Goblin Diaries, Vol 16: The Way Out of Ozua

 From the 12/20/24 newsletter:

Early evening, 28th Day of Winter Moon, 1218th Year, Human Age of Magic …

It’s the eve of the New Year for the humans in Zemburith, and the celebration in the city should be the perfect distraction to cover my escape from the Swamp of Ozua.

I’ve managed to eavesdrop on some of the conversations of the women in the search parties looking for me the last few days. The new queen has given the soldiers of the Seventh Legion a leave of three days to spend with their families, so the celebration in the city promises to be particularly raucous.

I’ve also heard there is a tradition where folks gather at the western edge of the swamp to send candles in colorful paper boats over the falls symbolizing the letting go of grievances from the past year and wishes for the year to come.

With all that going on, I suspect the eastern edge of the swamp to be deserted, and I can use the distractions and the cover of night for my escape.

Getting away will be the easy part.

Unfortunately, the difficult part of the journey lies ahead. I have no map to guide me, only a vague recollection of the ones I studied years ago before I left the offices of the Protectorate to launch this mission to retrieve the two elven artifacts, the Eye of Ellindrell and Ka’il Idreth.

I’m fairly certain that if I make my way eastward through the forest north of the swamp I will eventually emerge onto the Plains of Saha’ar, a vast grassland stretching between Ozua and the Great Eastern Desert.

Once I reach the grasslands, I should be able to make my way on foot north through the eastern foothills of the Darinian Mountains to the Great East Road. On that well-traveled thoroughfare, I can hitch a ride in the safety of one of the caravans on their spring routes through the mountains to the North Road.

But who knows what dangers I’ll face on my trek to the East Road? I shudder to think.

Well, it is dark now. The eastern sky is lit with the lights of the city. Just as I had hoped, the eastern edge of the swamp is deserted. It is time to make my way out of Ozua. The Gods of Urgule be with me.


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