“This area is known as the Floodplains of Liscor. It’s because of a lovely natural phenomenon of the geography and—but you aren’t from here, if you don’t know about this area. But I would have guessed as much since you are Human. As far as I can tell.”
“Still, she’s interesting. Erin, or whatever her name is. She makes a mean plate of pasta, let me tell you. And she’s tougher than she looks—I didn’t think any Human could survive out in the Floodplains that long. She’s funny too.”
“That is appropriate for the season. At this time of the year, the Floodplains contain few creatures besides the Goblins. Aside from grazing herds, most animals—”
“What’s the problem with the Watch, huh? You’re part of it. You know we can take care of any monsters that appear. And if an army does come here, so what? There’s only two ways into this valley. North and south. The mountains are practically impassable, and the Bloodfields guard the southern border. Even if an army comes through, the Floodplains will cut off any chance of siege. What don’t you get about that?”
Ryoka’s screaming made Pisces glance back, even as he walked off across the Floodplains hills. Ryoka doubled over as the adventurers held her still, and Calruz spoke.
More than that, the small Goblin knew the Floodplains and was sure that defending the inn was a death sentence. What the strange Human girl was offering was a terrible deal. The magnificent weapons tempted Rags greatly, but even they couldn’t outweigh the massive disadvantages of Erin’s proposal.
Ysara turned her attention to the only other people crossing the Bloodfields. Given the relatively flat ground until you rode up towards the Floodplains of Liscor, another basin, the caravan could see the group of eighteen Gnolls ahead. They were making better time than the [Merchants]; they had ten horses. It looked like they were switching on and off, rather than riding the whole way, and they were as vigilant as the [Merchants].
Now that Buleth knew what to look for, he could see the distant, distant speck coming down the slopes that led to the Floodplains of Liscor. He grunted sourly.
Ryoka began to run faster. She didn’t know that someone had observed her coming through the Floodplains. A silent woman with a claymore stood miles away and watched as Ryoka ran. Ran—seeking her friends.
It took her two hours to get to the city through the Floodplains. When she arrived, Ryoka stopped and stared a while. She wandered into the city and smelled burnt flesh, walked past destroyed homes, and heard those mourning the dead. She came to the Adventurer’s Guild in a daze, never seeing the pink carriage already pulling out the northern gates.
Klbkch glanced down slightly and nodded politely to Ceria as they walked together at the head of a small army of Workers. They were walking through the Floodplains of Liscor, or as Ceria thought of them at the moment, the Frostplains of Liscor.
Ryoka had inferred something like that from comments from other Runners, but she hadn’t ever heard it from the horse’s mouth so to speak. She let Val go on as they ran a slow circuit of the Floodplains of Liscor.
