Day 67 – Far Haven – Setting Off For White Beach

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(Date: 21st April)
In the morning the party bids farewell to Marany and heads off to the Meeting Place to recover their mules and begin their next journey.
Stlan is at his usual post, lounging around.
Stlan: “Well look who it is, and all loaded for a journey too!”
Caradoc: “Yeah, yeah, can we collect the mules.”
Stlan: “Of course, Brokef is off doing a couple of chores, should be back in less than an hour. Dump your stuff here and come back in an hour. OK?”
Francis and Quercius decide to stay with the parties provisions whilst the others spend a brief period looking around and chatting with the nomads in the area.
After about 10 minutes awkward silence….
Stlan: “Look, if you are going to stand around until that lazy git Brokef returns, at least have a seat.”
And Stlan pulls out two rough stools from under the table.
Stlan: “So where you heading then?”
Quercius: “Out west, aiming for White Beach.”
Stlan: “Hmm, well you had better get a move on if you want to make the bridge.”
Quercius: “Yes, we had gathered that the spring floods tended to take it out.”
Stlan: “Every bloody year, by the end of May the bridge is gone, and every bloody year White Beach has it rebuilt, normally around July time. Not sure why, ok it does save a whole lot of time for wagon convoys heading that way, but us nomads simply cross further upstream.”
Quercius: “So there are other crossing points.”
Stlan: “Oh yes, the easiest is about 40 miles upstream, just before the forest. There is an island in the middle of the river that you can easily ford over to. On the other side it is only about 10’ to the bank. Bloody deep and fast flowing that side but there are enough trees there to rig up a few ropes. You will need to be good at managing the mules though – so they don’t panic.”
Quercius: “We were also wondering about the two villages off the West Road, not often you see settlements in nomad territory.”
Stlan: “Well Newview, I don’t know much ‘bout, it’s shaman business and I don’t mess in their affairs.”
Stlan: “Roubank though I know a little of, and it’s a weird place, there is some holy woman living in a decrepit tower and she seems to have a small following of people that farm the locality and give her supplies. She has been there about 30 years if you listen to the tales, some of the clans occasionally swing by – but nobody has ever thought to move her and her followers on.”
Stlan: “Not sure if you was planning to visit one of these places, but I would say that you will definitely miss the bridge being up if you do.”
A couple of humans leading a string of mules plus two riding horses approaches.
Stlan: “Apologies folks, more customers.”
Stlan heads towards the approaching humans….
Quercius and Francis don’t catch much of the conversation but it ends with some money changing hands and Stlan leading the new animals into a small pen.
Stlan returns to the stall, he looks extremely irritated.
Stlan: “OK, they will need to be cleaned down and fed, look at the state of that poor horse.”, he indicates the smaller of the two riding horses, “whoever is riding that mare is totally underhorsed. The poor beast will be ruined within a season.”
Brokef comes into sight, running through the main pasture towards the stall. He is accompanied by another young Orc.
Stlan: “Finally you get here Brokef! While you have been lazing about, I have had to deal with customers, pen up animals and so on. Rushed off my feet I have been….”
Brokef: “Yeah, yeah! OK – what do you want me to do next.”
Stlan: “Take these two and pick up their mules. Orgus, take those poor beasts from the holding pen and put them in pasture three. Brush them down and make sure they have enough fodder and water, I will be over in about an hour.”
Orgus is obviously the other young Orc and he runs over to the newly arrived animals.
Brokef: “Come on then folks, lets get your mules.”
….in the meantime….
The rest of the party wander around the vicinity, generally chatting to nomads and picking up any useful information regarding the road to Whitebeach.
Centaur: “Well mostly the road is used by merchants, pretty much all of the clans simply go cross country. There are easier places to cross the North River further upstream, and the grazing is better. The main reason for the bridge is that it is the only feasible way for wagons to cross over the river without adding a large number of weeks to their journey.”
Maratasen Warrior: “Things seem to be stirring out on the plains, creatures out of legend made real. Good opportunities for a warrior to make their name, but choose your foes carefully.”
Maratasen: “Kits like you need to stay on guard, even on the road. There are clan outcasts that will not hesitate to prey on easy meat like yourselves. They are clan, so know the land well, will look to take out your shamen and familiars first and then pounce.”
Ariel: “Roubank, well the Blue Witch lives there along with her followers and some tagalongs. I’ve seen her once and she is an ancient human, but the Speakers say that there always has been a Blue Witch and she is important, but they don’t mention details that I can recall.”
Human: “Newview, hey – that is where they cultivate cinderoak, and boy do the Shamen like smoking that stuff, particularly the Maratasen and Ariel. If I were you folk, probably best staying away from there, them farmers get mighty protective.”
…. Returning to the stockade …..
Brokef leads Francis and Quercius over to where the mules are stabled, they are obviously in good health and have been well tended to. As you are leading them back.
Brokef: “So where are you heading next?”
Quercius: “Whitebeach”
Brokef: “Cool! Nice place apparently. I guess you know that you’ll have to hurry if you are going to go across the bridge.”
Quercius: “Yes, Stlan told us there was another way to cross but it was miles upstream”
Brokef: “Yeah, the next nearest crossing point is about 30 or more miles upriver. There are others as you go further south of course.”
Getting back to the entrance, the party begin load up the mules, bid farewell to Stlan and Brokef and head off to the road West. It is probably a couple of hours short of midday when you leave, the weather is overcast but at present the rain is holding off.
Just before you have left the meeting place and are on the road proper, Brokef comes running up.
Brokef: “Folks, whilst you seem reasonably capable of looking after your animals, I feel that you would benefit from having an expert handler along. So here I am!”
Francis: “What the f….”
Brokef: “OK, OK, look I am stuck here with Stlan, my foundling status ended about a month ago but he shows no sign of letting me become a warrior – wants me to stick with the animals. I’m good with animals, and really like working with them, but I want to become a warrior of Wyldwood – not stuck shovelling animal dung for the rest of my life.”
Brokef: “You guys are obviously on some form of mission, I’d like to help.”
Brokef: “Pleeeeeeeaaaassssseeee!”
Looking more closely at Brokef, you see that he has a small pack on his back, a sling and a long knife are in his belt. Best guess is that he is equipped for a day or so march, but not for a multi week hike, but then again – he is an Orc Nomad.
(Party decision required)
The rest of the day is uneventful, the road here is well maintained and sees a lot of traffic from the more outlying city farms. Cultivated fields are all around, with labourers hard at work on the spring planting and maintenance.
Just after lunch you reach an obvious turn off heading North, there is no signpost but you would guess that this is the road up to Newview. From what you can see, the ‘road’ is more of a track, reasonably well travelled but with not much time spent on it’s maintenance.
(Which direction…..??)
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