The City-State Of Vexil.
Entering the common room of the Merchant's Rest, Zam the ex mercenary looks around and only sees a few members of the group are present at the moment.
The teenager from The City Of Ruins spots Dorc da Orc sitting near the stairs to the second floor, looking bored as he drinks from a barrel of ale.
The youngest member of the group is just wondering who to speak to, when he's waved over to the table where three of the group are sitting.
The ex mercenary who has spent the morning out and about in the city, on what's another rainy spring day.
Heads over to the table where Malisse aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman, Helbe the elven thief, and Mira Reinholt the mage are sitting.
As he sits, Zam the ex mercenary says "Thanks" as he's suddenly dry after entering the inn, wet from the constant rain outside.
Nodding his hooded head in reply, Helbe the elven thief says "No worries" the young elven noble who hails from the island principality of Laerel, then asks the teenager from The City Of Ruins "What have you been up to this morning?".
Zam who is glad he's been tasked to observed another trading company, this one he can watch from a wine seller's, with tables and chairs outside under an awning.
Unlike yesterday's one, where he was exposed on a rooftop, where he got thoroughly drenched by the rain that's been falling over the last few days.
Tells the trio at the table "Not much" followed by "Lis has taken my spot" he continues with "Nothing out of the ordinary there" the then adds "Their guards have only left with their wagons full of goods, none of them have gone off elsewhere".
The highly talented elven magic nods, then briefly closes his eyes. Zam guesses he's looking through one of his hidden viewing spells that he's got scattered throughout the city.
The elven masterthief nods his hooded head after opening his eyes, then asks the ex mercenary originally from The City Of Ruins "Anything else?".
The youngest member of the group nods his head, then quietly says "As I was coming back here, I ran into the field commander and the witch Saanea".
The ex mercenary continues on with "Saanea told me there was something odd with a side building to a company's warehouse and headquarters they were checking out".
"Oh?" says Malisse aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman who follows that with "Such as what?" she then adds "Be specific now lad".
"She's not sure" says Zam who after a brief pause continues with "Just that she's unable to see what's in it, and her familiar refuses to go into it".
The eyebrows of the two spellcasters lift up in surprise at hearing that, then Mira Reinholt the mage asks his fellow practitioner of magic "Which place were Tam and Saanea watching today?".
Helbe the elven thief replies with which one, then the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel asks the ex mercenary who hails from The City Of Ruins "Did Saanea say anything else?".
Zam nods his head, then says "Just that no one in the company goes near that particular building" he briefly pauses before adding "And that she senses dread from it".
The mage Reinholt and the elven magic user share a look, then the highly talented elven spellcaster mutters "Hell".
Then Helbe the elven thief closes his eyes, as once again he looks through another of his hidden viewing spells that he has placed throughout the capital city of Vexil.
After a few moments of silence, the elven master assassin opens his eyes and murmurs "Hmmm" followed by "Can't really see it that clearly".
He follows in a slightly dry tone of voice with "Thing is on the other side of the warehouse compound" he then adds "Not close to anything significant".
"I take it you could sense it through your spell?" asks the Vexillian mage in exile, who is answered with a nod from the elven princeling who is a fellow member of Lord Farque's personal council.
"Barely" says the elven masterthief who is a member of the royal family that rules the principality of Laerel.
"My spells aren't as good as the Krean version" adds prince Helbenthril Raendril of Laerel to give him his full name and title.
"You might have to go and check it out in person" says Malisse aka Zubutai Timaginson to the highly talented elven magic user.
The elven master archer grunts, then wryly says "I just might have to" he looks across the table at Zam after thinking of something, and tells the youngest member of the group "Go and get Lord Farque, he ought to know".
"Where is he?" asks the ex mercenary who noticed when he walked in, that the undead warlord wasn't here in the common room of the Merchant's Rest.
"Out in the stables with his dog" is the reply from Mira Reinholt the mage, who faintly smiles when he sees the slight hesitation from the teenager originally from The City Of Ruins.
"Don't worry he won't bite" says the spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in The Southlands.
"Nor will Axe" dryly adds the rotund woman who is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra.
Which causes both of the spellcasters to chuckle, then the mage Reinholt tells the ex mercenary "Unless you touch him of course".
Swallowing his nervousness, Zam gets up and nods his head in reply to prince Helbenthril Raendril telling him "Probably best if you announce yourself before stepping in there".
The youngest member of the group makes his way from the common room, and briefly pauses when he's in the reception chamber, as he's pretty certain Lord Farque will know he's approaching no matter what.
The ex mercenary shrugs his shoulders, and heads out of the inn, and makes his way around to the back, where on the other side of the small courtyard, is the inn's stables.
Taking heed of the elven masterthief's words to announce himself, the teenager who hails from The City Of Ruins stops just outside the open stable doors, then says "My lord, it's Zam". After a moment, he hears Lord Farque say "Enter".
The ex mercenary walks into the stables, and he spots the undead warlord sitting on the ground, with his back against one of the closed stall doors, with the massive undead wardog Axe sprawled over his legs.
The lord and ruler of the Lands Farque is taking his gauntleted hands down from his head, as if he's just put his full helm back on.
The deathlord of Farque, who has the name of Draugodrottin that the people of his lands also know him by, looks at the teenager originally from The City Of Ruins, and says "What is it?".
Zam who is just as glad that Axe completely ignores him, says "My lord" followed by "Helbe wishes to talk to you" followed by "There's something odd at one of the trading companies we've been observing".
The large heavily armoured deathlord sighs, then mutters something in a language that the ex mercenary doesn't understand.
Then the undead warlord says in the common language "Guess I better find out what's happening".
The lord of the death realm then says to the massive canine sprawled over him "Axe you big lump, move".
Zam refrains from grinning as that was definitely said with affection by the undead warlord, who rubs behind the ears of his wardog, after it rolls off his legs.
The deathlord of Farque gets up, and makes his way from the stables, gesturing for the youngest member of the group to lead the way back to the inn.
Zam does so, walking quickly through the drizzling rain, and once they're inside, and in the common room, they head over to the table where Malisse aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman, Helbe the elven thief and Mira Reinholt the mage are sitting.
"Well?" asks Lord Farque as he stands over those at the table, while Zam slips into the chair next to the rotund woman who is not what she appears to be.
"Bit of a problem by the sounds of things" says the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel in response to the deathlord of Farque.
"Saanea has noticed something at the place she and Tam have been watching" continues the highly talented elven magic user who follows that with "Her familiar won't check out one of the side buildings there" he then adds after a pause "And she senses dread from it".
The undead warlord quirks an eyebrow at that, then he asks the elven princeling who is his envoy "You taken a look?".
The elven masterthief nods his hooded head, then says "I can't see it too clearly" and after a slight pause he adds "I get a faint feeling of dread coming from it through my spell".
The lord of the death realm nods his full helmed head, and instead of asking to look through the young elven noble's spell, he just senses in all directions, out from him.
And quickly finds Saanea the witch, who as usual is in the company of her lover, the young field commander Tamric Drubine.
The large heavily armoured deathlord then senses all around the two of them. And in an instant he finds what's got the attention of the witch who hails from the Maldin Hills, which lie near the coast of The Southlands.
Draugodrottin or Des'tier to give him his elven name, sourly smiles behind the faceplate of his full helm.
"You better go deal with it" says Lord Farque to the elven princeling who is a member of his personal council.
"What is it?" asks the elven masterthief who is a member of the royal family that rules the island principality of Laerel.
"An evil spirit" is the dry sounding reply from the large undead being who is the absolute ruler of the nation that bear his family's name.
"Er?" says the highly talented elven practitioner of magic, who then silently adds, I'd rather fucking not.
"Do I have to?" adds the elven master assassin, which earns him a stare from the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque, who after a few moments eventually says "You pussy" followed by "I'm certainly not wasting my fucking time dealing with it".
Prince Helbenthril Raendril who is just about to suggest that the undead wardog Axe go and destroy this evil spirit.
Nods his hooded head, and says "Sounds like a good idea" after the undead warlord tells him "Go and get Beldane then, he'll sort it out".
The lord of the death realm then dryly adds "Hell, that annoying fucking mace of his will probably do it all by itself without being asked to".
Helbe the elven thief who wasn't too interested in it until Lord Farque suggested he get Beldane to sort it out, gets way more interested when Draugodrottin adds "It's bound to something" followed by "Guarding it".
"Know what it is?" asks the young elven noble who hails from the island principality of Laerel as he stands up.
"Something inanimate" is the reply from the large heavily armoured deathlord, who then dryly adds "You can guess what it is" in the same dry tone, he adds in the royal elven language "Don't get caught stealing it".
The elven masterthief grins at hearing that, then after Des'tier slightly nods his full helmed head, then makes his way up the stairs to the suite of rooms he staying in.
Helbe the elven thief looks over at the youngest member of the group, and after a moments thought, says "Come along then Zam, let's go sort this out".
"Me?" says an alarmed looking ex mercenary, who wants to keep far away from random evil spirits as much as possible.
"Yep, you" says the elven master archer, who follows on from that with "You're the one who brought the information about it, so you have to see things through".
As the two of them make their way out of the common room, and into the reception chamber, the elven princeling from Laerel quietly says in elvish to the teenager from The City Of Ruins "Don't worry, we'll get Beldane to deal with all the dangerous stuff".
Zam faintly smiles in relief at hearing that, as the two of them step outside into the drizzling rain on this spring day in the city of Vexil.
Then after a few moments, they disappear when the highly talented elven magic user shifts them away . . . . . .
