Upon hearing that there is mail, Tric looks up at the sky, expecting to see a bird. Having left his crutch perch, Mate is now flying lazy circles above Tric’s head, but no other avian messengers are visible. Terwaen excuses herself, leaving Tric to go greet the new arrival with the question, “What news of Earl Gweddry’s forces?”
The other woman starts rattling off updates. As she speaks, she pulls a scroll out of one of her deep pockets, consulting it occasionally to double check what she’s relaying. Having delivered her report, she then hands over the scroll itself. Terwaen sends a young squire off to get the Horse Clan update from the planning tent while she confers with the courier. “Oh, and we have some of the Estbryn elves here with us as well. Do you have any news to impart to them?” she asks, turning to Tric and beckoning him over to join them.
Drawn by the flash of light, Heppa approaches too. “Well met,” she says politely. Inside, though, she is brimming with curiosity over what this new magic might be, and so soon questions tumble forth. “What was that light? Did you just arrive? Or was that communication?”
The stranger chuckles. “What we’re doing here is communication,” she says, waving among them all. “What you saw before was my arrival. Have you never seen a human mage teleport?”
“No!” Heppa replies excitedly. Only Tric has ever been around when Kachen has performed that technique. “But I understand you have to have a safe space on the other side?”
“Oh, so you know something of our magic?”
Heppa is too ready with additional questions to answer that one. “How do you establish that? Have you been here? This can’t be that safe of a spot. You must be very good!”
The mage gestures at all the knights and paladins moving about the encampment. “I think this is a pretty safe location,” she says with a grin.
“Ah, so I suppose it’s relative,” Heppa murmurs, filing away this new piece of information.
Tric watches the exchange with his own smile, recognizing in the mage someone after his own heart. She tells a little story, jokes around a bit, but she also doesn’t directly answer questions. Now that he is closer, Tric realizes he has seen a staff like hers elsewhere. Although Kachen’s lacks the crystal, its other ornamentation is similar. But Kachen hasn’t shown up alongside Heppa, and there could be things to learn here that would benefit him. Tric decides it is time to join the conversation. Not that he doesn’t trust Heppa… but he knows she might very well overshare information if she gets too excited. “I am Tric Manu, herald of the Estbryn elves,” he announces.
Terwaen steps in, completing the formal introductions. “And this is Hepalonia of House Thrandolil. I present you to Mage Cwuml.” She then takes her leave, needing to confer with others around the camp now that she has the latest battlefield information.
“Forgive me, but when I have seen mail delivered, it’s been by birds in the sky, not by bright lights in tents,” Tric says.
Cwuml nods. “That sounds reasonable, though I like to think I’m more reliable than a bird. Less likely to be eaten along the way, for example—” Mate interrupts her with a cry of stupid, stupid! He then alights on the top perch of Tric’s crutch again, the better to embarrass his elvish friend. Fortunately, the human does not take offense.
“Presumably you could carry more, too,” Heppa says, unfazed by the magpie’s antics. “Or does the magic limit how much you can carry on your person?”
“I’m not a pack animal,” Cwuml objects.
“So it’s as much as you can carry normally,” Heppa concludes.
Tric tries to rein in the discussion before Heppa digs too deeply into minor details. “Ah, you were wondering what news from the advance party of the Estbryn elves?”
Cwuml shrugs. “Or I could provide you with the information I have on the rest of your forces, if that’s of use to you.” Tric invites her to go first, and she reports that the main Estbryn forces are currently teamed up with those from Wesmere. They have been engaging in some skirmishes along the edges of various tree pockets scattered about the battlegrounds, primarily facing off against orcs under a square white banner. “Some of your kinsfolk from the other forest reported having seen some infighting among the orcs. There might be some leverage to manipulate there,” Cwuml concludes. Heppa pulls out her map and engages with the mage on specific details so that she can update her annotations. She is particularly interested to hear that the white flag orcs are not getting along with all the orange flag orcs.
“Any information on the progress of the dwarves of Lord Knutan or perhaps the saurians of the Foul Fen?” Tric asks.
“Saurians?” Cwuml echoes, confused. “Those aren’t on my cycle.”
Tric sighs heavily, disappointed but not surprised that Hezzis and Bzzazz have been left out. “They’re an important part of this alliance!” he insists. “They’re providing a critical flanking advantage from the swamplands. No one else among our forces, except for maybe Merriver’s militia, knows that terrain.”
“They’re aquatic, too,” Heppa adds. “Undead aren’t limited to land.”
Cwuml considers this information, and before she can object, Tric plows on, “Yes, the saurians are important. Hezzis is their leader. She’s their prime ambusher. Yes, she and her mate, Bzzazz. Maybe you can contact him magically? He reads the stars—No, wait, that’s dumb; you can just go there. I’ve already marked a safe place in the swamps specifically for teleportation magic. I’ve seen it work. Can I just describe the symbol to you? Is that fine?” Cwuml’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, and Tric suddenly realizes he has said something he should not have.