CH 1: The Road Travels East

[Breila]

Goldmmon lowers her head, probably blinking away a few tears. When she looks up again, her face is set.

"We should go on, then. If we follow them, we might be too late to help them anyway, and we would certainly come too late to Xak Tsaroth to do what we have to do there. And if we succeed, we'll help more people than just ours."

[JadedDM]

Riverwind leads the group further east. As the sun sets, they make camp at the beginning of an old imperial road that hasn't really been used since the Cataclysm.

As the party makes camp, they break out the rations and waterskins. The previous day they ate a feast in the Darken Wood and the day before that, there was the Home of the Last Inn. So this is the first day they haven't had a decent, real meal.

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The Companions travel 4.4 miles in 4 hours through untraveled grasslands and arrive at the Sageway East road. It is now 8 PM.

[Jenara]

Laurana sits quietly on the grass if she can find some. The rations... she swore she would never get used to them, right now she would gladly put up with her father controlling her life, if it mean she would have a decent meal.

Reaching into her pouch she finds the Doll, she had no idea why she still had it, but she did. Those people died for this cause, whatever this cause was, a great treasure...?

Sitting on her own she eats her food, stroking the childs doll gently.

[Jerrard]

Sturm eats his rations slowly, sitting next to Tanis, he watches the Young Elf closely, nudging Tanis when she produces the doll.

"I believe that shook her hard, she appears quite scared." He sips on his waterskin, returning his attention to the Half Elf, "Her heart is in the right place."

Waiting to see if Tanis would make any comment he sits back slowly, resting on his arms.

[JadedDM]

"I think it shook all of us to some extent," Tanis admits. "Her heart may be in the right place, but she is a too young and inexperienced. If she doesn't get herself killed, she'll likely get one of us killed instead. That is my worry."

[Jerrard]

"Yes, that is a problem, I doubt she has ever been in a fight, a real one." He tugs at his mustache and looks again at the Girl. "I suggest we run her through some drills, we test her abilities, if time allows."

[JadedDM]

"We can try," Tanis says. "She may be too proud to accept, though. In the meantime, we'll have to be careful to keep her out of any serious combat. We don't know what we'll find down there, but what the Forestmaster said about those 'draconian' creatures has me worried."

[Jerrard]

"We may not be able to do that, if these creatures are widespread, I doubt anyone is safe." He looks to Laurana once more, then Caramon. "Perhaps he should offer, coming from either of us it would be seen as.. Interference." He shrugs and sips on his water once more.

"I do not like the sound of these creatures either, the armies you saw. I fear for my Homeland."

[JadedDM]

"Whoever it is, it probably shouldn't be me. She'd take offense, most likely," Tanis says.

"I fear for all of Ansalon, to be honest. At least your homeland has the knights to protect it, though. Here, Abanasinia only has the Seeker Guard. We've seen ourselves how useless they are."

[Jerrard]

"That is agreed, my experience with women is lacking, but I sense she would take it as an invitation of some kind."

"As for the Knights, they are fragmented and fighting within themselves. Yes they are better trained, but they exist in hiding, our castles are ransacked. No I fear for my people also."

[Breila]

Goldmoon had been sitting close to Riverwind during their meal. When they've finished eating, she asks Riverwind and Flint (if he is within earshot) "Do you know how far we still have to travel? Do we have to walk on for another hour or two or can we make camp here?"

[JadedDM]

"I've only followed this road a short distance. All I know is that it will lead us through the mountains," Riverwind says.

By far, this journey is hardest on Flint. Goldmoon has noticed him wheezing at times when the party is traveling. But anyone who calls attention to it the dwarf will chew out and then push himself even harder. Grunting, he says, "I could press on, of course. But the kender needs to rest."

"Actually, I feel fi--" Tas starts.

"Shut up, doorknob!" Flint threatens. Turning back to Goldmoon, he says, "We can continue in the morning after some rest. Hopefully we can be there soon."

"Newsea is said to be two days' journey from Que-shu," Riverwind adds with a sigh. "If Xak Tsaroth exists, we should be able to reach it in a day, though I have heard that the land from here to Newsea is swampy and difficult to travel."

"Wonderful," Flint mutters sarcastically.

[Breila]

Goldmoon rises and walks over to Tanis and Sturm. "Can we set up camp here? Riverwind and Flint say we have to travel another day, and at least Tasslehoff and Flint need to rest as soon as possible. Raistlin probably too."

[Jenara]

Posted for Jerrard.

"We do need rest" sturm agrees, looking to tanis, "perhaps we should?"

[JadedDM]

Tanis agrees. The party makes camp and rests until morning.

The following day, they set off immediately, aware of their deadline to reach Xak Tsaroth before the day is out. The companions travel only a few miles on the old, broken road when it dumps them, literally, into a swamp. They notice that the ground is getting spongier and the tall, sturdy trees of the mountain canyon forests dwindle. Strange, twisted trees rise up before them. A miasma blots out the sun, and the air becomes foul to breathe. They stay on the broken stones of the old road, avoiding the dank, swampy ground next to it.

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The Companions rest. It is now a new day. Everyone regains 1 HP and the Blue Crystal Staff regains a charge.

The Companions travel 10 miles through mountains and swamp in 10 hours to reach the swamp ruins.