Tuesday 15 February 2022

The Thick Of It 24.

Winter.

Beldane the cleric looks at the map one more time, then he says "Got it".
In reply to Helbe the elven thief who quietly asks him "Got it?".
The powerful spellcaster from the kingdom of Nastell folds up his map, as does the elven magic user with his one.
Then the member of the church of Glaine looks back at lord Farque, who nods his full helmed head in response to that look from the Nastellian cleric.
Next to Beldane, the elven masterthief puts out his lightball and the large room goes dark.
As he does, the fighting cleric casts. And a few moments later a portal starts to form. In this instance, a gateway, which is a spell used by clerics.
Once it fully forms, Beldane steps to one side and Helbe the elven thief hurries through it.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel is quickly followed by Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy, and Lisell Maera the scout.
Then one by one the rest of the group go through the gateway. Until finally Beldane goes through, following after Dorc da Orc.
In the large room the group has on the second floor of the inn they've hired here in the city of Kuradum, the gateway disappears.
While in the north of the city-state, the otherside of the gateway vanishes when the powerful cleric drops his spell after he's walked away from it.
It's early morning, and here in the north of the city-state of Kuradum it's cold.
There's patches of snow covering the ground, testament of the snowfall that swept across much of northern Kuradum a couple of nights ago.
The group are on a wooded hillock, and at the northern edge of the trees, they get a good view of a town about quarter of a mile away.
A town about a hundred and twenty miles to the north and east of the capital city of Kuradum.
"Well, well, well, would you look at that" quietly says Helbe the elven thief as Beldane the cleric walks up next to him and lord Farque.
As Tamric Drubine walks over from behind a nearby tree, the undead warlord looks back, and waves Dorc da Orc forward.
As the large ork makes his way forward to the edge of the trees, Beldane the cleric quietly asks "How many of them down there?".
"There's about two thousand people down there" is the quiet reply of the large, heavily armoured deathlord, who then adds "Easily twelve hundred of them are their's".
As the ork warleader squats down next to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, and looks down at the nearby town.
Tamric Drubine the field commander quietly says "Mantlets, fire wagons and carts, scorpions, ballista" he gestures to the east of town and adds "Those logs and lumber are definitely building material for catapults".
The nobleborn field commander in the armies of Farque who was born in the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, continues with "Though i don't think they can make any trebuchets with that lot".
From where he squats, Dorc da Orc grunts in agreement with the young field commander who is a senior officer in the armies of Farque.
"And by the looks of it, i don't see any of their mercenaries down there" quietly says Helbe the elven thief, who looks away to the left, to the tree that Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy is standing behind, looking down at the nearby town.
The elf originally from the principality of Alínlae, nods his hooded head in agreement with the elven master assassin who is a member of the royal family that rules the island principality of Laerel.
"No trebuchets, I'm guessing they're not going to attack the capital with this lot" quietly says Tamric Drubine, or Tam as he's more commonly called by the others in the group.
"And the fact we're a good a hundred and twenty miles northeast of the city" adds the young noble from the kingdom of Sarcrin, who is the son of a previous Knight of Castle Drubine, which can be found in the forested north of that particular kingdom.
"The walled town of Gensa is only forty miles south, southwest of here" says lord Farque as he studies the town, and the early morning activity in and around it.
"That is this lot's target" adds the undead being who is also known by the name of Draugadrottin to the people of his lands.
After quietly saying something in orkish to Dorc da Orc, and the warleader of the ork race grunting, and saying something back in his native tongue.
The lord of the death realm quietly says "There's a pair of spellcasters down there".
"There is?" say Beldane the cleric and Helbe the elven thief, in unison and in surprise.
While away to the right, behind another tree, Saanea the witch's arched eyebrows lift up in surprise.
As like the powerful cleric, and the highly talented elven magic user. She can't sense anyone of magical ability down in the nearby town.
While a quarter of a mile away, is about the limit of how far Mira Reinholt is able to sense.
And he's unable to sense anyone who is a spellcaster down there anyway.
"They've both got something similar to what Mira wears" says the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, who continues with "Either a ring or an amulet".
Both Beldane the cleric and Helbe the elven thief nod in understanding. Then the fighting cleric, who is holding his power within himself, as is Saanea the witch.
While the elven spellcaster has a shield up, and the mage Reinholt wears an amulet that does exactly the same thing.
Asks the undead warlord "They didn't sense the gateway did they?".
"Since no one has come here to see what's going on" says Draugadrottin, who then dryly adds "I'd fucking guess not".
Then the large, heavily armoured deathlord says to the elven master archer "Go and take care of those two spellcasters they've got".
Switching to the royal elven language that only he and the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel speak, lord Farque says "Get that annoying gnat of yours to show you who they are".
Prince Helbenthril Raendril faintly smiles as he glances sideways at Narladene the ground pixie who is perched on his right shoulder.
Invisible to everyone except for himself and the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
Then a thoughtful frown appears on the youthful looking face of the elven masterthief who is the envoy for the armies of Farque.
And in the common language, the highly talented elven magic user asks "We're attacking them?" followed by "Just us?".
"Since we're here" says the undead warlord who has the elven name of Des'tier, which translates to, The Destroyer.
"We might as well" adds the lord of the death realm as he continues to watch the early morning goings on, down in the nearby town.
"Er, didn't you say there's about twelve hundred of them down there?" says Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit from where he stands next to Mira Reinholt the mage.
"Should make it a fair fight then" says lord Farque, who faintly smiles behind the visor of his full helm as the others, with the exception of Dorc da Orc, all look at him.
"Relax" says the large, heavily armoured deathlord, who follows that with "We're not going to take them all on".
Des'tier points, then adds "But we are going to destroy as much of that equipment and those heavy weapons of theirs as possible".
He continues with "It'll definitely put a dent in their plans to attack Gensa" followed by "Not to mention the idea of a siege attack during winter is pretty fucking idiotic".
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque briefly pauses before adding "Bold though, but idiotic".
Helbe the elven thief nods his hooded head in reply to Draugadrottin telling him "Find out all you can about their plans before you take care of those two" then the undead warlord adds something else in the royal elven language.
The grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel disappears as he first blurs himself, then shifts away.
As the highly talented elven magic user heads down into the nearby town of Fosturn.
The others devise a plan to attack the enemy. And in devise, that means lord Farque comes up with the plan, with the others, in particular the spellcasters minus Helbe the elven thief contributing.
As they're the ones who will do most of the heavy lifting, so to speak. Upon the enemy down in the town of Fosturn.
For Beldane the cleric, he knows he'll have to bare most of the attack upon the forces of councilman Hirrye, less than a quarter of a mile away from their position.
And true, Mira Reinholt the mage is the most destructive of the practitioners of magic in the group.
The mage from the city-state of Vexil is no where as powerful as he was when he was a young man.
After being stripped of most of his vast amount of powers a number of years ago.
When he went offworld through a rift/void spell that he accidentally cast.
Something he's done once again since then. Though without any major incident.
As that time, along with at least half of the group. Stayed here on the planet of Volunell.
And ended up on the far east coast of the continent. Where they ended up in the Sultanate of Dreese.
So Beldane, who is by far the most powerful spellcaster in the group, will be expected to take on the lion share of the attack on the enemy.
"Don't bother attacking any of their troops" quietly says lord Farque as he looks at the human spellcasters in the group. Beldane the cleric, Mira Reinholt the mage, and Saanea the witch.
"If you get any of them, fine" continues the lord of the death realm, who follows on from that with "But concentrate on their siege weapons and equipment".
As they stand behind a couple of the trees here on the northern edge of the wooded hillock.
The undead being who died nearly found and a half centuries ago, points out what he definitely wants destroyed.
After the trio of spellcasters explain what each one of them will do, and the lord and ruler of the lands of Farque is satisfied with what they'll do.
Draugadrottin quietly says to the rest of the group "Our job is to keep these three safe". As he gestures at the trio of spellcasters.
"If that lot down there figure out we're up here" says Des'tier, who continues with "We'll have to stop any of them who might get it into their thick fucking heads to come up here and explore things out".
Then the undead warlord says to Dorc da Orc and sir Percavelle Lé Dic "You two stick close to me".
The ork warleader grunts, and the nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic nods.
The lord of the death realm knows that though the bitter rivals are often lazy when it comes to engaging with the enemy.
Both of them prefer that the enemy come to them, instead of them going to the enemy.
That doesn't mean either one of them wouldn't tear off down the hill and run at the enemy all by themselves.
So Draugadrottin knows it's best to keep the ork weaponsmith and the knight, who is a member of the order of The Knights of Saint Mar-che close to him in an attack like the one they're planning this morning.
After Beldane the cleric quietly says "You first Mira?". As he knows the once powerful mage is the quickest to act out of the trio of human spellcasters.
And Mira Reinholt the mage replies with "I will". As looks down at where there's ballista and scorpions lined up on one side of the town.
The powerful cleric originally from the kingdom of Nastell. Who isn't officially in the armies of Farque.
Infact, he's never even stepped foot in the lands Farque, even though he's been with the group that travels with the lord of the death realm for more than three years.
Walks over to where Draugadrottin is standing after the large, heavily armoured deathlord nods his full helmed head for the fighting cleric to join him.
"Get ready to cast a gateway back to the capital if things get more than a little hectic" quietly says Des'tier to the member of the church of Glaine.
A god that's predominantly worshiped in the north of Beldane's homeland, the kingdom of Nastell.
Then the undead warlord says to them all "That's one". As he senses Helbe the elven thief has just killed one of the enemy spellcasters down in the town of Fosturn.
Lord Farque and Beldane the cleric walk over to where Mira Reinholt the mage and Saanea the witch are standing.
As they do, the lord and ruler of the lands Farque senses that the elven masterthief is closing in on the second of the enemy spellcasters in the town of Fosturn.
The lord of the death realm quietly says after a few moments "Get ready".
Then after a little bit, the lord and ruler of the lands Farque nods his full helmed head, and says "And that's two".
As he senses that Helbe the elven thief has just killed the second of the spellcasters down in the enemy occupied town of Fosturn.
Beldane the cleric takes his magical mace from the loop of his wide belt, and goes to cast.
When lord Farque tells him, along with Mira Reinholt the mage and Saanea the witch "Go for it" . . . . . .

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