On the Road Again

Hommlet.

For anyone who has ever played that old D&D game, you may remember a picture in the beginning of the module Temple of Elemental Evil. It was a picture of what one sees when they first go into Hommlet.

Well, it doesn't quite look like that.

As we--that would be Saul and I--crossed the hill crest, the forest cleared almost immediately. Fields covered the valley below, dotted by the occasional farmhouse and requisite barn. In the fields oxen pulled plows at the behest of the farmer behind them. And everything was green. I had not seen so much green in...well, for as long as a city boy can remember.

Not a single cloud could be seen, despite the evidence of the recent rain. It was the clearest blue ever. I inhaled deeply. It was the absolute freshest air I had ever smelled. It was almost too much for this city boy. I closed my eyes as we walked, enjoying the sensations of the great outdoors.

"You're not going to pass out again, are you?"

"Huh? Oh, no. Look sorry about that, I don't know what came over me."

It was a lie, of course. Whether Saul knew or not, I couldn't tell. Either way, he seemed satisfied.

"Not a problem," he said.

Wagon wheels and run off from recent rain had rutted the road. Mosquitos haunted the remaining mud puddles. Unspoiled maple trees stood just off the road, along with some shrubs. During our hike I felt as if something was wrong. Looking at the shrubs and the surrounding grass, it hit me. The standard lawn grass so common back home was nowhere to be seen. Wild grass grew several inches high and covered every part of the land that wasn't covered in wheat.

"John?" Saul said.

"Yes?"

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you going to Hommlet?"

I cleared my throat. I didn't know if I should explain my odd situation or not. It occurred to me this was a world of magic. The idea of people traveling between worlds was probably more believable to people here then on my world. Still, discretion seemed best.

"I'm not really heading for Hommlet," I said, "at least not specifically. I'm just sort of traveling."

"Adventurer?"

I shrugged. "More like a wanderer. No particular destination, really." I gave a short laugh. "I'm on a walkabout, you could say."

"Walkabout?"

"Yeah," I said. "It's something of a custom on my worl--back home. When you need to find yourself, you wander around until you do."

"I see," Saul said. "And how long have you been doing this...walkabout?"

"Not long," I said. "And you? Why are you going to Hommlet."

"To meet an old friend," he said. "I haven't seen him in about a year. I guess you could say I've been on my own walkabout, but I wasn't looking for myself."

"What were you looking for?"

"Another friend," he said. "Luckily, I found her."

"Her?"

He nodded. "She disappeared about a year ago. I...." He looked at me as we walked. "I'm not sure I should--"

"That's all right," I said. "It's none of my business."

We walked on. We didn't speak for the next half hour or so. I thought about taking out my watch and checking the time, and then realized the ridiculousness of such an act, not to mention the explanations I would have to give to Saul. The sun was my time piece now.

Ahead I saw more buildings along the edge of the road. Some looked weathered and old. Others looked as if they had been built in recent months. Regardless of age, none had the refined look of homes on Earth. They were likely built by the people who lived in them, and served little more than to keep the rain out. In spite of the shape of the buildings, the people who lived in there loved their homes. Gardens surrounded many homes, along with picket fences and trees. Each home was a little slice of heaven.

"A prosperous town," I said.

"Yes," Saul said. "More so than when I last came here." He gestured toward a hill top. "And it looks like Burne and Rufus are getting closer to finishing."

The names were instantly familiar. I looked up at the hillside, and though I expected to see the Keep the enormity of it overwhelmed me. It was easily the largest building in the village, sitting on a hill like a giant watchdog. The complex rested upon two hills. An outer wall surrounded both hills, connecting to a central complex on the southside of the keep. Towers lined the wall every hundred feet or so.

The stone watchtower on the western hill stood higher than anything else. Guards walked along the top, watching the countryside for miles around. The main keep rested on the eastern hill. The walls surrounding the keep itself looked perfectly square, with a small, circular tower on each corner. The main keep stood slightly higher than its walls. Workers walked along the incomplete battlements, carefully moving stones into place. Others continued to dig ditches and add defenses to the lower part of the Keep. The entire complex was in various stages of repair, but it looked mostly finished.

"How much longer until their done, do you think?" I asked.

"Not long," Saul said. "A month. Maybe two. I'm surprised, frankly."

"Why's that?"

"A year ago the outer wall wasn't even in place. They had some of the basic structures in place on the keep, but they only thing that was anywhere near being finished was the tower." He frowned. "They got themselves going in a damn hurry, that's for sure. The question is why?"

"Bandits?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Bandits have never been that big of a problem, at least not recently."

"What about not so recently?"

"A few years ago some bandits took up residence in an abandoned moathouse east of here," Saul said. "They were a problem, but some adventurers took care of them." He gestured toward the Keep. "Only Burne and Rufus survived. They decided to retire. They've been planning that keep of theirs for a while, but once they got the tower finished they stopped. Things got pretty quiet and it didn't seem necessary to finish it."

"So they chased off all the bandits?" I asked.

"Not all of them." He pointed to a man standing nearby. He wore armor similar to Saul's and carried a sword. "Most are still here. Burne's Badgers. Burne turned those boys around, made them into Hommlet's elite guards." He looked up at the Keep again. "Marc probably knows what's going on."

"Marc?"

"The friend I mentioned before," Saul said. "Marco Sitaca. He lives here. C'mon, I'll show you."

We continued into town. Farm houses grew more numerous as we continued east. In the distance I saw a large building, perhaps the largest in town save the keep. I wondered if that building was what I thought it was.

Saul stopped. "Oh boy."

"What?"

"I wonder if that's part of the reason Burne and Rufus rushed to finish the keep."

I looked at where Saul pointed. Ahead, where the road intersected, a farmhouse stood. Rather, the remains of a farmhouse stood. Schorched timbers remained, but little more. Another gutted farmhouse was further up the road.

We continued up the road. In the distance I saw more burned buildings. To the north a river that bisected the town. Across from it, sitting on a hill, was a large building that had been reduced to embers some time ago. Further east, amidst a copse of trees a column of smoke rose into the air. Saul stared at it, and grumbled.

"Jaroo," he said. "Damn."

"Jaroo?"

"A Druid," Saul said. "He's been here about as long as the village." He quickened his pace. "Gods, I hope he's okay."

I had to run to catch up to him. "Are we going to check on him."

"Oh if anyone can take care of himself it's Jaroo," Saul said. "It's Marc I want to see. He'll have answers." Saul broke into a dead run. "If he's still alive."