Winter.
Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy puts the hood of his grey cloak up onto his head as he follows Tovis the war engineer and Zam the ex mercenary.
They're in the south of the city of Kuradum, they've just gone through a market square on what's a chilly day here in this part of the Southlands.
"Which way?" asks Tovis the war engineer as they enter one of the poorer districts of the city.
"That street to the left" is the reply of Zam the ex mercenary, who knows this part of the city well.
Since he grew up here, and only left it just over a year ago. When he decided to become a mercenary, after failing to get into the army of Kuradum, then after that, a brief stint in the city guards.
"It doesn't look like it" says the young ex mercenary, who continues with "But the street curves, and gets there eventually".
Dalinvardèl Tanith, or Dalin as he's more commonly called by the others in the group.
Nods his hooded head in agreement, as he knows the city of Kuradum fairly well, having been here a number of times over the years.
Unlike Tovis, as this is the war engineer's first time in the city.
They make their way along the curving street, which is fairly narrow for a relatively long street for this part of the city.
Some of the buildings on the street, are three and four storeys tall. And they loom over the street, as if they're leaning over, and looking down at those who are on the street.
They pass a quartet of dwarven mercenaries who are serving in the Kuradian army.
Glad that Dorc da Orc isn't with the three of them as they head south through the city.
And they round a corner, onto a way that runs along the inner side of the south wall of the city of Kuradum.
"Closest way up is to the left" says Zam as they cross over to the wall after a couple of wagons go by.
Tovis who is already looking closely at the wall, absent mindedly nods as they head left, to the east.
"It's about halfling between the first and second gates" says the ex mercenary from here in Kuradum.
As the city has a trio of bridges that crosses the river that runs along the south side of Kuradum.
As anyone can go up to the top of the wall, they have no problems making their way up the steps.
Helped that there's hardly anyone up on the top, since the day is cold. And there's a fairly strong wind blowing when you get to the top of the wall.
And though there's city guards on duty up here. The only ones they see, are those wandering from guardhouse to guardhouse, as the others are staying indoors, to keep out of the wind.
The spy Tanith has taken notice of this, so has the war engineer Tovis. Who is crouching down, getting a better look at the construction of the wall.
While Zam, who is only seventeen, and the youngest of the group by a couple of years.
Is looking away to the south, at the countryside in that direction. On what's a clear and cold, though windy day here in this part of the city-state of Kuradum.
"Well?" asks Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy.
As he stands back up, Tovis the war engineer says "Better than the walls of some of the other cities I've been to".
The young engineer, who is in his earlier twenties, and hails from the kingdom of Druvic, briefly pauses before continuing with "Though it's worse than some others".
"Average then?" asks the elven spy who is from the elven principality of Alínlae, where he previously served in one of the noble houses in his homeland.
"Average" replies the war engineer who is a captain in the armies of Farque.
"Better than nothing i guess" quietly says Dalin, who follows that with "That's if the enemy make it to the city".
The newest member of the group, looks at the elven spy and the war engineer, and asks them "Think they will?".
Both Dalin and Tovis shrug their shoulders in reply to that from the ex mercenary.
Then all three of them look over the wall, and down at the river below.
The spy Tanith who is an officer in the armies of Farque, nods his hooded head in the direction of the first bridge, the one furtherest east.
And switching to his native language, he says to the young Druvician engineer "Just that bridge, or i should say, the original version of it was standing when lord Farque took the city during the war against the Empire".
The elven spy continues with "Well, it wasn't a city then, just a large trading town".
Tovis nods in understanding, as he too, has read some of the history books and tomes in the lands Farque.
That tell of lord Farque's time as a battlelord five and half centuries ago against the Holy Norstran Empire, which had traveled across the Great Western Ocean, and invaded the Southlands.
Five and half centuries ago, when lord Farque, who was not lord of his lands at the time, but was the heir. Was still alive.
"When he killed the Kura, the founder of the city" says Dalinvardèl Tanith, who follows that with "Who was in cahoots with the invaders".
"Best not mention that to any of the locals" dryly says Tovis the war engineer in the elven language.
"They won't like hearing what their founding father was really like" adds the young engineer, who is from the southeast region of his homeland, the kingdom of Druvic. Where he previously served in the army of one baron Harkonin.
Zam listens to the other two speaking in elven, not really understanding them.
Since he's just started learning the elven language, he can only pick up a few words here and there.
And has absolutely no idea what the elven spy and the war engineer are discussing.
As the three of them stand upon the top of the south wall of the city of his birth, the city of Kuradum.
Switching back to the common language, Dalin points away to one of the roads to the south, and says "Supplies and more army recruits coming in".
Both the young ex mercenary and the young engineer nod when they spot the trio of wagons heading towards the city.
Wagons followed by about twenty five men on foot, ranging in age from teens to those in their fifties.
Escorted by a quad of mounted soldiers in the Kuradian army still loyal to the ruling council, who are led by councilman Sammis.
"Guess there won't be too many of them coming in" quietly says Zam, who having been back in the city of Kuradum just over a day.
Knows the plight of the war here in his homeland fairly well. Where the forces of the pretender.
The self appointed duke of the city-state of Kuradum, councilman Hirrye. And his faction, have the upper hand in what is essentially a civil war here in the city-state.
As his army and forces, are larger in number than those of the faction led by councilman Sammis. Substantially more too.
For more than half of the city-state's army is in support of councilman Hirrye.
And the vast majority of all those mercenary companies who have be hired during the conflict.
Are on the side of the self styled duke of the city-state of Kuradum.
"Probably not too much more" says Dalinvardèl Tanith, who follows that with "Especially from that way, the south".
The elven spy, continues on with "Though more should still come in from the north, prominently the northwest".
"So I've heard" says Zam the ex mercenary, who didn't know it when he was found by the others in the autumn, in the City of Ruins.
That he'd end up being fast tracked into an army. An army of a a nation he's never even been to. A nation he never knew existed until he joined the group.
"Every little bit counts" states the elven spy originally from the principality of Alínlae.
"Even with our third army showing up tomorrow morning, things will be tight" adds Dalin, who looks around as he continues with "Especially if the fighting reaches the city".
Both Tovis the war engineer and Zam the ex mercenary nod in agreement with the elven spy.
Then the young engineer who hails from the kingdom of Druvic, and who is now an officer in the armies of Farque, says "Come on, let's go back down".
The war engineer continues with "I want to have a good look at one of the gates" followed by "And the state of the wall around it".
The three of them head along the wall to the steps they came up. They head down them, and once they're back down on the ground, they make their way to the nearest of the three gates here on the south side of the city.
There they get a few curious looks from the city guardsmen on gate duty.
But they're left alone as Tovis examines the gates, and the state of the wall around it.
"Helped if they had a portcullis" quietly says the Druvician war engineer, who then adds "Either side of the gate would do".
Dalinvardèl Tanith nods his hooded head in agreement, then Tovis says "Let's check out the other gates" followed by "Might as well see how they are since we're here".
They move off, heading westwards. With the young engineer who is a captain in the armies of Farque.
Stopping every once and a while, to check the state of the base of the city wall.
Tovis doesn't say much as he does so. Just grunting and saying "Hmmmm" when he has a close look at the wall.
They soon reach the second gate, which the war engineer examines, along with the surrounding wall.
After that, they move off, and head to the third gate in the south wall of Kuradum, the western most gate.
Once the young engineer examines the final gate. The trio head back through the city.
Making their way to the inn, near the city center, where they and the rest of the group are staying in, whilst here in the city of Kuradum.
As they do, Tovis the war engineer quietly tells the other two that the first two gates are sound. And should withstand a barrage for quite some time.
The third gate, the western gate in the south wall, not so much.
It's the newest of the gates, less than a century old. And the young engineer clearly noted the workmanship to install it was pretty shoddy.
Slightly damaging the wall around it too. Especially on the inner side of the south wall.
"Well if the pretender and his army reach the city" quietly says Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy, who continues with "And end up attacking from the south, they'll definitely target that gate".
Tovis the war engineer grunts in agreement, while Zam the ex mercenary looks a little nervous at the prospect of that happening.
"Hopefully it won't get that far" says the young engineer, who follows that with "But it's war, so who knows".
Zam, the local Kuradian nods. As he's been told by some of the others in the group. That in a war, anything could happen.
It's not like running skirmishes and battles between mercenary companies. Like he had experienced in the City of Ruins, when he was in a mercenary company living and working there.
This will be different. For starters it will be larger, not to mention longer than any skirmish he got caught up during his time in the ancient city of Dalphene.
Or as it's more commonly known by throughout the Southlands and beyond, the City of Ruins.
"Well if the war does make it to the city" quietly says Dalin as they cross the market square they passed through earlier, when they were making their way to the south wall of Kuradum.
"Who knows if the pretender will attack or not" adds the spy Tanith, who follows that with "He might not want to damage the city that is his home".
"Or he might" says Tovis the war engineer, which illicits a grunt from the elven spy in the grey hooded cloak.
Then the two officers in the armies of Farque look at the newest member of the group.
And Dalinvardèl Tanith asks the young Kuradian "What do you think he'll do Zam?" followed by "If he makes it to the city?".
The ex mercenary, who only knew a little bit about the individual councilmen before he left Kuradum just over a year ago.
Does know one thing about one of them. That being councilman Hirrye. Who was known to be incredibly ambitious. Even amongst the residents of the poorer quarters of the city of Kuradum.
"I don't think he'll care one bit that this is his home" quietly says Zam the ex mercenary.
"If he makes it to the city, and the council is still in position to defend it" adds the local Kuradian who is now in the armies of Farque.
"Then he'll attack, I'm certain of it" says the youngest member of the group, who follows that with "He wants to be duke, and i guess he'll do anything to make that happen".
Both Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy and Tovis the war engineer nod in agreement with the young Kuradian.
As the three of them continue on their way northwards through the city of Kuradum.
As they head back to the inn where the group are staying whilst here in the city . . . . . .
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