To War 96.

Summer. The Kingdom Of Melaurn.

"They've left the city, and they're heading this way now" says Saanea the witch.
Tamric Drubine the field commander nods his head, then he gives his subcommander some more orders.
The army, or the portion of it that Tamric Drubine commands. Gets underway again, after briefly stopping.
They're in southern Moleau, and are heading further north into the province that they entered yesterday.
The nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin turns and looks at his lover, the witch Saanea who tells him "Dargarven and one of the scouts has just got back".
The pretty looking spellcaster, with the shoulder length dark hair, who is from the Maldin Hills.
Points off to one side of the road the army is once again making it's way along.
The young field commander in the armies of Farque looks the way Saanea has pointed to.
And spots Dargarven the undead scout, and one of the water elemental spouters in the scouts and rangers division of the first army of Farque.
The water elemental disappears, no doubt to head off, and scout out infront of the army that's heading north here in the province of Moleau.
Meanwhile, the undead scout continues on his way to where Tamric Drubine, Lisell Maera, the young field commander's subcommander, and adjunct. As well as a number of officers, and a handful of runners.
Who are all in the shade of a number of trees, just to the side of the road. That winds it's way northwards, about a half a dozen miles to the west of the small city of Julmard.
The largest inhabited place in all of southern Moleau.
Dargarven the undead scout walks up, and says in the elven language "Good, you're underway again".
The undead being in the sleeveless leather armour, and a full helm upon his head, continues with "We might want to get as far away from here as possible".
Tamric Drubine, or Tam as he's more commonly called by those in the group that travels with lord Farque.
Knows that the undead brothers, and the water elemental entered the palace in the western quarter of the city of Julmard.
As Saanea informed him of this as it happened, as she was looking through the eyes of her familiar.
Which at the time, was flying above the city of Julmard.
"Oh, why's that?" asks Tamric Drubine the field commander.
The undead scout takes off his full helm, and runs his right hand through his hair, before he answers in a tone of voice of mock innocence with "Oh because the local lord in Julmard has gone and suddenly died".
The son of a former Knight of Castle Drubine, which is located in the forested north of the kingdom of Sarcrin, rolls his eyes then says in a dry tone "Has he?".
Dargarven, who appears to be just a couple of years older than field commander Drubine, who is still not yet twenty. Grins in reply to Tamric Drubine.
"How did that happen?" dryly asks the nobleborn senior officer in the armies of Farque.
"You know, I'm not too sure" says the undead scout, who follows that with "My sword suddenly appeared out of his chest, after going through his back".
Dargarven, or Dar as he's called by his older brother Arveem, shrugs then says "Beats me how that happened".
Tam just shakes his head, and sourly smiles, before he says "Well, at least that's one more of their military leaders we don't have to worry about".
"Not much of a leader, since he didn't go south with his army" dryly says Dargarven.
After a moment's pause, and in a tone of seriousness, the undead being says "That wasn't the only reason why i killed him".
Dargarven, looks around at those who are close, then he says in elven to the nearby runners "Move off for a while" followed by "The field commander will call you back soon".
It's not often the Farqian undead give a direct order, but when they do, it's obeyed immediately.
Same again, when the undead scout quietly says to Tam and his staff "This goes no further than us for now". Nods come from those with field commander Drubine.
Then Dargarven tells the nobleborn teenager originally from the kingdom of Druvic "Seems the localord who ruled Julmard, a lord Dameér his name is i think".
He briefly pauses before continuing with "Was the staunchest ally, and most vocal one too, that the crown had here in southern Moleau".
"A favourite of the king was he?" quietly asks field commander Drubine.
The undead scout is silent for a moment or two, before he replies to Tamric Drubine with "I didn't say the king, i said the crown".
Tam's eyebrows shoot up when he hears that, and again when Dargarven quietly says "He was the dowager queen's lackey, here in southern Moleau" followed by "He was instrumental in getting so many of the nobility throughout the south of this province to join in the fight against lord Gormica".
"Well" quietly says the senior officer in the armies of Farque, who is still only nineteen years old.
"Imagine that" adds the nobleborn teenager who is originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin.
Where he was found by Dorc da Orc, Mira Reinholt the mage, and Zubutai the barbarian hordesman, who was Kail Arriss the sorceress at the time. When he was just a child, who was eight years old at the time.
"Seem to think more and more this is the crown's war, more than the king's" quietly says Tamric Drubine, both Saanea the witch, and Dargarven the undead scout nod in agreement with the young field commander.
After Tam chats a little bit longer with the undead scout. The nobleborn teenager originally from the kingdom of Sarcrin.
Orders the others to rejoin with the army, who are heading northwards along a road, here in the south of the province of Moleau.
"They'll be here soon" says Saanea the witch a little bit later.
Tamric Drubine looks at the his lover, the pretty looking sorceress from the Maldin Hills who tells him "Lis, Arveem and young Hamblin".
The young field commander nods and looks to the east as the army continues northwards.
And soon he spots the trio who were in the city of Julmard this morning.
"Wonder what else they found out?" quietly says the son of a previous Knight of Castle Drubine, a castle and lands found in the forested north of the kingdom of Sarcrin.
A short time later, and the undead heavy foot trooper Arveem, the scout Lisell Maera and the young officer in training, Hamblin.
Are walking alongside field commander Drubine and Saanea the witch, both of whom are mounted today.
Riding near the front of the force, made up of about a third of the first army of Farque. That the young field commander is in charge of.
"We heard" dryly says Tamric Drubine after Arveem the undead heavy foot trooper tells him "The lord of Julmard is dead".
"Dar tell you what he and the spouter found out about him?" asks the massive, heavily armoured foot trooper, who died four and a half centuries ago.
"He did" says Tam who continues with "Pretty interesting don't you think?".
"That i do" says Arveem, who has a massive ork designed and made sword strapped to his back.
Next to the undead heavy foot trooper, the scout Maera nods in agreement with him.
Then the nobleborn field commander who hails from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin asks "What else did you find out there?".
The undead Farqian, and the attractive looking young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury then explain to the field commander what else they found out when they went through the city of Julmard this morning.
The senior officer in the armies of Farque slightly frowns as he listens to some of what they have to say.
Then after they finish, Tamric Drubine says "That's a little" he briefly pauses before adding "Odd".
Lisell Maera the scout nods, then she says "It's if they're not even aware that a war is raging on just thirty miles south of the city".
The scout, who is from the coastal city-state of 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 up and down the coast of the Southlands, out on The Great Western Ocean.
Continues on with "Oh sure wagons full of supplies head south to the warzone" followed by "And occasionally the wounded come back".
Lisell Maera or Lis as she's more commonly called by those who know her well, then adds "But apart from that, from what's going on within the city, you wouldn't even know the crown was at war with lord Gormica".
The undead heavy foot trooper Arveem nods in agreement with the scout's assessment, then gesturing at their army, he says "If we had shown up at the gates of the city, I'm pretty sure they would of surrendered without a fight".
"Interesting" murmurs field commander Drubine, who then says "I wonder if it'll be like that the further north we go?".
Tam who has decided to come into the province of Moleau, to fight the enemy before they get to the provinces of Corlinda and Karricaw.
Has no intention of fighting the enemy in their towns and cities.
He wants them out in the open, where the superior fighting skills of the Farqian force, and his tactics will be the main advantages he has.
Getting bogged down with a siege, or attacking a walled city or town. Is just a complete waste of time in his opinion.
It's why he sent Dorc da Orc and the goblin battalion, and a number of others off, to help defend castle Measum in the northeast of the province of Corlinda.
So they could occupy the time of the enemy coming down from that part of the provinces of Moleau and Mofosild. In the area known to the locals as the Corlinda Corner.
"Maybe" says Arveem the heavy foot trooper, who are moments pause, continues with "Depends if they're loyal to king, or the crown" followed by "Or both".
"Now, that is truly interesting" quietly says the teenage noble originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin. Who today just found out how strong the loyalties are amongst the enemy, when it comes to the king, and the crown of Melaurn.
And though they're essentially the same entity. There is a definite distinction between the two.
With Harmard the Third, the king who has the throne. While the crown, is way more influenced by the dowager queen, than field commander Drubine suspected.
The third of the first army of Farque that Tamric Drubine commands, continues northwards throughout the day.
Heading predominantly north, and somewhat west. As they seek out any of the enemy. Either the king's own, or allies to the king and the crown. Who are heading to the provinces of Corlinda and Karricaw to fight against lord Gormica of Salmah Forest, who has hired the first army of Farque.
It's late in the afternoon, and the undead brothers Arveem and Dargarven who are walking off to one side of the road, keeping pace with Tamric Drubine.
Stop and look back to the southwest, a moment later and the undead heavy foot trooper says to field commander Drubine who has called a stop "Company" followed by "Our lord".
The next moment, a ship or sky rift appears in the late afternoon sky, out of which shoots the krean strikeship.
It slows down and drops in altitude, then the command ship of the Farqian fleet hovers nearby.
The next moment a large, heavily armoured figure, and a massive dog jump from the mastless airship once it's hovering about fifty feet off the ground.
Everyone in the army bows, as their lord approaches where they've stopped on the road.
When the undead warlord reaches where Tamric Drubine and his staff are with the undead brothers, Arveem and Dargarven.
And the undead wardog Anvil wanders off to sniff at things, lord Farque says "There's been some interesting developments".
Field commander Drubine nods his head when the lord and ruler of the lands Farque tells them "Mira, Helbe and Jarjin have thought up something" followed by "Concerning the old queen, the one they call the dowager queen" . . . . . .