The further west Caldiorone al-Basir-delove, left hand of the Queen of the Sword, traveled, the less frequent the villages became.? Even the road eventually turned into a worn trail, as rolling hills and grassland gave way to more and more trees, before finally the trees dominated overhead, wild ferns, saplings and other flora carpeted the ground.? He was in true wilderness.
Despite the laws of man, nobody ruled in the wild.? It was a rule unto itself.? The various landed lords proclaimed certain animals like deer off limits to hunting by peasants, but the rule itself couldn't be easily enforced.? Those farmers lucky enough to have land close to the forest and able to shoot a bow could expect to keep their families well fed.
It took him nearly a week-and-a-half before the Sea of Trees broke again on the rock strewn shores of the Basiya Jiyane, the largest body of fresh water in the known world.? It was an enormous stretch of blue tinted glass—the winds were calm today, so its surface barely rippled.? By his estimation, he was somewhere on the southeastern lake shore.?
Local intelligence told him of at least ten villages along the south shore—all of which existed for two things:? Fishing and pilgrimages.
All faiths regardless held the Basiya Jiyane as sacred.? There was a reason its name literally translated to "Well of Souls".? Whether they came to bathe in its waters, take back a polished rock from its shores, or whatever, hundreds, even thousands of the faithful every year…and all of them were ripe for fleecing.
The inns and taverns geared toward pilgrims were overpriced, every village seemed to have a pack of pickpockets, and the streets were lined with stalls and hucksters selling "artifacts" and "relics" of the Nine Prophets, which legend says were anointed in the waters of the Basiya Jiyane.? A finger bone of Alric the Blessed?? You're in luck!? Never mind that another stall down the street is selling the same thing, or that he sold about thirty of these in the last year alone.? A prayer ribbon to be carried on the winds?? There are hundreds of those.
Indeed, every village claimed to have everything the traveling pilgrim needed to assure salvation…only they didn't.?
?Cal wasn’t without faith, he swam in it but he
also believed that none of the things that one worshipped was always to be
believed in.? Some of?it was tradition that had no basis.? He was a devout soldier but he
wasn’t a sucker to which those around him seemed to bask in.? They believed…what…everything every single
solitary piece of information in hopes that they would be the one to receive a
boon from their deity.? So they would do
anything, give away their wives or daughters if they believed that it would
change their status.? Loan out their sons
to increase their standings.? He was
sickened but he couldn’t take away their faith or change what they believed.?
He just wasn’t that stupid!? He often applied simple logic and if they did they would realize that some of it simply didn't make sense!
He kept his robe in
place to look like just another of the sheep that remained here.? He on the other hand had his true armor on
beneath.? He was always to be ready, it
was who he was and he didn’t see another reason to be any other way.? It was his training and somethings never
changed and he was ok with that.??? He
had his hood on so he was watchful and could see everything.? He couldn’t believe so many people were
bamboozled or hoodwinked.? He couldn’t
stand it!? But his was a different
mission he wasn’t there to save the populace from themselves so he continued
moving to his destination.? Once he was there he moved to find his contact
before getting lodgings for the night.? ‘This
place sickens me!’? He thought as his
master once told him there was a moron born every minute.? Seems like they were all here!!
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