Chapter 4: A Long Way from Home

[TetNak]

South of Bei-Li, Along the River Shin-pa-wo

It seems like days, but only hours ago the xia on a quest to the Temple of Sand and Stone had left the company of Master Po and the security of his home. South of the town of Bei-Li is truly what some might call the wilderness.

The Vale of Two Rivers, named such for the two rivers that pass through it, consists of the Wo-fan-cho, which dumps into a small lake next to the House of the Warriors. Xun-Wen has swum in the river more times than he can count. The Shin-pa-wo is the longer, faster, and more heavily traveled. The river empties into the Sea of Pearl directly to the south.

Following the Shin-pa-wo has been relatively easy, save for the heavily wooded area. The river is wide enough, and deep enough, that making a crossing would be burdensome, but certainly not impossible. From the stories both Xun-Wen and Mei-Li have heard, there is a small ferry downstream. Xun-Wen has heard it is two days south, Mei-Li has heard the walk would take only one day. Whatever the case, three hours is not far enough as the ferry has yet to be found.

At times small boats travel up and down stream, sometimes bringing small goods from other small communities and the sea beyond. With twenty gold, twenty silver and fifty copper that xia took from the assassin, they easily will be able to afford passage down the river to the coast. Once there, they could go over land to the Temple of Sand and Stone or take another ship up the coast instead.

Unfortunately nothing is currently on this part of the river, as very few move up or downstream here.

OOC

Remember there's a map in the OOC section, I need to promote it to a new thread. I think it is page 3 of the generic OOC thread

The day is still new, but walking under the canopy of trees blocks out a great deal of the sun, and eventually time will be difficult to determine. There is no trail save the river, and moving away from it could get someone lost quickly. The bird chirp and insects buzz – this place, at least, appears to be beyond the foul reach of the Red Dragon and nature is the master here.

Map

[Shurijo]

Anming smiles as they walk alongside the river. He takes in the sights, sounds, and smells of the fauna and flora as they navigate south towards the ferry. He is optimistic that the ferry will be found at the right time and wonders what sorts of fruits or vegetables the boats could be carried to and from the cities and farms via this great river.

[Hayabusa]

Xun-Wen keeps his eyes on the river, hoping that they will find a better trail or means of transportation around the next bend. However, two days of walk are not much of an obstacle and will probably bring less questions with it.

"What are we going to do once we are at the ocean?" He asks. "I do not know how far it is along the coast and I have to admit that I was never there either," he says, obviously embarrassed at not even traveling to the coast despite living only a couple of days away from it. "It would be interesting to take a boat but it may be better if we go by foot anyway."

[Muskrat]

Mei-Li says, "One of my father's journeys brought me to the coast as a small child, but I have not been there in ages. And I have never been on a ship at sea. It would be a new and interesting experience and we would probably make swifter time that way. On the other hand, I have heard stories that traveling on the ocean makes some people very, very ill and I do not think we are in any rush. Let us see how things are when we reach the coast."

[TetNak]

No one knows much about the coast. This part of the Empire is very isolated and people do not often travel far. The west, to most of the Empire, is considered nothing more than an after though. Quan Da, the Gateway of the West, is the largest city for leagues upon leagues, and Quan Da is rumored to be one of the smaller major cities in the Empire.

Three days have passed for the xia, and even to them, this is the middle of nowhere. Over the past three days and nights, never has a boat or skiff been seen upon the river. But the river is obviously widening and growing more fierce. It would be very difficult to ford the river now, and so they are stuck on the west side, for good or ill.

Finally, near mid-day on the fourth day, the forest begins to thin slightly, and it is obvious that some clearing of the forest has taken place. Then, rather suddenly, the forest opens up into an open area with a few simple homes, farms, and dirt roads. There is a relatively large dock among them all, where there are at least a half dozen ships docked.

Others can be seen fishing the river, hauling their catches back to the tiny market or their homes. There might be a dozen buildings in total. The xia have not been spotted yet, but certainly any stranger will be noticed immediately.

[Muskrat]

Mei-Li glances at the others and, if no one stops her, walks forward with her hands up and empty to show she means no harm. She calls out, "Greetings! We are three wanderers on our way to the coast! We mean you no harm!" Once they've properly greeted the locals, then they can ask about boats across or down the river, but to do so immediately would be rude.

[TetNak]

An older man with skin like leather raises his eyebrows as Mei-Li and the others approach. The man steps down from the docks, moving down the three steps, "Oh, strangers," he says, not all that excited by the prospect. "You came from over land?" He looks behind the xia and nods, "Stranger yet." The old man sets his hands on his hips and leans backward, stretching his back. "This is the Yuan Go Harbor," he says, smiling, "Not much of a harbor really, but that is what it is called." He takes a deep breath, "I am the harbor master, also a ludicrous title, but that is what I am called."

[Shurijo]

Anming smiles and politely bows at the older man. The monk looks around and doesn't quite understand the harbormaster's statement. The area looks like a harbor and if he's in charge of the harbor than the title seems fitting.

"It is a fine harbor. Are there many fish in the river?" Anming asks.

[Muskrat]

"May I guess, honored harbor master, that your harbor gets few ships or boats, other than local fishing vessels?" Mei-Li asks. "And may I also guess, from your words about the strangeness of our visit, you get few visitors, especially by foot?"

[Hayabusa]

Xun-Wen nods to the old man who speaks with Anming and Mei-Li. He does not interject or add anything to the conversation.