Baking in the Sun

My day started relaxed with some hunting in Niamph. Laden with furs i had just settled down in Arilon again, when i felt that Malachym and Dresko were slowly cooking in lavaland. I went searching them, when suddenly i heard the piping of lots of mice. Indeed in the middle of the lava, surrounded by a huge group of firerats that looked starved and eager for meat lay the 2 fallens. I managed to smash most of the rats and pull the others back on the relatively cool pavement, but then i had to run myself, bleeding from several wounds. Unfortunately i fell too, but as i had informed the rest of the world where the trouble was we were rescued soon after.

In the evening we then tried to form a group for Ravyn. Getting there was no problem, but several stallions and mares made climbing down into the plains and getting a foothold more than difficult. After several close situations finally with my last strength i managed to climb up again, but was accelerated the last bit by a stallions hoof. Only Dolphins managed to follow me, but i was unhealable and so the only pathfinder was dead.
Luckily Crash had finished his nap in the meanwhile and brought reinforcements with which we finally entered Ravyn. We hadn´t come far, when we reached the cliffs of the high plains in the east. To our surprise not only scorching heat made the air flickering up there, but behind a bush the head of a maha appeared. Never before had we seen any sign of life up there and so immediately our focus changed to searching the cliff for possible ways up. We did not have to go far, before my eyes judged a part of the cliff handy enough to climb up. I was sent in as a scout, protected by Ledas shield to judge what we would encounter. I was more excited than afraid and in the heights my selfconfidence rose when i managed to easily avoid the first blows of Mahas and Tigris alike. Right in the snell the stood an old monolith, surrounded by broken fragments of others. We saw several of them the evening, but Leda couldn´t find any use or meaning.
Despite the hot, still air that made me sweating, as i still have most of my winters fur, we travelled a long, long distance. At first we went north, until the earth turned slowly green, at first hesitantly, then some bushes and trees and finally a river came into view. Here we encountered the first coyotes, distinct relatives of the hyenas, but with a red fur to blend into the sunbaked rocks of their surroundings. On this way we also found a safe plateau, prepared with a rope from earlier travellers, where the skilled eye may find a small fissure in the rocks, leading back into the wastelands.
On to the west we went until a narrow canyon leading north captured our eyes. In the glen a few houses at a small lake braved the enormous heat. One inhabitant of the village called Jiwurr is selling very strong (and expensive) axes, while others look for jewels for their wives.
Even further west we went and another spot to climb up to an even higher plateau. Here we found termites. I had always imagined them maybe the size of the smaller Myrm, but these were as big as spiders or arachnoids! Another safe in the northern rocks releaved the trader of perfect spiderwebs standing in the shade, but on we went. Now Grendels had to be fought as well, but we managed well enough. In general there were less foes than one might think, but the far distances and the baking sun took their tolls, our movements slowed more and more.
Excited about all the things to see i was running to and fro, examining every spot likely to show a way elsewhere. Indeed i found 2 more such places, one of them leading directly in the fangs of a gigantic snake. This proved to be the toughest foe, wriggling away from our blows and biting with its deadly fangs, but with the whole group we eventually managed to bring it down.
Soon after i couldn´t stand it any longer and so i made my way home. I had to search in the end, but my way west had carried me close to the way to the wasteland and from there i knew the way home. On the way i even heard that Leda had found a portal place to shorten the way for further expeditions.