears sleeveless, light leather armour.
Arveem slightly grunts at hearing that, then he tells his younger brother about what they saw in the south of the city.
Where the returning wounded were taken to a church, and not the local garrison. Which is located on the otherside of lord Dameér's residence here in the city of Julmard.
"Probably to keep them out of sight alright" says Dargarven, who then tells them what the water elemental scout, who has gone back inside the palace of the local lord.
Found out that the local lord and his lackeys are keeping the war pretty quiet here in Julmard.
As they've got the reports of the recent defeats the king's own, and the allies of the crown have suffered over the last week or so.
With battle after battle, lost to the forces fighting on the side of lord Gormica of Salmah Forest.
"They'll soon know about our force going through this part of the province" quietly says Arveem, referring to the part of the first army of Farque led by the young field commander, Tamric Drubine.
Which is passing by Julmard, less than half a dozen miles to the west of the small city, here in southern Moleau.
Dargarven nods, then asks his older brother the heavy foot trooper something by way of the mindspeech of the Farqian undead.
Arveem thinks about it for a moment or two, then outloud, in the elven language they're speaking, he quietly says "Maybe".
Then the towering figure of the undead heavy foot trooper looks down at his aide Hamblin, and the scout Lisell Maera.
"You two up for a bit of a tour of the place?" asks Arveem gesturing at the palace they can see at the other end of the lane across the street from them.
It's the attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury who answers with "Might as well".
Nodding his full helmed head, Arveem says "Good" followed by "Let's go and pay this lord Dameér a visit" . . . . . .