Re: In Shadowed Woods
Group
The various parties trickle back into town over the course of the day, your curiosity about the immediate surroundings satisfied for now. After another pleasant evening at the inn, you gather your things and set out to Ashabenford.
Questioning the innkeeper reveals that Mistledale's largest town is thirty miles to the west, and that if you press yourselves a little you can get there in two days. So you set out, walking a little quicker and a little longer in the day than you would normally.
Aside from the early winter weather, it's a lovely walk. The forest blocks the worst of the north wind, but it still swirls around you. The sky is slate gray, and every now and then you catch sight of tiny snow flakes. All of the harvest is in; you pass the fields of several family farms that lie alongside the road, and you can see the barns of others further off to the north and south. As you walk the arms of Cormanthor recede and advance, eventually disappearing entirely in the north even as the road slowly draws closer to the forest to the south.
Mid morning on the first day a group of the famous Riders of Mistledale comes riding up the road from the west. They're riding patrol from Ashabenford to Glen, and question you briefly about your intentions and the road conditions before nodding and riding onward. ((ooc: If anyone wants to role-play the meeting, or has questions for them, let me know))
You see other Dalesfolk out and about as well. Farmers making last repairs to their lands and buildings before winter, lone wagons hauling hay, tinkers, even a bard or two. Everyone seems friendly, but no one wants to chat for too long in the chill.
As the sun begins to set on your second day you enter an area of more aggressively farmed land. No longer single homesteads or a small group of families, there are acres and acres of land that have been put under the plow. All harvested now, the black soil studded with cut stalks and picked bushes. And further ahead, windows gleaming with light in the gathering night, is the town of Ashabenford.
The road runs straight into town. It's a pleasant looking place, and certainly bigger than Glen. Though that isn't saying much. There are several cross streets going north and south, but even if you manage to get lost, you won't stay that way for long. Especially not with the River Ashaba forming the town's western border. There are a decent number of people out and about, finishing the day's business or seeking an evening's meal. You spot a couple of Riders keeping watch. No one is paying you much attention.
((ooc: Welcome to Ashabenford. What's your pleasure?))