The heat above the jungle canopy was oppressive, but the Paladin of Pelor felt little of it in the shade of the large trees. He followed a stream which was slowly growing as it ran south through the great cliffs and steep hills.

One part of Jaron wondered just how this land had come to be in this way. If he remembered his creation mythis properly, Pelor's Will would have little to do with the geography of the region, but surely these shadows? Then he smiled as a splash of light struck his face through a gap in the foliage.

He had camped the previous night in a small abandoned cave, and although he had to do without fire, he was not chilled by the night. The holy light of Pelor would prevent him from catching any cold or worse, and he said another silent prayer to his deity. Still, he was getting rather hungry. As he subconsciously licked his lips, he spotted a movement to one side of the path.

Dollin	(stepping from the undergrowth) I got a recipe for snake. Delicious. Fricassee of reptile.
Jaron	(smiling) Dollin, my companion, as long as it isn't too spicy. Have you been following me for long?
Dollin	When did you first see that bird?
Jaron	Hmmm, seems like about twenty minutes ago.
Dollin	Then I've been with you at least that long. Perhaps longer . . .

After a brief meal, the pair walked along together, sharing news about what had happened recently. Dollin indicated that Jaron would have to tell the tale at least one more time, since the rest of the party was dying to know what happened to him.

By mid-morning, they reached the first farmlands that the people of the region had carved out of the dense forest. The adventurers took a beaten path led away from what was now a river. Eventually that path grew to become a gravelled road, and the walls of the Free City of Irongate loomed to the south.

Dollin, explaining that the gate process was overly bureacratic, took this opportunity to shift shapes into a common house cat. Jaron and his now pet continued on and reached the Valley Gate just after mid-day. Signing in to the city took roughly a quarter hour, since Gimar had made some of the arrangements.

Rheaphlyndar awoke in the small building, feeling very tired and very sore. Still, he thought ruefully, that was better than feeling very dead. The large dark-skinned man reentered the room.

The priest took a seat at the end of the rogue's bed and told him all about Nola, the Touv goddess of the Sun, Healing, and Nurturing. At one level, he saw the opportunity to tweak the noses of Jaron and Nicola, but at another level he found himself with a growing interest in C.J.'s story. As he finished his story, Rheaphlyndar made him promise to wake him for the next mornings devotion.

The majority of the Biscuits stayed at the Blue Raven inn. A large dwarven innkeeper by the name of Jorbel Fireforge took good care of them. Now that they had some time to relax and the load of Rheaphlyndar off their minds, many of them took in the city.

The large and heavily fortified walls and matching narrow harbor gave a natural feel of security. The townsfolk seemed to have an air of relaxed safety that even the residents of Greyhawk didn't have.

The largest non-human contingent was definitely dwarves. Many of them were more tanned and rugged looking than those of the Northbank area, and generally much less dour.

The weather was quite a bit warmer than many of them expected, and just about everybody went out and purchased some lighter non-travelling garments. The general consensus was that the party would stay here a few weeks at least.

Jaron and Dollin eventually met the party at the Tree of Liberty. Any discussion of recent events was put off, however, when the mayor's page arrived to fetch them.

With that the party payed their tab and followed the page. As they were working their way out the door, the waiter bustled over to help clear the table.

Disclaimer

This is not an authorized site for material relating to AD&D (© TSR).
AD&D (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons) used to be a trademark of TSR, which held exclusive rights on the material associated with the game.