The City-State Of Vexil.
"Don't think this will go well" Zam the ex mercenary murmurs to Lisell Maera the scout, who glances at him and gestures to him to be silent.
They're in the common room of the Merchant's Rest inn, and are looking over at the corner table where Lord Farque is sitting with Mira Reinholt the mage and Malisse aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman.
Tamric Drubine the field commander and Saanea the witch have just sat down at that table, and are explaining something to the undead warlord.
The youngest member of the group and the lead scout look over to where Dorc da Orc has just come back into the common room. And is now calling out to the innkeeper for beer and food.
Zam and Lisell Maera or Lis as she's more commonly called, look back to the corner table where the heavily armoured deathlord is sitting.
The ex mercenary originally from The City Of Ruins slightly winces, and the scout Maera who hails from the city-state of Brattonbury nods her head.
When they both see the moment that field commander Drubine actually tells the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque what they've found out this morning, here in the city of Vexil.
The lord of the death realm unclenches his right gauntleted fist, and let's go of the metal tankard he's just crushed.
The undead warlord nods his full helmed head for Tamric Drubine to continue, and the young field commander resumes telling him what they found out from the man that the ex mercenary, the lead scout and the ork warleader captured earlier.
After a little bit, Lord Farque holds up a hand, then says "Wait here". The large heavily armoured deathlord gets up, and makes his way across the common room, and out through the reception room, then outside.
There he stamps on the brickwork outside on the ground a couple of times with his right steel boot. The undead warlord then heads back inside, and returns to the common room, and sits back down at the corner table.
The deathlord of Farque looks around, then gestures for Lisell Maera or Lis as she's more commonly called by those who know her well, along with Zam to come over to the corner table.
"Had you seen this man before?" quietly asks Lord Farque when the ex mercenary and the junior officer in the Armies of Farque stand before the table.
"Never seen him before this morning when we spotted him following us" replies the scout Maera who is originally from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury.
The youngest member of the group nods in agreement with the attractive young woman who is in the Scouts and Rangers division of the Armies of Farque.
"Dorc?" asks the undead warlord who also has the name of Draugodrottin that the people of his lands know him by.
"Nah" replies Dorc da Orc who has sat down on the floor next to the corner table, and is actually listening to the what the others are talking about.
"Never seen the cunt before" adds the large ork who looks to the counter waiting to see what the innkeeper and the serving women bring him.
The deathlord of Farque or Des'tier to give him his elven name, nods his full helmed head. Who then falls silent as he contemplates things.
Mira Reinholt the mage who is actually himself at the moment, picks up the conversation, by saying "I thought the elven thief checked everyone working at those counting houses?".
"He did" replies Malisse aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman, who continues with "My guess this happened after he did all that".
The rotund woman who is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra, who just happens to inhabit the body that's Malisse, adds "And that particular counting house was the first one we went to after the one your family owns Mira".
The once powerful mage nods, then he asks the noble born field commander sitting opposite him "What did you do with him?".
After slightly wincing, Tamric Drubine the field commander replies with "Dorc killed him after Saanea got all the information we needed".
The mage Reinholt who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, rolls his eyes, then dryly says "Why am I not surprised?".
Tamric Drubine or Tam as more often than not he's called by the others in the group, says "We disposed of the body".
In response to Malisse aka Zubutai Timaginson asking him and the others "What did you do with the body?".
They fall silent again when the undead warlord slightly turns his head, and quietly says something in a language none of them understand. But they recognize as it as the language he speaks with Narladene the ground pixie.
The lord and ruler of the Lands Farque slightly nods his full helmed head, then he looks back at the others, and tells them "He'll be back in a little bit".
The lord of the death realm who is obviously referring to Helbe the elven thief, continues with "He's in the very east of the city at the moment, checking up on something else".
The mage Reinholt then quietly says "You'd think the owner would know something's a miss in such a business".
"Unless they've got a manager running things" says Draugodrottin who follows that with "Which I recall that particular counting house does".
The lord and ruler of the Lands Farque continues with "Even then the manager might not know" followed by "Considering this fellow had just one contact in the counting house".
The undead warlord nods his full helmed head when Malisse aka Zubutai the son of Timagin quietly says "And the workers move gold and the like in and out of there all the time, they probably don't even know which shipment goes to after it's gone".
Once again the lord of the death realm nods his full helmed head in agreement. Then he and the others fall silent as the innkeeper, along with two of his helpers. Bring over a barrel of beer for Dorc da Orc, and a couple of wooden trenchers stacked with food for the big burly ork from the southern polar region of the world.
Once the innkeeper returns to the counter on the other side of the common room, and the helpers head back into the kitchen.
And Dorc da Orc or Dorkindle to give him his full name, is busy munching on racks of ribs, and slabs of bacon, and crusty bread covered in melted cheese.
The undead warlord quietly says "He'll find out pretty quickly once he goes in and find out what's happening".
The deathlord of Farque slightly grunts when the Vexillian mage in exile says "At least it's only one wagon full".
"That we know of" say the rotund woman who is really an outrider from the pony archers horde from the southern tundra by the name of Zubutai Timaginson.
"Whatever, or how many" says Des'tier, who looks over at the witch who hails from The Maldin Hills as he continues with "It's happened recently".
"Yes my lord" says Saanea the witch who continues with "Just two days ago from what he knew".
"That means it was the most recent shipment we brought into the city three days ago" says the mage Reinholt.
The others all nod, then the young field commander who is the son and former heir of a previous Knight of Castle Drubine, which can be found in the forested north of the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, says "Pretty much most of us have been to that counting house".
Tam continues with "So they've got a description of most if not all of us" followed by "Wonder how many are actually involved in this?".
He continues on with "That fellow, whose name was Barju by the way, only knew his contact at the counting house, and another outsider who hired the wagon that they moved it on".
The lord and ruler of the Lands Farque nods, then quietly says "There's definitely others involved, including whoever set this all up".
The large heavily armoured deathlord continues with "From what you said, the fuckhead wasn't the smartest individual".
The attractive brunette witch nods her head, while Tamric Drubine says "He was determined in what he was trying to do".
The young field commander in the Armies of Farque briefly pauses before continuing in a slightly dry tone with "Until Dorc grabbed him"..
Which causes the large ork who has just taken a few big gulps from the barrel of beer to happily chuckle.
"He dead" chortles the ork who was named warleader of his race a number of years ago by Lord Farque himself.
"At what was he trying to do?" asks the spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in The Southlands.
"Specifically?" adds the practitioner of magic who technically is still in exile from his homeland of Vexil.
"Following Lis and Zam" is the reply from Tamric Drubine the field commander, his lover Saanea the witch nods her head in agreement, then she says "Seeing if they went to any of the other counting houses in that part of the city".
The mage who is also a highly skilled swordmaster nods his head, then quietly says "This might be a bit more elaborate than we thought".
The lord and ruler of the Lands Farque grunts in agreement with that, then after a few moments of silence, the large heavily armoured deathlord quietly says "He's heading back".
The undead warlord who can sense Helbe the elven thief, along with Narladene the ground pixie. Who he summoned by stomping on the ground outside. And sent off to go and tell the elven masterthief to return to the inn as fast as possible.
Moving quickly in this direction from the eastern quarter of the city. Where the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, was checking up on something for Lord Farque.
"Won't be too long" adds Draugodrottin, who can sense the highly talented elven practitioner of magic is moving as quickly as he can.
And it turns out it's not too long before the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel appears in the middle of the common room of The Merchant's Rest inn.
The elven master assassin who is a member of Lord Farque's personal council, walks over to the corner table, where a fair number of the group are either sitting at, or standing in front of.
"I looked there, and couldn't find any of what you" says Helbe the elven thief to the undead warlord, who then pauses and adds "What?". When he notices everyone at and around the corner table are all staring at him.
Gesturing first at Lisell Maera the scout where she stands next to Zam the ex mercenary. Then at Tamric Drubine the field commander, who is sitting next to Saanea the witch, Lord Farque says "Tell him".
"Well, earlier this morning, Zam and I were" is all the scout Maera gets out, when the elven princeling slightly grimaces, then quietly says "Fuck".
While Lis sourly smiles, and Tam wryly smiles as they both figure, correctly as it turns out. That the highly talented elven magic user just read their minds.
"Hmmm" murmurs the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, who isn't just a member of Draugodrottin's personal council, but is also his envoy.
"I better go and check that counting house" says Helbe the elven thief or prince Helbenthril Raendril to give him his full name and title.
"And see about this Barju's contact there" adds the elven master archer, who is the son of the heir to Laerel. And the son of The Warder of Quinthain, the elven forest city that lies to the east of The Lands Farque.
"And see what else I can find out" continues the elven master assassin, who then slightly grunts when Des'tier tells him "Wait a moment".
Then the undead warlord switches to the royal elven language, and he and elven princeling have a conversation in it that others don't understand.
Eventually the large heavily armoured deathlord switches back to the common language and says "Be as fucking quick about it as you can"..
Helbe the elven thief nods his hooded head, then he vanishes as he blurs himself. And only Lord Farque sees him quickly walk out of the common room of Merchant's Rest.
Once the young elven noble from the island principality of is gone, the lord of the death realm quietly tells the others "Get ready to go out once he comes back".
The lord and ruler of the Lands Farque briefly pauses for a moment, before continuing on with "When we find the cunts responsible for stealing that wagon of my gold" Draugodrottin pauses again, then adds "We're going to find them and make them fucking regret ever living, let alone stealing my fucking shit".
"They dead" says Dorc da Orc from where he sits on the floor, the large ork chortles before gulping down a fair bit of the remaining beer in the barrel he's drinking from today, here in the Merchant's Rest inn . . . . . .
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