The look on Hafta’s face made me realise something I had missed before, likely due to her height. It was difficult to see someone almost double your own height as a child, even if they were of another race. But the open, unguarded look of surprise, swiftly morphing into anger, was something I would not expect on the face of an adult, even if they had heard something they really didn’t want to. Or maybe something they didn’t want to be true, as may be the case here.

“Mhm, I see.” I nodded, desperately trying to either change the topic or leave the conversation, just in case the angrily staring Centaur decided to come over.

“Anyway, about Arbotoma, can you tell me more about the geography?” I asked, my choice of topic only barely more subtle than asking about the weather. But then, I may as well have asked about that, and likely would ask about it next, as the idea to trudge through a tropical jungle was not one I cherished. Having to constantly surround myself with a cold mist, in order to keep cool, had been a minor nuisance, but the weather had generally been quite temperate, with a few, highly unpleasant, exceptions.

There was a moment of confusion on Phraan’s attractive face, but it quickly faded and out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Gwan step up to Hafta, talking to her in a whisper. Even my ears couldn’t pick up what she was saying, though I could see that she was trying to hold Hafta back, likely so that distance would open up as Phraan and I continued on.

“Telling you about the geography of a whole continent in anything but the most general terms will take some time.” they finally said in a slightly amused voice. “But again, I can talk and maybe you’ll be able to learn something. Let’s start with the area I originally grew up in, it’s in the North-Western part of the continent, in an area we call the Forest of Dusk. It is one of the more unique places in the Eldra Dominion, sandwiched between the Mountains of Fire to the north and the Mountains of Ice.” they explained, and questions started to appear in my head, as I was unfamiliar with the terms.

“I’m sorry, but can you explain what the Mountains of Ice and Fire are? And what you mean by the Great Forest.” I interrupted, stopping them before they could go into details I had no way to relate to.

“Certainly.” they blinked, looking at me with a bit of surprise, as if they couldn’t believe I wasn’t aware of those terms. It made me feel like a bit of an idiot, but then, how was I supposed to know them, if I hadn’t been exposed to an elf before?

“The Great Forest is the name we use to describe the forest that covers most of the continent, spreading out from Eldrabor in its heart.” I nodded, signaling that I was aware that Eldrabor was the massive tree they worshipped. It was likely that there was also some sort of capital around it, their seat of government.

“The Mountains of Fire are the mountain-range that spreads from Helar south, filled with, well, fire and many menacing monsters. It’s a dangerous, dangerous place, somewhere you really don’t want to be.”

“The Mountains of Ice, on the other hand, are less dangerous, but that is only relative to the Mountains of Fire. The mountains themselves are widely populated by dangerous monsters, but the monsters are not that powerful. No, the real danger there comes from the frequent storms, strong enough to tear the flesh off your bones and cold enough to freeze the blood before it stains the ground.”

“The Mountains of Ice start on the north-eastern coast, almost as if continuing the Islands of Death, and curve across the continent, cutting off the Forest of Dusk from the rest of the Dominion before reaching the west-coast and following it along.” The description of the Mountains of Ice made me want to know more about it, after all, I was searching for an elemental Nexus that I knew to be somewhere in southern Arbotoma, attuned to the element of Ice. If there was anything I’d consider a hint, it was a mountain-range covering the area being named Mountains of Ice.

“Now, back to the Forest of Dusk. Our remote location, isolated between the Mountains, but at the same time the only way to reach the western coast of Arbotoma, turned it into a meeting-place of sorts, with Naga, Valkyries, Humans and Elves living there, mostly in harmony. We Elves are still the majority, but the other races are tolerated, welcomed even. There even is a land-route through the Mountains of Ice, but it is dangerous and only used with sufficient escorts. That’s the route I took when I left for the first time.” they explained, and again, I nodded along, happy that they had mentioned the route, as it was what I wanted to know.

“If you had to return there, from here, how would you do it?” I asked, as it sounded like an excellent place to begin my journey on the Elven continent, especially given its close proximity to the Mountains of Ice. They studied me for a moment, before beginning to speak.

“If I just wanted to go home from here, I would probably go to Arranya first. It’s the closest port on the coast of the Inner Sea and you can cross over to Daiea from there, reaching Doran, near the Daish Gate. Passing through the Daish Gate is a dangerous undertaking, especially in the winter, but staying there till spring would make it comfortable. In spring, I would get myself passage to Mahuri or Surinan, both Naga-Towns on the east-coast of Arbotoma, south of the Mountains of Ice. Once in Arbotoma, I’d have to wait until another caravan crosses the Mountains of Ice, or find a group to join, even I wouldn’t want to try crossing alone. Maybe if the other Oakenrocks would come along, I might dare, but it is a dangerous crossing.” I felt myself go pale, realising that the journey was even longer than I had thought, especially the waiting involved. If I had to wait until spring before I could really start out, we would never make it in time.

“And if time was of the essence? Is there a different way?” I asked, hoping for a better answer.

“There is, but it is a dangerous route. You remember the Islands of Death I mentioned? They sit some distance off the coast of Helar and just like that cursed place, they are dangerous. The name’s not just for show. There are, however, some who dare traverse these dangerous waters, trading between Mociabi in the Forest of Dusk and Phalladri, on the tip of Aletoma.” Thinking back to the rough maps I had seen on the forum, I nodded, having a rough idea what area he was talking about.

“Reaching Phalladri from here is a lot faster than trying to reach Mahuri or Surinan, especially if you make the effort to cross the Dorrian Mountains and the Idorra Peninsula, once you reach Olisipo, finding a ship that crosses over to Aletoma, either to Hatterion or Phallandri directly should be reasonably simple. And the biggest advantage would be that you avoid the Daish Gate, as nobody dares going through it during autumn or winter.” again, I nodded along, only to blush when I realised that their explanation had changed from what they would do, to what I could do. My intent had obviously been seen through.

“As I said, it is a dangerous route and I would advise against taking it, especially if you are travelling with Adra. Taking the slow, steady route and travelling the Great Forest would undoubtedly be the better choice.” They added, clearly intent on driving home just how dangerous the explained route was. At the same time, I had to wonder just how honest their explanation was, as it seemed to be focused on getting Adra to Arbotoma and having her spend as much time within the forest as possible.

“We shall see.” I replied, when a nearby shout caught my attention, making me realise that Gwan’s attempt at deflection had failed.

“Love, maybe it would be best if we leave them to their discussions.” Sigmir stepped up, almost as if trying to shield me from harm. A quick glance into the direction I had heard the noise from, made me agree as Hafta was in a huff and almost trotting towards either Sigmir, myself or Phraan. The look on her face made it obvious that she was about as far from happy as one could be and given the conversation I had with Phraan earlier, I realised the reason. And I also realised that I had no desire to be caught up in the almost inevitable blow-up that I had feared.

“Right, that is something we should keep our noses out of.” I agreed, taking her hand and quickening my step, certainly not running away from the angry teenager that might kick like a mule. We merely decided that power-walking was a fine and excellent sport.