The day was drawing to a close, the suns rays slanting on the mud and wood houses of the village, imparting its last bit of warmth. Most of the villagers were wrapping up their work for the day. Woodcutters, having ventured into the forests to fetch wood, were bringing their donkeys and carts through the main gate. Gathers of clay and plants were walking back, their days work completed too. In the village the food market, a combination bakery and meat store, was putting up a sign showing the freshest offerings for sale, purchased off the hunters and gatherers that had arrived not long ago. 

The day was, for the most part, uneventful. Uneventful days were always a blessing. One could get alot of work done on those days and in high summer there was always alot of work to do. As the weather changed and cooled they would need to be well stocked, supplied for lean times. A merchnt caravan was due in another ten-day, at least if it kept to its usual schedule heading into the desert. They could make a bit of spare coin selling water, food, supplies, and whatever else they could so many of the villagers were collecting and prepping for that upcoming event.

Aheric, the towns leader, was deep in conversation with Serath regarding a rundown of the day’s events. Sereth was anxious to get back to his family, he only worked the day shift and even then not every day, but it was important to pass on anything of note that had happened in the day. The moors had been quiet today, no wandering…anything. In fact the only thing that had passed the village that wasn’t one of the local inhabitants was a herd of moor ponies, small scraggly things that survived in the harsh climes. A few locals had tried to domesticate the animals, but they were too wild, or too stupid. Occasionally they were hunted for meat, but only when times were truly lean as they picked up a flavor that one can only describe as “moor.” In general they were ignored, just as they were today. 

Old Autry was finishing up her last bits of business for the day; fortunately the towns ills were currently down and it had given her time to stock up. They had just had a bad run of some air and stomach sickness, bad coughs, headaches, dysentery, and she had been kept busy. Now with this down time she had to recoup her supplies. She had her two apprentices working full tilt to re-stock her various draughts of tonics—one in the brew room working the several small fires she had going and tending the various cauldrons and pots and one in the cellar, carefully recording every scrap of her current supplies. She would need to take a collecting trip soon and she needed an accurate list of what she would have to gather. She would be sending her apprentices home soon, she would work herself through most of the night crafting charms to sell to the merchants when they came. As one of the few villagers that resided outside the safety of the walls Autry had several precautions she took for night time saftey, but in general the trolls avoided her home and she had to do very litte. The wild animals she never minded and they were always welcome. It was however, vital, she get her two young apprentices on their way before dark. 

Dorn too was busy; he was visiting the gardens of each member of the village. An outsider might find it amusing to see the large beast of a man so delicately inspecting each plot of earth, whispering encouragements to the crops these families relied on for food and money, but his work was always greatly appreciated. There was a part of him that missed the open road, his tasks as a wandering protector of the wilds, but all he need do was look at the appreciative smiles of the village wives as they handed him home cooked pies or hand-woven clothes or even look at his adopted son and see the man that he was becoming, though he'd only just reached his fourteenth winter. Once a week they took on the task of bolstering the gardens and it was proving to be a good time for the boy to practice the skills Dorn had taught him. Still, they would have to hurry because it was a lot of work for just the two of them and there were only about 2 hours left before the village gates would be shut and barred for the night.