Virtual reality had come so far from a simple headset that covered the eyes with a video screen. As Veronica left<em>The Lusty Kobold</em>, she found her sense of balance slightly lacking. Whatever it was she had drunk, it was strong, because even with the little she had imbibed she found her steps swaying and her vision blurry... well only a little, but still it was almost like she was actually a little drunk. Within minutes it thankfully cleared up on its own, so at least she wouldn't have to navigate and quest under influence. "Had a little too much to drink?" Katrianna teased and elbowed Veronica's side playfully, having noticed her friend's condition. "Well don't worry, they don't stop you for QUI here." She giggled at her own little joke.<br/><br/>Finding the main thoroughfare that led to the north gate of the city was simple enough, it was a large busy street after all that couldn't be missed. Near the square the buildings were dominated by department-store-like emporiums selling magic items. Weapons were displayed on racks with their stats advertised like appliance or electronics specifications, armors posed on mannequins, potions stacked on shelves like packs of soft drinks... However most department stores probably weren't patrolled by fully armored security guards who shooed away any potential thieves or threats, going so far as to drive away even those people like Veronica who might have merely wanted to do some window shopping. Most of the offerings were well out of Veronica's affordable range. It was all very commercialized.<br/><br/>Heading away from the city centre, the buildings gave way to two-floor houses with steep roofs, nestled side-by-side one right up against another. The first floor at street level was usually an individually owned store or office. Unlike the shops near the square that each clearly specialized in its own niche, the stores here traded in a little of everything with no consistent theme within or among them. "Most of these are player-owned," Katrianna explained, "they hire an NPC shopkeeper to run the place when they aren't around. Usually they're selling off some good drops or buying up rare ingredients for crafting. Some guilds use the space as a recruitment office. Second floor is living space, either kept for personal use or rented out. These houses face the main street so they're really, really expensive. Yeah, there's a property market, and you're looking at some of the most expensive real estate in the entire world here. A lot of what you see here are owned by either the earliest players or the richest players."<br/><br/>Katrianna stopped Veronica just before they reached the north gate and took her on a detour down a side alley. "The day-to-day stores we actually used are tucked in back alleys like this one, where the rent's cheaper obviously." She stopped under a sign that read<em>Thinker's Tinker Shack</em>. The store front was open, displaying a variety of firearms and ammunition for sale - pistols, rifles, bullets, powder, cartridges, and more. The clanging of hammer against steel came from the back of the shop. Behind the counter a wiry gnome rubbed his hands in glee upon seeing the pistol on Veronica's hip.<br/><br/>"Welcome, welcome to Thinker's Tinker Shack!" He squealed, "I'm Thinker, what can I get for you today? A shiny new gun? Maybe the latest in alchemical cartridge ammo? Or if you're looking for maintenance, there're workbenches in back free for any gunslinger to use!"<br/><br/>"You'll probably be spending quite a bit of time here," Katrianna said, waving Thinker off, "All right, now back to leading the way, o fearless leader!"<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Like the other gates, the north gate's heavy double wooden doors were open during the day and closed at night. Protected by archers at the top of the city's stone walls, it was one of the more heavily used entrances to the city. Unlike the streets which were filled with NPCs, here most of those passing through were adventuring players, mixed in with some traders' wagons coming to and fro. A company of city guardsmen checked those entering or leaving, forcing people to form a line to wait their turn for inspection. It was mostly perfunctory; players showed the marks on the back of their hands and were waved through, so the line moved fairly quickly. Directly in front of the tieflings was a covered wagon, a pair of player archers sitting on top of it evidently hired to protect it on the quest that Veronica hadn't taken. Soon enough it passed through the gate and then it was Veronica and Katrianna's turn.<br/><br/>"Where are you going?" the guardsman asked in a bored voice.<br/><br/>Upon hearing the response, he continued, "There're rumors of goblins setting up an ambush on the road. You might want to think about cutting straight through the forest. Stay safe. Next!"<br/><br/>Passing under the arch of the north gate and leaving Eidosburg behind, Veronica and Katrianna officially stepped outside safe territory. Though with so many players of all levels around, the monster presence so close to the city was practically non-existent. The highway leaving the city wound around hills and copses of trees, smaller roads branching off from it that lead to other villages and dungeons. Katrianna broke into a jog. "You can pretty much jog indefinitely while traveling in the wild," she explained, "and the distances are actually scaled down. That's why there're all these hills and trees, they're there to cleverly break your line of sight so you don't see how close everything actually is. Unless you fly - but that's another different story entirely, you won't encounter that for a few more levels. Anyways, it's all so we don't have to spend hours travelling from A to B on foot, so it's all good."<br/><br/>Still, Veronica had to figure out the way to the Shanker Mines with the help of her map, not to mention choosing whether to follow the road to the mines and risk a goblin ambush or cut the loop through the forest and risk getting lost...<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">OOC</div><div class="spoiler_body">Roll a Survival check to see how well you can follow the map and avoid getting lost, whether on the road or in the forest (forest is easier to get lost in obviously). It's a d20 dice roll plus your Survival bonus of +6, so it's 1d20+6.<br/></div></div>