Having already made a perch for herself at the top of the first wagon, the one filled with the largest, but not heaviest, objects.  Climbing the rope ladder up to her perch where she can see the whole of the caravan, and is technically not at either the front or back she is satisfied that everything is well under way.

Unconcerned by a few trees Nalla continues to scan the horizon for unpredictable challenges, the bane of any well organized mission.

A mud road wends northward from town, across the rolling fields toward the forest.  It is most often used by farmers and herders coming to town to sell their goods, according to the drivers.

At the crest of one of the hills, you can glimpse the forest in the distance.  It will probably take you most of the day to reach it at this pace. There is no hint of rain currently, and a light breeze bows various wildflowers as you march northward.  Farmsteads dot the green hills around you.

"...hey! Hey wait! Stop! Wait up! Hey! Heeeeey!"

A disheveled blonde woman is doing her best to get the attention of the cart-bound travelers. Shouting and running do not go well together; she waves her arms above her head to make herself appear bigger.

"Wait! Waaaait!"

The cart drivers turn over their shoulders and nod toward the person chasing after your small caravan on the road northward out of Yenth.

"Should we stop a moment?"

Even as the question is asked, the person is gaining ground.  The "mules" just aren't that fast.

Thar turns back from his book and papers, studying the person.
"Eh ?"
"... Eh, keep going, I'd say." he goes to put his things on the back of the cart but ultimately decides to hang onto his book " Probably someone from Yenth. I'll go see what she wants. Should have no trouble catching up."

He turns and jogs back toward the woman at a brisk pace, making short work of distance.

He speaks just as he stops in front of her, without needing to catch his breath
"Hooold it. We're conducting important business in the name of Truth. What is it that you want with us ? We can maybe help you but ... Yenth is back that way."

Zalbane, in the front of the caravan, continues to search for the necessary blazes to find their trail.  She couldn't quite tell what was going on back there, but was certain her companions would give a shout if she was needed.

More than willing to let someone else deal with the sudden disruption in the plan Nalla keeps her attention focused on the front of the caravan, watching the path ahead for any other interruptions, perhaps some sort of ambush timed to fit with a distraction while everyone is looking the wrong way.

A stump by the road bears the pattern of scratches you are looking for.  So far, you're going in the right direction.

You have to wait in the road a bit as a farmer drives his herd of Yol across the road.  The animals' long, yellow wool surrounds them, shrouding their legs so that it nearly seems to be a flock of sun-colored clouds passing before you.  The farmer nods to you as he prods the stragglers and continues into the eastern pastures.

Zalbane nods at the farmer and asks if he would like a light that will not fade.  If so, she will imbue an object of his choosing with light for him.  "May your herds be prosperous and fluffy," she'll say to him.  She'll also note the location of the farm on a map.  While they probably won't be back this way very often, it would be nice to know where to find good wool for trading.  If the outpost goes as planned (and nothing blew up) there could be good trade along the road some day.

"How long will the light last?"  He scratches his patchy beard while keeping half an eye on the flock that's now fully across the road.

Zalbane smiles. "It will last until I touch it again, so it should serve you for several days at least," she says.  "I'm Zalbane. What may I call you?"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:08, Wed 30 Oct 2019.

"I am called Hakkar."  He nods and offers his staff to be illuminated.  "Thank you for the gift of light.  It will save us some lamp oil for a time."

To Thar, the young woman explains that she was sent by her mentor to join this assignment. The merchant caravan that she'd hired for transportation had some of their wagons break on the road, which slowed her progress.  Luckily, she was able to contact the Prelate Mez as they crossed paths.  The prelate was heading to Stirthal and Celeste was coming from there.

"Huh, So you're supposed to join us, then ?" Thar scratched the back of his head. "Well, we already left as you can see, so you're pretty late..."

"In any case, that's all fine. Would like to see some proof, but that can wait. Let's catch up with them, first."
"Can you pace yourself or ... ?" he asks as he turns back toward the caravan.

She follows a few steps behind, more from exhaustion than lack of fitness.  Due to the stoppage of the caravan ahead, the pair shortly catches up.

Celeste asks for a few moments to recover her breath, and sits on the back of the last "wagon", slumping back and resting her head on the cargo.  She closes her eyes and focuses on her breathing.

"My pleasure.  My caravan is going a ways further, but I hope some day we might be able to trade with you, Hakkar. Best of fortune to you and your herds," she says.  When the last of the beasts across the road, she'll give him a gesture of farewell and start the caravan up again.

The drivers follow Zalbane's lead and soon the caravan is again heading north on the rough road.  The farther from Yenth they go, the less used the road becomes.  There are fewer and fewer farms to provide regular travelers.  About a mile from the forest proper, the road splits to the east and west, skirting the trees.

A nearby stump bears familiar scratches.  The path to the target of the group is nearly due north from here.

Zalbane smiles and signals to the wagon train that they'll be going north.  She scouts ahead a little to find the easiest path through the trees for their vehicles and wagons, knowing eventually they'll get a road back here to meet with the others.

The forest is old, with thick, tall trees in familiar varieties.  A number of small, woodland creatures can be seen, usually fleeing the caravan as it makes its way deeper.

About two miles along the trail of "claw" marks, the canopy opens up for about 30 feet.  A stretch of dense, new growth slows the group's progress.  A quick scan shows that the path of short vegetation stretches in a curving path in both directions, as far as the taller tree line will allow you to see.

"Hmm..." Zalbane looks in both directions.  "I'd rather not send us off on a wild laak chase.  Let me check down one path to see if there's more blazes, then if not we'll know it's the other side.  Inconvenient that they didn't mark which way to turn!"

Zalbane will walk down the left side "path", trying to spot more blazes or other marks of recent passage.

”That sounds like a good idea, I will make preparations here for when you discover the correct path.”  Getting down from the wagon Nalla collects some scrap wood from the forest and a short bit of rope to create a sing in the road that reads “New Settlement” and an arrow that points in a direction, but doesn't attach the arrow until Zalbane comes back with the information about what direction that will be.

Zalbane's excursions in either direction yield no clues.  Only after passing through the denser vegetation is she able to discern another marker, still following the same route they've been traveling.  While the route is clear, so many trees so close together leaves the path obstructed.

As she starts to make her way back through the younger trees, the thick underbrush catches her boots and she falls to the ground.  There, she notices that the ground beneath her is uneven.  Specifically, it seems perforated, almost patterned along a strip about three feet wide, just inside the border of the younger growth.  On the way back to the caravan, she notices a similar pattern by that border as well.

Some great machine passed through here, and the tracks of its treads are still visible in the soil.

"Well how about that."  Zalbane made a few marks of her own to be certain of her path and returned to the group.  "You will not believe what I found.  Yes, I found the blazes again, but more interestingly there are marks of some great machine with treads that passed through not far from here!  That would certainly be a sight to see, and maybe a treasure trove of knowledge as well!"

The carpenters, after consulting with Zalbane for directions, begin cutting a path through the dense line of vegetation.  It's just wide enough for the carts.  After about half an hour, the caravan is ready to continue.

Zalbane will make her own blazes for the way the machine treads went, for she'd like to go back and figure out what it was that passed here and where it had gone.  But for now there were quite a few other people who just wanted to get their conclave established, so side trips would have to wait.  She continued to follow the blazes towards their new home, occasionally peering off to where the big machine might have gone (though it was unlikely she'd see it; it was probably far away or hidden by the trees).