Winter.
Zam the ex mercenary almost jumps in fright when something grabs his right ankle.
The young man from the city of Kuradum swings his sword down behind him.
And is rewarded with a groan of pain from the enemy soldier at the bottom of the trench who just grabbed him.
Zam turns, then stabs down with his blade, killing the wounded soldier serving in the forces of councilman Hirrye.
"Zam you okay?" asks Tovis the war engineer who looks down into the trench he's next to.
"Yeah good" is the reply of Zam the ex mercenary, who takes the offered hand of the young engineer from the kingdom of Druvic, who helps him up and out of the trench.
Zam looks around as he takes a few deep breaths, and with all three moons up in the night sky at the moment.
He can see that the enemy lines here have been absolutely devastated from the nighttime attack.
Looking off to the west, the ex mercenary asks the war engineer "Where's that lot off to?".
"To go and get that lot of their's over there" replies Tovis, who is a captain in the armies of Farque.
The young engineer who previously served a certain baron Harkonin in his homeland of Druvic, gestures away to the loyalist battlelines three quarters of a mile away to the west, as he says "They'll bring that lot over here".
The war engineer nods for Zam to follow him, and as they walk northwards, Tovis quietly tells the young man from here in the city-state of Kuradum "The enemy are going to be in for a surprise at this end of their lines".
Gesturing at the trenches they're passing, then at the enemy camp just fifty yards away to the east, on either side of the road.
The captain who commands an engineering corp in the armies of Farque, says "If they haven't been already".
As he walks alongside Tovis, Zam quietly asks him "Are we going somewhere?".
As he spots a number of Farqian soldiers up ahead, are starting to gather.
They briefly pause as an injured soldier from the lands Farque is carried away by two of his comrades.
Then when they get underway again, the war engineer quietly says "We are".
"Prepare to move out once that lot from over there start showing up" says Tamric Drubine the field commander to some of the officers.
The senior officer in the armies of Farque after he dismisses the officers, glances up into the night sky.
And is pretty certain that the snowfall is much lighter than it was earlier in the night.
The nobleborn young man originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin. Nods to Tovis the war engineer and Zam the ex mercenary who walk up to where he's standing on a pile of snow next to one of the trenches.
"The others are this way" says the field commander in the armies of Farque.
"Dorc!" yells Lisell Maera the scout in disgust, who quickly backs away.
"Dorc needs a shit" states Dorc da Orc who has squatted down, and is now taking a dump.
The large ork's bitter rival, sir Percavelle Lé Dic backs away as well. Making gagging sounds as he does so.
While Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit, quickly lifts up the black cloth he always wears around his throat and neck.
And wraps it around the lower half of his face, covering his mouth and nose as he quickly moves away.
As the trio who were closest to the large ork, hurry to where the others are waiting.
Zam the ex mercenary, Tovis the war engineer and Tamric Drubine the field commander join the rest of the group who are waiting in the enemy camp, or what remains of it.
Zam, who has learnt to expect anything and everything in his short time in the group.
Screws up his face in disgust as he spots Dorc da Orc off to one side, just squatting there, taking a dump without a care in the world.
The ex mercenary uses a gloved hand to cover his nose and mouth, as he gets a whiff of what the ork warleader is doing when the breeze comes this way for a bit.
Then Zam pays attention to what lord Farque is saying as the undead warlord is speaking.
"The next section of their frontlines is about a mile and a half to the north of here" says lord Farque who continues with "At a farming village up there".
The large, heavily armoured deathlord follows that with "We'll hit them before the night is out".
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque looks around to see how things are during the aftermath of the attack upon the southern most position of the enemy lines.
And he spots the local army commander Tracklen and his adjunctant Morris organising things with their troops.
Who have come off pretty unscathed in the nighttime attack upon the enemy.
"We'll use the same tactic" quietly says the undead being who is also know by the name of Draugadrottin to the people of his lands.
The undead warlord says to field commander Drubine "Tam inform commander Tracklen in what's happening".
"Yes my lord" says the senior officer in the armies of Farque, who moves off to inform the local army commander at what's happening.
A little while later, as soldiers from the loyalist army are making their way over here to the enemy position.
Those who came here under commander Tracklen, and the near equal amount of Farqian soldiers.
Start heading off, going north towards the next position the enemy have here at the southern end of their battlelines.
With Helbe the elven thief out infront on this cold, slightly snowy night, here in the south of the city-state of Kuradum.
The rest of the group travel at the front of the column, where commander Tracklen and his adjunctant Morris are situated.
Stifling a yawn, as it's now well after midnight, commander Tracklen quietly asks "You know how many we will be up against at that village?".
Walking to his left, is the large, heavily armoured form of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
Who is silent for a moment or two as he senses away to the north as they march along the road.
Then the undead being, who has the elven name of Des'tier, which translates as, The Destroyer, quietly says "More than us".
The lord of the death realm slightly pauses before adding "Over five hundred and fifty" followed by "Some of those will be villagers that they haven't been able to move away this winter".
"Makes sense" quietly says the commander of the army still loyal to the ruling council of the city-state of Kuradum.
Next to him, on his right, his adjunctant Morris nods his head in agreement with the more senior officer.
"It's well after midnight" explains Draugadrottin, who continues on with "It'll be halfway to dawn when we attack".
The undead warlord as they walk along the road that heads north, then says "You and your men will have to hit them as hard as possible".
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque then adds "Like you did back at that camp".
The large, heavily armoured deathlord follows that with "We don't want any of them getting free, and heading further north to their next position along their lines".
Both loyalists, commander Tracklen, and the adjunctant Morris, nod in agreement with the undead warlord.
As they, and those following behind them. Continue northwards through the lightly falling snow, on this cold winters night in southern Kuradum.
With scouts and pathfinders from both the Farqian first army, and the loyalist army out infront.
The undead warlord drops back to walk with the rest of the group, with the exception of Helbe the elven thief who has gone on ahead.
Infact lord Farque can sense that the elven magic user, along with Narladene the ground pixie.
Are already in the village that the rest of them are heading to this night.
"Not much in the way of guards" quietly murmurs Narladene the ground pixie after she lands upon the right shoulder of the elven masterthief she's attached to.
Nodding his hooded head in agreement with the tiny winged creature, Helbe the elven thief murmurs "Probably a duty no one wants to do on a night like this".
The naturally magical creature who is from the Sunreach Mountains is in agreement with that.
As the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel makes his way through the village.
The blurred and shielded elven magic user doesn't take long to check out the village that the enemy has taken over.
And he heads back to the south side of the village, the direction the others are coming from.
On the roof of a house at the southern outskirts of the village, which is located in the middle of some farm country.
The elven master assassin looks away to the west, and he spots the loyalist frontlines a good two and a half, almost three miles away.
So far away, that councilman Hirrye's forces here haven't even bothered to dig any trenches, or build any fortifications or defensive positions. No walls, dirt or otherwise to be found on the west side of the village.
After their quick look around, both Helbe the elven thief and Narladene the ground pixie has learnt that the enemy is using this village as a staging ground.
Where supplies are brought in, and distributed elsewhere along the southern end of the battlelines of councilman Hirrye's forces.
"Might want to take them intact" quietly murmurs the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel.
Narladene nods as she looks towards the nearby barns. One of which has obviously been built recently.
Then the ground pixie drops off the right shoulder of the highly talented elven magic user for a bit, and heads to the barns.
The naturally magical creature returns fairly quickly, then after she lands upon the right shoulder of the elven master assassin, she quietly says "Those barns are pretty stuffed full of supplies".
The elven masterthief who is a member of the royal family that rules the island principality of Laerel nods his hooded head when he hears that.
Then the highly talented elven magic user quietly says "They're almost here".
As he looks away to the south, where the road comes down a wooded hill.
Helbe the elven thief floats down to the ground, and with a thought he drops the pair of bored looking guards who are on sentry duty at the southern end of the village.
On this cold winters night in this part of southern Kuradum.
The member of the personal council to lord Farque turns, and heads back into the village.
He doesn't go far before he enters a house without anyone noticing.
The blurred and shielded elven magic user goes from room to room, four in all.
Where he kills in their sleep, a number of the enemy officers who have been posted to this village.
Prince Helbenthril Raendril keeps the last one alive, knocking out the man in his sleep.
It's the commander of councilman Hirrye's forces here in this village.
With the help of a spell, the highly talented elven magic user gets the unconscious enemy officer onto his left shoulder.
Then the elven princeling makes his way outside, as the first of those coming from the south, come into view.
"Not many of them up and awake at the moment" quietly says Helbe the elven thief in reply to Narladene the ground pixie asking him "Think they'll put up a fight more than that last place?".
"So i rather doubt it" continues the elven masterthief as more and more of the column of loyalist soldiers, and Farqian soldiers come into view of the village.
On this cold winters night in this part of the city-state of Kuradum . . . . . .
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