OOC: Okay, I'm gonna keep it as is then. Kurgahz paid for the difference between the regular room and the private room so that's covered. I'll just keep doing like I've been then since it seems pretty accurate so far. With that taken care of, I'm ready to go for real now.
Shadya is a little more quiet on this leg, at least when their new companions are around. She still will occasionally sing a traveling song as they wind down the road.
In the morning you saddle up with all your new gear and supplies and head out. There are several roads out of Antreil, but one major, paved road leads from the only stone building in the town south west, exactly the direction in which Sairundan lies. The road is wide, wide enough for two carts to squeeze by each other. The edges, rather than the center, are the most worn. In fact, the edges could be hundreds of years old, they look so eroded and weathered, but the center looks like it was paved a year ago.
You follow the path for a day, uneventfully. It winds and curves a little between the hills, but follows a generally straight path. Lasair bosses the tal zij around, having them trail behind and then rush to keep up, or some such nonsense, and they are all tired by evening time. After about 7 hours of travel you see a stone marker by the side of the road. It has a large, ornate O carved into the top of it, and below the O is the number 1000. An hour after that (give or take) you reach a stone building, of similar construction to the one at the center of Antreil and to the bridges you crossed. Lights are on inside, the sun is setting, and everybody is quite tired, so you enter the building.
It turns out to be a roadhouse, almost 50 miles away from Antreil, if the roadwardens can be trusted. You're all a little astonished that you made it that far in one day, but you didn't feel like you were moving any faster. The roadwardens think nothing of it.
This roadhouse, unlike the one outside of Orussus, charges for travelers to stay.
2sp per person sleeping in the roadhouse: 2*4= Travel fund: -8sp (Assuming Lasair and co. outside)
-1 day's trail rations
[Distance traveled: 957 + 48 = 1005 miles]
[Time: 25 days]
The next two weeks are very similar to that first day. The hills are green, the road is smooth, and every 48 miles there is a stone roadhouse, identical to the first, though the first had more roadwardens. Along the way you pass little farms and tiny communities, with no more than a few wooden houses grouped together. Also near the road you sight some ruined statues and even some ancient foundations. Cludge can tell that...
the stone and design used on the foundations is the same as the paved road, the roadhouses, and the bridges.
Some of the structures have been adapted for use by people, and at least one is or was probably home to gnolls or orcs, judging by the state of things inside, but mostly they're left alone to age and crumble slowly.
The tenth night out of Antreil you rest in the small village of Tillenvale. It rests atop a large, flat hill just off the road, opposite the stone roadhouse. The inn there is no better and no pricier than the roadhouses. In the Tillenvale tavern (the Gray-Green Groghouse) the locals tell you of the ruins further down the road, and how centuries ago, before the arrival of humans, dwarves and elves lived in peace and built the road system on which you now travel.
As you continue on the highway, you notice that the hills become much rockier and a little bit flatter. It's also getting quite dry, and the grass is not as green here. Far off to your left (south of you), a large chain of mountains slowly rises against the horizon.
The 14th night, the roadwardens at the roadhouse tell you that they are the last roadhouse on this highway. They tell you that you'll reach ruins near the end of your journey tomorrow, and that despite any feelings of foreboding you may have, the ruins should be safe to travel through. "Exploring the ruins, though, that's a different story. Aren't too many folks who go poking around in there that come back to tell the tale. If you think you might be tempted, you may want to take the long way around."
The 15th day out of Antreil, you pass by many of those ancient foundations, though notably some of them have standing walls.
As day becomes night, more and more buildings are clustered closer together, until finally, just before sundown, you reach a massive arch, part of a long crumbled wall. Beyond the arch is what used to be a great city, the size of the minotaur city in which Orussus now lies. Despite the dryness of the air, thick fog rolls through open doors and windows, obscuring the cityscape before you...
"Exploring the ruins, though, that's a different story. Aren't too many folks who go poking around in there that come back to tell the tale. If you think you might be tempted, you may want to take the long way around."
"Is it safe to camp in the ruins? I know that some such places can become quite dangerous after dark."
*Assuming that the answer from the roadwardens is affirmative, she is willing to head there and camp outside. She is not in the least bit tempted to disrespect the dead by rummaging through their things.*
(OOC: It is worth noting that the group ceases traveling well before day becomes night assuming that they start at sunrise. Due to exhaustion concerns, they have to stop at early afternoon)
"Some things were not meant for our eyes," Lasair replies quietly, "And if it has not been plundered, in lands like these it probably is the result of a guardian entity of some sort, magical or monstrous, and not the restraint of those who have passed this way before. Still, if it was significantly dangerous here, one would think Fehl would have mentioned it, since he travels to Sairundan all the time. We should be all right, I believe."
Kurgahz Vuultan, Half-Orc Cleric 2 of Taurusk; AC 16, HP 18/18
"Mmmmm, ruins." Kurgahz nearly growls. "Sounds like fun. I'd like to check them out myself. But I suppose our job at hand may well outweigh the possible...opportunities which would come from exploring." Appearing thoughtful for a moment, Kurgahz looks skyward while cradling his chin in his right hand and tapping his index finger against his lips. "Unless of course, Shadya chooses to brave the ruins, then we would be job-bound to follow and protect her..." Kurgahz says with a big toothy grin and a glance at Shadya.
"Am I to understand that dwarves and elves lived together in this city at one time? Remarkable. Well, I certainly do not think we should disturb burial places or go hunting for hidden treasure vaults. But if we take a slightly more roundabout route through the city, perhaps there will be time to examine any surviving inscriptions or monuments we come across. Of course, I do not read Dwarven. Still, there are several ways around that," remarks Conuld. "Still, have you noted the fog? I think I would prefer to spend the night out here in the open, not amongst the fallen stones, unless we can find a building that is still in fair repair, before darkness falls."
"Safe? Aye, it's safe," he laughs. "Stay on the highway, cuts straight through the old city, and you'll be fine. But you won't like it, not one bit. There's some fierce strong magic in there, and if you can catch a wink of sleep, you're braver than most I've met."
Rystil said:
(OOC: It is worth noting that the group ceases traveling well before day becomes night assuming that they start at sunrise. Due to exhaustion concerns, they have to stop at early afternoon)
Ah, I've kinda been assuming that you've been sleeping in or that there's some resting during the hottest part of the day. Whatever you guys want to do is fine. I just like the "winding down around sunset" scene.
