by Matt » Mon Mar 27, 2006 3:39 pm
The night passed without incident - everyone half expected gargun treachery if not Jarin, so it could not be called restful. Indeed, the warband woke tired, and a little cranky. Things typically passed off with good humor were now the cause of dark looks, and there was a sense of relief when breakfast was over and the group readied to leave in the manor courtyard.
An early morning mist had receded as the rain came, light but adding to the dour mood nonetheless. Igon deputed Vagnar and Dragoran to look after the two surviving mules, and some time passed before the load from the dead mule could be redistributed. Even so, nearly one hundred pounds of supplies had to be distributed amongst the two-footed members of the band. It was nearly mid-morning by the time the warband set out.
Fegyn was the last village before crossing the Anoth River, and there wouldn't be another one until the warband reached the outskirts of Olokand. To the north, the impressive peaks of the Jahls poked out from mist and clouds high above, while just to the south, the Anoth burbled on it s way to the sea. The warband little noticed - wet, tired, and contending with balky mules, they just wanted to press on. It took nearly four hours to reach the ford over the Anoth, and the group was dismayed to find that the rain over the last few weeks had apparently swelled the river. Instead of a ford passable with just a foot or so of water, they would have to traverse a river running several feet higher than usual. The water was nearly waist deep, the current strong, and no one was certain of the mules' footing as it was difficult to see the bottom ...