Reasonably sure that the slavers won't die from their wounds, the party appears poised and ready to brush off this troubling distraction.  For all the talk of mercy and fresh-starts, everyone IS still suffering from a curse and the sooner they get back to town, the sooner they can get some much needed information.  With the conscious slaver more or less cooperating, the party returns to their travels with him in tow.<br/><br/><br/>((Traveled to Column 8, Row 9, Farmland w/road))<br/><br/><strong>5:00 pm</strong><br/>Long rows of wheat, corn and other uninteresting crops line the road, broken up only by the occasional barn.  The terrain is mostly flat but the occasional crest of a hill breaks up the monotony and one particular crest gives a brief vista of the town.  It does not look impressive at a distance, certainly not as much as the giant lake it rests on.  With the sun lowering, light reflects off the gentle waves of the lake so often and in such patterns you could be in real danger of being moved to poetry if you weren't afflicted with a curse.<br/><br/><br/>((Traveled to Column 9, Row 9, Farmland w/road))<br/><br/><strong>6:00 pm</strong><br/>The sun is getting a little low but the party finally reaches the outskirts of Windal.  The town looks even less impressive up close.  Nearly every building is a simple wooden house and carts, wains and small animal pens seem to be the only thing the citizens bother decorating their property with.  The few faces the party encounters have mostly the look of hardy farmers, though there seems to be the worrisome smell of a tannery around as well.  If you had to venture a guess, you'd think this town held MAYBE 60 people.  Regardless of its size, a few places stand out as you walk down the road that the entire town is lined up on...<br/><br/>-A tall, wooden guard tower is clearly visible from the center of the town, currently occupied by a bored looking man with a longbow.  It's the tallest structure in town.  You hope the small building it's attached too isn't functioning as a town hall.<br/><br/>-A tall structure that looks a bit like a cross between a barn and a warehouse is fairly prominent on the far end of town. If the sign "Bernal's Market" on the front is to be believed, it's partly a general store and partly the only real trading depot in the town.<br/><br/>-What is very clearly a modest tavern is very, VERY clearly marked in the middle of the town.  In a truly vain attempt to aggrandize the establishment, it is named The Eminent Table.   It is, as you'd expect, the only tavern in town and, with it being late in the day, ale has very clearly been flowing in this establishment.  You can faintly hear the strumming of a lute and a male voice from the windows.<br/><br/>-A larger house is tucked away against the slope of a hill.  Unlike most places in town, it's partially made of stone, and has some interesting flowers growing in a garden.  Slightly MORE prominent are a trio of rather large, sealed, iron-rimmed vats.  The house seems to have a storefront attached to it and a small sign saying "Bertrand's Brews"<br/><br/>The lack of an inn is slightly troubling, given the late hour.