The Thick Of It 2.

Winter.

"What's that away to the south?" asks Zam the ex mercenary as they prepare to leave their campsite.
"Not sure" is the reply from Tovis the war engineer as he looks away to the south in the predawn light, or lack of it, on this cold winter morning in the city-state of Kuradum.
Helbe the elven thief wanders over, and the two of them ask him what it is they can see away to the south.
"A fire mountain" says Helbe the elven thief, who continues with "A volcano towards the eastern end of the Sunreach Mountains".
"That's about a hundred miles away" says Zam who knows a fair bit about his homeland, and the lands that surround it.
"Is it that big?" adds the ex mercenary who is the latest member of the group, having joined during the autumn.
"Nah, pretty average i guess" says the young elven noble, who pauses as Narladene the ground pixie, who is invisible to the two humans, whispers something into his right ear.
"It's constantly erupting, and it's a clear dawn, that's why even you two can see it this morning" adds the highly talented elven magic user.
Who then nods his hooded head for the ex mercenary and the war engineer to follow him, and he says "Come on".
As they walk between the trees in the woods, Tovis the war engineer says "I guess they're not hiring us?".
"They're not" says the elven masterthief who is a member of the royal family that rules the island principality of Laerel.
"Their loss" continues Helbe the elven thief who follows that with "Especially if the other lot end up hiring us".
Both Zam and Tovis nod in agreement with that, as the first light of the day starts to stream down through the branches in the trees.
They stop when they reach the others, the last of them to arrive being lord Farque and Dorc da Orc.
With the large ork looking both miserable, and furious. Due to the fact he's soaking wet at the moment. After the undead warlord chucked him into a nearby stream. Much to relief of everyone else in the group. As the big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world, has absolute reeked of late.
"We ready?" asks lord Farque ignoring the angry scowl directed at him from Dorc da Orc.
Not waiting for an answer, the large, heavily armoured deathlord says to Beldane the cleric "Go ahead" followed by "You know to where".
The powerful cleric from the kingdom of Nastell nods, then he casts a spell.
A few moments later and a gateway forms, and Helbe the elven thief is the first one through.
Quickly followed by Lisell Maera the scout, then starting with Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy, then sir Percavelle Lé Dic, the rest of the group go through.
With the cleric in the church of Glaine, the last to go through the gateway. Which disappears a few moments after he's gone through it.
They walk down to a road after coming through the gateway which was in the middle of a farmer's field.
The road leads to the city of Kuradum, which can be seen less than two and a half miles away to the west.
As the sun rises this fairly cold winter's morning, in this part of the Southlands.
After a brief word with lord Farque, Helbe the elven thief disappears. The highly talented elven magic user will be the first into the city.
"Fair bit of traffic on the main east road already" quietly says Zam the ex mercenary, who then adds "And the sun is just coming up too".
"War tends to do that" says Tamric Drubine the field commander, who along with his lover Saanea the witch.
Is walking infront of the ex mercenary and Tovis the war engineer.
Zam would agree with that. This is the first real war he's seen and been around.
And since being back in the city-state that's his homeland, for the past week.
Things are far more busier than a normal winter would be in Kuradum.
With what's essentially a civil war taking place in the city-state of his birth.
Where councilman Hirrye, has declared himself duke of Kuradum.
And opposing him is councilman Sammis, and the faction he leads.
And while the self styled duke Hirrye has most of the local army backing him. Predominantly those garrisoned further out in the state, outside of the city of Kuradum.
The rest of the army, and just as importantly, the city guard of Kuradum. Are with the faction led by councilman Sammis.
Who wants to retain the status quo, where the city-state is governed by a council.
Unlike councilman Hirrye, who wants to be the outright ruler of the city-state of Kuradian.
As Lisell Maera and Dalinvardèl Tanith lead the way along the paved road.
Mira Reinholt the mage says to Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit walking beside him "Who knows if this lot will even hire us".
"Think they might" is the reply of Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit who continues with "Especially if Helbe lets slip Hirrye and his bunch didn't".
Looking at the city they're heading towards this morning, the once powerful mage quietly says "I'm surprised they're not fighting in the city already".
The spellcaster who is from the city-state of Vexil continues with "Considering from everything we've heard, both councilmen Hirrye and Sammis are in residence in the city".
The halfling, who is from the far east coast of the continent, nods his head in agreement with the mage, who like him, sits upon the council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
Jarjin, who is an ex air sailor, glances back, to where lord Farque is walking with Dorc da Orc at the rear of the line of march.
Then the hobbit who previously served in the fleet of the Sultan of Dreese, quietly says "If Sammis does hire us, this war can be over fairly quickly if indeed that Hirrye is in the city".
Jarjin Littlefoot, who isn't what he appears to be, nods infront of them, to where infront of Shur Kee the monk, and Beldane the cleric.
Dalinvardèl Tanith and Lisell Maera are about thirty yards infront of the rest of the group.
"One word from Farque, and Dalin or Helbe can assassinate that Hirrye" quietly says the halfling, who is really 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 former air sailor.
"He won't though" murmurs the mage who is also a highly skilled swordmaster.
"No profit in that" adds the spellcaster 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 a number of years ago. When he went offworld through a rift/void that he accidentally cast.
"True that" quietly says Jarjin aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman, who nods his head in agreement with what the mage Reinholt just said.
Coming from the city are a group of horsemen, and though many on the road, most of whom are going into the city this morning. Make way for the riders, simply by getting off the road.
Not so the group, whose only accommodation for the oncoming riders, is to move to one side on the road.
As the riders, a mixed group of city guards, and local soldiers. Bound for the front, away to the southeast.
Pass by, the group garner a lot of looks from the riders. Especially sir Percavelle Lé Dic, lord Farque, and particularly Dorc da Orc. As the three of them stick out like sore thumbs. Often the case when they're out and about, and traveling around.
None of the three are exactly small, especially the seven and a half foot tall, near seven hundred and fifty pound ork warleader.
Though they garner looks from the passing horsemen, none of them actually say or do anything.
After the riders have gone by, Mira Reinholt turns and looks back, then says in the elven language to lord Farque "That Sammis will hire us".
The spellcaster who is in exile from his homeland of Vexil, continues with "That lot didn't even stop and question us" followed by "Bet they're hiring every merc and fighting man who makes it to the city".
The undead warlord doesn't say anything, though he does reply with a nod of his full helmed head.
"We'll know soon enough" quietly says Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit as he walks alongside Mira Reinholt the mage as the group heads towards the city of Kuradum.
A little while later, and they stop a couple hundred yards away from the city.
Standing off to the side of the road, as lord Farque has told them to wait for Helbe the elven thief to return.
"Ever been here before?" asks Zam the ex mercenary as he looks at the city of his birth, a city he still lived in just over a year ago.
"No, first time here" says Tovis the war engineer as he looks at the city of Kuradum. The largest city in the northern central region of the Southlands.
"The others?" quietly asks Zam who is still trying to find his way amongst the group.
A diverse bunch of individuals you'll ever likely to meet. Not only here in the Southlands, but anywhere in the world of Volunell.
"I guess most of the others have" says the war engineer who hails from the kingdom of Druvic, who then dryly adds "They tend to get around a lot".
Also talking about the city as they wait to enter, is sir Percavelle Lé Dic. As usual the large, heavily armoured knight is speaking in his loud, boisterous voice. To anyone who'll listen to him really. Not that any of the others want to listen to him.
"Ah this city, i remember it well" declares sir Percavelle Lé Dic, who continues with "I won many a tourney in this city, wot".
Standing nearby, Mira Reinholt faintly smiles, then says "Except that one tourney a number of years ago".
The Vexilian mage in exile then adds "Well, the Lé Grande Melee in that tourney to be exact".
The former paladin in the order of the Knights of Saint Mar-che thinks about it for a moment.
Then he scowls after the mage Reinholt gestures over to where Dorc da Orc is sitting by the side of the road.
"I remember no such thing" says the nobleman from the kingdom of Druvic in a haughty tone of voice.
"Of course you do" says the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster.
"It's when we first met you" adds the once powerful mage, who continues with "Me, Farque, Helbe".
Councilor Reinholt briefly pauses before saying "And when you first ran into Dorc".
Sir Percavelle Lé Dic or Percy as he's more commonly called by the others in the group.
Who had been trying to forget that incident from well over fifteen years ago ever since they arrived here in the city-state of Kuradum about a week ago.
Stares at the exiled Vexilian mage for a few moments. Then the former earl of Lé Dic, who has a selective memory to say the least. Remembers something about the mage from around that same time, over fifteen years ago.
"Tell me you evil doer of the arcane arts" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic, who follows that with "I do believe that was the time before you turned on the group, and attacked them, wot".
The former paladin continues with "Because i doth remember you fighting on the side that i was on a few months later in the war in those mountains yonder south" he briefly pauses before adding "Against the group, wot".
Percy raises a questioning eyebrow, then smirks, before turning and walking away.
After a moment of silence, Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit quietly says "He got you there" followed by "You did turn on the group, almost killed Dorc didn't you?" he then adds "Then you fought on the side of the invaders in that war in the Sunreach Mountains".
"Don't look at me like that" says Jarjin aka Zubutai Timaginson when Mira Reinholt scowls, and glares at him.
"I wasn't part of the group then" adds the halfling who is a former air sailor.
Then as the once powerful mage is about to say something, lord Farque calls out "Gather round".
As they all walk over to where the undead warlord is standing. Helbe the elven thief suddenly appears next to lord Farque, after going into the city of Kuradian to check things out.
"How was it?" asks the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
They all listen, with the exception of Dorc da Orc. To what the young elven noble from island principality of Laerel has to say about what's happening inside of the city of Kuradum . . . . . .