<hr/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;"><em>On the road to Everkeep</em></span></span></div><hr/><br/>It was a bright summer's day as a group of five women and their donkey traveled the road from Daelinshire towards Everkeep. Their mission? To find a method to lift the curse the warlock had placed over their village. The villagers had picked these five women to travel to the city, hoping they had the biggest chance to arrive at the city alive, find someone that could cure their problem, and then bring the cure back to the village.<br/><br/>The first few hours of their travel the road ran along the outskirt of the forest, allowing them to enjoy the warmth of the sun, as only a few small spots of white crawled along the bright blue sky. To their right, the farmland spread out, while the sight to their left was obscured by bushes and trees. A slight breeze caused the leaves to whisper through the wind. Here and there a squirrel or rabbit quickly disappeared from sight as the women came closer.<br/><br/>After a few hours, the group arrived at the fork of a road. The turn right would continue along the woodland's outskirts, taking the long route all the way around the forest. The turn left instead dived right into the forest, the road ahead already cast in shadows from the large trees that surrounded the road, their branches hanging over the road to obscure most of the sunlight.<br/><br/>While it was true that the wood elves had their home deep into this forest, the forest was big, and the elves preferred areas that weren't adjacent to the major trade routes. Instead, other creatures, with less friendly intentions, made their homes in these parts of the woods. Trade caravans often took this route, but only when accompanied by a large group of guards. It was not unknown for such a caravan to lose a guard or two along the way.<br/><br/>The route right trough the forest would bring the women to Everkeep in a matter of days, whereas the longer but safer route around town would cost them at least two weeks.