June 27th dawns hot and humid.
You are on the road again soon after dawn. Now that you are pretty well out of the mountains the travelling is easier, and so you make better time. The Southern Road is still busy, with merchants and caravans.
"This is the big trade route between Nlad and the Kingdom of Amlad, to the east," explains McTavish.
By late morning you have left the last of the mountains and foothills behind, and the gently rolling countryside of Milkland opens up before you. You pass through a mixture of deciduous forest and meadow, interspersed with fields and pastures. You see that these farms are worked by halflings.
In all, the countryside is quite bucolic.
"Boring," mutters the dwarf.
You ride on until the early evening, when you reach a major intersection. The Southern Road ends here, though a lesser road continues north. Another Great Road runs east - west. A signpost reads -
The Great West Road: East: To Hobbitown, North End, Derextar.
West: To Bilboburgh, Hambol Hollow, Westmarish.
The Southern Road: South: To Strabath, Valleymouth, Grell Inn.
North: To Greenwood, Harfoot Hollow.
McTavish stops his wagon and gets off.
Almost reverently, he steps onto the cobblestones of the Great West Road.
"I was born within sight of this road," he says, "Far from here. This road was built by the Empire. It runs from the Eastern Sea, west to the Elven Lands."
He mounts his wagon again.
At this intersection is a large inn. The dwarf leads you over there, and you pass a quiet night. The food is plentiful and superb, your beds warm and comfortable.