4. Even though Lucimburic is as "animal" a city as he can possibly imagine, it is still a city, and Calatin needs a day out.

With some guidance as to where he can find the Saravus river, and the Druid inhabitants thereof, Calatin and his Bear head first south with the intention of turning east when he reaches the Saravus Trail at the southern border of Lucimburic.

The land has a blanket of glistening snow. They told him the names of the villages he should expect and the landmarks he should see, and so he heads out.

The journey to Dudelincum is an easy one.  The land is easy to travel ove, despite the season.  The road is an old Roman road, well built and still holding up, although covered in snow and ice in places.    Within a few hours on the road they are passing Lucumburic's outlying farming towns and villages.

They notice that the rural Were-folk seem much more segregated than those in the city.  Each village seems to have a "dominant" type, and relatively few of the others.  They pass two villages that are mostly Were-hares, one of Were-badgers, and one where the villagers appear to be Human.

One town, Beeterinden, seems more diverse.  South of that town the forest is thicker, as it is further from the urban market, and the policy of Lucimburic has always been to allow the forest to grow more "natural" towards the frontiers.

By late afternoon, he sees the village of Dudelincum on high ground overlooking the road.  A sign directs them to a  side road that heads up to the ridge through forest.
According to what he's heard, this is the southernmost outpost of Lucimburic.  The Saravus trail turnoff should be around here somewhere, and it should go east along the approximate border.  Further south, they say, is a region of ruins and monsters, where battles were fought years ago.

The druid breathed heavily along the road, enjoying the open space. More often than not, unless it was too deep of mud, he walked just to the side of the road, his bare feet meeting the grass and dirt. He took his time, picking berries and examining the plant life along the way. His magic of enhanced movement did not rival Synanthus's, but it was still enough to afford him a good measure of extra time.

More than once he contemplated assuming the form of an eagle and soaring around in the skies, or into a wolf and running circles around a seasonally lethargic Prum, but decided that it may be best to save that for time outside of these more civilized parts.

Before walking up to Dudelincum, he donned his boots again. It would be a good place to sleep before the next leg of the journey, and perhaps Prum would enjoy a side of lamb or goat, or both, before resting for the night.



Calatin whistles for his hawk and directs it to stay close by, then lets it loose. He turns to Prum and gives him a stern "on your best manners" type of look. The group then heads up the way to the village.


I'll go ahead and use Longstrider tomorrow for traveling (and did today, as well) It lasts 7 hours, so about an hour into the day's journey I'll use it, that way it lasts until about the time we'd stop to rest.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:47, Sun 17 Mar 2013.

Dudelincum is a hilltop village that also fills the niche of border outpost.  From here, the small detachment of border guards has a good view of the southern approach into Lucimburic.  The villagers here are more or less all border guards- they take their turns on watch for their Duchy, their paid a small stipend by the Duke, and in between they do all the other things necessary to sustain themselves.  There one small tavern-general store here, that serves as the economic and social hub of the village, where everyone gathers when not working.

From the look of things, they've been celebrating the solstice.  Quite a few of the locals seem moderately buzzed.

As he has seen before, the first reaction of the guards here to Calatin's bear is “It must be a Werebear” and they greet it as if it was a person.  There's a moment of awkward embarrassment when they realize they are talking to an actual bear, especially from the two guards who assumed the Bear must be the one in charge.

Given the nature of Lucimburic, it's hard to blame them.  The social strucure here has the Werebears at the top.  They are leaders, because they are strong and brave and trustworthy and good natured.  All four qualities are important:  the Duchy has had a Werewolf leader.  He was strong and brave but not trustworthy or good natured, and everyone knows how that went.  Not well.  \

In the winter, few people travel.  Not many ever travel this way anyway, so Calatin is the first visitor in almost a month, other than those on “official” duty.
Typically, Dudelincum is connected to the capital by the Duke's Messengers.  There are not many in this service, only four, but two of them are Wereswans.  Capable of fast, long distance flight, they make excellent couriers.   But no messenger has been here in nine days now.  The locals aren't too worried- they don't think anything horrible has happened, because there's been no flood of terrified refugees on the road.  Rather, they've concluded (and Calatin knows, correctly) that Important Stuff must be going on, and the Duke needs his messengers elsewhere.

Dudelincum is a very informal place.  Calatin, being a visitor, is greeted by villagers, and their leader, Captain Arfle Weatherbell, a Werebear.  Calatin.. and the bear... are invited for food and drink- it's the solstice, after all.  And naturally, they want to hear about things.

“Usually, visitors want to hear from us,” Arfle Weatherbell explains, “because we know what's going on in the lands beyond the border better than anyone.  But we haven't heard from the capital in so long.”

Calatin is patient, allowing the people to find out that Prum is simply a bear on their own each time it occurs.

"Thank you for your invitation. I will gladly accept your hospitality."

The druid asks if Prum might be allowed the same courtesy. If so, he'll explain his fondness for lamb and goat.

"I've come, most recently, from Lucimburic. As you may know, the royal wedding is almost at hand, and there's people filling the city in droves. Diplomats, extended extended families, assassins, and all of the other unpleasantness that cities tend to bring with them. I observed nothing that says that they'd forgotten you out here--especially since you're so close by."

"Just before then, I had the pleasure to visit the Aurelianorum academy for the previous season, and before that, my home, in Brittania. I'm on my way west to attempt to make contact with the druids here. We don't often communicate, and I'm on a bit of a... what did the wizards call it... sabbatical."

The druid is very willing to talk about nearly anything and everything for the night. It seems to him that the people of Dudelincum are more his speed.

edit-
And before the end of the night, he'd ask his own questions, but he's being courteous first. Just wanted to throw that out there before the night ended.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:24, Wed 20 Mar 2013.

In small, remote places like this, visitors are a blessing, especially when visitors are few, and when it is the holiday season.   Not only are Calatin and Prum fed, but they are fed with holiday treats.  This includes the hearty, heavy, honey based deserts favored by Werebears.  And Prum gets a share.  He is now a happy bear… Calatin gets the feeling that the bear has now been spoiled, and at some point, he may have to buy some honey himself, or Prum’s loyalties may start to wander.

The way Arfle deals with Prum, Calatin can see that there is no discomfort between Lycanthropes and the “natural” animals.  Nor is there any special magic, Calatin learns, despite the myth and legend.   Lycanthropes consider themselves blessed with the power to become animals, as a special favor by the goddess Arduinna, but that does not give them any special power over animals.  It helps them understand animals in a way others cannot- even Druids.  A Druid can take the shape of an animals, but a Lycanthrope has something of the animal’s mind.  Arfle can become a bear.  Even in his Human form (which is bearish- heavy set, thick necked, strong) he is still on some level a bear.  It gives him a unique perspective and an understanding of Bears.

The people here are Lucimburic's border guards, and it is their business to know what's out there.

Yes, there are Druids.  Not many.  Along the upper Moselle and Saravus river areas, the land is wild, and civilization's paw has been weak. There are Humans who kept the ways they had before the Romans.  But they are very few.  Still, if Calatin heads west from here he will find them.

One hitch.  If he heads due west from here, he will find himself on the west bank of the Moselle river, which for a while is the Duchy's border, and he will need to cross.  Unless he has some other means, he can only cross at one of the little villages he may find along the river.  Or, he can go south, cross, and then turn east.  But then, he will be in the dangerous land of ruins.  Wererats go there, scouting for old loot.  And now and then, travelers pass through, staying to the main road and moving quickly.  But the main road does not go where Calatin wants to go.  He would have to cross some very questionable countryside.