Miners Ridge is the epitome of a frontier town. It is as rugged and as tough as the miners who live there, and the ranchers, and the farmers and the mill workers. It is relatively large with a population well above a thousand permanent residents.  The population are a proud and capable people. Fierce in their loyalty to each other and fierce in their fight against marauding hill giants from the Tarn Foothills directly north of the town. In fact, most geographers would say Miners Ridge is well within the boundaries of the Tarn.

The mines produce gold, silver, gems and iron. The mines dot the hillside for miles around the town, most of them are to the north. The further north you go, the more orcs and giants you encounter. A garrison of soldiers from Edwin are permanently established in Miners Ridge for the protection of the mines and the town. There is generally a company of 20 warriors in the garrison. Every citizen on Miners Ridge is capable of fighting and they will eagerly defend their town.

Chryesia Wulfsdotter grew up in this town but her time here has come to an end. Even her name is to be discarded. She is escaping the bond of marriage and the prison of parenthood to discover and explore the world at large. Her preparations have been carefully arranged and today Chryesia Wulfsdotter becomes Chryesia Swift as she swiftly escapes her approaching betrothal on a raft built by her childhood friend Rolf. He is now a sturdy millworker at the towns lumber mill on Miners Creek. He left a message that the raft was completed and left in the prearranged hiding place downstream of the mill. She knows that by drifting down to the Black River she can rapidly travel south with the Black Forest on her port and Edwin Lordship on her starboard. Game should be plentiful but so might danger be. With the mysterious forest always nearby, one can never predict what lurks within. She anxiously awaits adventure.

She locates the raft exactly where Rolf said it would be. It is well constructed of freshly hewn logs lashed together expertly. The raft is 8 feet by 8 feet with a rudder that can be adjusted for standing or seated helmsmanship. There is a built in lachable chest that should stay closed if the raft capsizes. It is nestled in some bushes lashed to a branch of an overhanging tree. The water meanders steadily southeast. The morning air is crisp in spring foothills. The sky is cloudless. The air smells of possibility and sawdust from the mill just to the north.

As Chryesia looks back toward the mill she sees Rolf waving to her from a hill above the falling creek water perhaps a quarter mile distant. When she waves back, he turns and walks back to the mill.  She would never see the tears.


Batter up!  Welcome Chryesia!

This message was last edited by the GM at 15:39, Sun 03 Mar.

Chyresia waved at Rolf. Such a good friend. If there had been any spark between them, she would have taken him with her. But she knew her father was going to give chase and she needed to move as quickly as she could and had no room for passengers who did not know the wild in the way she did.

She checked the raft and the sturdy little box Rolf had created for her. She shoved her bedroll and blanket inside along with her backpack and the slim coil of strong rope she had paid so much for. By instinct she ran her hands over her weapons, feeling their position and status, as if they might have changed in the last two moments. Her longbow and quiver, wrapped in cloth to keep them as dry as possible, the Seax short sword, her spear, and a pouch with a sling and several lead bullets.

With her heart in her mouth, she pushed the raft out into the stream and stepped aboard. The whole rig rocked like a wild horse until she worked out she had to sit down to maintain stability, and by then the last sight of Miner's Ridge had vanished behind a wide sweep of the watercourse.

She laughed for the sheer joy of being alive and on an adventure, and then she grinned some more as she imagined the fury of her father when he realized she was gone, gone beyond his authority. The sun rose a few degrees in the sky and the stream chuckled along beside her. She held on to her spear, using the butt end now and then to steer around rocks. But she was covering more ground in an hour than she could have walked in half a day. And that suited her just fine!

As she slid effortlessly through the winding tunnel of greenery, she kept a keen eye open for signs of danger or possible game.

OOC: Might she have some rations?
DM: yes 2 days worth. Awesome first post. More on that shortly.

Fantastic post, I love the visual aid, always appreciated. 25 xp for starting strong.



This message was last edited by the GM at 17:04, Tue 05 Mar.