Session 37 - Steps 'n' Guards

The city of Yangfen is a marvel of structured society. While many other cities expand chaotically, Yangfen seems to have been carefully engineered and planned from its very construction. Aqueducts span the city and each building seems meticulously placed. The city is very reminiscent of an ideal Roman city.

Our belongings are returned to us and we prepare for the journey ahead. Before leaving the city we procure a horse (Katrina) and a donkey/mule each for the rest of us, except Saphire who buys a camel. We leave the city and upon traveling outside the range of the teleportation beacon we say our goodbyes to Shina Larkin as she teleports back to Seaquen.

After a few days of traveling through rolling hills, the landscape gives way to mountains. The unnatural winter makes footholds slippery and travel slow. Along our journey we do not meet a single other traveler. There are a few small villages along the way, but even they are left behind as we enter travel into the mountains.

The road we travel is steep and perilous. It is easy to see how the previous (and first) Khagan Barazar's conquest of Ostalin was stopped dead in its tracks upon reaching the mountains. The mountainsides are steep and would be difficult if not impossible to navigate with an army. At places the inclination reaches 45 degrees and stairs have been carved into the mountainside to allow passage. Each of these staircases have winches at the top where a traveler can attach either end of a rope to the winch and the other to the harness of their pack animal at the bottom of the stairs. With the the help of the winch, the animal can safely ascend the incline that it wouldn't have been able to climb on its own.

About 4 miles (according to Three Weeping Ravens) from our destination Aresh we arrive at the third set of these staircases. This one has been smashed to bits and we detect wolf tracks on the ground. As we begin to tackle this unexpected obstacle, a wall of fire erupts from the ground and encompass our group. The Khagan had warned us of Ragesians in the mountains and it seems they have set an ambush.

We kick their butts, but not without sustaining some injuries ourselves. One of them manages to escape the battle and runs away. Michelle informs us that we have entered the Danger Zone and are going through a gritty period of no-long-resting. Yay. We ended the session right as combat concluded. Next session we'll have to get our mounts up the broken stairs. Good thing Mergrim calmed them so they didn't run away or break any legs in the uneven and slippery terrain.