Excuse me ma’am. I couldn’t help but notice your interest in the gentelman up ahead and thought that I might be able to be of some assistance.
There’s lots o’ bandits on this road. And Fowlspawn. Best to travel in large groups, so they don’t get ya.
Ain’t no inns for 30 leagues, mate! It’s a good 20 leagues just to Naniom Bridge. But past there, in Gardiren or Getha you might find a room.
“I think I can handle him on my own”, she winks at you.
While these two are busy, I’m gonna see if I can’t tail the one that recognized them for a little. Anyone I can reach I tell them a good place to meet along this road if we get separated.
You try tailing him, but it’s clear that he wants nothing to do with you. He seems scared.
Damn. That would cause a commotion, I think. Let me find one of the others.
:chuckles: fair enough. In that case would you mind helping me and my friends out with a little information? We seem to have gotten ourselves lost.
" :rolleyes: Fine. WhatEVAR."
glee: May I walk with you? Where are you going?
mulejack: We’re goin’ up to Azadmere. We bring them grain and stuff, and we bring back fancy weapons and gems and rocks and stuff in the autumn. I hate it, cuz I don’t see the missus for months. And the Jarin women up there are real cold to the likes of me, them bitches. And I ain’t seen the Khuzdul women, but I heared they got beards. I don’t fancy no bearded short women. I hate spendin’ me summers up there in the mountains. It’s cold. And then I spend me winters in Kaldor, and it’s cold there. I hate the cold. Cold women, cold weather. Hey, speakin’ of cold women, what do you think about the new queen?
glee: I’ve been out of touch for a while - you know how it is. 
What do you think of the new queen?
mulejack: Where you lads from? You talk like nobles. Are you nobles?
glee: You spotted that pretty quickly! (smiles at mulejack) I’ve had a good start in life, but for now I’m just travelling.
mulejack: I reckon she’s a real nice lady. Shame about that other one, we thought he’d be king instead. At least we didn’t get that bastard son o’ the old king, may Peoni have pity on 'is soul. And the girl! Can you imagine? They say she ain’t real nice. Ruthless, they say. Blimy, I’m glad we got the one we did!
glee: That sounds right. You obviously know what you’re talking about.
Listen, I think my friends want to go the other way (i.e. where the mulejack came from) - are there any good inns back there? And do we need to watch out for bandits?
mulejack: There’s lots o’ bandits on this road. And Fowlspawn. Best to travel in large groups, so they don’t get ya.
Ain’t no inns for 30 leagues, mate! It’s a good 20 leagues just to Naniom Bridge. But past there, in Gardiren or Getha you might find a room.
glee: Sheesh - there’s only a few of us … and we lost most of our equipment. Is there somewhere closer we can reach safely?
AH! Are you from the Great Valley? If not, never mind, I spent some time there as a child and your accent reminds me of it.
Anyway, what can you tell me about where you are coming from? As I said, we are lost, and anything that will help us get our bearings in this land might be of help?
“Ain’t nothin’ between here and Naniom. You could speak to the caravan master about joinin’ up with us, but you’d have to pull your weight and do somethin’ to help out. Or ya can takes your chances with just a few of you.”
GM Note: While travelling on this road in a small party is foolhardy, my intention in this scenario is not to kill you with little crap. I want to see you get at least as far as Naniom without incident. Perhaps my die rolls will reflect that.
Yeah, the Kald Valley. Tashal. You from there? Hey, do you know Becky? You’re just her type!
“I live on Torastra Way, in the bad section of town. I hate it, but all my friends live there. Becky’s real nice. Fred’s a jerk. He beat me up this one time. So we stabbed him good! HAHAHAHAHA!”
One of the guards looks at this girl like she’s as dumb as a sack of wooden spoons.
“Look, mates, here we are.” (Points at map.) “And here’s Naniom Bridge.” (Points at map.) “You’ll find food and beds here, here, and here.”
Locate Azadmere in the upper right corner. Locate Zerhun just south of that. See how the road south of there crosses a river at Guthe? That’s the ford you crossed. Follow the road west, and you’ll see a side road that goes south to Nenda. You’re about halfway from Guthe to that side road. Naniom Bridge is where the road you’re on crosses the Nephen River.
Does that make sense?
A good bit of sense actually. Thank you. Would you think it better for us to follow that road south to Nenda or to try and make it west to Getha if we are looking for shelter?
And no, I don’t know Becky, but if I ever make it back I will be sure to look her up.
Getha and Nenda are about the same distance. Gardiren is a much bigger place, but it’s about twice as far.
But is it safer to go toward one rather than the other?
Not really. Either way, you will face many perils! 
(Seriously, from the information you have, it doesn’t much matter.)
Ah well. That’s good to know I suppose. Good luck with your gentelman friend over there, and I will do my best to look up Becky the next time I am in the Valley. I think I had best catch up with the rest of my traveling companions before I lose them.
Thank you much.
:after goodbyes (don’t want to seem rude) I will seek out Koldanar, relay what I have learned and see if anything he knows can add to what I have found out. Before that, did anything she said spark a memory for me?:
Nope, you’re pretty much in the dark.
You guys need to figure out a destination. You do find out that those two towns are the homes of barons, and Gardiren is the home of an earl. The caravan came through Gardiren from Tashal.
Mulejack: Ain’t nothin’ between here and Naniom. You could speak to the caravan master about joinin’ up with us, but you’d have to pull your weight and do somethin’ to help out. Or ya can takes your chances with just a few of you.
I thank the mulejack and report to Koldanar. Since the mulejack mentioned available rooms in Getha, that would be my (mild) preference.
I once told off Gary Gygax for obviously making up die rolls. :eek:
I don’t mind losing my character through unlucky die rolls or bad play, but it takes all the tension + excitement away when the DM admits he’s going to ‘feather-bed’ us.
I posted this last night, but the board ate my words.
I certainly don’t want to remove the tension of the game, nor do I want to do you the disservice of giving you gimmes. At the same time, I don’t want you to die before the real plot has even started, especially from stupid stuff.
My honest opinion is that you’ll find travelling in a small group challenging, but neither boring nor exceedingly dangerous. This is from honest die rolls.
Carry on, gentlemen.