There are novel solutions to any problems in the corners of Khorvaire.
If Sharn is the City of Towers and Passage is the City of Travelers, then it could be said that Xandrar is the City of Barges. Between goods from Passage, lumber from the Towering Wood, fish from Silver Lake, and the bounty of all the surrounding farmland, it seems like everything and anything comes through Xandrar on a barge.
As I went around the docks hoping to find a small sailing vessel to shorten my route to Sylbaran, I came across a group of young people hopping on and around a barge load of lumber from the Reaches. They were poking at it with their poles and swearing hard enough to set the river on fire.
As it happens, a family of raccoons had stowed away inside the lumber. The crew of the barge were trying to scare them off. As the crew yelped and whooped and poked, I spoke with the barge's captain, Rejix.
“Normally I'd want to smoke them out or starve them out,” Rejix told me. “But this is Eldeen lumber. If the Reachers found out I was harming animals in their shipments, they'd cut me off in a heartbeat. That's why I've got the kids trying to shoo them out.”
After some brief discussion, we were able to come up with a solution that had the little critters running away to the safety of the forest in minutes.
The captain and his crew then took me “up river” to Silver Lake, where Rejix introduced me to his friend Kineth who is the owner of a “skimmer”. Skimmers are slim, light watercraft with an overabundance of sail and far too little hull if you ask this humble writer. But Rejix and Kineth assured me they are perfectly safe and could get me to Sylbaran in less time than it would take to think about it.
It's strange that such a small craft, without any bound elementals, could achieve the speeds we did as we “skimmed” across the water. Kineth yowled with delight at every gust and spray, using his body at some times to counterbalance the craft as it turned. My riding dog, Gardain, pointed his nose into the wind and lolled his tongue. This writer, however, tried his best to keep a low profile and cling for dear life and we flew across the water faster than an arrow.
Stay safe! There's no need to hurry through the Corners of Khorvaire.
Genbo Santor d'Sivis
