The Find 13.

Autumn.

Down in the City of Ruins. In the afternoon.
And Tamric Drubine the field commander walks out of a weapons and armourers shop.
The young noble originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin looks around.
And eventually spots his lover, Saanea the witch walking this way down the street through the village.
A village, just north of one of the towns near the base of one of the stone ramps that comes down into the City of Ruins.
The village is one of the last places here in the very south of the giant hole in the ground.
Where things are fairly civilized, where people go about their day in a safe manner.
While just a couple hundred yards north of here, things are pretty chaotic.
As a free for all, for anything and everything is pretty much in play. With no one caring about anyone, as everyone and anyone fight to dig up, find, or straight out steal.
Any of the hidden treasures here in the pit, which holds the ancient city of Dalphene, or the City of Ruins as it's more commonly called.
Tamric Drubine, who is a field commander in the armies of Farque, can't help but grin as Saanea hugs him in greeting.
He steps back, keeping a hand on her back, while her familiar, which is a cat at the moment. Eyes him up, from where it's sitting on the left shoulder of the witch.
"Find anything?" quietly asks Tamric Drubine the field commander.
"Nothing" is the reply from Saanea the witch, who then adds "And you?".
Tamric Drubine, or Tam as he's more commonly called by the others in the group.
Who is a senior officer in the armies of Farque, even though he's only recently turned twenty years old.
Shakes his head no in response to his lover's question, then he says "Nothing, unfortunately".
The couple step back, as a wagon pulled by a pair of donkeys. Heavily guarded by a troop of twenty mercenaries.
Goes by, heading south. No doubt to one of the ramps that leads up and out of the giant hole in the ground.
"Know what's in it?" quietly asks field commander Drubine after the guarded wagon rolls by.
"Things they've dug up, artifacts and the like" is the quiet reply from Saanea, who like Tam is speaking in elven.
"Vases, pots and amphorae mostly" continues the pretty looking, dark haired spellcaster who hails from the Maldin Hills. Which can be found near the coast of the Southlands, just to the south and west of the port town of Gilsom.
The nobleborn senior officer in the armies of Farque nods. As he, along with Saanea.
Have learnt that the things most likely taken from the City of Ruins for a profit.
Aren't the usual things like valuable jewels, ancient weapons, or gold, silver and other precious metals.
But it's the more mundane things that are found throughout the ancient city of Dalphene.
Particularly crockery, and storage vessels of every kind possible. That fetches top coin, from collectors from throughout the Southlands.
Though mainly the city-states of Eweteets and Kuradum. Which are the two largest population centers closest to the giant hole in the ground.
Within which is the ancient city of Dalphene, or the City of Ruins as it's more known as.
Shaking his head, the young field commander murmurs "Can't believe people pay good coin for that stuff".
Then he looks at Saanea, who is watching her cat, which has jumped off her shoulder, and is now wandering down the narrow lane behind them.
There's a blur of motion, and the next moment the cat is gone, and there's a bird of prey. A small falcon by the looks of it, winging it's way up into the sky.
After the spellcaster from the Maldin Hills briefly closes her eyes, and then opens them.
Tamric Drubine quietly asks her "What is it?". As he continues to watch the falcon circling in the sky above the village.
"I'm not sure" replies Saanea the witch, who continues with "I'll know soon enough i guess".
The young noble who is the son of a former Knight of Castle Drubine, a castle and it's lands, that can be found in the forested north of the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin.
Nods his head, then gestures down the narrow lane behind them. The two of them walk down it.
And at the other end, where Tam is wondering where to go next. As they've basically been in every shop and business in the village, since they got here at dawn.
The pretty looking hillwoman with the short, dark hair closes her eyes again.
After a few moments she opens them, looks at her lover the field commander, and quietly tells him "Mira wants a word".
"Is he still in that town to the south of us?" quietly asks the senior officer in the armies of Farque.
"He is" is the reply from the witch, who looks around as Tam wonders if they should head to the town to the south of them.
Then the practitioner of magic from the Maldin Hills points to a building down the street, and quietly says "That one".
She takes her lover by the hand, then after looking back down the narrow lane to make sure it's empty.
And no one on the street is looking their way. The witch casts a spell, and the two of them disappear.
They reappear on the rooftop of the building that Saanea indicated. And the two of them look southwards.
"You know where he is?" quietly asks the young field commander in the armies of Farque.
The pretty looking hillwoman, who knows it's relatively safe to cast here in the villages and towns at the southern end of the giant hole in the ground.
Who has been told to be cautious, and to look out whilst casting here.
She's also been warned to not cast unless absolutely necessary, once they start heading further north.
Nods her head in response to her lover's question, then she says "I've spotted him".
After casting a farsight spell to look back the quarter of a mile to the town directly to the south of the village she and Tam are in.
And knowing that it'll be more difficult to cast for the mage Reinholt, who she has spotted on the roof of a building in the town to the south.
The witch from the Maldin Hills casts to him with a mindspeech spell. Once she does, the once powerful mage tells her what he and Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit have recently discovered.
The pretty looking hillwoman, who is fairly short, and has short dark hair, nods after the Vexilian mage in exile has spoken to her by way of her mindspeech spell.
The witch drops the spell, and turns to her lover and quietly tells him "Mira  and Jarjin have found something out".
Tamric Drubine or Tam, as more often than not he's called by those who know him well.
Listens to what Saanea has to say, after she's talked by way of a spell. To one of the other spellcasters in the group, Mira Reinholt the mage.
The young noble originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin winces when the witch who is his lover, tells them what's more than likely happened with the one they're searching for.
"Damn" mutters field commander Drubine, who then adds "Joined a mercenary company have they?".
"So Mira and Jarjin believe after questioning the one who saw them" says Saanea the witch who continues on with "The councilors believe that's what's most likely happened".
"They could be anywhere north of here" murmurs Tam who nods his head yes in reply to the witch asking him if they should get down off the roof.
After the practitioner of magic who hails from the Maldin Hills, levitates the two of them down to the ground, behind the building they were just on.
The senior officer in the armies of Farque, grunts when Saanea quietly tells him "We knew we were going to find them somewhere in the north of the pit, or even up in the countryside north of the pit".
Field commander Drubine nods as he looks beyond a broken wall, and sees a group of adventurers about forty yards to the east of the village.
Walking across the sandy ground, heading north, searching for their fortune down here in the City of Ruins.
The young noble originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin knows that he and Saanea, along with the rest of the group, will be doing the same thing fairly shortly.
Heading northwards, as they search for the person they've come here yo look for.
The senior officer in the armies of Farque then quietly says "We'll have to start asking every mercenary company we come across".
The witch from the Maldin Hills nods her head in agreement with her lover the field commander.
As her familiar after circling over the part of the village where they are. Lands on her right shoulder, then there's a blur, followed by a meow. As there's suddenly a cat where there was just a small falcon on the right shoulder of the pretty looking hillwoman.
"I've only asked a few so far today" says Saanea the witch, who then adds "And you?".
"A handful or so" says Tamric Drubine who follows on from that with "Not many want to stop and chat" he continues with "They're all in a rush to head north".
The young field commander who recently was in the first army of Farque, then says "Not many coming back this way, like that lot with that wagon full of stuff we just saw a short time ago".
The spellcaster from the Maldin Hills nods to that, as far more mercenaries are seen going north, instead of coming south.
And though some return to the villages and towns here at the southern end of the giant hole in the ground.
Mostly to resupply, and to get some rest. Or to hire more mercenaries due to losses.
For the most part, mercenaries along with other adventurers, are heading north from the villages and towns, here at the southern end of the City of Ruins.
It's not often during a day down here in the ancient city of Dalphene. That you see mercenary troops, coming back this way.
Such as the heavily guarded wagon that Tam and Saanea saw a little while ago, coming back through the village.
Field commander Drubine sits on part of the broken wall, while his lover, the witch from the Maldin Hills, leans against part of the wall.
Which by the looks of it, is part of the ruins of the ancient city that was once on the otherside of the world.
Until it was brought here by the Greater Dragon Kor.
"We'll try and talk to as many mercs coming through the village who are heading north" quietly says the young noble originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin.
"After that, i guess we'll be heading north with the rest of the group" continues the senior officer in the armies of Farque, who then adds "Tomorrow most likely".
"We thought we would be" says the spellcaster who hails from the Maldin Hills, who is patting her familiar as it rubs up against the side of her head.
Tam slightly shakes his head, for though the magical familiar has more or less accepted him.
It does like to take Saanea's attention, even during times when the couple are amorous.
And though when it's in it's cat form, or any other small, furry animal. It will occasionally tolerate the young field commander touching it.
The magical creature won't go out of it's way to let the senior officer in the armies of Farque get too close to it.
Infact, it pretty much stays away from everyone in the group. Especially lord Farque, and even more so Dorc da Orc. Who has on more than one occasion, tried to catch it, and eat it.
The only exception to this is Shur Kee the monk. Which the familiar often goes out of it's way to be around.
Letting the short, statured monk touch it, and even carry it around, when it's the form of a cat, or another small, furry looking animal.
And though Saanea was at first surprised at this behaviour of her familiar.
She's now completely at ease with her familiar being held and touched by the most enigmatic member of the group.
"At least we know they're with a mercenary group of some kind" says the son of a former Knight of Castle Drubine, which can be found in the forested north of his homeland, the kingdom of Sarcrin.
"Either up in the north of the pit, or further north of it" adds the young field commander, who then says "Let's hope it doesn't take too long to find them once we head north".
Saanea the witch nods in agreement, then she gestures to the south, which she's looking towards, and she says "A group of mercenaries there, approaching the village".
Tamric Drubine turns and looks that way, and spots the dozen or mercenaries approaching the village, as more than likely they'll keep heading further north into the City of Ruins.
"Let's go and find out if they know anything" quietly says the young field commander who hops off the broken wall he's been sitting on.
Then he and his lover, the spellcaster from the Maldin Hills go and make their way to the mercenaries as they enter the village.
To speak to them, to see if they know of, or if they've seen the person that the young couple, and the rest of the group have traveled to the City of Ruins to find . . . . . .