To hear such merry music after the past few days was jarring to say least; the last thing Feri had expected to hear in the woods was the familiar tunes of lutes, drums and flutes in the distance, bringing with it a sense of frivolity that was so displaced it became unsettling. For once brief moment of madness, Feri wondered if the Darkspawn had suddenly found love in the music of the land, and were baiting travellers towards them; such ridiculous thoughts were discarded immediately, although the thought of a Genlock in a minstrel's outfit was too amusing to avoid smiling about it. Joining Rannon besides the pushed-aside greenery, her smile turned into a look of confusion upon seeing the town. "Are... are they having a tournament?" She questioned, eyebrows raised in surprise. While further north than Lothering, surely the news of Ostagar and the Blight must have reached the township already? And with such obvious lack of outer defences, the populace would fall prey to the swarm of Darkspawn in mere hours... all it would take would be waiting for the horde to arrive. Even as Rannon and Feri had traversed the harsh Kokari Wilds - and the hardly easier beginnings of the Hinterlands - they had still run into more pockets of Darkspawn. Scouts once again, or simply outlying groups that had wandered away from the main herd; but one Darkspawn was enough to be a threat to this township. While the ones they had run into in the wilds had been dispatched with ease (This time the pair had surprise on their side, making wiping the blighted bastards out far easier, and without much in the way of own injuries), more were sure to follow. The Blight couldn't be stopped by mere attrition of the Darkspawn forces. All you could do was move out of their way until the Grey Wardens showed up. And after Ostagar... the situation didn't look particularly salvageable. "Surely they must have heard about the Darkspawn? Why would they be holding a competition with a danger like that on the horizon?" Unless the town hadn't heard about the Blight, in which case they were in some deep trouble. "I think we should pay them a visit. If not to stock up on food and potions, but to let them know about the threat. If they're being this blase about it, the Lord or whoever rules here doesn't know how bad it truly is." Looking to Rannon, she wondered how he would feel about a brief stop. She knew he was more than eager to get to Redcliffe, but could they really pass by on an innocent town like this? Besides, they were in some dire need of supplies. The Darkspawn seemed to have scared off any game in a 10 mile radius. Roots and berries could only do so much for an empty stomach; especially for their poor Mabari comapanion. The poor fellow hadn't been able to chase and eat a rabbit in days. [@POOHEAD189]