Entry 27 - Travelling Through Ancien (Part 2)

Journal of Galthir the Cartographer

Entry 27 - Travelling Through Ancien (Part 2)

I'm liking Ancien. For whatever reason, it feels more peaceful than Kerys. It also has several more interesting sites. Still think Kerys is more beautiful though. Astarac seems to be mid to high population, and fairly well established. Gravas' wealth seems to be concentrated into clans and guilds; the independent structures I saw were far more focused on function. Volvestre seems healthily populated as well. Gravas Stone was another circular shrine, but larger, with more intact (in both senses) walls, and a ring pool around the stone. Volvestre Stone is in another rectangular shrine, almost identical to the Vanes Shrine.

As for my travel plans, I'm sorely tempted to swing through the Cursed Coliseum, then into Tolosa and up to Lavedan and Armanhac, but I'll stay with my original plan. I should fill in the northern Gravas to Volvestre route before I close out this initial survey, though. For now, I leave Volvestre, destination Lavedan and its stone!

Volvestre Road leads west down to a bridge across the Lavedan River, where in ends on the Lavedan River Road. Following the River Road west will take me into Lavedan. Shortly after I cross into Lavedan, I arrive at the Upper Lavedan River Bridge, and the Lavedan East Forest Road. I cross the bridge heading north. The East Forest Road ends on the Lavedan Road, which I follow west to the Lavedan Stone. The population in Lavedan seems to be more highly clustered around the Lavedan Shrine than many of the other home valleys I've seen. The shrine itself is on the familiar rectangular plan.

Planning ahead, my two choices are to swing very wide to the west, then south, or to cut cross country and swim one of Lavedan's tributaries. The second path also leads to an isolated stone, very near the main shrine, which also intrigues me. Leaving the shrine, I'll head west on Lavedan Road, then south to the holy stone, then southwest along the river bight. I expected the isolated stone to be on a cart track. It is not; it is at the end of a cobbled road, and is much more humbly presented than may others I have seen. It's location makes me wonder if this wasn't the location of the main shrine at one point and it was later moved. Certainly, there's nothing else near that would account for the importance it was apparently given.

Now southwest along the northern shore of Lake Lavedan. I called this area a river bight, but it isn't quite that, nor is it a peninsula - it's the space between the western shore of Lake Lavedan and one of its tributary rivers. Regardless, southwest to the tip, then across, with my next way point being a small quarry. Actually, my next way point is a city that has built a market bridge across the river. As always, when there is a helpful scion, make sure to thank them. For those who use this bridge after me, turn left at the end of the market square, go past the cathedral, then turn right at the cathedral's front, following the winding path to a a gate out. This will almost certainly point you toward a holy stone, the Lavedan Middle River Stone. Which is also at the end of a cobbled road. Very puzzling. That cobbled road leads to another cobbled road leading north and south. South would take me into Tolosa, but I believe, after inspecting the map that there's a connection to a trail near that quarry which should take me directly to the Tolosa Stone.

It does, but there is a very interesting castle that sits directly on top of the trail where it branches south to the Tolosa Stone. It doesn't block the trail, but does channel the travelers through a stylized fanged mouth, and past the castle's market . Not badly done, but also not finished when I passed it by. Tolosa Stone is on top of another high circular dais, again with no walls, as in Astarac.

From here I should be able to follow the Tolosa Road west, then take a trail that trims the corner into the Blasted Valley. That leads down to a cobbled road following the Ancien River. At a turnoff to a bridge, the cobbled road meets with a paved road. That paved road leads past another cobbled road that crosses an island, and eventually meets with another paved road that crosses a bridge, and continues along the Ancien River past that turnoff. I follow the paved road over the bridge, which soon ends at a cobbled road that leads into Armanhac.

Just north of a small pond (on the eastern side of the cobbled road), I encounter a series of major errors in the scout's map. First, the map indicates a forking branch with a side track leading west. The fork is absent, and the map isn't accurately recorded until near the bridge that leads to the Armanhac Stone. The supposed fork that leads to a bridge just north of the pond is a normal intersection (with an Inquisitor-occupied fort directly sited on the intersection), with a holy stone at one of the other corners, and a cart track continuing the bridge's road up into the eastern hills. Likewise, another cart track branching off from the cobbled road just past the complex of Inquisitor ruins isn't recorded as connecting at all.

The errors in this one section are so extensive, and so focused around the occupied ruins that I can't help but wonder why? Opposing hostile internal factions? A top secret project? Some magic of the land that confused the scouts somehow?

That last is a little more believable when I finally arrive at the Armanhac Stone. It's shrine is unique among all the ones I've visited. A combination of a square (not rectangular!) apse connected to a singular circular altar dais where the stone is situated. And no sacred pools, or even the remains of one to be seen. I'll stop here for the day; I have a lot to contemplate.

REFERENCE 40b: Ancien

Holy Stones ==============

Volvestre Stone: The home stone of the Volvestre Home Valley.

Lavedan Stone: The home stone of the Lavedan Valley.

Lake Lavedan Stone: A holy stone at the end of a cobbled road on the shore of Lake Lavedan.

Lavedan Middle River Stone: A holy stone on the bank of the Lavedan Middle River.

Tolosa Stone: The home stone of the Tolosa Valley.

Armanhac Eastern Hills Stone (Petra Dwyreiniol Bryn Armanhac): A

Armanhac Stone: The home stone of the Armanhac Valley.

Paths ==============

===== Roads

Volvestre Road: A cobbled road that leads past the Volvestre Stone.

Lavedan River Road: A cobbled road the follows the Lavedan River through both Lavedan and Volvestre.

Lavedan East Forest Road: A cobbled road that connects the Lavedan Road and the Lavedan River Road, crossing the Upper Lavedan River Bridge.

Lavedan Road: A cobbled road that runs through central Lavedan, passing the Lavedan Stone.

Lavedan Middle River Road: A cobbled road that only leads to the Lavedan Middle River Stone.

Lavedan-Tolosa Road: A cobbled road that runs north-south, connecting the Lavedan Middle River Road and the Lavedan River Road, and leading into Tolosa.

Ancien River Road: A paved road that runs along the Ancien River.

Ancien Third Bridge Road: A paved road that connects the Ancien River Road to the Armanhac Road, crossing the Third Ancien Bridge.

Armanhac Road: A cobbled road that connects to the Third Bridge Road and leads past the Armanhac stone.

===== Tracks

Volvestre South Forest Track: A track that meets with the Volvestre Quarry Track and leads north to the Volvestre Stone and the Volvestre Road.

Lavedan West Highlands Track: A cart track that leads from the north end of the Lavedan-Tolosa Road up into the western highlands of Lavedan.

===== Trails

Tolosa Stone Trail: A trail that leads from a small quarry in Lavedan, directly to the Tolosa Stone.

Tolosa River Trail: A trail that leads from the Tolosa Road over the hills and into the nearby wildlands, and connecting to the Ancien River Road.

===== Bridges

Upper Lavedan River Bridge: The first bridge on the Lavedan River, near the eastern border of Lavedan.

Third Ancien Bridge: The third southernmost bridge on the Ancien River in the Wildlands.

Natural Features ==============

==== Biomes

==== Water Features

Lake Lavedan: The central lake of Lavedan, and one of the few in Ancien.

Lavedan River: The river that flows out of Lake Lavedan, through Volvestre, and into the Ancien Pale River.

Lavedan Middle River: A short, small, river that flows into the middle of Lake Lavedan.

==== Hills, Mountains, and other Features of Interest