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. Located high in
the Vingaard Mountains, it guarded Westgate Pass, the only
pass through the mountains.
The road to the High Clerist's Tower was long and
steep, but, because it was so well traveled, the knights and
the citizens of Palanthas had always worked together to
keep it in good repair. The road had become legendary, in
fact. A quick route to anything was termed "as smooth as
the road to Palanthas."
But that had changed, as had so much else, since the
Cataclysm.
Expecting a swift and easy journey, Michael and Nikol
were dismayed and disheartened to discover the once
smooth road now in ruins; at points, almost impassable.
Huge boulders blocked the way in some places. Wide
chasms, where the rock had split apart, prevented passage
in others. Mountain wall on one side of them, sheer drop on
the other, Michael and Nikol were forced to climb over
these barriers or - heart in mouth - make a perilous leap
from one side of a cut to another.
After only a few miles journeying, both were exhausted.
They reached a relatively level place, a clearing of fir trees
that once might have been a resting area for travelers. A
mountain stream ran clear and cold, bounding down the
cliff's side to disappear into the woodlands far beneath
them. A circle of blackened rocks indicated that people had
built campfires on this spot.
The two stopped, by unspoken consent, to rest.
Although the way had been hard, both were far wearier than
they should have been. A pall had come over them shortly
after starting out and lay heavily on them, drained them of
energy
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