A long walk South

Dawn tugged her cloak, or at least what might have passed for one, tighter around her. Since embarking on her ill-conceived quest she had come to understand two things. First, the farther west she traveled the more she seemed to chill. Casting a glance around the country-side she couldn't help but note the sickly state of the plant-life as she passed. Grass was sparse, flowers were decaying, trees looked like they were in the middle of winter and the few small animals she spotted were mottled. Here and there she reached out and touched a few of the dying plants and couldn't help but smile as they responded to her touch seemingly invigorated by the snippets of life magic she granted them. But it was always fleeting. Gone the moment her fingers left the petals.

She had traveled this road several times in her youth, and though she didn't remember it as well as others, what she saw now was almost unrecognizable, and it broke her heart. Her eyes, as always, were drawn to the perpetual dark and ominous cloud stretching across the western horizon and she found herself wishing she could turn back towards the north-east; but she shook that wish away. Back east would be touched by this blight soon enough and nothing would be different. This rot needed to be stopped at its source, she just wished someone would do it sooner rather than later.

The second thing she realized was that her feet hurt.

Her mother was a travelling merchant, and when she was young Dawn went with her all over Yldia selling wares, baubles, trinkets, and anything that would make money. But they'd always traveled by horse and wagon. Moving by foot was far more time consuming, and a lot more painful. The road to Southmarch was long and Dawn had been traveling it almost since she heard the news. A while ago Dawn had received a letter informing her that her mother had gone missing from the region of Southmarch. Impulsively, and against the wishes of her instructors, Dawn had hastily left to find her. Now she was wishing she had better forethought.

Dawn needed to rest and while she knew the route, she wouldn't have been able to accurately judge how long it was to the next stop until she spotted a crossroads in the distance.

"Thank the Gods!" Dawn exclaimed. It wouldn't be long after that, or at least it shouldn't.