The Find 4.

Autumn.

The Quick Gull. Approaching The City of Ruins from the southwest. Late in the afternoon.
"Is that it?" asks Tovis the war engineer, who continues with "Somehow I'd thought it be more".
"Same" murmurs Tamric Drubine who along with Beldane the cleric and Saanea the witch are at the starboard rail in a midships.
"You've got no idea" says Mira Reinholt the mage with a smile on his lips as he walks by.
The once powerful mage as he heads afts continues with " We're too low to see it clearly".
Both the war engineer and the young field commander nod, though not quite believing the spellcaster from the city-state of Vexil, who also happens to be a highly skilled swordmaster.
Then as Beldane the cleric quietly says "They look like towns over there, that way".
Saanea the witch lets out a gasp of shock after she closes her eyes, to see what her familiar is seeing.
"You okay?" asks Tamric Drubine the field commander in concern as he takes the left arm of his lover, the witch from the Maldin Hills.
"It's massive" says Saanea the witch as she opens her eyes, and shakes her head in disbelief.
Then Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by those who know him well.
Hears a yell from aft, for him and Saanea to head to the wheel, where lord Farque is standing behind the helmsman, and the captain.
The undead warlord is with Helbe the elven thief, and Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit.
The mage Reinholt has just joined them, and Dorc da Orc is pacing back and forth on the starboard side.
Looking anxious, as he speaks in his native tongue, presumably to lord Farque.
As the heavily armoured deathlord is the only one who can understand the incomprehensible language of the ork race.
"It's fucken that way" says Dorc da Orc in his native language, who points away to the east.
To some of the towns along the southern edge of the massive hole in the ground, within which is The City of Ruins.
"Me thinks" adds the large ork with a frown upon his broad, green, brutish looking face.
As he paces back and forth just a few steps, here on the aft deck of the small, dark, sleek looking, single masted airship, that is the Quick Gull.
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque ignores the ork warleader. Who is wondering where exactly the bakery he owns is.
The big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world. Remembers that the bakery is in a town, here on the south side of The City of Ruins.
He just doesn't remember which one, as there's quite a few of them near the edge of the massive hole in the ground.
In which is the ancient city of Dalphene, or more commonly The City of Ruins. Which it's been known as for the last fifteen or so centuries.
The undead warlord who is in conversation with his three councilors.
Mira Reinholt the mage, Helbe the elven thief and Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit.
Quietly tells the captain and helmsman to rise in altitude, to at least a thousand feet.
As they continue to head to The City of Ruins from the southwest.
Then lord Farque says "Did this person say exactly where they saw them?". ToTamric Drubine and Saanea the witch who have just joined him and his councilors on the slightly raised aft deck of the Quick Gull.
"Just one of the towns on the south side" says Tamric Drubine the field commander in reply to the lord of the death realm.
The young noble who hails from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, looks at his lover Saanea.
"The town called Peacesmith" says the witch, who is from the Maldin Hills.
And is the most recent member of the group, having been found in the summer, not most recently, but the one before that.
"Think that's the second or third town on this side, the western side on the southern lip of the hole" says Mira Reinholt the mage.
"Yeah the second" says Helbe the elven thief, with a nod of his hooded head, the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel adds "The large town right next to the first of the ramps on this side".
"What were they doing?" asks lord Farque as he looks down at the pretty looking hillwoman.
"The wagon driver i spoke to, said they were with a group of adventurers, getting ready to go down into The City of Ruins" replies the spellcaster from the Maldin Hills.
"I was afraid of that" sourly says Mira Reinholt, who continues with "It's going to be difficult to find them down there".
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque nods his full helmed head in agreement.
Then suddenly field commander Drubine says in awe "Holy shit, would you look at that".
As they get a good look at The City of Ruins as the Quick Gull has got up high enough, so that they can now see the entire hole in the ground, in the distance that they're heading towards.
"How big is that place?" asks the nobleborn field commander, who is originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin.
"About six miles across at it's widest, and over ten from north to south" says the elven masterthief who has been to The City of Ruins a number of times over the years.
"It's an actual city" continues the the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel, who follows that with "And a lot of the lands that were around it".
Tam along with his lover Saanea, never thought it would be that big. And they can now see why people from all across the Southlands, and beyond.
Flock to The City of Ruins, to search for the treasure that's still scattered throughout the ancient city of Dalphene.
"Is it really from the otherside of the world?" quietly asks the young field commander who recently celebrated his twentieth nameday.
"Yes" reply lord Farque, Mira Reinholt the mage, and Helbe the elven thief in unison.
"The size of it fits perfectly with the amount of the open desert between the fixed portal on the otherside of the world" explains the spellcaster who is in exile from his homeland, the city-state of Vexil.
"And that city on the otherside of the world" continues the mage who is also a highly skilled swordmaster.
"Kaevatil" says the undead warlord naming the city on the otherside of the world that nearly twenty years ago, was still connected to Dalphene by way of a fixed portal.
Nodding his hooded head, the practitioner of magic, who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands.
Until he was stripped of most of his powers when he went offworld, after accidentally casting a rift/void spell that he went through.
Says "I remember clearly it was the furthest I've ever teleported, just over ten miles" followed by "A group of us, as we fled Kaevatil back to the fixed portal on that side".
Tam nods, as does his lover, Saanea. As they've both heard of how the group at that time. Went through the fixed portal down in The City of Ruins.
And ended up on the otherside of the world, in the city of Kaevatil. Where they encountered the Greater Dragon Kor.
Who had set himself up as the god-king of the Kaevatil, and the nation it was the capital of, also named Kaevatil.
"Wonder how it got here?" muses field commander Drubine with a nod of his head at The City of Ruins in the distance.
"How do you think?" says lord Farque, who is also known by the name of Draugadrottin, to the people of his lands.
"That fucking prick of a Greater Dragon brought it here ages ago" says the lord of the death realm.
"But it was so damaged, and well, in ruins" continues the undead warlord, who then adds "That he couldn't be bothered having his subjects come through, and set up on this side of the world".
The heavily deathlord, who fought the Greater Dragon Kor one on one, and not only defeated him, but destroyed him.
"Fucking prick" adds the undead being in a mutter.
"That would not of been pleasant having him set up himself on this side of the world, as he did over in Kaevatil" says the elven princeling from Laerel.
"That's putting it lightly" dryly murmurs the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster.
While Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit, who has been fairly silent, nods his head in agreement with the once powerful mage.
Saanea the witch points away to the east, at a pair of small airships, similar in size to the Quick Gull.
That can be seen leaving The City of Ruins, and heading away to the southeast in the late afternoon sky.
"Pleasure craft" says the Vexilian mage in exile, councilor Reinholt continues with "Returning to Eweteets with the daytrippers they've brought up".
Nodding his hooded head in agreement with his fellow spellcaster, Helbe the elven thief says "The skies here can be full of them during the summer time".
The grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel then adds "Or if there's any large ongoing battle taking place down in the hole".
The elven master assassin, who is also the envoy for the armies of Farque, continues with "The goings on down in The City of Ruins is the major source of entertainment for the people of Eweteets, and the surrounding lands".
The young elven noble who is from the island principality of Laerel, then says "Hell, people come from as far away as Kuradum to watch what's going on down in the hole".
Lord Farque nods to that, then he steps forward and has a quiet word with the captain of the Quick Gull. And the crewman who is at the helm.
As he speaks with them, the undead warlord who has the elven name of Des'tier. Which translates to, The Destroyer.
Points away at the second town here on the western end of the towns and villages to the south of the massive hole, down in which, is the ancient city of Dalphene.
Or the City of Ruins, as it's been known throughout the Southlands, for the last millennia and a half.
As the Quick Gull, which along with it's crew. Is originally from the Sultanate of Dreese. Which is on the far east coast of the continent.
Slightly turns to starboard, and the heavily armoured deathlord steps back, and rejoins the others.
Mira Reinholt, who was the youngest ever member of the mage council of Vexil.
Until he was kicked off it, and sent into exile, after betraying his homeland, during the Battle of Vexil.
Quietly says to the others "Lets just hope they're not involved in anything drastic down in the hole".
"They will be" says Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit, the former air sailor from the Sultanate of Dreese, who isn't what he appears to be, then adds in a dry tone "With us trying to find them, I'll guarantee something drastic will happen to them".
And though both his fellow councilors, the mage Reinholt, and the elven master archer.
Don't say a word, they're both in agreement with the halfling, who isn't what he appears to be.
He's actually a hordes outrider from the Southern Tundra, by the name of Zubutai Timaginson.
Who just happens to find himself inhabiting the body of the hobbit, who is a former are sailor, who died in battle last year. Along the far east coast of the continent.
"That seems to be the way with finding someone" says Jarjin aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman with a sideways glance at his fellow councilor, the elven masterthief.
"I can't help that" mutters prince Helbenthril Raendril, who then slightly winces with what lord Farque says next.
"You could of fucking helped with the actual location" says the undead warlord, who continues with "This kingdom from over a thousand years ago, that lasted fuck all amount of time could be anywhere around here".
The heavily armoured deathlord follows that with "Was all The City of Ruins within in it's borders, or just parts of it?".
"We'll have to search the towns and villages to see if there's any records of the short lived ancient kingdom" says Jarjin Littlefoot.
"I know that" sourly says Draugadrottin, who continues with "If we do find out where it actually was, it should help us narrow down where we search for the one we're trying to fucking find".
Helbe the elven thief nods his hooded head, as that's what he's been hoping as they've got closer and closer to The City of Ruins.
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque points at the elven master archer and the halfling who is a former air sailor, and tells them "You two will lead the search for that info".
The large, heavily armoured deathlord follows that with "I want as much fucking information as possible before we head down into the ancient city".
The lord of the death realm then points at the once powerful mage and tells him "You'll join them after you deal with that". As he nods his full helmed head over at the pacing ork warleader.
"Huh?" says the exiled Vexilian mage, who then grimaces when Des'tier tells him "Find that fucking shop he's looking for" followed by "The fat fucking cunt will more than his normal uselessness if he doesn't find it".
"Fine" sourly says Mira Reinholt as the Quick Gull approaches The City of Ruins, this cold autumn day, here in the very north of the central regions of The Southlands . . . . . .