The Find 70.

Autumn.

North central Southlands. The ancient city of Dalphene. More commonly called The City of Ruins.
"I don't know?" asks Farnill the mercenary, who follows that with "You think they will?".
"Who knows" replies Almard the mercenary as the group sit around the corner table drinking, after they've eaten their meal.
Melmear the mercenary, who previously worked in this tavern before joining the company.
Sits back down after speaking with the tavern keeper and a couple of others who work here, who she knows.
"I guess the captain will retaliate" says Hilmik the dwarven mercenary, who continues with "For all we know, he already has".
They haven't been able to find out anything, since their fellow mercenaries from their company, some of them who are in the tavern with them.
Don't exactly know what's happening at the moment in the battlefield, that's the northern part of the giant hole in the ground.
The young dwarven warrior, who hails from the Sunreach Mountains, the northern slopes of that range to be exact.
Is about to continue saying something, when the front door to the tavern opens.
And shouts and yells of excitement come from the patrons when they see who enters the tavern.
"Who is it?" asks Zam the mercenary and Melmear in unison, while both Farnill and Almard stand up to see what's all the commotion is about.
It's Hilmik who with his naturally enhanced hearing, who quickly discerns what's happening.
"It's the captain!" says the young dwarven warrior, who gets up and rushes forward.
Quickly followed by the rest of the group at the table. As they join the others to crowd around the popular mercenary captain.
It's not only Maygam the mercenary captain, but also Lolmildíll the elven magic user who has entered the tavern.
After the shouting and yelling dies down, due to captain Maygam putting up his arms to get everyone to quiet down, the mercenary leader speaks.
"All those in the company, gather your gear and equipment, we've got work to do in the north of the pit" states Maygam the mercenary captain, who follows that with "I've got an advantage over the next few days up there, and i intend to use it".
Those in the company hurry away, to get their gear from their homes. Meanwhile the group who have just recently returned, get their gear and equipment which they've left lying by the corner table where they were sitting.
Maygam watches them, then says "You five with me and Lolm" and he nods for them to follow him and the elven magic user outside.
They wait for the other members of the company to come back and join them out the front of the tavern.
As they do, a large, heavily armoured figure comes into view from around the side of the tavern.
Before they even wonder what's going on, Maygam says to the five who have recently made their way back down into the giant hole in the ground "Four of you will be going with the rest of us up north".
The mercenary captain continues on with "To help out with the fighting on the otherside of the neutral zone".
Maygam briefly pauses as the large figure in the dark armour, who cuts an ominous figure in the near dark with just a single lamp shining next to the front door of the tavern, stands beside the mercenary captain and the elven magic user.
"The other will be going with this individual" continues Maygam, who pauses once more before adding "Almard, Farnill, Hilmik and Melmear you'll be coming with the rest of us".
Those four glance at the fifth member of their group as the mercenary captain says "Zam you'll be joining the lord here, and his ah company".
The young mercenary in question blinks in surprise then says "Er?" followed by "Ah I've got a different hire now captain?".
"Something like that" mutters Maygam the mercenary captain in the elven language with a sideways glance up at the tall figure standing beside him.
Then the company captain says in common to the teenage mercenary "Sure" followed by "You'll be doing the same for his lordship here, as you've been doing for me and the company".
Maygam then mutters again in the elven language with "More or less".
Some of the others start coming back, and as they gather infront of the tavern, Maygam the mercenary captain says to the large, heavily armoured figure "You'll be off then?".
"I will" says lord Farque, who then looks at the young mercenary Zam, and tells him "Come along then".
Zam barely hears the farewells from the others in the group, though he does hear Hilmik the dwarven warrior say "Good luck lad".
The teenager, originally from the city-state of Kuradum, is in shock as he follows after the individual that Maygam the mercenary captain told him to go with.
They walk around the side of the tavern, and the undead warlord slows to allow the young mercenary to walk alongside him.
"I understand you tried to get into the city guards of Kuradum and failed?" asks the heavily armoured deathlord.
Zam blinks in surprise, as he wonders how this lord knows that about him. As he told just those in the group he was previously, about his failed attempt to get into the city guards of his homeland.
"Yeah i did" says Zam the mercenary, who then remembers who he's talking to, and he adds "Er my lord".
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque nods his full helmed head as they make their way through the southern half of the village.
Zam, who though still in shock at his change of situation, does ask "Where are we going?" followed by "Aren't we going to go up north, to all the fighting on the otherside of the neutral zone".
"We're going somewhere else" states the lord of the death realm, who then falls silent as they continue through the village.
They're soon at the southern edge of the village, where Zam is surprised to find a group of people waiting for them.
The young mercenary, who didn't even notice the figure in the white hooded cloak who followed him, and the lord. Wonders who these people are.
He takes a step back, when he spots a rather large green figure, that stinks.
And though he can't see it too clearly as there's only one moon up in the early night sky so far.
Zam is pretty sure it's not a troll. And Zam is absolutely certain, it looks to be more than a little agitated. Infact it looks down right murderous.
As the large, heavily armoured figure walks away, to speak with the even larger, not to mention, angry looking green creature.
Zam who takes another involuntary step back, almost steps back into the person he doesn't know who is behind him.
Who easily avoids the young mercenary, and comes to a stop beside him, and starts speaking to him.
"Don't worry about Dorc there" says Helbe the elven thief, whoop continues with "He just doesn't like that friend of yours, the dwarf Hilmik".
Zam, who is momentarily taken aback to find someone suddenly standing beside him, says "Er why?" followed "Why doesn't he like Hilmik?".
"Because he's a dwarf" is the dry sounding reply from the elven magic user.
The young elven noble who hails from the island principality of Laerel, then says "Let me introduce the others to you".
Zam is introduced to the group, that he suddenly finds he has joined. He doesn't remember many names straight away.
So he just nods his head, and says "Greetings" to the others, as he's introduced to them by the elf, who he finds out is called Helbe.
"And of course you've met our leader lord Farque" says the elven masterthief who quickly determined that the newest member of the group doesn't have anything of value to steal.
"And that with him over there, he's talking to is Dorc" adds the highly talented elven practitioner of magic.
"Er, what is Dorc?" quietly asks the young mercenary who hails from the city-state of Kuradum.
"Trouble" dryly says the figure in the black hooded cloak, who walks over, who Zam recalls is called Mira.
"Just keep out of his way, and you'll be fine" says Mira Reinholt the mage, who follows that with "Oh if he offers you anything to eat, don't take it".
The figure in the black hooded cloak looks sideways at the elf named Helbe, who sourly smiles in return.
"I'll remember that then" says the young mercenary from Kuradum, who suddenly finds himself amongst another band of mercenaries, or what he assumes are mercenaries.
Lord Farque, and the large creature named Dorc walk back to where the rest are waiting.
Zam involuntarily steps back when Dorc looks his way, and growls at him.
The large green creature only stops when the lord slaps him on the arm, and says something in a guttural sounding language that Zam doesn't understand.
"Tovis you're babysitting the new arrival" says lord Farque in the elven language to the war engineer, who nods in reply.
Then switching to the common language, the undead warlord says "Let's go" followed by "Beldane up top".
"The town to the west?" asks Beldane the cleric, the large, heavily armoured deathlord replies with a nod of his full helmed head, then says "It'll be there soon".
The powerful cleric who is from the kingdom of Nastell nods at that, then he starts casting.
"Through it" says the lord and ruler of the lands Farque a few moments later when a gateway appears.
First through is Helbe the elven thief, followed by Lisell Maera the scout.
"Er what's that?" quietly asks Zam "A portal" replies Tovis the war engineer as he walks up to the young mercenary who is originally from the city-state of Kuradum.
"Stick close to me, and you'll be fine" adds the young engineer who is a captain in the armies of Farque.
Zam nods then blinks in surprise as he watches the next two go through the portal after the knight and the halfling.
He's pretty sure the young woman next to the young man in the half plate armour. Has a cat sitting on her right shoulder.
The young mercenary who finds himself amongst others he knows nothing about.
Nods and steps forward, when Tovis says to him "Come along then".
Side by side they step through the gateway, and the next moment Zam realises he's somewhere else.
The teenager from the city-state of Kuradum knows exactly where they are. They're just outside the western most town up top, that overlooks 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.
"That way" says the young engineer who is originally from the kingdom of Druvic.
They follow after the others as the rest of the group come through the gateway.
The last through is Beldane the cleric, who drops his spell once he's on this side of the gateway.
As they walk south away from the town, Zam spots what looks like a building they're heading towards.
As they get closer, he realises it's an airship. A small, dark, sleek looking, single masted vessel.
And though he knows next to nothing about airships. To his eye, this one looks quick.
"Your company has an airship?" quietly asks Zam the mercenary as he realises this company must be well off, and successful to own such an airship.
"Yeah" replies Tovis the war engineer, who follows this with "We're not like other companies" he then adds in a murmur that Zam doesn't hear "We're not exactly a company either".
Soon everyone is onboard, and the small airship, that the newest member of the group, learns is called the Quick Gull, is steadily rising up into the night sky.
Zam stands at the starboard rail as the small, sleek looking airship turns that way, and starts heading to the south and west.
As it does, he looks back and he can see down into the giant hole in the ground, into the City of Ruins.
Away to the north, miles away, north of the neutral zone. Zam spots an explosion, followed by another.
As the fighting continues in that half of the giant hole in the ground. As mercenary captains fight for control of that part of the ancient city of Dalphene.
As the newest member of the group stands at the starboard rail, lord Farque walks over to him.
Zam is silent for a moment, then after glancing at the large, heavily armoured figure standing next to him, he asks "Where are we going?".
"Somewhere" is the reply lord Farque, which garners a nod from the young mercenary who hails from the city-state of Kuradum.
Who looks back, and watches the City of Ruins slowly disappear away to the north, as they head southwest.
On this cool, autumn evening in this part of the northern, central region of the Southlands.

Author's Note - Here ends "The Find". The main storyline will return in "The Thick Of It".