Naturally, once we got back to town, we promptly made a bee-line for the inn to get some food (I say naturally because Haley was with us, and she definitely loves her food!), and then headed went our separate ways. I suspect the owner of the magic shop did quite a brisk business... Of course, his selection was a bit limited, but still, I know that I, for one, found a few really interesting toys. I can't wait to try them out!

Having spent a few days in town, we decided to head on out. I mean, I was starting to get a little bored, and apparently the others decided to oblige me and seek adventure elsewhere (although I heard Al mutter something about how he just wanted to get me out of town before I brought the authorities down on us; I really have no idea what he was talking about!). Choosing a direction at random, I led us off to the south, through the lovely countryside. I was content to just sort of wander aimlessly for a while and see what there was to see, but others amongst our merry band are less interested in natural wonders, I take it, so we were hustled off down the road, until we hit a crossroads. And of course, logic being so important to our group, we flipped a gold piece, decided to head west, and kept on going. It was at this point that one minor point came up; my companions had, for the most part, foolishly neglected to stock up on provisions before heading off into the wilderness, despite being loaded down with more gold than they knew what to do with! I really wonder about those people!

Fortunately, Sam and I were able to provide adequately for our companions (I take it his elven blood is responsible for his great intelligence and wisdom), but it quickly became apparent that, since the two of us hadn't exactly packed for six, we would need to stop somewhere soon to get food and water. Remind me not to go camping with Haley!

We set out again disgustingly early on the next morning (my beloved companions are, for the most part, morning people, I'm afraid), and hadn't gone too far when we came across a vardo (remember those? They're Vistani wagons.) broken down in the middle of the road. Naturally, as the wonderful people we are, we offered our assistance. The leader of the little band, a nice young lady named Dulcimae, was standing around directing the efforts of five rather obnoxious looking men who turned out to be her half-brothers. They wanted nothing to do with us, but since they also hadn't gotten much anything accomplished, Dulcimae overrode them and gladly accepted our help, saying she would reward us in some way. Soon enough, we were finished getting them back on their way (strangely, we wound up doing all the heavy work), and our reward was a way out of this place! Apparently, the Vistani are able to travel through the Mists at will, unlike the average person, so Dulcimae was going to take us with her when she reached the boundary of whatever land it was that we were currently in.

Several hours later, we encountered the Mists, and true to her word, Dulcimae guided us through them! This did involve staying very close to the vardo, since it was almost impossible to see anything, and that meant that we had to put up with sneers and annoying comments from her brothers, but it was a small price to pay to actually have a guide who knew how to get us to some place worth while! Unfortunately, Dulcimae, it turns out, isn't pure Vistani, so... she got us lost. Again. After her brothers cursed her out a bit (the ungrateful swine), we emerged fully from the Mists and found ourselves at the bottom of some cliffs in a burning hot desert!