The Find 3.

Autumn.

A village. To the south of The City of Ruins. In the afternoon.
"Nothing here" says Tamric Drubine the field commander.
"I agree" says Saanea the witch as they stand at the eastern edge of the village. A village about a dozen miles to the south of The City of Ruins.
The young field commander in the armies of Farque, who has just recently turned twenty.
Looks down at the sheet of parchment he's holding, then he looks at his lover the witch from the Maldin Hills.
"Think it's accurate?" quietly asks field commander Drubine in the elven language.
"His highness seems to think so" says the spellcaster who is the older of the two lovers.
"It's cleverly done" adds the witch, who is the most recent member of the group.
"He's got a bit of talent, the royal thief" continues Saanea as the two of them look at what's on the parchment.
Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by the others in the group nods his head.
Then after one more look at the piece of parchment, he rolls it up, and puts in one of the deep inner pockets of his cloak.
As the afternoon, like it was this morning onboard the Quick Gull, is quite cold.
Even though it's only a month into autumn, here in the northern area of the central Southlands.
The young noble who is originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, who is now a senior officer in the armies of Farque.
Looks around, and he spots Tovis the war engineer chatting to a couple of the locals, beside a barn just outside of the village.
The young field commander, then spots Lisell Maera the scout walking through the village, chatting with one of the older women who lives here.
They're followed by some of the children in the village, who are delighted at the sight of the visitors.
As most who come this way on the way to Dalphene, or The City of Ruins as it's more well known as.
Tend to fly over the village, or go along the road that's a couple of miles further to the east.
One of the roads from Eweteets, that goes north to The City of Ruins.
Where there's a fairly substantial sized town just a bit further up the road from where the village is.
"Hopefully the others have had some luck in that town" says the son of a previous Knight of Castle Drubine.
A castle, along with it's surrounding lands, which can be found in the forested north of the kingdom of Sarcrin.
"Hopefully" says the pretty looking hillwoman, who is a witch.
"Though for some reason i don't think it will be that easy" quietly adds the practitioner of magic.
Tam grunts in agreement with his lover, then dryly says "It never is" followed by "Something's always happened as we keep finding one".
The nobleborn senior officer in the armies of Farque, who is originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, then says "It was for you" followed by "As it was for me".
The young field commander nods to where the war engineer Tovis is by the nearby barn, and adds "As it was with Tovis".
He then nods to where Lisell Maera is making her way through the village, to where they are.
"And the same for Lis as well" continues Tamric Drubine, his lover Saanea nods her head in agreement.
"I'm guessing something crazy will happen as we try to find this latest one" quietly and dryly adds the senior officer in the armies of Farque.
Who at this moment, isn't in charge of any of the armies of Farque, or parts of them.
As he along, with Lisell Maera the scout, and Tovis the war engineer, along with Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy. Who are all in the armies of Farque.
Have been given leave, for as long as necessary. As they're traveling with lord Farque and the rest of the group.
As they try to find the latest person that Helbe the elven thief's power of foresight. Has shown him to be another member of the group.
They've just yet to find this person, who lives in a part of this area of the Southlands.
Which once was a nation of some kind, for just a few decades over a millennia ago, which had within it's boundaries. Dalphene, which was even then, The City of Ruins.
"Nothing" says Lisell Maera the scout when she joins the couple on the east side of the village.
The attractive young woman originally from the city-state of Brattonbury, continues with "The head woman in the village hasn't ever seen anyone who looks remotely like the one we're looking for".
Lisell Maera or Lis as more often than not she's called by those who know her well.
Wave to the nearby children who are watching her and the young field commander, and the witch.
The children run off laughing when someone in the village yells at them to leave the strangers alone.
"Hopefully Helbe's illustration is correct" says the scout who grew up in the poor sector of the coastal city-state of Brattonbury.
Where her mother was a street prostitute, and her father. A man she never knew, or met. Was a sailor who plied his trade upon the Great Western Ocean.
"We believe it is" says Saanea the witch, her lover Tamric Drubine nods his head in agreement.
"Just wished Helbe had given us an actual current location, and not some ancient kingdom that was only around for a little while, ages ago" dryly says the scout Maera.
"Definitely" wryly says the young noble originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin.
Then field commander Drubine nods away to their right, and he adds "Looks like Tovis has had no luck either".
As the war engineer, who has just shaken hands with the two local men he was chatting with, next to the barn.
Is making his way over to where the three of them are standing just on the east side of the village.
"Never heard of them" says Tovis the war engineer when he joins them.
"Or see anyone like them" adds the young engineer, who hails from the kingdom of Druvic.
Where he previously served in the army of a baron Harkonin, before joining the group.
"Same" says Tamric Drubine the field commander.
"Same" adds Lisell Maera the scout.
Tovis, who has the rank of captain in the armies of Farque, and who is the commander of the engineering corp in the first army of Farque, grunts when he hears that.
"Great" dryly murmurs the Druvician war engineer as he looks around, followed by "I suspect we're going to be looking for a while".
Tamric Drubine nods in agreement to that, then he asks his lover Saanea "They heading this way to pick us up yet?".
The pretty looking spellcaster from the Maldin Hills, closes her eyes. She opens them a few moments later, then says "They've just left that town".
The witch, who was just looking through the eyes of her familiar. Which is a bird of prey at the moment, and is in the sky to the east.
Continues with "They shouldn't be too long".
Saanea points away to the east, as she says "There they are".
The other three look in that direction, and they spot the Quick Gull in the distance heading this way.
"Think they found them?" asks Lisell Maera, who follows that with "Or at least any information of where they could be?".
"For some reason i doubt it" says the nobleborn field commander, who continues with "Like Tovis said, we're going to be looking for a while".
When the others on the Quick Gull pick them up a little bit later. They find that they had no luck in the town they were in.
The small, dark, sleek looking, single masted airship, that's originally from the far east coast of the continent, the Sultanate of Dreese to be exact.
And is now part of the fleet of the lands Farque.
Heads northwest for a bit, and the group of Tamric, Saanea, Lisell and Tovis are told to search another village and a couple of farms near it.
The cleric Beldane who has a farsight spell upon himself.
Looks away to the northwest, where the other village is about four miles from the one the field commander, and the three others with him, were just in.
The powerful cleric originally from the kingdom of Nastell, teleports Tam, Saanea, Lis and Tovis to a farm about a quarter of a mile from the village to the northwest.
After the scout Maera, and Tovis the war engineer check out the farm.
They hurry along a dirt road, a track really, that heads into the village.
They meet the young field commander and the witch, who have just been to another farmhouse, this one closer to the village.
The attractive looking young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury, and the war engineer from the kingdom of Druvic, don't say anything when they meet up with Tam and Saanea.
The scout Maera just shakes her head no, and field commander Drubine replies with "Same".
Then gesturing at the nearby village they're heading to in the middle of the afternoon, on what's been a cold autumn day.
The senior officer in the armies of Farque says "I suspect it'll be the same there".
Tam briefly pauses, before he continues on with "Still, we have to ask, just incase one person in there might know the one we're trying to find".
The other three, Saanea the witch, Lisell Maera the scout, and Tovis the war engineer all nod in agreement with that from the nobleborn field commander.
They enter the village a short time later, and split up to start asking the locals questions.
Like all villages, and towns in the vicinity of the ancient city of Dalphene. This village is safe in the knowledge.
That no one will attack it, as the area around The City of Ruins. For at least twelve, maybe fifteen miles.
Is essentially a safe zone, where no one will attack the locals. As they're somewhat under the protection of the city-state of Eweteets.
But more so, The City of Ruins itself. As a lot of the surrounding villages and towns. Supply those who live and work in the ancient city that was once Dalphene.
With food, equipment and any other necessity one might need.
Though someone living and working in The City of Ruins, isn't actually the correct term.
As the people who are down in the giant hole in the ground, are really only doing one thing, and one thing only.
And that's treasure seeking. For untold riches have been dug out of The City of Ruins over the years.
And probably even more is to be found over the centuries to follow.
And with so many trying to find wealth down in the ancient city in the ground.
There comes something else. And that's violence. As people fight one another over where things are being dug up, to what's being dug up.
Not to mention just fighting over something that's been recently dug up as they try to steal from one another.
Infact there's more fighting going on down there in The City of Ruins that actual treasure seeking.
Where whole areas in the giant hole in the ground, more often than not resemble a battleground.
The only exception to this, are the wild goblins who live in The City of Ruins.
Predominantly in the walls of the giant hole, and some beneath the ancient ruins themselves.
And while sometimes they get caught up in the treasure seeking and fighting.
They tend to war amongst themselves. As the goblins in the ruins of the ancient city of Dalphene.
Have over the centuries, formed into loose tribes. As they stake out the area of The City of Ruins, they want to rule.
Everyone else down in the giant hole in the ground, couldn't care less about the goblins.
Who are basically living in their own little world, down in the ruins of the ancient city that was once called Dalphene.
"So you haven't seen them before?" asks Tamric Drubine the field commander, followed by "Or anyone who looks like that?".
"Can't say that i have" says the stableman that the young noble originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin is talking to.
Figured as much, the senior officer in the armies of Farque thinks to himself.
Who then says to the local standing outside the small stables "Thanks for that".
Tam rolls up the parchment, on which is an illustration of one, he and the rest of the group are looking for.
The son of a previous Knight of Castle Drubine, which is located in the forested north of his homeland, the kingdom of Sarcrin.
Continues on his way through the village, wondering if any of the others have had any luck as they try to find the one, who Helbe the elven thief's power of foresight, says is going to be the newest member of the group.
Field commander Drubine rather doubts it as he walks to one of the houses near the stables, here on the west side of the village.
Just a short while later, and Tam sees Lisell Maera the scout hurrying to where he is, while he's looking around wondering who he should ask next.
"Tam, Saanea has found something out!" calls out Lis in the elven language.
"What?" asks the young field commander in the armies of Farque, who hurries over to the attractive young woman who hails from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury.
"Someone spotted them not all that long ago" says the scout Maera, as she leads Tam back through the village.
She continues with "Just a couple of weeks ago" Lisell Maera briefly pauses before adding "Up at The City of Ruins".
With a nod of his head, Tamric Drubine says in a slightly dry tone of voice "Of course they'd be there" followed by "Why wouldn't they?" . . . . . .