As battle was joined the stoutly built redhead Aelarothian officer shouted, “‘Get over hell damned louts, are you good for nothing”.

In an instant, the soldiers who had been lounging in the alley between Midwallow’s town hall and the warehouse sprung into action, sprinting towards the frightened shouts of their commander. The fighting was tough and even for the first few seconds before they got into the fray. The four soldiers who had been guarding the halfling prisoners joined in and were able to skewer Selena in a heavy charge. She teleported away in the blink of an eye, leaving behind her echo. The ghastly apparition cut into Isahak’s calf with the blade of its unseemly weapon. The captain also managed to put an arrow into the Aelarothian from the roof of one of the houses which overlooked the square. Isahak saw the writing on the wall and decided to flee from the battle, running back towards the Aelarothian encampment on the moors to the north.

After they had finished dispatching with the enemy footmen, Éilatril freed the halfling prisoners. He asked the crowd, “How many of this town’s citizen’s do you represent? Are there more of you that the enemy took with you?”.

“We are but one third of the citizens of Midwallow”, answered a light haired halfling. “My name is Anara Thornbloom, one of the town’s elders. The soldiers took the other two thirds of us prisoner with them to their camp, including the rest of our elders and the mayor.”

“Do you wish us then to escort you to the castle?”, Éilatril asked.

“Castle Cadworth is but half a day’s walk from here and it is still midday. Once we have collected our things we should make with plenty of time to spare, the road is still protected enough for folk like us”, said Anara.

Turning to his staff, the captain then asked, “Should we return to the castle or continue to scout ahead?”.

“I still have a bead on their leader”, Varissa said. “It might be good idea to figure out what we’re going up against,”

“Aye, you’re right, reconnaissance was our purpose in coming here originally anyways”, Éilatril said.

The party was able to track Isahak back to the Aelarothian camp with considerable ease, following the blood and heavy armored footprints across the moor. It was an impressive encampment, heavy earthworks and a trench dug around the perimeter and an eight foot tall wooden palisade built around the outside. It easily held about two hundred men, enough that the officers would need to retreat and return with their men but a force that The Betrayed could meet evenly on the field of battle if they chose to.

After being nearly discovered, Dr. Blackthorne attempted to create a distraction to allow the party to escape unseen back across the heath. Much to her and the rest of the party’s dismay, legionaries standing guard at the gate they were staking out were quite observant. The soldiers ran inside the camp to sound the alarm, so the group decided to flee across the rocky marshlands towards the hills. It was a hard sprint for a solid mile but they were able to lose the Aelarothian cavalry in the maze-like valleys and hillocks.

Returning back to Castle Cadworth, Dr. Blackthorne and Selena decided to retire to the tavern to lick their wounds while Éilatril and Varissa reported what they had found to the Count and his seneschal. As the pair entered the keep proper, they were greeted by that grey haired Fortrian, who upon hearing their report led them directly to the count’s solar to make their report directly to the lord himself.

Upon hearing for himself the report, Loedgar turned to his castellan and said, “Callum take this down in official record.”

He then turned to the mercenaries and said in a lower, more officious tone, “It shall be that from this day, the 11th of Highharvest, that the Betrayed are hereby employed in the prosecution of war against the Eternal Empire of Aelaroth by House Cadworth of Naissus on the authority of Glorious Eltaria and Her Emperor until such time as such actions are no longer necessary or one of these parties has been shown in a Court of the Empire to have broken faith. Each month for the duration of this writ, a salary of two thousand Imperial shillings shall be paid to the senior officers of the undersigned company, one thousand Imperial shillings to the junior officers, fifty Imperial shillings to each able bodied horseman, and twenty Imperial shillings to each footman. The Betrayed shall retain relative autonomy in their prosecution of such military actions as they are employed by this contract to perform but shall have the responsibility to muster for battle under the banners of House Cadworth if called upon to do so.”

He then signed and stamped his seal onto the completed contract, an act which Éilatril joined the count in. The captain sent out riders to tell the company to move camp to just south of the castle and the officers decided to enjoy a couple of days leave for themselves.

The 9th of Highharvest was a rain-chilled autumn day in the town of Ebenhall. The fire roared in the hearth of The Tin Moray Inn that night, where the general staff of The Betrayed sat discussing there next move. The company was fresh off a contract with an alliance of southern lords and had come north as soon as rumors of war with Aelaroth began to flit about. At the head of the table sat their reluctant captain, the former thief Éilatril, a bronze skinned, silver eyed Ardir with a short crop of fine black hair.

He fingered along the road from Ebenhall up to the nearby castle and said to his companions, “It’s been at least two days since the siege broke and there is still no word from Midwallow to the northeast either. We ought to at least mount a small party to see what is happening up there”.

He paused and looked around the the table to give his fellow officers time to think over the suggestion. Directly to his right sat the company’s head medical officer, the mysterious woodthane ranger Varissa Sylkas and to his left was seated the staff librarian and disgraced physician, a tawny cloister elf named Scarlett Blackthorne. Opposite him at the foot of the table sat the newest member of the general staff, the enigmatic fighter who only went by the name Selena.

After a few seconds, Varissa piped up, “Getting an idea of what there is around the vale is probably a good idea”.

The rest nodded in agreement.

“So we agree then”, Éilatril said, rolling up the map. “We head out in the morning then, first to Castle Cadworth to inquire about the lord’s missing daughter, and then to Midwallow to see what might have happened there”.

---

The next morning was clear and chilly, the dew half froze on the purple oat grass that grew so well in the valley’s grasslands. The half day’s journey to Castle Cadworth went by without so much as passing merchant, the road was almost too quiet. When they arrived at the castle, the party initially met the castellan, Callum.

“We are honored to host such a storied company as The Betrayed”, the greying Fortrian man said. “Count Leodegar is busy overseeing repairs but will be holding court on the morrow, I will see that your audience is added to the itinerary”.

“Very well then, we will be glad to make use of your hospitality”, Éilatril replied.

Dr. Blackthorne and Selena headed to the libraries of the Cathedral of St. Enurchus in order to research. Éilatril and Varissa went along with Éilatril’s junior officer Paul Hoffman to the training grounds. While at the training grounds Varissa held an archery contest with two soldiers, Malaric and Hunald. Varissa cleanly won but Malaric came in a close second.

In good spirits at the end of it, Malaric jested, “Well winners of tourneys can oft afford to pay for drinks that night!”.

Meanwhile Hoffman had been sparring with a soldier named Pepin. Getting a little carried away, Hoffman knocked Pepin upside the head with his training halberd and knocked a tooth out. Éilatril attempted to smooth things over by healing the soldier but Pepin was not amicable to such apologies.

Later that night back at the inn, Dr. Blackthorne enjoyed quite a bit of the free drinks provided by their hosts. Varissa and Malaric enjoyed the local kumis (an alcoholic beverage made from fermented goat’s milk) and swapped stories. Malaric told Varissa that the Aelarothian troops that had retreated from the broken siege around Castle Cadworth were spotted around Midwallow the 4 days prior and before heading into the moorlands north of Bhurnaldur. Hoffman smoothed over his offenses with Pepin over drinks at the behest of his superior officers.

---

The next morning, the officers headed back up to the keep to attend the court of Count Cadworth. Most of the session was quite long and boring, many peasants seeking to mediate disputes over grazing rights or restitution for property lost to marauding knights. Finally, the time appointed for their audience arrived.

They all stepped forward and bowed courteously. Éilatril said, “My lord, we the officers of The Betrayed, humbly have sought audience in your court to seek work and information, as we might about the rumors of your missing daughter, Alda Cadworth”.

The count was a short, rude looking man, aging but not at all ugly. He had shaggy, greying blonde hair that fell down to just past his chin.

“Alda has been kidnapped by that bastard wizard Gilfroy”, the count choked out between cups of wine. “He’s taken her to that citadel in the Wolfwillows, I’m damned sure of it”.

“We shall make haste in attempting to secure her return to your side my lord, as soon as we return from Midwallow”, Éilatril replied and then retired from the floor.

---

After Castle Cadworth, the party continued on towards the halfling town of Midwallow. About ½ mile outside of the settlement proper they noticed that the farm fields and cottages appeared to be sacked and plundered as if some retreating army had passed through here some days ago. From this point on they decided to be cautious, leaving their horses tied up outside the town they snuck through alleyways toward the village square. Here they found some of the townspeople taken prisoner and Aelarothian soldiers sorting through plunder.

The leader of the enemy troops was questioning some of the halfling elders on the whereabouts of their treasure and any other loot that soldiers could carry before they returned to their camp.

Éilatril and Dr. Blackthorne used some minor illusion magic to direct the attention of the leader of this group away from where they were so the rest of the party could get the drop on the soldiers.

Selena pretended to be the source of the noise as she emerged from the alley. Dr. Blackthorne cast invisibility on herself and snuck towards the cage that contained the halflings, utilizing the distraction her comrades provided. When everything was in place everyone struck. The fighter teleported behind the redheaded Aelarothian lieutenant, Isahak, striking and injuring him. Varissa attempted to get off an opening shot at him as well but missed. Éilatril cast chill touch at another one of the soldiers but his aim was off.