Springtime In The City 79.

The City-State Of Vexil. 

After four days of fine and sunny spring weather, it's once again raining in the city of Vexil. And Zam the ex mercenary finds himself this morning, out and about when he would really rather be back at the Merchant's Rest inn. 

At least the youngest member of the group is in a wine shop that's opened early, or stayed open all night, Zam isn't too sure. 

He's one of three customers this morning, and he's at the open front window, glad that there's an awning out the front of the shop, which is located in the north of the city, not far from the main airdocks. 

The teenager who is originally from the City Of Ruins is looking across the street out front, and the small square about half way down to the left. 

The ex mercenary who is sipping on chilled wine that's popular in the city, especially in the warmer months. 

Sees a few people hurrying through the rain across the small square. Though none of them matching the description of the person he's supposed to look out for. 

Zam refrains from looking away to the right down the street, as he knows Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy is in that direction somewhere. 

And the elf originally from the principality of Alinlae is also keeping an eye out for the same individual this rainy morning, which temperature wise is fairly mild. 

"No just this for now" says Zam the ex mercenary gesturing at his drink when the serving woman briefly stops by and asks him if he wants anything else. 

The youngest member of the group continues to look out the open window, and through the steady rain to the nearby square. 

Where he's been told the person he's been tasked to look for, lives somewhere on the other side of the small square. 

The ex mercenary who hails from The City Of Ruins is just wondering if the person he's supposed to be looking for. Has decided to spend the day at home due to the weather. Zam wouldn't blame them if they did. As he'd do the same thing himself. 

Sits up when he spots someone enter the small square from the other side. The teenager who is the youngest in the group, watches them head this way. 

Zam takes a drink as the individual hurries through the rain, and crosses the street to this side, as there's much more shelter on this side of the street just north of the main airdocks of Vexil. 

The ex mercenary finishes his chilled wine, gets up and puts on his hooded cloak, then thanks the serving woman before exiting the wine shop. 

Zam flips the hood of his cloak up onto his head, and he heads to the right down the street, keeping close to the front of the buildings, as the person he's following is also doing. 

The youngest member of the group who was scrounging and scratching together a living as a mercenary in The City Of Ruins when the group found him. 

Doesn't look around too much, as he knows that Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy is also following the person just up ahead. 

Zam figures the elf who is a commander in the Scouts and Rangers division of the Armies of Farque, is probably up on the nearby rooftops. 

Is easily keeping pace with himself and the person they're both following on this raining morning, here in the city of Vexil. 

Flight commander Bassun, is an officer in the aircorp of Vexil. Although technically he's still the captain of one of the city-state's warships. 

Bassun doesn't fly all that much nowadays, even though he's only in his early thirties. For the flight commander is one of the senior strategiests in the Vexillian aircorp. 

And of late he's been tasked in sending a fair few of the fleet north, not only to patrol along the border region with the kingdom of Girdane. 

But also to have the captains and crew of a number of the vessels he sends north, carry out the ongoing investigation into the skirmishes that took place during the winter. When a mercenary army attacked a number of places in the hill country of northern Vexil. 

Where a fair few violent confrontations, basically battles took place. In one of which, a fairly prominent mage in the Vexillian army was killed. 

Flight commander Bassun sighs as he hurries through the rain, as that's the thing that's causing him the most headaches lately. 

The death of the mage Garmen the younger back in the wintertime up in the hill country in the north that borders the kingdom of Girdane. 

And how it's the mage Garmen the elder who is constantly nagging the fleet strategiest to find out who actually killed his son. 

Even though from eye witnesses, soldiers serving with Garmen the younger, as well as nearby airship crew who saw some of the battle when the younger Garmen was killed. 

Confirmed that the younger mage Garmen was locked in a one on one mage duel, with a well known. One would say infamous, or notorious mage by the name of Mira Reinholt. When he was killed.

Bassun the fleet strategiest who can accept that took place. And that the mage Reinholt did in fact kill the son of the mage Garmen back in the wintertime up north in the hill country. 

But what the flight commander does find odd about all of this. Is what Mira Reinholt was actually doing there in the border region during the past winter. 

For even Bassun knows that though the mage Reinholt has been exiled from Vexil. He hasn't since the war* done anything to harm or attack his homeland. 

And for him to be part of a mercenary army that actively attacked the city-state of Vexil, is out of character to say the least. 

After all just over a decade ago, Mira Reinholt was given clemency, and allowed brief visits back to his homeland. When he helped stop a potential border war between Vexil and it's fiercest rival, the city-state of Tuledare. 

Flight commander Bassun knows this personally, as he was the captain of a warship that the mage Reinholt and others, help to save amongst a flight of other Vexillian vessels that came under attack from Tuledarian warships. 

Down in the unruled lands to the south and southeast that separates the two city-states that are fierce rivals. 

"Wonder if that damn mage is waiting in the office again?" mutters flight commander Bassun as he walks quickly through the rain this morning, on his way to the main airdocks of the city. Specifically to the end of the docks where the Vexillian aircorp is based. 

The fleet strategiest, sighs as he can't but help thinking that he alone has to solve who killed Garmen the younger. According to the mage Garmen the elder, who just happens to be one of the most powerful and influential individuals in the city-state of Vexil. Who also happens to be a member of the Mage Council of Vexil. Who more or less, rule the city-state of Vexil. 

Bassun who is just glad that the rest of the Mage Council don't pester him as much as the mage Garmen the elder does. 

He crosses the street he's on, then rounds the corner to his left. Oblivious to the individual wearing a hooded cloak, a bit further behind him, heading in the same direction, towards the main airdocks of Vexil. 

He's also oblivious to the individual who has been following him from above, on the rooftops in this part of the city just to the north of the main airdocks. 

Zam continues to follow the senior aircorp officer, and hopes that Dalinvardèl Tanith has given the signal that they've found their quarry. 

The elven spy has indeed given the signal, by tapping the blade of one his daggers. Onto the edge of steel railing of the building he was on when he first spotted the flight commander in the Vexillian aircorp. 

The spy Tanith or Dalin as he's more commonly called by the others in the group, knows that signal is for Narladene the ground pixie, where ever she is in the city. 

And that the naturally magical creature will get a hold of Helbe the elven thief who will cast a spell upon the fleet strategiest Bassun. 

Well that's the plan anyway. As the elven masterthief is busy this morning, attending to a number of other things. 

Mainly to do with what Dalin and Zam are doing as well. Trying to keep a number of people here in Vexil from finding Mira Reinholt the mage, and others in the group. 

As well as from finding out, that four old abandoned gold mines up in northern Vexil have been reopened since the winter. Mines that are under the control of Lord Farque. 

The elven spy who previously served in one of the more prominent noble houses of his homeland of Alinlae. 

Leaps across to the roof of another building as he keeps pace with the flight commander in the Vexillian aircorp. 

The spy Tanith glances down and back through the rain, and sees that Zam is discreetly following behind the fleet strategiest Bassun. 

Dalin nods his hooded head in approval, and hurries forward and jumps across to another rooftop. 

Hoping that Helbe the elven thief turns up pretty soon. For the elven spy will have to drop back down to the ground if he's to follow flight commander Bassun into the main airdocks. 

The commander in the Scouts and Rangers division of the Armies of Farque gets his wish. For suddenly the senior officer in the Vexillian aircorp comes to a stop, and looks around with a slightly puzzled expression upon his face. 

As he stands there in the rain for a moment, Bassun the fleet strategiest decides he doesn't need to go into his office this morning. And nor does he need to send another pair of patrol ships north to the hill country and the border with the kingdom of Girdane. 

The flight commander nods to himself, then turns around and starts heading back the way he's come from. 

And as Dalinvardèl Tanith hears the familiar voice of Helbe the elven thief quietly say to him out of thin air in elvish "Can't stay, got a lot of other things to check up on". 

Zam the ex mercenary crosses the street he's on at an angle. For flight commander Bassun is heading straight back this way. 

The youngest member of the group holds the hood of his cloak as he crosses the street diagonally. 

And through the falling rain, out of the corner of his eye. He sees the one of fleet strategiest in the aircorp of Vexil. Looking slightly distracted as he heads back in the direction he's come from. 

"Well, Helbe got to him" Zam the ex mercenary murmurs to himself, as he heads to a side street, and starts making his way back north again to the Merchant's Rest inn. On what's another rainy spring morning here in city of Vexil . . . . . .

*Author's Note - The Battle of Vexil. 

Springtime In The City 78.

The City Of Vexil. 

As Beldane the cleric speaks to some of the crew of the krean scoutship. Zam the ex mercenary watches as the wagon is loaded by the driver, the hired guard and a couple of the ship's crew who are operating the onboard winch. While one of the officers over sees things. 

This is the first time in a while the teenager originally from The City Of Ruins, has done a run to the woods about a dozen miles north of the city to collect a shipment of gold. 

And he's glad to see that both the wagon driver, and the hired guard are no longer nervous around the winged krean. 

Zam can't really blame them. As he too was a little nervous when he first encountered the krean who live in a protectorate in the mountains of the north of the Lands Farque. 

The youngest member of the group didn't even know they existed until he was told about them. And meeting them for the first time was a little eye opening to say the least. 

As the krean resemble dragons in their features. Usually six to six and half foot tall. Bipedal dragons. Who like dragons have wings upon their backs, as they too can fly. 

Zam turns to the group here on deck, who are discussing things, when he overhears how things are slowing down in the mines up in the hill country that borders the city-state of Vexil and the kingdom of Girdane. 

Due to the spring rains up there. Where it's a lot more constant than it is down here in this part of the city-state, where it's a lot more predictable. 

Not only that, there's been a lot more people snooping around up there of late. Quite a few from Vexil's army and aircorp, under orders from both the City Council and the Mage Council. 

Looking into the border clashes that took place in the wintertime. When a mercenary army attempted to start a war between Vexil and Girdane. 

"What is it?" asks Zam the ex mercenary after Beldane the cleric waves him over to join him and the members of the crew he's been talking to. 

"Lord Farque needs to be informed in detail of what's going on" says Beldane the cleric, who continues "I'll go back with the wagon". Which is nearly loaded. 

"You'll go back to the city with navigator Fì'demen here" adds the powerful practitioner of magic who hails from the kingdom of Nastell. 

"He'll tell Lord Farque what's been happening  around the mines up near the border with Girdane" says the fighting cleric who is a member of the church of Glaine, a god predominantly worshipped in the north of his homeland of Nastell. 

The teenager who was scratching together a meager living as a mercenary when he was found by the group in The City Of Ruins, nods his head as he looks at one of the two navigators onboard the krean scoutship. 

Zam joins the krean spellcaster who has stepped to one side on the mastless deck of the dark, sleek looking airship. 

"Ready?" asks Fì'demen the navigator in the common language "I am" is the reply from the ex mercenary. 

An instant later there's suddenly a door sized rift in front of the two of them, which the youngest member of the group can easily see through, and sees his own room on the second floor of the Merchant's Rest inn, back in the city of Vexil. 

Zam has seen through plenty of rifts before, but none of them have been as clear as this one. And when he steps through first, it doesn't even feel like he's going through a rift at all. 

It feels like he's taking one step, and goes straight from the deck of the krean scoutship, to his room he's been using while the group has been in the city this spring. 

The ex mercenary who left the city of Vexil before dawn this morning, finds himself back there well before midmorning. 

And he steps aside for the krean navigator, who follows him through the rift, which disappears once Fì'demen drops his spell. 

"No need to get him" says the dragon like krean, who follows that with "My lord knows we're here" he then adds "Infact he sensed we were coming through before I finished casting the spell". 

Zam who was just about to head to the door, and make his way down the common room, where he figures Lord Farque is. 

Nods his head in response to krean navigator, who he remembers like all of his kind. Aren't Farqians as such. But they refer to the deathlord of Farque as their Lord. As they're under his protection. 

The ex mercenary who is originally from The City Of Ruins looks at the krean spellcaster, who has closed his eyes, and whose dragon like head is slightly tilted to one side. 

Who quietly says to the youngest member of the group "He's coming upstairs" followed by "Along with two others". 

Navigator Fì'demen briefly pauses before continuing with "The southern hordesman" followed by "And the black mage". 

Zam nods, and isn't surprised that Fì'demen can identify who is making their way upstairs. As the crew of the krean scoutship know that Malisse is really Zubutai the barbarian hordesman. 

But he's a little surprised at the description of Mira Reinholt the mage from the powerful krean spellcaster. 

"Black mage?" quietly asks the ex mercenary who is originally from The City Of Ruins as they wait for Lord Farque, Malisse aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman and Mira Reinholt the mage who are making their way upstairs to Zam's room. 

"Because of what he wears?" asks the youngest member of the group referring to the black coloured clothes and armour, along with the black hooded cloak that the mage Reinholt, who is fair skinned, always wears. 

"That too" quietly says Fì'demen the navigator, who glances at the teenager standing close by, before adding "That one has always had a darkness to his soul". 

The krean spellcaster, who like all krean spellcasters, is extremely powerful. Easily as powerful as the most powerful of mages, the most powerful of human spellcasters. 

Tells the ex mercenary "It's always there, lurking" followed by "Waiting to come out". Zam's eyebrows shoot up in surprise at hearing that. For he knows a little bit of Mira Reinholt's past. Mostly from Dorc da Orc, more than anyone else. And how as a teenager, and for that matter, even a child. Mira Reinholt was infact a serial killer. Who killed quite a number of people here in the city of Vexil when he was growing up. 

Fì'demen who has met the once powerful mage, and various other members of the group, at different times over the years, then quietly adds "Even with him losing most of his powers, it's still there". 

The extremely powerful practitioner of magic continues with "He's more humble nowadays for sure, that doesn't stop him from being who he really is". 

The youngest member of the group nods his head at that, then he falls silent when he hears movement out in the hallway heading this way .

A moment later, and the door to Zam's room opens, and Lord Farque enters, followed by the rotund woman who is really Zubutai the barbarian hordesman. And behind her, is the Vexillian mage in exile, Mira Reinholt, who closes the door behind him. 

"My Lord Farque" says Fì'demen the krean navigator by way of greeting, who bows to the undead warlord. 

Who slightly nods his full helmed head in response, then looking from the near six and a half foot tall krean spellcaster, to Zam the ex mercenary, Lord Farque quietly asks "What's happened now?". 

"My Lord" says the powerful practitioner of magic who is one of two navigators onboard the krean scoutship. 

Who then goes into detail what's been going on up in hill country, the border region between northern Vexil, and the south of the kingdom of Girdane. 

Zam goes and stands with Malisse aka Zubutai Timaginson and Mira Reinholt the mage, as the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque and the krean navigator are conversing in the krean language at the moment. 

"Things have got quite busy up in the hill country" quietly says the ex mercenary in response to a look from Malisse, who has raised an eyebrow in a questioning manner. 

"Not so much at the mines" quietly adds the youngest member of the group who then tells the rotund woman and the once powerful mage, about how the rain up near the northern border has slowed production down at the four gold mines that Lord Farque has taken over. 

Before telling them "It's got busy because in who's poking around up there" followed by "Increased activity from both the Vexillian army and aircorp in the hill country". 

The ex mercenary who is originally from The City Of Ruins then says "Who are still trying to find out what took place back in the winter". 

Both Malisse aka Zubutai the son of Timagin, and the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, nod their heads at hearing that. 

Then Zam falls silent when Lord Farque switches to the common language, and with a gesture their way, says "Still looking for the mage too?". 

"Yes my lord" is the reply from Fì'demen the navigator, who follows on from that with "More from the aircorp up there, compared to the army". 

The powerful krean practitioner of magic nods his dragon like head when the large heavily armoured deathlord quietly says "I guess from those who have left the city more recently too". 

"We're keeping them from stumbling upon the mines too" says one of the two navigators who serves on the krean scoutship. 

"Helps that one of the mines has been closed down since the rainy weather is more persistent" continues Fì'demen the navigator. 

"The open pit?" asks Lord Farque, who has the name of Draugodrottin that the people of his lands also know him by. 

"Yes my lord" is the reply from the powerful practitioner of magic who hails from the northern mountain range in the lands Farque, where the krean protectorate is located. 

"Last time we passed over it a couple of days ago it was well over half full of water" adds the krean spellcaster. 

The lord of the death realm grunts when he hears that. For that particular mine stopped producing gold a few weeks ago. And the deathlord of Farque was hoping the rains up in the border region would die down. Allowing the pit to be drained so that work could continue in that particular mine. 

But no such luck, and the undead warlord suspects that pit mine won't resume producing gold until sometime in the summer. 

"Anything else?" asks the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque who has the elven name of Des'tier, which translates in the common language to mean, The Destroyer. 

Fì'demen the navigator responds in the krean language for a bit, and the large heavily armoured deathlord listens in silence. 

Eventually Draugodrottin nods his full helmed head, then says in common "Very well" followed by "And today's shipment?". 

The krean navigator steps back and starts casting after a moment, an image about the height of a doorway, and twice as wide. Appears in the middle of Zam's room. 

It's an overhead view of some woods, and the krean navigator says "They've loaded up, and on their way back here". 

They look to where Fì'demen points, and they spot the wagon going along a woodland track, heading to a nearby road, that goes to a town that isn't too far from the woods. 

There the horse drawn wagon will turn south, where another ten miles or so away, is the city of Vexil itself. 

The mage Reinholt slightly shakes his head at how good, and clear the live viewing spell cast by the krean navigator looks. 

And the fact he's casting it from about twelve miles away, here in the middle of the capital city of Vexil. 

"Very well" says the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque after Fì'demen the krean spellcaster drops that viewing spell. 

"Return to the ship" continues Des'tier, who follows that with "And resume the current plans up there". 

"Yes my lord" is the reply from the krean navigator, who steps to one side, and as he steps forward through a rift appears directly in front of him, on the other side of which is the deck of the krean scoutship, which he steps onto, then drops his spell behind him. 

Meanwhile back in the second floor room in the Merchant's Rest inn that Zam's been using while the group has been staying here in the city of Vexil. 

Lord Farque is saying to the trio in the room with him "Thought things were starting to get fucking busy down here in the city". 

The undead warlord briefly pauses before continuing on with "Up near the border with Girdane fucking everyone and anyone is turning up to see what's going on". 

The lord of the death realm refrains from sighing, then he says "Have to get the royal thief to start changing some orders in their army and aircorp". 

He follows that with "So not as many as them head up into the hill country and fucking nose around where they shouldn't". 

Draugodrottin looks at the mage Reinholt in particular, before he adds "That mage Garmen is pushing a lot of that". 

"Don't look at me" says Mira Reinholt who continues on with "I'm not the one who killed the son" followed by "It was the pointy eared thief who did that". 

"You're the one who started battling him because you couldn't help yourself" states the undead warlord, which causes the once powerful mage to wince, as that is in fact true. 

"And you would of been killed if Helbe didn't intervene" adds the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque, which also causes the exiled Vexillian mage to wince, for that's also true. 

The mage Reinholt finally nods as he admits that, then the large heavily armoured deathlord tells the three of them as he heads to the door to the hallway "Come on, we've got some shit to sort out" . . . . . .