Joyous Thirteenth Day of Gilbetron to All!
They had to stop once in the lonely pass for rest. Gilbetron and Leve alternated standing guard at night, in case animals came hunting. In case of attack, there would be nowhere to run, but at least they could fight. The other concern was that it was pitch black where they laid out their blankets. The cliff walls on either side obstructed all light except the dim glows offered by the small handful of stars that shone down from directly overhead.
Fortunately, the night passed without incident. By midmorning, they had cleared the pass, finding themselves in a hilly region covered in green. There weren’t any trees to speak of in any direction, though the faint hint of salt in the air gave away the presence of a nearby coast.
“Could it be Land’s End already?” Nieka asked as they prepared to continue toward the sound of crashing waves.
“Can’t be,” Gilbetron said. “By my estimation, we’re still two or three days away. This must be the Bay of Beauregard. That would, at least, account for the heat and humidity.”
Leve simply smiled. “Lucky for you, I’ve been here before.” When Nieka asked him when, he merely shrugged. “I’m from Ojikilsdsjawyk.” The woman frowned, trying in vain to put the sounds together. “Don’t bother trying to pronounce it. It’s impossible unless you’re from here. Anyway, the village is a little east of here in Maradon Province. Incidentally, it’s where I first met Telematrice.”
“Under dubious circumstances,” Gilbetron added.
“Yes, that’s true,” the man admitted. “Dubious seems as good a word as any.” He straightened in his saddly. “The point is, if we head due west, we’ll run into the road again. We’re directly south of the Geldstrofs, too, so I reckon the Eye is close. It may be worth taking a look at.”
Nieka shook her head. “I doubt we have the time. If what you say is true, we still have a lot of ground to cover—”
“No,” Gilbetron interrupted. “We’ll stop at the Eye.”
Nieka’s eyes went wide with surprise. “Why? I don’t understand. Aren’t you in as big a hurry as any of us?” She rolled her eyes suddenly, understanding. “Don’t tell me it’s that damned crystal again.”
“It won’t be out of our way,” Gilbetron insisted. “Unless I miss my guess, our route to the harbour will take us straight through the Eye, straight to the Spring Rock.”
-from The Gilbetron Tales.
Some resources:
The Joyous Days: An Orientation
The Gilbetron Tales: A Complete Archive
It’s true that most of the inhabited regions of Gilbetronia are in the southern half of the country, but aside from the Winterland and Wysshylna, the northern lands are anything but wasteland. Nowhere is this more true than in Old Fort:
Taken: Month of Hezkya, 16th Day, 1000 AG
Old Fort is a small community on the northern shore, formerly a great port city in the days of trade between Gilbetronia and the Northlands across the ocean. Since trade dried up, though, Old Fort has declined. Its natural beauty, however, remain unmatched. With its beaches covered in snow five months of the year, it is cold, but that cold serves mainly to preserve it from human interference. The Arkady Mountains are visible to the south.