Journal of Miyara Kyosuke (71)

    So now we have the sogin rokus, we must decide what to do next?  What do we do with the soking rokus?  What do we do with Pireseri's body -- take it to the druidess to see if she can resurrect him (as Rabena says she might), or bury him with honor?  What do we do next?
    Last time Pireseri died, Rabena says, it was in a forest with the druidess there, and it only took hours to get to the temple.  I myself do not see the point.  He had powers, but he is not a noble and he is a barbarian, and it does not seem worth it.  I certainly do not wish to travel with a rotting body for a week.  Rabena cannot do much to preserve the body and still travel.
    I think we should go to Kurutsofen, but Miyara points out that winter is coming and we would have to cross the mountains.  It is currently unseasonably warm, but Rabena says that it will turn viciously cold tomorrow.  Anyway, we must get out of the mountains soon.
    It is three or four days from here to Kurutsofen in good weather, but we could be right in the middle of the pass when winter strikes.  To the druidess, however, we could get through the worst of the mountain travel quite quickly and it would be safer.

    We set off towards the druidess.  By nightfall we are still in the mountains, and I say we should continue.  I of course can see, and Hosei has light pebbles for the rest.  I will travel a little way in advance to warn of any difficult conditions.  We press on.  The night is dark and overcast.
    As soon as it is dark, and the pebbles brought out and torches are lit, we begin to attract wolves.  They don't attack, but we can hear, smell, and occasionally see them tracking along with us.  I move back to the vicinity of the party so that the wolves do not try to pick me off.
    About two hours after dark, the weaker of the party start stumbling and walking more slowly.  When Rabena says that the snowstorm coming will be major, I suggest we shelter at the dwarven place with the waterfalls.  I am insistent that we must press on.  We do so, but carefully so that Rabena will not miss the place where we must turn from the road.

    Several of us notice the right place to cut off the road.  Here we come off the road and go up a steep mountainside trail.  Sun and Carimera are struggling, but we help them along.  The wolves are still sniffing around, and Hosei says there are other things out there too, but they are not showing themselves or showing any sign of attacking.
    We follow the stream up the side of the mountain, and to get up we need to climb up the side of a cliff to drop down a rope for the others.  I volunteer to do so, and we haul people up.  We pull the rope up after us.
    The wolves and whatever else have disappeared.

    The place is uninhabited.  Some of us search the whole place while others make a fire.  We set guards, but there is no threat.
    The sun rises and the snow is falling quickly.  Rabena says it will continue for at least a day.
    We need to rest and forage for food.  Moving on now would be very bad.  Between us, we put together enough food for the day.
    If weather was good, we could get out of the mountains by the end of a day before night.  With weather issues, it is not clear how long it would take.  I suggest we stay until Rabena says the weather would be good, and at least until we are all well rested.

    The day and night pass uneventfully.  Rabena says it will keep snowing for at least a week.  If we do not try to get out now, we will be stuck here for that long at least.
    I am in favor of staying here, wintering here if necessary.  We will have to work hard to find food now to stock up, which would have to be our only priority.  Warmth and water will not be a problem.
    Miyara agrees that disappearing from the world for a while with the four rocks might be a good idea.
    We all work hard to gather food and wood and stock up the place for an extended stay.
    We also work on repairing the bridge (Ashu) and the portcullis (Goru).

    Foraging gets harder as the snow gets heavier, but we continue to bring in supplies, staying slightly ahead as the days pass.