The settlements of Dorigift and Gilpledge are closer to each other than nearly any other two in the entire Territories, at least as the crow flies. However, these two settlements are among the Territories’ most rugged and various terrain. The Doris and Gilburt Expedition founded the two settlements for their defensibility from incursions from the Darkheather. The rock formations in this part of the Territories are dense and hard, and force subterranean tunneling into knowable, mapped locations. The mouse defenses were focused on these points, and during the Weasel War proved most impregnable, and formed the axle around which the mouse armies swept the weasels out like a great cartwheel rolling across the land.<br/><br/>The two settlements are separated by a gorge through which a cold mountain river runs. A road runs along the crest of the gorge to a precipice where a fallen tree, carved and refined into a workable bridge, stretches across the gorge to the other side, accessing a path that traverses the route from Gilpledge to Rootwallow. This junction is yet another defensive outpost known as Warrior’s Rest, a place where Patrols can quickly eat, rest and reequip in an emergency. The main role of the outpost is to push the fallen tree into the river in the event of invasion so that it can’t be used by the invaders to access either Dorigift or Gilpledge from the other.<br/><br/>While the mouse culture that had reached this part of The Territories was clearly focused on military defense, even the most expedient tactical eye couldn’t help but be taken in by the striking scenery of the gorge, and on a brilliant spring day such as it was, the scenes along the march were among the most breathtaking the Patrol would ever see. Brushy, hearty tree branches grew out from cracks in the rocks, and all along the route the rush of the mountain stream could be heard cascading through the gorge’s narrow channel, at this time of year still partially frozen along the water’s edge and in the shaded narrows. Wildflowers in yellow and pink grew in small patches along the path, jutting out from the cracks in the rock where there was just enough moisture to nourish them.<br/><br/>Warrior’s Rest was in the hollowed out stump of the felled tree cum bridge, but the Patrol found it abandoned. This wasn’t entirely surprising; it simply meant that Lucien’s Patrol was the first to reach the outpost this spring, and would thus be pathfinding the route to Gilpledge. Other patrols and mice would follow, and by summer Warrior’s Rest would be a thriving little outpost.<br/><br/>From Warrior’s Rest, the route to Gilpledge is a winding, strenuous climb out of the gorge. It was somewhat of a cartographer’s joke that the line-of-route was drawn so straight, for in reality the path was anything but easily traversed. The route was elongated in order to allow caravans of supplies to more easily utilize the route by making the grades less sharp. Still, especially in the downward direction, it was easy to lose control of anything with wheels. There were even some daredevils who had chosen to whisk down the path in their carts without any restraints at all. Naturally, none had survived.<br/><br/>Eventually the Patrol came to a place that they had all dreaded. A stream of water had gushed down into the gorge from inclimate weather, and washed out the path. In its place, an almost surreal stream of frozen ice acted as a ladder from the top of the cliff down to the river’s edge at the bottom of the gorge. In places it was thawing and wet, and a trickle of ice cold water moistened the rocks, but for the most part on this, the shady side of the gorge, the small stream was frozen solid and would remain so through the majority of Spring. Even the icicles that hung from the rock weren’t dripping. Climbing the ice sheet was possible, and would shorten the Patrol’s travel time to Gilpledge considerably. Indeed, it might prove the only way to get to Gilpledge at this point.