The Find 15.

Autumn.

In the giant hole in the ground. The City of Ruins. Early evening.
Helbe the elven thief left way earlier than the others this morning. Well before dawn, as he headed north.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel spent most of the day looking around parts of the ancient city of Dalphene. Some familiar to him, others not so familiar.
Keeping out of sight, and out of mind. Watching those trying to find their fortune, down here in the City of Ruins.
He saw adventurers digging into the sandy ground, where they found a building that had yet to be discovered.
They didn't last long, as they were wiped out by a band of mercenaries who were lying in wait nearby.
The elven masterthief who is a member of the royal family that rules the island principality of Laerel.
Observed two of the larger mercenary companies down here in the pit.
In a running battle, near the ruins of an ancient, off the ground aqueduct. Fighting over by what he could see, the right to enter an underground section of the aqueduct.
The fighting between the two companies with more than a couple hundred mercenaries on either side.
Was rather bloody and lethal in the opinion of the elven master assassin, who is a member of the personal council to lord Farque.
Around midday, the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel, watched a pair of trolls in a fight with a roving tribe of wild goblins.
Who had come up from a tunnel beneath the ground, to find the two trolls digging nearby, down into a nearby cavern where the goblins live.
That particular encounter was short and brutal, leaving a good thirty wild goblins dead.
And a pair of annoyed trolls, who put in even more effort into their digging after they were interrupted by the tribe of goblins.
Helbe the elven thief was rather glad then that lord Farque had sent him north by himself, without any of the others in the group.
Who today, have remained in the towns and villages at the southern end of the giant hole in the ground.
Within which, is the ancient city of Dalphene, or as it's more commonly called, the City of Ruins.
As no doubt Dorc da Orc would of got involved in that fight between the trolls and the goblins.
The elven princeling from Laerel spent a little bit of time watching a pair of archers, one elven and the other, a human ranger.
Taking pot shots at one another, as their two small mercenary bands, tried to secure a freshly dug ruin, sticking part way out of the east wall of the pit.
The elven envoy for the armies of Farque, left them when the human ranger was shot in the leg, by the elf mercenary who was trying to kill him.
As he's headed north through the giant hole in the ground, the elven master archer who is a member of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
Has been searching for the person that he and the rest of the group, have traveled here to find.
And true, his power of foresight showed him that the person they're looking for, will be found in either the northern half of the City of Ruins.
Or up in the countryside to the north of the giant hole in the ground.
He's still kept an eye out for that person, for you never know, his power of foresight might be inaccurate.
He rather doubts it, as it's never done so before. He suspects it won't be wrong this time.
All the same, he's still kept an eye out for that person as he's made his way northwards through the City of Ruins.
Of course the grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel can't cover all of the ground as he makes his way northwards.
After all, the pit is six miles wide at it's widest, down at the southern end. But even further north, it doesn't get all that much less wide in places.
It's only at the very northern end of the giant hole in the ground, that the City of Ruins is less than a couple of miles wide.
Still massive, considering it's basically ten miles long from north to the south.
So Prince Helbenthril Raendril has had Narladene the ground pixie search the areas he is unable to get to, or bother trying to get to.
After all, she can cover more ground, so to speak. Both above ground, and below it. More than he could ever hope to do.
The elven masterthief who paused in his journey northwards, to watch a fairly powerful wizard from a group of adventurers.
Battle it out with a sorcerer, not as powerful, but more experienced and skilled in the opinion of the highly skilled elven magic user.
The sorcerer who is part of a small band of mercenaries, was getting the upper hand in the magical battle.
Blowing up a half dilapidated ruin, that the powerful wizard had taken shelter in.
The wizard escaped. And though the sorcerer had the upper hand for a moment.
They were both taken by surprise, as were the respective groups they belonged to.
When a rift suddenly appeared between the two battling spellcasters.
Out of which flew a mageglobe, that exploded a couple of moments later. Killing both the powerful wizard, and the experienced sorcerer. Not to mention most of their respective groups they belonged to.
Then out of the rift walked the mage who killed them, along with the twenty mercenaries of the company he's a part of.
Who then attacked the survivors of the two groups the wizard and sorcerer were a part of.
The elven masterthief suspects that the fairly small group of mercenaries. Are probably one of the more dangerous companies down here in the City of Ruins. For the simple fact they have a mage amongst their number.
And though some mages are better than others, skillful when others are not.
They all have one thing in common. They're the most powerful of the human spellcasters by far.
And what they might lack in skill, they'll just use pure power, and belligerence to get what they want.
Helbe the elven thief, who had no fear at all of those three human spellcasters.
He could of easily got rid of them all, if he had wanted to. Continued on his way, always heading northwards.
Searching for any sign of the person, that he and the rest of the group have traveled here to find.
It's later in the afternoon, near dusk. When the young elven noble from the island principality gets to the so called neutral zone here in the City of Ruins.
It's about a a mile stretch in all directions, basically in the middle of the City of Ruins.
And surprisingly, this is where the majority of the standing ruins of what was the ancient city of Dalphene, still remains.
Everything from both underground and above ground aqueducts. As well as monuments of all descriptions, not to mention nearly every kind of building imaginable.
Along with structures, both small and massive. It's one of the latter ones, than the highly talented elven magic user is on at the moment, as dusk gives away to nightfall, as the sun sets in the west, on what's been a cool autumn day here in the City of Ruins.
Helbe the elven thief, is on top of the largest structure in all of the ancient city of Dalphene.
It's a pyramid, twin to the one on the otherside of the world, in the city of Kaevatil.
Though the one there, is actually far larger. As it was the home of the Greater Dragon Kor.
Nevertheless, the one here in the City of Ruins is still massive. So tall, that the elven masterthief is pretty much level with the top of the pit.
Able to see to the open countryside in all directions, from his position on top of the pyramid, as night takes effect in this part of the northern most area, of the central regions of the Southlands.
The elf, who is both a member of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, and the envoy for the armies of Farque.
Isn't looking out at the open countryside above the pit at the moment. Instead he's looking down at another fairly large structure here in the neutral zone or area of the ancient city of Dalphene.
"Someone's tried to fix it" Helbe the elven thief murmurs to himself as he looks down at the massive white gateway. That's a fixed portal, which when it worked, made it possible to travel to the otherside of the world and back.
The blurred and shielded elven magic user, who has been through that fixed portal in the past, nearly nineteen years ago to be exact.
And been inside the twin of the pyramid he's standing on top of at the moment.
Nods his hooded head as he looks at the near seventy foot tall, white marble gateway.
That someone has tried to fix, and get working again. After Mira Reinholt the mage blasted it with enough power that it no longer works.
The elven master assassin then goes back to watching the people below. As the neutral area in the middle of the City of Ruins, is a hive of activity just after dusk.
Just as busy, if not even busier than the towns and villages at the southern end of the giant hole in the ground.
As the elven princeling from Laerel watches a rather large wyvern resting upon the roof of one of the more intact ancient buildings down below.
He wonders where Narladene the ground pixie has got to. As he last saw and spoke to her in the middle of afternoon.
And she was periodically checking in with him. To tell him what she had, and hadn't found. As they search for the one they and the rest of the group have traveled here to find.
The elven master archer isn't too worried about the naturally magical creature.
After all she can look after herself, far better than he can look after her, or himself for that matter.
So he goes back to watching those down below. In particular any of the mercenary companies, or larger groups of adventurers here in the neutral zone.
The highly talented elven magic user is just observing a mercenary band who have set up camp in the ruins of a building.
When Narladene suddenly appears on his right shoulder. The ground pixie is breathing heavily, as if she's been in a rush.
The elven masterthief knows that the tiny winged creature doesn't breath like other people or creatures.
She just does that, to show that she's been in a rush or been hurried, or done something that would physically exhaust anyone else.
"Something happen?" quietly asks Helbe the elven thief, who sits down upon the top block of the more than five hundred foot tall pyramid.
Nodding her head, Narladene the ground pixie says "Lord Farque wanted to speak to me".
The highly talented elven magic user nods his hooded head in understanding.
As he knows the undead warlord has a way of calling the ground pixie from a distance.
The naturally magical creature has told the elven masterthief that she can recognise people's tread, or movement from miles away.
At that lord Farque, is the most recognisable one she has ever encountered.
At that the only other one in the group that comes easily to recognise from miles away.
Is Dorc da Orc, due to his size, more precisely his weight. As Narladene has told prince Helbenthril Raendril. That orks are far heavier in comparison to their own height. Than any other two legged person, or creature in the world.
Not even trolls and giants can compare. For though they are both much larger than any ork. They're no where near the same height to weight ratio as an ork.
Especially such a large ork as Dorc da Orc, who till this day, is still the largest living ork in the wolf tribe of orks.
"What did he want?" asks the elven master assassin referring to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
"They've found out the one we're looking for has joined a mercenary company" is the reply from the tiny winged creature who hails from the Sunreach Mountains.
The ground pixie, who met then attached herself to Helbe the elven thief in the city of Leeabra, the capital of the kingdom of Druvic.
Then tells the elven master archer ""A few weeks ago they joined Maygam's mercenary company" followed by "Then came north from one of the villages down at the southern end of the pit".
The young elven noble form the island principality of Laerel nods his hooded head, then quietly murmurs "They could be down there for all we know".
The ground pixie standing on the right shoulder of the highly talented elven magic user nods in agreement with him.
As they, along with the rest of the group. Well lord Farque, really. Have decided to have the neutral zone of the City of Ruins in the northern half of the pit.
And though probably only half of it really is in the northern half of the giant hole in the ground.
They're taking no chances as they search for the one they've traveled here to find.
"Might as well go down and see if they're here" says the elven princeling who continues with "Or see if anyone knows where they are".
Narladene the ground pixie nods in agreement, then she holds onto the right shoulder of the blurred and shielded elven magic user as she senses he's about to cast.
Helbe the elven thief shifts down from the top of the pyramid, heading down into the neutral zone of the City of Ruins.
To look for the one he and the rest of the group are searching for. The one who has recently joined Maygam's mercenary company . . . . . .