| 251 With a solid wall of black cloud building in the west you spur Pallenten forward. With luck you may be able to reach Miller's Crossing on the Laneslem River before the storm arrives and the heavens open. Northern Kalborea is well known for the ferocity of its weather and the approaching storm looks murderous. If possible you would like to be indoors before it hits. The road before you quickly runs into open countryside, a vista of wide grasslands and tended fields neatly divided into farms devoted mostly to cattle and grain. The land here is very different from the more settled regions of Kalborea to the south. Sparsely populated and farmed only by the hardiest of men it can be a difficult place to earn a living. With the troubles brewing to the north it must now be feeling a much more dangerous place as well. Every so often you pass a wagon on the road or a farmer hard at work in his fields, but nobody pays you much attention. You put this down to the large number of troops that have recently moved northward up the road. To those you leave behind your passage must now appear unremarkable. Without a falter or pause the great horse thunders down the road, past collections of small farmhouses and their outbuildings and closer to the Laneslem River and Miller's Crossing. For a short time you stop at a culvert that cuts the road above a small creek and give Pallenten a chance to drink and rest. The horse glistens with sweat but champs at the bit to move on and it is not long before you remount and continue. The staccato beat of Pallenten's hooves on the roadway are all you notice as you race south towards the next leg of your journey. As Pallenten gallops on you begin to hear above the rumble of distant thunder the murmur and rush of a great river. Long before you see the Laneslem you can hear its mighty waters hastening their way to the south-east. It is a sound you have heard many times before, as both the Laneslem and Miller's Crossing are well known to you. There have been many occassions when you have needed to venture this way and the town has always been a good place to pick up some quick work. As you get closer to the river the road winds its way into an area of closely wooded forest. From this point the river parallels the road, and from between the trees you can hear the sounds of the Laneslem getting louder. The nearer you get to the river crossing the more wooded the way becomes, large Oaks and Beech crowd the edge of the roadway, deep undergrowth covers the ground between. A perfect place for an ambush you think. There are few fellow travellers on the road which is somewhat surprising. Under other circumstances there would be merchants and other journeymen crowding the narrow road, laden with goods or money. It would seem that the conflict to the north means few fat merchants will now venture beyond the protection of the larger towns. From previous travels you know Miller's Crossing lies just beyond the river at the end of a long stone bridge that spans the waters. It is a large town renowned for its taverns and wide range of merchant goods. It is a pity that you will not have long to sample them. Turning a corner in the road puts you at the eastern end of the bridge, looking across at the town of Miller's Crossing and its formidable fortifications. The entire town is surrounded by an impressive stone wall some 15 metres high and 10 metres thick. Upon this wall is a series of manned watchtowers and more gaudily coloured flags than you have seen on the battlements of any other fortified community. It is a good sign that even with war brewing in the north Miller's Crossing is doing very well indeed. The bridge does not take long to cross. It is about 200 metres long, built as a series of immense stone archways that span the width of the Laneslem. You have to admit that crossing this bridge is a new experience for you as previously you have always crossed on foot. On Pallenten's back it is quite unnerving. From the height of this vantage point you can see over the high stone walls of the bridge, and it is a long way to the river below. One look at the length of the drop is enough for you. For the remainder of the crossing you find yourself focusing on the end of the bridge and the more welcoming entrance to the town. As you approach its far end you are met by a number of guards grouped loosely near the town's gates. They do not seem the slightest bit interested in stopping you and to your relief you are soon trotting down the centre of the town's main thoroughfare. Here within the walls, the noise of commerce and town life is overwhelming. The crowds are heavy and it is difficult to navigate through the throng of the early afternoon markets. Giving up, you dismount from Pallenten then push and shove your way through to the centre of the town square. It is there that you spy a food stall loaded with a wide variety of fresh provisions.
| Do you wish to purchase more rations? If you do turn to section 240. If you believe it will be better to continue on through the crowded market turn to section 259. If you would rather seek out fresh water for Pallenten and perhaps a pint of ale for yourself, turn to section 385.
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