Whilst in the downs, their path had turned west and eventually they would have to cross the road. They could not venture too far south yet as the marshes of the Orin sat just south of the downs, blocking that path. By cutting west through the downs they had more days of harder travel, but a clear route south to Orseth once they were through. The archon of Dolmedder had given Nathaniel a highly detailed map of the region and it was helping Nathaniel guide his people. Eventually the inevitability of crossing the road came. He posted scouts to the north and south, then began to send his people to the other side in batches. That way they would be exposed for a shorter amount of time and would have warning of any approaching goblins. It was extremely tense but finally the last batch crossed the road with no mishaps.
Their pace through the downs was reduced to almost a third of what it had been over easier ground. They were not covering much ground each day and Nathaniel could see that Eira was finding it more and more difficult as the unborn child grew. During the route across the downs the scouts reported a pack of goblins and they were forced to divert to the north, elongating their path further. Despite their caution, the goblin pack still managed to pick up their scent forcing them to abandon their wagons and flee on foot into harsher terrain. More lives were lost in their flight as the goblins slowly whittled down their numbers and forced them further off the path to Orseth. Hope was beginning to drain away as the goblins hounded them further north, toward the river Hespar. Nathaniel took a risk and led his people into the Hespar marshes, in hope that the goblins would not follow and those that did would get lost in the maze of rivulets.
The scheme paid off and the goblins eventually gave up their pursuit, but they too were now lost in the marshes. The environment was much less hospitable, with boggy ground and thick reeds, which stood well above head height making it difficult to navigate. The paths were narrow and winding, some leading them to a dead end, forcing them to turn back to try and find another route. The water was dirty and not drinkable and they were plagued all day and night by mosquitos. Because they had abandoned the carts all they had was what could be carried by the horses. They had no shelter to sleep under should it rain, and they were forced to drastically ration their supplies.
After days trudging through the dirt and wet, his people were beginning to grow tired, dispirited and foot sore. The damp was taking its toll on everything and on top of sores and chafing, people were beginning to get sick. Nathaniel was severely regretting his decision as things had gone from bad to worse. He was doing his best to lead them out of the endless warren he had brought them to, by following the course of the river downstream, hoping to find the end of the marshes. As the sickness spread he grew more worried and was concerned about Eira, carrying their child. She would be getting close to giving birth soon and this was not the place he wanted to be when she did. After a few days more they spotted smoke rising into the sky ahead. The scouts went out and brought back reports of a small fisher village. It was a relief to hear that there were more people about and not goblins.
The fisher folk were quite welcoming and did all they could to accommodate the large party. The sick were tended to and the strong got to work helping where they could. Nathaniel could tell that something was not right with Eira. She did not appear to be sick like the others but she was also not herself. The very next day when they woke, it became clear that the baby was coming. The fishwives took her in and gave her a bed to give birth in. Nathaniel paced outside anxiously. He had overheard some of the other women folk saying it was too early for the child to come. Thoughts raced round his head and he was terrified that he might lose Eira and the child. Hours passed before one of the fishwives emerged to summon him inside. As he entered his anxiety melted when he saw Eira looking exhausted, holding their daughter against her chest. He fell to his knees beside the bed and embraced them both gently. Happiness and love filled his heart as knelt there with his family.
They all remained with the fisher folk a few more days whilst Eira and the sick recovered. Provided with a few supplies, new carts and pointed in the right direction, they set off once more toward Orseth. The marshes gave way to open grassland and the edge of the downs. The journey continued south for two days before they finally saw Orseth in the distance. As he caught sight of the city he was not filled with joy or relief. The city looked like a ruin in the midst of decay. Taking a group of ten guards, he approached the seemingly deserted city. Rubble was strewn about the streets as halls and towers stood broken and battered. Buildings had been burned or destroyed much like how he expected Ollorath now stood.
A dark figure emerged from the shadows beside them. Nathaniel went to attack before he realised it was Torstein. "My old friend I am glad to find you," Nathaniel exclaimed, though Torstein did not look so pleased. "Nathaniel, the hour is late. I feared you would not come, but you cannot stay here. Make for the hidden pass in the Mygarian Mountains." Shock struck the group at the wizard's words. There were fell tales of those mountains. "There are still goblins about the city and many more nearby." Torstein continued, "They will not pursue you into the mountains."
"What happened here Torstein, I thought you said it was safe in this city?"
"The king marched his army against the goblin host. There was a big battle in the downs but he left the city unprotected. Another goblin army attacked the city and cut off his retreat. None survived."
A sudden wave of terror passed over Nathaniel as the shriek of a wyvern filled the air. The dark elves were in the city too and that would mean nothing but disaster for them. "Make for the mountains Nathaniel. There is a power there which the goblins fear. Get your people to safety." Torstein instructed adamantly, with a cautious eye on the skies. "Will you not come too?" Nathaniel asked, but the old wizard beckoned them to leave, not answering the question. Nathaniel obeyed and left through the dilapidated city ruins back to where the people were camped. With all haste they packed up and began to head east again, following the River Seth toward its source. There was another horrifying wyvern shriek and he turned to see the beast perched on the city walls. He felt as if the rider was looking right at him, despite the great distance between them. The dark elf was just a small blip on the top of the beast but the presence was ominous.
The following day the sentries reported sighting a goblin pack on their tail. It seemed the dark elves had remained in the city and sent only goblins in pursuit of them. It was no surprise to him that Orseth had fallen and as he remembered the desolate streets, it had been some time since it happened. His goal now was to reach and pass the Mygarian mountains. To his knowledge no man had ever dared to cross them, not at least and lived but it was their only hope now, he had to trust in Torstein's words and find the hidden pass. He knew even goblins feared to cross the mountains and knew if he could lead his people past them then perhaps they would be safe. But for how long was what he kept asking himself.
It was a further four days before they reached the foothills of the Mygarian Mountains. Nathaniel had led his people far, with little hope ahead of them. It seemed they were always running and he was growing tired of it. Despite their hardships, the people never seemed to lose faith in their intrepid leader, or question his commands. After another day the foothills transitioned to mountains. A seemingly impassable barrier now lay ahead of them and somehow Nathaniel had to find a hidden way across them. Just as Torstein had said, the goblins did not pursue them anymore. The pack had stopped not long after entering the foothills. It had been some time since he had needed to call on the power of his pendent, but as he led the people into the higher reaches of the mountains he began to try and channel some wisdom or secret knowledge. Their path began to track south more than it did into the mountains, as they started to run parallel to them.
Higher up in the mountains the ground was hard and barren, with barely any signs of life around. One or two snow foxes had been spotted, but as supplies began to deplete, people began to grow worried. To make matters worse, sickness returned to the camp. Nathaniel felt helpless as he was struggling to feed his people or find a way through the mountains. The fever that passed round this time was far more ferocious and seemed to hit both the weak and strong. Ogwyn began to deteriorate and the fever started to take hold. The worst blow however was when their weeks old daughter began to burn with fever. The child did not last the night. Eira and Nathaniel were forced to bury their baby girl in the mountains. The people all mourned in their loss too, even helping to collect stones to build a cairn. Tears streamed down his face as he placed the tiny, lifeless body on the ground and slowly buried her with the stones.
As he began to fall into despair a strange vision manifested itself to him in a dream, guiding him to the passage. The vision showed a huge glowing orb, leading him from his tent to a crack in the mountain. By this point he was at a loss for any other way forward, so he was willing to try anything. As he tried to remember the way the orb had shown him, every time he touched his pendent he had a small flash of the vision. Soon he found the crack just as it had been shown in his dream. With some hesitation he led his people into the passageway. The crack seemed to delve into the mountain for a short way, then opened out into a tight, winding ravine. The passage twisted and turned as it cut its way between two huge mountain peaks, seemingly never ending. Ogwyn seemed to be holding up despite his feverishness. He did his best to hide his weakness but Nathaniel could tell his old friend was struggling.
As the sun began to set, the passage opened up to a luscious, green hillside. They had emerged on the other side of the mountains. The view was breathtaking as the Kingdom of Thalien spread out around them. They began to descend the mountains a little before making camp for the night. There was a new enthusiasm in everyone now they had crossed into the new realm. It was a feeling of security and prosperity which lay ahead of them. Come morning they left the mountains, reaching a vast body of water which seemed to stretch endlessly to the north. Nathaniel began to lead his people along the shore eastward, hoping to find some civilization. He was tired of running and with the Mygarian Mountains behind them, he was of a mind to find somewhere to settle down more permanently.
As they progressed further along the lake, Ogwyn's health continued to deteriorate. Nathaniel decided to stop and make camp early, painfully aware that his friend would not likely see the morning. He did all he could to make Ogwyn comfortable and stayed by his side, feeding him a stew cooked by Eira. The loss of his daughter was still painful and the thought of losing his friend too was hard to bear. Nathaniel remained at his bedside all night, watching the life slowly fade from him. By morning as he had predicted, Ogwyn had passed. Nathaniel personally dug his grave next to the shore. Everyone gathered to pay their respects, after all Ogwyn was seen as one of their leaders and as a scholar was respected back in Ollorath too. Whilst they all stood in silence, sharing in Nathaniel's grief, a scout approached him. A settlement had been found on the path ahead. This was good news, though for Ogwyn had come a day too late. Nathaniel had led them as far as he could and this settlement offered a place of permanence for them.
The group approached the little settlement, perhaps half the number who had left Ollorath so many months ago. Nathaniel was greeted in the streets by a group of locals, one in particular was dressed more finely, with a fur lined cloak. "I am Hann, the archon of our settlement. You look travel weary my friend." He began hospitably.
"My name is Nathaniel. I have led my people from the city of Ollorath. We are seeking a new home and ask to join your settlement." Nathaniel requested humbly. Hann seemed aware of Ollorath and knew how far they had come. He seemed to think for a moment, pondering the request. "I will grant you land to build your homes on the shores of the great Lake Nimwe. All who can contribute to our settlement are welcome here," he decreed, bowing his head to them.
Each family or group were granted a small plot of land to build themselves a home on. The lake seemed to provide most of the work for the settlement, though it seemed more like an inland sea. Nathaniel requested a more isolated plot for himself and Eira, hoping to have some solitude to mourn the loss of their fallen. He was given an old farm a mile east of the settlement. It had fallen into disuse after the last owner died and was in need of a new hall, but it was ideal for Nathaniel. Whilst most of the people were happy to settle, Nathaniel could tell that some seemed hesitant, Martyn among them. "I will not stop you from leaving Martyn, many here will follow you," Nathaniel responded to the news he wished to leave. "I will continue east, there is much more land to be discovered," explained Martyn. "I will miss you, my dear friend." He added, embracing Nathaniel for what would be the last time. A hundred or so people chose to continue onward with his friend. It was a hard decision for all but many were not ready to settle yet and he would not resent them for it. It was a sad farewell for all of them. Everyone was severely changed since the fall of Ollorath and perhaps would never stop travelling. It was hard to settle somewhere when your home had been ripped from you.
Nathaniel returned to his farm after the people had gone. He had a new farm hall to build and a lot of past to put behind him. He just wanted to build a new life for Eira and himself. They set to work building themselves a new home, using the skills they had picked up whilst living with the woodsmen. It took a few days to complete, as it was much larger than the small cabin he had built back then. They spent a few nights sleeping under the stars until the roof was completed. Despite their shared grief in the loss of their daughter and Ogwyn, they both felt at peace, finally with a place of permanence for the first time since leaving Ollorath.