April 13th is sunny, with the temperature reaching 62F in the afternoon. The prairie is beginning to turn green.
Not long after you set out you see some sort of large winged creature circling you slowly, far overhead. Almost at the limit of your vision, you cannot identify what type of animal it is.
Dor dismounts and looks at the circling flier. He looks for a large rock or boulder to shield him and his horse in case it's a fire breathing dragon.
"Seems we are going that way anyhow, so keep a clear eye out, people, don't want anyone become a snack!" Logan says as he continues on, but keeps a spell ready in case of attack. Once in visual range, he will try to determine what it is.
The flying creature remains right at the limit of your vision as you ride warily on. After awhile it turns and flies off arrow straight for the Galdan Hills, and is quickly lost to your sight.
At noon you come to an intersection. The Amlad Road continues on to the east, running south of the Galdan Hills, while a lesser road runs north - south. As expected, there is a signpost -
The Amlad Road: East: To Golgar, Mississippi Bridge and South Nolthen.
West: To Calamlad, Burl Grav and Hobbitown.
North: To Davad.
South: To the Forests.
There is also an inn here, called the Roadhouse. A large, rambling structure with an adjacent stable and smithy, it is constructed of wood and appears to be fairly new.
You decide to stop for lunch. The meal, you discover, is excellent: massive beefsteaks with baked potatoes, cheeses and mushrooms, and lots of rich, frothy beer. Like its people, the cuisine of Amlad is simple but substantial. While you are eating you strike up a conversation with the innkeeper. He tells you that this crossroad used to mark the eastern border of Amlad but after the war with Golgar twenty years ago the lands as far east as that city were annexed, and are now under the rule of Calamlad. You inquire about the ruin that you heard stories about back in Calamlad. The young man scratches his head and says that is the old Galdan Flank Fort. It was an outpost of Olbur's (the ruler of Golgar back at the time of the war), and was populated with his evil creatures. Located high on a ridge of the Galdan Hills facing northwest, his minions were able to observe activities in eastern Amlad and launch raids as they pleased. It was cleared by a party led by Yuri the Incredible, who then went on to defeat Olbur in the Tower of Golgar itself. That was two decades ago, and now, a lot of people fear, it has again been occupied, perhaps by evil creatures migrating down out of the northern wilderness.
He is glad to give you directions to the fort, and after finishing off one last beer or two, you set off north up the lesser road.
Though not cobblestoned like the Amlad Road, you still make good time, and ride on into the evening.