Hello, Everyone!
Last time our adventurers made some final preparations for their upcoming journey to Ekoba. Aurum got a cool magical tattoo, Mary got over her hangover and Bruno got supplies and stuff. Also, Mary had a quick chat with Gillean where he told her about her wand's small practical applications (namely the Prestidigitation and Mending spells) and taught her how to use them.
And now, we're finally off on the road!
Morning came without any moustaches. Mary wasn't sure whether that was because of Aurum's spell or because she hadn't slept, but she was happy she didn’t have to waste her time washing them off.
At breakfast the trio received a letter from Dynatos Perres detailing their upcoming mission. He didn’t expect them to go check reports and tax returns, but rather keep their eyes peeled for anything strange that might factor in the decrease of imported goods into Ekoba.
”It’s strange,” the postscript said, ”I have the feeling I've done this briefing before.”
The first part of their journey was fun. They chatted and laughed a lot, making some silly jokes about stuffy elves and their stuffy way of life. Since Aurum had bought a new horse--a beautiful mare he named Perjurina--Mary had her ride all for herself and could enjoy the trip without any distractions.
They were--technically--still going through Pamagos’ territory. The roads were paved, the land was cultivated and well maintained, with colorful caravans, busy people and Bearers going about their business in both directions. The air was getting chillier but it was nothing Mary wasn’t used to. Winters in Frinkeltong could get pretty cold sometimes.
They reached and passed Livorda in two days’ time, and then, it was as if they’d suddenly gone into another world entirely--which, to be honest, they kinda had, but Mary didn’t expect the difference to be so abrupt.
The temperature dropped suddenly and significantly, to the point that even Mary had to wrap herself in her cloak. Cold biting wind came and started scraping their sides.
“It's weird,” Bruno said, all snuggled up in his long beard. “We’re going south, it's supposed to get warmer, not colder.”
The road was all mud and stone. In some places it didn’t even look like a road but rather just a simple trail in the dirt made only by the hooves of people’s horses.
Speaking of people, there were no more caravans. The only travellers were lone riders, wrapped in greys and beiges, as if trying to make themselves as unnoticeable as possible. They made no eye contact and didn’t greet them in passing, as if doing so would get them in trouble.
Gradually, the trio picked up their behaviour and each of them sank into their own thoughts, riding without as much of a word to each other. They passed through several villages, some of which abandoned, others not so much. Even the ones that had citizens, looked poor and sad, and the people were sullen and miserable. Nobody paid the travellers much attention.
“So, what’s our cover story?" Mary asked one of the first nights.
They had made camp under the branches of her orange tree and were enjoying the only piece of color and warmth in the midst of all the surrounding greyness.
"Are we going in as ourselves," she continued, "or are we going to pretend that we’re somebody else?”
“How about we say we’re orange merchants?” Bruno said, turning one of the tree's fruits in his hand. “I got the idea in the orphanage, after seeing you give those out. We could say that we’re scouting out the market for future trade in the country.”
“But won’t we need more oranges than what we currently have?" Mary said. "And then we’d have to buy a cart of some sort, to drive them in…”
“Not if we say that we’re only carrying samples.”
“But we don’t really look like merchants,” Mary said.
That was true. Mary and Aurum were quite normal looking--although the bard’s clothes were a bit on the fancier side compared to Mary’s--but Bruno, in his bulky and spiky armour, surely stood out.
“That’s easy,” Bruno said. “Aurum will be the actual merchant, I’ll be the guard and Mary, you’ll be the book keeper.”
“That’s actually perfect,” Mary said.
She wasn’t sure she would be able to keep their cover if she was to take a more active part in it, but 'book keeper' sounded like someone who could just… not talk to people.
There were more and more abandoned villages on their way. Some looked like they'd just recently been vacated – most of the houses were in fair condition, there were few broken shutters and some household items were still lying around in the rooms. Others, however, had seemingly been abandoned for years and years. One didn't even look like a village – it was more like a collection of ivy mounds, which, only after a more thorough inspection, had turned out to be houses overgrown with vegetation.
They all had something in common, those abandoned villages. Bruno was the first to notice it. An old hole, about fifty feet in diameter and twenty feet deep, dug in the middle of the town square.
What its purpose was, however, they couldn't find out. Even the people in the populated villages along the way didn't know anything about it. When asked about the abandoned places, some claimed that there had never been any people in them, while others said that one day the whole villages--men, women and children--just got up and left in an unknown direction. The only consensus was that there had always, always been abandoned villages in Ekoba.
Mary couldn't imagine people just abandoning their home. Yes, she, too, had left Frinkeltong to go adventuring, but she always intended to come back. A whole community going away like that sounded just… unlikely.
Although… looking at Ekoba’s people, they didn’t have that much to hold on to. Many were below the poverty line, sad or emotionless, with too many mouths to feed and too little food to feed them with. Everywhere the earth was dry and cracked, and there was almost nothing growing on it. The one villager they’d managed to convince to take an orange, had had only four shrivelled potatoes to give them in exchange.
When Mary had been thinking about Ekoba, she had been imagining rampant crime and deceit. Instead, all there was out here… was misery.
This was not a fun journey. Let's hope that our heroes are going to feel better as time goes on. Do you think the land is going to become more welcoming at any point?
Anyway, see you next time
(Also, here's a link to the Chapter Guide, the Glossary and the Map for the series. You're welcome!)
An important disclaimer: These are my notes from a D&D game turned into a narrative. All the worldbuilding and NPC encounters belong to our DM, and all the actions of the other main characters (Aurum and Bruno) belong to my co-players. My contribution to the story is only everything Mary-related (actions, reactions, inner thoughts), as well as the writing itself.