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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7428950" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 164It took Bredan and the others several days just to reach the border of the dwarves’ lands.The first part of the journey took but an instant.  Konstantin’s teleport spell brought the diplomatic party—consisting only of the wizard, Bredan, Quellan, and Xeeta—to a citadel named Five Spires, on the easternmost borders of the Kingdom of Arresh.  The fort was surrounded by a harsh landscape of steep hills, but looming over all of it was a vast range of mountains that stretched across the horizon like a wall.  Bredan knew without having to ask that within those mountains was their destination.The first few days passed smoothly enough, though the road was hardly easy.  The commander of the fort ordered that horses and supplies be made available to them, and even provided an escort to take them as far as the border.  There were only a few settlements in the hills, but the Arreshian soldiers knew the landscape and they were able to cover a lot of ground.  They spent the first night in a fortified tower through which they could hear the constant whistling of the wind throughout the long night.  They got an early start the next morning, though as the day advanced the road become steeper and more difficult.  They had entered the mountains proper, and when they looked behind them all they could see were more of the peaks that seemed to stretch out ahead of them for an eternity.That afternoon the officer leading their escort called a halt.  Bredan didn’t know what was happening at first, until Quellan pointed out the blockish stone stele the size of a cart that stood along the edge of the road.  The warrior had thought it a boulder at first, but as he looked at it more closely he could make out the runes etched deeply into its surface.“Wait, this is the border?” he asked.  “That’s it?  From what you’d described of the relations between the dwarves and their neighbors I thought there’d be at least a guard post or something.”“The dwarves know we’re here,” Konstantin said.Once the escort had departed, leaving just their four horses and one pack animal, the companions resumed their trek forward.“This must be a rough road in winter,” Xeeta said.“Hardly seems worth having a road at all, given the lack of travelers,” Quellan noted.“The dwarven nation has little communication with other realms,” Konstantin said.  “Though there is some trade within the mountains, and a number of settlements within valleys and other places where crops can be cultivated and animals pastured.  Ironcrest is the leading city of the dwarves, but they do not all dwell within their mountain holds.”“How much longer will it take to get there?” Xeeta asked.“I am not entirely certain,” Konstantin said.  “The route does not seem that long on a map, but as you have noted it is quite different in actuality.  We will need to pass at least one more night in the mountains, however.”“I suppose it would be asking too much to expect to find an inn along the way,” Quellan said.“You’ve gotten spoiled from all that time in Severon,” Xeeta said.“There are prepared stations for wayfarers in the mountains,” Konstantin said.  “Or at least such are indicated on the maps.  If not, we have tents on the pack horse.”“Can’t you just conjure up a magical palace or something?” Xeeta asked the wizard.“Sadly, that spell is not one that I have mastered,” Konstantin said.  “There have been many cold nights when I have wished that was the case, however.”“I wonder why the dwarves didn’t send a welcoming party,” Quellan asked.  “After going through the trouble to issue an invitation.”  He glanced over at Bredan, but the young warrior had seemed distracted through most of the trip, not participating in the various discussions that the other three had engaged in for much of the trip.  Konstantin and Quellan had each read many books about the histories of the three nations and the politics between them, giving them plenty to talk about, and for her part Xeeta had a surprisingly diverse collection of knowledge given the relatively constrained nature of her upbringing.They were making their way up a series of switchbacks when Quellan rode up next to Bredan.  “How do you think the others are faring?” the cleric asked.“Probably better than we are,” Bredan said.  “They teleported right into Tal Nadesh, right?  They probably already have their part of the key and are waiting for us in Severon.”“Somehow I cannot quite picture Kosk as a diplomat,” Quellan said.“Maybe he went up to the elvish ambassador and punched him in the face,” Bredan said.  Both men laughed, and for a moment some of the weight that had settled onto the warrior since their experiences in Severon seemed to lift.  But then a sudden cold wind gusted along the trail, forcing them to pull their cloaks tightly around their bodies, and the breeze seemed to take their levity away with it.“It’s strange, being separated after so long together,” Quellan said after a moment.Bredan looked over at the half-orc.  After having gone through so much with the cleric it was easy sometimes to forget the impression he presented to others.  The half-orc looked fierce, perhaps even feral, but Bredan knew that there was a sensitive soul within that harsh exterior.  “I’m sure they’re fine,” he said.  “Glori knows how to handle herself, and Kosk is, well, Kosk.”Quellan smiled.  “Yes, I’m sure you’re right.  And I suppose we should focus on our own mission, and what the dwarves want from us in exchange for the key.”“We’ll find out soon enough,” Bredan said.  He hunched forward in his saddle as the road narrowed ahead, cutting off further conversation.The sun was just touching the summit of the latest rise behind them when they found one of the waystations that Konstantin had spoken of.  It was subtle enough that they almost missed it, a narrow opening in the rocks that had the look of a cave until one got close enough to see the heavy wooden door recessed within.The waystation consisted of two bare stone rooms, one for the travelers and one for their horses.  It didn’t look like anyone had stayed there recently, but there were caches of chopped firewood, water, and dry foodstuffs carefully wrapped in oilcloth pouches.  A simple hearth had been cut into the stone below what looked like a natural chimney, through which the wind whistled softly.“It may not be an inn, but it’s preferable to sleeping outside,” Konstantin said.It did not take them long to get their horses settled and to build a fire to cook their evening meal.  For all his rank and power, Konstantin was both willing and able to do his share of the tasks, even summoning a flash of magical fire to ignite the logs stacked in the hearth.  The stored food was mostly root vegetables and ground meal, but augmented with what they’d brought with them it made a hearty meal.  Mostly it was hot and filled their bellies, and after the long and difficult day of travel they were quick to retire to their bedrolls.  Bredan offered to keep the first watch, so after checking on the horses he sat down next to the fire, situating himself so that he could clearly see the entry.</blockquote>

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