Wilds - Road Trip

The party can't figure out if they're exploring or returning to Blackpool. Grumble grumble.



Start Date: November 14, year of the Badger, midday.
Start Status: Road trip
Start Location: The Wilds

The Turn

After a short, heated debate, the party decides at least a little exploration is worthwhile before heading south to Blackpool. Since the animals need a rest anyhow, several party members decide to explore northeast along the roadway to see if anything interesting is near at hand. Rawon, Durego, and Grendor head out, intending to return within a couple hours. Unburdened, they make good time, following the road about five miles before it disappears into densely wooded hills.

By the time they return the others are ready to head west. The trio grabs a quick bite to eat, then falls in with the rest of the group. It quickly becomes apparent that the party was lucky to find the roadway, the point they crossed was the southernmost section. The west branch turns northwest, and after a couple hours slow travel it's apparent that this will not get the party closer to their goal. They reluctantly leave the infinitesimally easier to travel roadway and continue west-southwest to put themselves back on their line of travel. Night finds them in deep woods, still being battered by heavy winds. Worse, black clouds are rolling in. Thick black clouds. "I told you it was going to rain," mutters Dagmarten as the party makes camp that night.

[November 15] Rain starts shortly after midnight, chilling pounding rain. It's a mixed blessing as it allows the party to refill their water barrels with an improvised rain trap, but it makes for miserable sleeping. The next morning the rain continues to hammer down and everyone is in a bad mood. With no clear path west in sight, the party turns south, making poor progress. The rain continues into the night, finally giving up near dawn.

[November 16] It's a soggy day of hiking. The skies have cleared off, but the ground is over-saturated, and many small rivulets and streams flow southeast. The party soon finds out why: they skirt the west side of a wooded swampland before heading once again into dense lowland woods. Finally, just after noon, they find something interesting, another roadway intersection. Much like the others, this is little more than scattered stones and flatter ground, but it does present choices. One branch heads off northwest, doubling back almost parallel to the group's wandering track. The other two branches go southwest and southeast. Mordikarr sends up Ava to take a look, but the owl sees nothing but trees and swamp in the distance.

"Well, we found the road again. Which way should we go from here?" Ohwatoo peers at the old map, trying to match up the scanty paths the group has cut through the wilderness with the indistinct markings on the map.

Current Wilderness Map

End Date: November 16, year of the Badger, early afternoon
End Status: More road trips
End Location: The Wilds