[b]Aylsfyn[/b]

((I took some liberties with Skullding here, Aaron. Let me know if you'd like me to alter anything with regards to him.))

Monavdu disappeared gradually behind Prince Haalenstern and his wizened companion Skullding in the hazy noontime humidity. As they rode out from the capital into the interior of the island, her skyline of gargoyle protected spires and marble minarets lost their meticulously chiseled details and melted into a faint gray silhouette against the the blue horizon. Here, some two leagues from the sea, the land sloped gently down into the sea in a great, open grassland waffled with vast farms - both of which were foreign sights for a native of Veden's mountainous woodlands. Equally exotic to the Haalenstern prince was the sensation of riding upon the back of a horse; the Sons of Veden were hardly reknowned for their skill in the saddle. In fact, horses in Veden were mostly kept to be eaten much like cattle were in the rest of the world. Even so, the haunt of the brothers Bjorni was tucked away deep in the forested heart of the island; too far from the shore to be accessible with his kalga - the Srafn - and too far from the capital to go it on foot. Fortunately, Skullding had chosen a stallion with a comfortable gait for Theodocis that could be relied upon to follow close behind his own mount.

On the beaten dirt path upon which they rode, the peasants that tended these fields could be seen in great number tending to the furrows of sprouting grain; backbreaking work, but necessary to feed the teeming city to their east. Caked in a thin layer of soil and dried mud, the serfs looked dumbly up from their labor to see the horses clopping past them. With apathetic curiosity they watched the two trot by for a moment before returning their attentions to the chore at hand. They were a dark lot with skin coloring that nearly matched the loamy earth they toiled in. Due to the nature of their breeding and poor diet, the peasants were incredibly short as even Theodocis could stand a full head and shoulders above the tallest of the serfs. Skullding seemed to pay them no heed, but Theodocis found the peasants somewhat curious. He had heard tales in Monavdu taverns that the indigenous people of the island were the distant descendants of a mighty empire of apes. Apes, some inebriated storyteller had once recounted to Theodocis, were hairy manlike creatures that lived in the jungles of the southern lands. The Ape Empire, after ages of conquest, disappeared into legend and left only the native inhabitants of Aylsfyn and the vine-choked ruins within the island's jungles. The tale hardly came from a reputable source, but it was a good story nonetheless.

"A ride of two days lays before us." Said Skullding back to Theodocis. "But given our current pace, we will not arrive for another week. I fear we must hurry the pace." The bearded wizard dug his heels into the mount's haunches and it galloped forward down the path, launching clods of dirt and rocks in its wake. "Do hang on!" Skullding reminded as he raced ahead.

To Theodocis' dismay, his own steed lurched forward after Skullding's horse at full gallop. The Prince worriedly dug his heels into the stirrups and seized the fore of the saddle with a white-knuckled grip as he bounced wildly down the trail. It was thoroughly nerve-racking experience for a novice rider.

"Slo-o-ow do-own!" Theodocis demanded, each bouncing hoof-fall momentarily interrupting the flow of his speech.

"Unless it be entirely necessary, it is imperative that we maintain our current pace for some time now!"

As the two galloped westward, the coastal plains transitioned into rolling hills punctuated with copses of tropical trees that rose high above the land and opened into a wide umbrella of waxy green foliage. The patchwork of trees became increasingly dense until, rather quickly, Skullding and Theodocis found themselves riding through thick rainforest. Skullding tugged back on his reins and his horse slowed to a trot, the Prince's horse slowed and fell in alongside the wizard.

"We must take this trail less swiftly. Thick roots lay underneath the leaves, and they are prone to trip a horse that fails to move cautiously." Skullding explained, pointed to the trail ahead. Indeed, a narrow corridor running through the dense jungle had become of their trail now and its floor consisted of a thick blanket of leafy detritus. Theodocis took solace in the break from their gallop and took a moment to breathe easily. In the canopy above them, the forest reverberated with the exotic calls of jungle fauna. Their shrieks, howls, chirps, and ribbits melted together into a cacophonous din so loud that the Prince could scarcely hear himself think.

"I suspect the road will improve not far ahead!" Said Skullding over the roar of the jungle. "But until then, we can go no faster!"

"You will hear no complaints from me!" Theodocis snorted.