Xeresgate

You head west and it isn't long before you are absolutely engulfed by Arregret Pass. This monumental example of man surpassing nature is truly a sight to behold... it is as if some god had taken a mighty sword and swiped it through the tall mountain, leaving nothing but a clean gap behind.

In truth, King Arregret and his team of wise men spent many years on the planning of this marvel alone, to say nothing of the decades and pure passionate resolution that drove the hordes of men to move this mountain. Arregret Pass is clearly as tall as would be the arrow's flight of a strong and skilled archer who shot upwards, before the mountain sides are cleared to the blue sky overhead. The sides are as far apart as four royal carriages, were they to be placed side by side (and they never are). The stone that walls the sides of the pass are combinations of blocks of amethyst and obsidian, whose purples and blacks still awe those passing through... even this many years later. Numerous arches of the strongest granite provide lateral support, and occasional shade from the overhead sun.

For such a large pass, it is nonetheless extremely busy with traffic, as it is the venue of travel most convenient for western merchants with Xeresgate, and for the miners of Kirisnor, who must occasionally have their tools sharpened and replaced in Xeresgate. It is a long and arduous trip passing through so many people and trying to avoid all contact, but eventually you make it through to the other side.

Down through the foothills, you see a less-populated path to the south that leads to the nearby city of Kirisnor, pressed snugly against the Xeres Mountains, and you also see a broader (and more crowded) path that leads into open country to the west. Possibly the first stop on that path would be the famed trading city of Yorlindria, where it is said that one may be lost for days in the dizzying shops, wares, and lush surroundings. Of course, Yorlindria is just a snippet of a conversation that you heard once, giving it all the importance in your memory that you thought necessary at the time (and your mind may have shined it up a bit before reminding you of it just now).

Which path would you like to take?