Winter.
Zam the ex mercenary is woken up early, and told to make himself ready.
The young man who hails from here in the city of Kuradum. Yawns as he makes his way out of the inn's common room.
With his breakfast barely settling in his stomach, he steps out into the back courtyard of the inn.
And makes his way over to where some of the others are waiting in the predawn gloom this winter's morning.
Zam, who finds himself standing next to Tovis the war engineer and Lisell Maera the scout.
Winces as the boisterous sir Percavelle Lé Dic steps out into the back courtyard, and in his overly loud way, says "Good morning!" to those already out here.
"Why's he always like that" murmurs Zam the ex mercenary, who wasn't intending for that to be heard by anyone else.
But the war engineer who hails from the kingdom of Druvic, and the scout originally from the city-state of Brattonbury heard him.
"I'd like to say you grow accustomed to it" quietly says Lisell Maera the scout, who then dryly adds "But you don't".
"Just try to ignore him" quietly says Tovis the war engineer, who continues with "That helps".
The captain in the engineering corp of the armies of Farque briefly pauses, before adding "Kind of".
Beside the war engineer, the scout Maera sourly smiles, but she does nod in agreement with the captain in the armies of Farque.
While away to their right, the overly loud sir Percavelle Lé Dic, is trying to strike up a conversation with Beldane the cleric.
Who is doing his best to ignore the large, heavily armoured knight who hails from the kingdom of Druvic.
While Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy has discreetly moved away without sir Percavelle noticing.
Zam, who is just glad the nobleborn knight isn't trying to talk to him. And is also glad that they're staying in one of the city's inns.
And not the army garrison in the center of the city near the council building.
Looks to the back of the inn, as the rest of the group joins those who are already out here in the back courtyard, on what feels like it's going to be another cold winter's day here in the city of Kuradum.
Tamric Drubine the field commander makes his way outside alongside Saanea the witch.
They're followed by Mira Reinholt the mage, Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit and Helbe the elven thief.
Last into the back courtyard is lord Farque, who is followed by Dorc da Orc. Who has to duck down to exit the inn.
"Percy, shut it" says lord Farque in the common language, which causes the nobleman from the kingdom of Druvic, to stop talking in his loud voice.
Much to the pleasure of Dorc da Orc who chuckles, and continues to do so when his bitter rival, the former earl of Lé Dic glares at him.
The large ork stops chuckling, and scowls when the lord and ruler of the lands Farque says something to him in orkish.
Then the undead warlord, nods for Beldane the cleric to join him and Helbe the elven thief, over in a corner of the back courtyard.
A short while later, after the three of them look at a map, Beldane the cleric starts casting.
Then as the gloom of predawn starts giving way to the first light of the winter's morning.
A gateway forms, and one by one, with Helbe the elven thief leading the way.
The group heads through the gateway cast by the powerful cleric who hails from the kingdom of Nastell.
A gateway that takes them from the city, to somewhere else in the city-state of Kuradum.
Looking out of a window, Zam the ex mercenary slightly frowns, then murmurs "Seems familiar".
Then he nods his head, when from behind him, Mira Reinholt the mage quietly says "The town of Holmsted".
Zam has been here a couple of times before. Once when he was leaving Kuradum. And he stopped off here in Holmsted. One of the larger towns to be found in the east of the city-state state.
The second time was just a couple of weeks ago. Before the group joined what's essentially a civil war here in Kuradum.
When they were crisscrossing the city-state so that Beldane the cleric could get his bearings, so to speak.
So the powerful spellcaster could learn various locations he could send them to through a gateway.
As a cleric, or any practitioner of magic for that matter. Has to know where they're going with their gateway, rift or portal.
Zam looks outside again, and watches the town, where the day is just getting started.
He watches, and recalls that Holmsted is behind enemy lines. A town under the control of the so called duke of Kuradum, councilman Hirrye.
"Things look fairly normal" quietly says the ex mercenary who hails from the city of Kuradum.
"That's because they are" says Mira Reinholt the mage, who stands alongside Zam and looks out the window.
The ex mercenary is just wondering why they've come here, when the once powerful mage quietly tells him "Those supply wagons we hit were bound for here".
The mage who hails from the city-state of Vexil, and is a member of the personal council to lord Farque, continues with "That Hirrye is using this place as a major depot in the east of the city-state".
Zam nods in understanding when the mage Reinholt quietly tells him "We're going to change that".
They head out of the room, and join the rest of the group, with the exception of Helbe the elven thief, who has already gone off on his own.
Standing in the second storey corridor of the empty building, lord Farque quietly says "We're mercs looking to join up if anyone asks us any questions".
Then looking first at sir Percavelle Lé Dic, then secondly at Dorc da Orc, the undead warlord tells them "You two keep quiet".
The large, heavily armoured knight goes to protest, but he falls silent when the lord of the death realm looks straight at him.
Zam the ex mercenary, who is pretty sure he saw a flash of blue light within the eye slot of lord Farque's visor. Suddenly feels cold here in the corridor.
The young man from the city of Kuradum slightly winces when Dorc da Orc gruffly says something in his native language.
And the large, heavily armoured deathlord snaps back at him in the same language.
Which causes the warleader of the ork race, who is a general in the armies of Farque. To wince, then scowl in disapproval.
Though he, like his bitter rival. The nobleman from the kingdom of Druvic, keeps quiet, and doesn't say a word.
As the group head off, making their way downstairs, then outside onto the streets of Holmsted.
On this cold winters morning, here in the east of the city-state.
And unlike in the city of Kuradum, here in the eastern town of Holmsted. There's snow on the ground, after a fall during the night.
"Head around to the left" quietly says Mira Reinholt the mage who is right behind the young man who is the most recent member of the group.
They've split up, and Zam finds himself with the Vexilian mage in exile, Tovis the war engineer, and Shur Kee the monk.
Who in the opinion of the ex mercenary, is the most enigmatic, and mysterious member of the group. Not to mention the quietest of the group.
Zam who finds himself leading the way, not really knowing where they're going.
Nods when councilor Reinholt moves up beside him, and quietly says "See those buildings in the distance?".
The ex mercenary, who is the youngest in the group, he's still a teenager at just seventeen.
Spots the warehouses on the western outskirts of Holmsted.
"That's where they keep their supplies when they come into town" quietly says the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster.
"From there, their quartermasters distribute it amongst their forces here in the east".
As they near the buildings in question, the streets get busier. Even though it's just after dawn.
Mira Reinholt gestures towards a nearby tavern after he looks around, and he quietly says to the other three "Around the back".
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.
Leads the ex mercenary, the war engineer, and short statured monk around to the back of the tavern.
There they find Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy standing next to a small stable.
"You can see them from that corner of the stables" quietly says Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy in the common language.
For the benefit of the ex mercenary Zam, who is just learning elven. And Shur Kee the monk who doesn't speak the elven language at all.
Nodding his black hooded head, the mage Reinholt quietly says "I don't need to see it" followed by "I can hit them no matter what".
The spy Tanith, who is a battalion commander in the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque nods, then quietly says "You've got the first one to the south councilor" followed by "Then the next one up, and so on".
The practitioner of magic, who is in exile from his homeland, the city-state of Vexil, nods his hooded head.
Dalinvardèl Tanith or Dalin as he's more often than not, called by the others in the group, quietly says "Wait for the signal" followed in a dry tone with "His highness is in there, doing whatever it is he's doing".
Then switching to his native language, the spy Tanith says to Tovis the war engineer "Keep the newbie safe if any of them come your way".
"I will" says Tovis the war engineer in the same language in reply to the elven spy who hails from the principality of Alínlae.
Then Dalin nods to the two councilors, the mage Reinholt, and the monk Kee, who is an honorary member of the personal council to lord Farque.
The battalion commander in the armies of Farque heads off, making his way to the street around to the front of the tavern.
While the four of them stand at the corner of the stables, and look around the corner to the west.
And between a pair of houses, they get a good view of the nearby warehouses on the western outskirts of town.
As Mira Reinholt watches the warehouses, then occasionally looks up into the dawn sky on this cold winters morning.
Zam the ex mercenary after watching enemy soldiers loading up a couple of wagons infront of one of the warehouses, then head off.
Quietly says to Tovis the war engineer who is standing to his right "They don't seem very" he pauses and adds "Ah" as he thinks of what to say.
"Alert?" asks the young engineer who hails from the kingdom of Druvic.
"On guard?" continues the captain in the armies of Farque.
"Yeah" says the young man who only joined the group in the autumn.
"Probably because we're a good forty miles behind the frontlines" quietly says Tovis, who previously served in the army of the baron Harkonin, in eastern Druvic.
"Armies tend to get less cautious the further back from the action they are" adds the war engineer.
Behind the ex mercenary and the captain in the Farqian armies. Shur Kee the monk nods in agreement with what the war engineer just said.
"All the better for us to do what we're doing" quietly says Mira Reinholt the mage as he continues to alternate looking at the nearby warehouses, and the early morning sky directly above them.
Then the spellcaster from the city-state of Vexil, who also happens to be a highly skilled swordmaster.
Looks up, and spots a bird above them. It's a crow, and it comes down low, and circles above them and the stable they're standing next to a couple of times, before it heads off.
"Here we go" quietly says the once powerful mage who is a member of the personal council to lord Farque.
"Keep an eye out for any of them who might flee this way" continues the mage Reinholt who then adds "Try and capture any officers who might come this way".
Zam the ex mercenary nods, then he sees a small red ball of light, about the size of an apple, appear in the right gloved hand of councilor Reinholt.
Who then flings it away in a nonchalant manner in the direction of the nearby warehouses.
Zam watches it shoot between the two houses, then turn to the left, and fly towards the first of warehouses, the southern most one, here on the western outskirts of the town of Holmsted.
The ex mercenary from the city of Kuradum sees the red ball of light adjust in flight again, so that it's now heading straight towards the large front doors of the warehouse that's just been opened.
And after the small ball of red light goes shooting over the heads of a few enemy soldiers loitering around the open front doors, and enter the warehouse where it goes out of view.
Next to Zam, the ex mercenary hears Mira Reinholt the mage quietly say "Boom" . . . . . .
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