"A good plan. My only concern is this: we're discussing it right in front of the wonder troop" Lax waves cheerfully at the colourfully dresses men. "Perhaps we should take this discussion inside and send them on their way because, lets be honest, their not going to go anywhere fast, given their level of technology"
Garm speaks to the crew:
"Good notions. Let us speak among ourselves."
He then says a few more lines to the mercenary leader:
"I will discuss your offer with my officers. You may leave now. If we decide to get you to help hire others, we will fly to you in the shuttle. If not, you can go on your way."
A little confused the men start moving off to leave you to your deliberations.
Once inside, Garm turns to the others.
"Any other thoughts?"
"Illorns' plan is good but I have one problem with it: manpower. Our food, ammo and manpower are very finite right now. If we lose those it won't matter what wealth we amass. Let us take the lie of the land and find a way to secure our position here first"
"Right. We could buy information from different mercenary groups. One could lie to us, but several scattered across these seas cannot coordinate their stories so easily."
Illorn will drum the fingers of his free hand on his shield and snort "Afore any of this, thou wouldst be best served finding one who canst understandeth thine tongue. Likely this lot could answer most of thine questions if a proper language shared there wert. Asketh about their wise men, scholars, paper pushers. Mayhaps amongst them we mayeth find a studier of language."
"Aye. We need someone wise in words and reliable. Such men are a rare breed. And costly. But less costly than ignorance."
Illorn will nod his head towards the mercenaries "Then asketh them that and, if they grasp thy meaning, if aught of the words we speak art familiar sounding. Either way we shalt requerith transport." He will turn to Gizzard "Ready yon vessel, Gristle! One way or another we shalt be departing."
Before the mercenaries depart, Garm asks them a final question:
"A final question for now. Where can we find wise men, who know languages?"
Organizing patrols onto the hull is not a problem.
Preparations are not underway with regard to the former Ork village as no orders were previously given about it.
When Garm goes to approach the mercenaries he finds they are gone... as he told them to do before going back into the ship, having a conversation and then heading back out. Heading in the direction they were walking the group can spot a small wet navy vessel sailing to the north.
Garm will order the shuttle to swing near, so he can shout down his question.
After much shouting back of what those who do not speak the Eldar tongue no doubt suspect is something along the lines of 'What?!? I can't hear you properly, can you make your flying boat be quiet?' ...this takes several minutes.
The man points north shouting something back and then to the south east.
Garm recognises they're a little confused about what language but just give up and tell him the colony but that he'd be better off in their home city of Remas as it's not an excrement coated up jumped colony
"My thanks!"
He turns to Gizzard:
"Pilot, fly towards the colony until we're out of sight, and then speed up and turn for their home city of Remas."
Garm assumes that Gizzard was listening to his translated directions from earlier.
"Right away captain."
Gizzard will take the shuttle north, keeping the shuttle only a few hundred metres above the ground. Once the ship is out of sight he will turn west and circle towards south west while keeping the ship out of sight.
As soon as they are moving south west proper he will he will bring the shuttle up to a comfortable cruising altitude.
He's making an effort to keep the flight as smooth as possible as the captain is injured.
Once you've been going south west for an hour you come across a new coastline. Do you wish to follow it south or north. Several small islands dot the coast. The area inland appears to be dominated by hills.
Gizzard will speak though the intercom.
"Were coming up on a coastline. It looks like we have hills inland and a few small islands. Do I have your permission to follow the coast south?"
Meanwhile Lax is complementing Garm on his armour, in the (perhaps in-vain) hopes that it will convince him to wear it more.
"I have to admit sir, that armour looks good on you. I think it sends a message of strength and projects an image of how difficult it would be to kill you.
Lax leans over to the medics and whispers to them.
"For Emperors sake, give him a shot of stim or something he looks like he's about to keel over and die"
Back to Garm.
"Looking great sir, looking great"
"Aye, follow the coast."
Garm looks at Lax, with a wry smile.
"I have my own stims, and will take them as I need to."
You can see the land is crossed with roads and paths, areas of land given over to agriculture with various settlements but are generally of smaller size. You even see fortified structures on elevated defensive positions.
After another half hour you spot what could be a city on one of the islands off the coast. It appears to be in an extremely defensible position.
Do you wish to approach this city or head elsewhere? If landing will it be within the city or elsewhere on the island.
Lax will look out the window and try to spot any weapons or any indication that they've spotted the shuttle.
"I would hear your voices, companions, but I say we show our power openly and land in the city."
Lax can't make out any details like that.
"I can't see any weapons and given the arms on the wonder troop, I'd say that there are none of consequence. I recommend that we fly into the city and hover over an important looking building until someone important looking comes out"
"Captain, can you confirm if you want a hot or a normal landing? If we land suddenly they won't have time to form an opinion."
"We land by the most important building. A normal landing. Hot implies an attack."
The most important looking building is a castle.
As you fly closer a spear like object flies past. You can see several constructions quite reminiscent of ballista trained on your shuttle.
"Land. Outside of the arcs of those ballistae. On the roof if you must."
The slight jostle from Gizzard avoiding the balliste wakes Illorn up from his nap. Catching up quickly on the circumstances with one of the shuttle crew, he sighs and makes his way to Garm, pinching the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger.
"Hold a moment" he says to Gizzard and turns to Garm"Lad, dost thou remember what happened when last we tried this? On yon pissant world wherest we found Jones? 'tis more than likely that they hath only ever seen flying vessels with yon Druchii. Unless thou wouldst like a slaughter, then landeth outside yon city and await parley. Approaching in this flying vessel is aught already liketh waving wick in hand. It lets them knoweth our size without inviting attack. Shoving it in yon mouth wouldst most like get it bitten off."
Garm turns his head.
"You speak sense Illorn. Gizzard, to the city limits and swiftly."
Gizzard will do as asked.
You land not far from the city walls. You see figures watching you from the walls. Some of them soldiers of some kind others likely civilians or nobles of some kind.
Not long after you land you spot a half dozen men in leathers with bows and hand axes watching you while laying low in a rocky outcropping.
You see a group of two dozen cavalry moving forward from the city. They're equipped with full plate, lances, shields and an array of melee weapons. Each has different heraldry and coat of arms but they ride under a banner of a red stylised feline predators head on a cream field.
"Guys we have a problem. 6 men are in that rocky outcrop over there. They only have bows and axes but we might want to warn the cavalry about them, there may be more than one faction at play here"
Illorn shades his eyes with one hand whilst taking in the group approaching.
"Hmph, cox-comb noble knights riding under a banner. Liketh as much to be yon rulers." Without looking away from the approaching cavalry he will add quietly "There also be scouts, half dozen, in yon rocks to art west. Like as much from the city. Curious thine speed in getting here, doubly so with stealth."
Illorn will disappear back inside the shuttle briefly, readying the heavy stubber inside the shuttle, loading and storing it for quick retrieval if necessary.Re-emerging, he will then stretch, crick his neck from side to side and loosening his limbs up and then proceed to retrieve an apple and peel it, eating the skin, as the group awaits the lancers. His golem stands nearby, crossbow in hand whilst Illorn has the sniper rifle over his own back.
"Perhaps they were expecting someone else to ride in - or fly in. And we would do well to avoid looking like we are in league with an ambush. I say we side with the stronger faction. That appears to be the knights."
Garm's weapons are not in hand. He knows that they will be in hand swiftly enough should he need them.
Illorn will snort in amusement at Garm and Lax's suppositions "Aye, a half dozen men with longobows 'gainst a troop of cavalry in full-plate" He shakes his head "Nay, they art scouts from yon city, here to espy any ambush of our own and to aid yon knights if parley goes poor. Whoever leadeth them be no fool."
Illorn will await the knights whilst keeping the scouts in view.
A knight in armour more embellished strides forward, his steed not unlike the equines of Terra. He carries himself with arrogance. His heraldry is red and green with a fantastical winged beast upon his shield.
He calls out in a strange tongue... not the tongue of the men of Remas you encountered previously but the keen of ear might find some similarity with one they tried with you.
Illorn looks the knight over, takes a large bite out of his apple and says, while chewing "Aye, 'tis a ploughing cox-comb noble if ever I hath met one" The resentment in Illorns voice is obvious, although his tone changes as he eye's over the fantastical beast the man is riding "Though I hath never seen a beast such as the one he ride'th" Illorn will turn to Garm and say "I shall leave the introductions to thee, lad. Talks with nobles tend to take a jesters turn whence I am involved"
Saying as such, Illorn will keep an eye on the knights and potential scouts in the rocks.
Not this again Lax signs heavily.
"Does anyone understand him?
They seem to be announcing that this is their lords lands. Possibly called Lyonesse but to whether thats the city, Island, country or what he's not sure.
He's fairly sure they want to know who you are and why you are here.
After a few awkward moments pass Gizzard walks up behind Garm and Illorn.
Pointing at the man on the four-legged beast.
"This is their lords land, then he said something then something then Lyonesse. I think we're in a place called Lyonesse. It's a pretty s@#+ place to be fair. hmmmm I think he wants to know who we are, why we're here and all that jazz?"
"Appearances can deceive, Illorn. And if the Druchii have hunted here, then the locals know that very well."
"I know not their speech. Gizzard, do they know of Remas? We seek wise men who know languages."
Garm appears to have decided that Gizzard is now the go-between.
Garm can tell the horse is not entirely different from some larger terran breeds of horse but there are some differences.
The man repeats himself in another strange language. Then another, clearly getting more annoyed with you. He does speak something that you think is the language of the skirmishers on your hull. He rattles off a few other before something ye recognise.
Garm can understand this man better than the one on the hull, he's speaking far more clearly in a debased form of Eldar, more akin to Craftworld or Exodite tongues than the Dark Eldar dialect but he can see some overlap with the variant spoken by that skirmisher.
"Do you speak Eltharin?"
Garm begins speaking in the harsher version of the tongue.
"I speak the tongue of the Druchii, though I happily spill their blood. We are visitors to this world, and seek wise men who can translate languages for us so we may communicate more easily. The city of Remas sounded as if it would suffice for such. Are we far from there?"
The Knight laughs
"Indeed you are, Remas is at the edge of the civilised world. Mercenaries and anarchists without anyone of noble enough heritage to rule as a King or Emperor. You are in the Duchy of Lyonesse. But perhaps you are better served going there, this is a land of honour and nobility, our scholars are not whores who sell their worth for coin... you'd find enough of those in Remas so you're well advised there."
"Even in a wretched place like Remas you'll find the price higher than normal. Though not as much as men with a strong sword arm, men of learning still can charge a higher price in these trying times."
Garm shrugs and continues.
"Our first meeting with men of this world were mercenaries, so our knowledge of locations was limited. We would know more of this world and its inhabitants before making decision on how we will proceed. You speak of 'trying times'? Do you speak of the Druchii, or something else?"
The knight says something in the unknown tongue to the others who chuckle incredulously.
"You're from far off indeed. The Hordes of Chaos spill forth comprised of mortal and daemon followers alike assail the Kingdoms of men. They're boats assail us but the worst of the fighting is to the east. The lands there are too weak to stand alone, that is why the King has sent forces to stem the vile tide."