Monday, June 29th is overcast, hot and humid. A slight breeze out of the south brings no relief.
You are on the road again an hour after dawn, heading east-northeast up the Great Western Road. The trek today is again quiet and uneventful, as you travel through the pastoral countryside of the halfling lands.
Tonight, though, McTavish pushes you to keep travelling well into the evening, for he is eager to reach North End before stopping. It is after 9PM before you see the lights of the burrows of the hamlet ahead.
North End lies on the northern border of Milkland...which at this point is the West River. A fairly broad flow, it runs from west to east, and is about 1000' feet wide at this point. An ancient stone bridge crosses it.
You stop outside the one inn in the place - The Dancing Ogre. It lies near the bridge. Looking across the river, you can see that the lands beyond are wild and uninhabited.
"This is it," says the dwarf. "The end of the civilized lands of the West."
He points across the river.
"From here on is nothing but wilderness and ruin. Sure, we'll pass through the occasional town or settlement, but they are few and far between. We won't be able to go running into town for supplies...we have to be completely self sustaining. And," he adds, "If someone gets killed...the closest city to get them raised is behind us: Strabath. But...there's loot enough to make us all rich...if we can take it from the evil that guards it."
Farad smiles. "Nothing like a good challenge. Perhaps we'll find one of those rods of resurrection. That would solve that problem, unless its the priest who gets killed."
"Hope everyone trained as best they could before we left."
McTavish faces the lot of you.
"I'm continuing on in the morning," he says. "If any of you are planning on turning back...now would be a good time to do it."
He turns and walks into the inn.
Raz follows McTavish into the inn.
Once in the inn, Raz grabs a seat in a corner and orders himself up a large meal complete with ale. "I'd better get my fill while I can", says Raz with a smile to any companions that are around him at the time.
Aldarin follows suit and does the same.
Humphrey realizing that this might be the last night in a decent bed goes ahead and turns into bed.