The Gates of Felbrook

When Aeshra and her guard drew closer to the campsite, what they found— Well, what they found wasn't exactly extravagant to say the least. A makeshift pavilion had been put together, the canvas covering having been tied high up in the air to several surrounding trees rather than any actual supports. Several banners emblazoned with the crest of the Crusade, its design now modernized since the group's joining into Hyrule Kingdom, hung from the tent's edges.

But it didn't look to be for lack of time or resources that the campsite looked so hastily put together. The envoy's steeds were nearby as well, a pair of horses stood next to a bullbo that stood several feet taller than its fellow steeds. They were each well-equipped, travel bags well packed if only except for what had apparently been used on the way to the village.

And then there were the Crusaders that had arrived. A pair of goblins accompanied by an older Hylian stood together beneath the tent, each dressed in surprisingly well-fit military gear. When Aeshra arrived, the three had been quiet, perhaps having little to say and simply resting after the long distance they had traveled. They were already making their way out from beneath the pavilion and making their way toward the Countess by the time the campsite was actually in sight. It was only as they drew closer to the pair that it grew evident their armor was decorated with a variant of the Crusade's crest, one which Aeshra would be able to recognize bore the emblem of Stellam.

The tallest of the three, a moblin that stood little more than a meter taller than Aeshra, took the lead. Once he stood before her, the moblin let out a hefty grunt, dropping down to a knee and bowing his head. The hylian and bokoblin that joined him followed suit, kneeling before her till their squad leader rose up to their feet once more. "Hail, Countess and Lady of this land." His voice was deep and guttural, strong with accent. "Our Lady sends a greeting from Star Rose." He looked upwards, above and beyond her to the gates of Felbrook. "She sent me to talk for her, and our wait says she was right to."

"Thank goodness, was making me feel stiff in my bones," the moblin said, shaking himself loose and running a large hand through the exposed portion of his mane. He quickly looked down toward the squad's human companion, throwing a finger in their helmeted face. "Not a word... about human tradition, Clause."

They simply shrugged and said nothing. The bokoblin accompanying them grunted. "We'll go watch the horses." Clause glanced to the side away from the others, but after a moment, they stepped away from their squad leader to tend to the campsite. The smaller goblin rolled their eyes and walked after them.

Their squad leader watched the pair for a moment, but sharply returned his attention back to Aeshra. "Name's Mortimer." He drew a deep breath and lowered his lumbering form down onto one knee, crouching down before the Demoness to at the very least stand closer to her eye level. "Stellam sent us on the road here two morning back.

"First attack was maybe three moons back. Bar nearly burned down. Patron went wild, attacked everyone she saw and torched the place. Got me." He tilted his head upward, rubbing a hand along the underside of his neck where a still-visible burn mark had been etched. "Was a Demon, newly moved in. We tossed her out. The Lady thought she might've been some rogue shit trying to sabotage the work she'd put into the Outpost. I regret that.

"Second came two moons later. It hit the market. We were more prepared that time, though. Subdued and imprisoned 'em real quick before they do much. Had to be on our toes, keep an eye out on any newcomers for awhile, we thought. Made sense, it worked. That time. But then it didn't.

"Fortnight later, we got a third. We thought we'd be ready for the third, but we weren't. Third guy? He'd been a member of the village since it'd been built. Helped build it. That was the worst of them. The village sanctuary was torn apart before the Lady put a stop to it herself. Lost lots on that one. A friend." He was drumming the ground with his three fingers, staring somewhere past Aehsra. "Kept getting worse after that. Another fortnight, another two.

"I'd say it stopped then. The Lady, she put aside her duties about the territory, returned to town. then went to the Crusade's fortress. Something she did there. Seemed pretty good after that. Then three days ago, the Lady comes out, sees me. She's the look of a mama grizzle when you get near her babes. Told me to keep these past months in mind and had me come down here to Felbrook on her behalf. Said to me 'it's only the Demons'. Said you had to know that."

Mortimer let out a long, slow sigh. Then he looked up.

"Hope it meant something."

He nodded in affirmation. He'd presumed Lady Stellam was acting on assumption when she send his squad on such a trip, but if that were so, there had been something to grant her such expectations.

"So far, none of us goblins been hit with it."

"Nor those sneaky, scaly bastards that hang 'round the river!"

"Gringel," Mortimer gave a disgruntled snort and glanced off to the side. The bokoblin scout waved an arm from afar. The moblin shook his head and looked back toward Aeshra. "Lad's right though. It's like us pack mates have been spared. And even then, I can still feel it in my blood. Something out there making it boil, trying to rile us up, and whatever it is is pushing harder and harder." He gave a brief glance toward the soldier with her and laughed lowly. "Same reason's why Claude's here. Don't think they're enjoying that responsibility, and who can envy that. Can't envy us either though, can they?"

The grip of his hand around his knee plate tightened and he gave a shake of his head. "Can't say as I do, but wouldn't surprise me if she was asking favor from one of her gods. She seems to think one of them is that man lording over Akkala from the Crusade's fortress," he said, laughing again. "Can't say much about that, but I can't say whatever he'd done to bless the village hasn't worked. Before then, she'd been casting a spell to banish the corruption from the outpost...

"The last thing our Lady told me before I was gone was she would be traveling to the heart of this land. Word is the castle called on someone to represent the Crusade there. Bet you she's gonna take advantage of that invitation, find out what she can."

"Even as one of the Crusade's messengers, I don't think I'd be well accepted into the capitol grounds. You and Lady Stellam laid foundations for our acceptance, but I can't imagine those central kingdom folk will take to me as well. Mmm..." Mortimer drew in a breath, holding a hand under his chin thoughtfully.

After a moment, he stood up and lumbered his way back to the campsite. For fiddled with something dangling from the side of his bullish steed briefly and when he returned, he was holding a wicker cage in one of his hands. He lowered it, holding it out for Aeshra to take. "I bring several carrying birds on my missions at a time. The Lady holds the abilities of these little birdies in high regard, these ones especially." The little bird inside hopped over to its cage door and looked out it at the Demoness. Its feathers were a light brown and red and its remaining features were all a plain grey and white apart from its eyes. The eyes, those were a deep yellow, almost as if alight with a fire, and far too intelligent.

"You give it a message, and it will return to our Lady without fail."