This is a continuation of The Road to Tal Bruinen

To my credit, I did manage to make it all the way to the top of the pass, alone, on foot. The lynxes weren't so bad, because they didn't attack if I kept moving. But once I entered the territory of aggressive bears there was little I could do to avoid death. I spent a large part of a day trying to make it the last of my trip, and eventually conceded that I couldn't do it without help. I began to plead for anyone within the sound of my voice to help me get there. I thought perhaps someone would take pity and guide me. It seemed I was wrong.

The next day was the last day of my trial. I logged in and resolved to reach my goal. The most frustrating thing was that every time I died, I was burdened with dread, making my chances of success shrink with every failed attempt. To my dismay, the path was much longer than it looked. Switchbacks climbing a ridge don't cover much distance on a map. My hopes of getting to Rivendell began to dwindle as the day went on.

Suddenly, I heard a shout as an axe swung down and obliterated a bear that was following me up the pass. A dwarf fighter stood there over the corpse of the fallen animal. An elfess and a woman rode up behind him and dismounted, all of them looking at me.

"What in the world are you doing up here?" the dwarf asked me.

I explained my predicament and my aspiration to see Rivendell.

"Sure, we'll help you," the woman said. "That sounds like fun."

I couldn't believe my ears.

The three adventurers, I think, didn't know what they were getting themselves into. A half hour into the challenge, we had finally reached the middle of the pass, where things got even worse.

The stealthed wildcats could penetrate my protective circle, and effectively kill me in one or two swipes. I had to keep a watchful eye and as soon as I raised my weapons in defense my escorts sprung into action to draw the attacker's attention away from me. Even so, we exhausted each resurrection and revive available. It took another hour and three attempts to get from the top of the ridge to Rivendell.


But finally, there I stood, looking down on the Last Homely House, thanks to the dedication of three complete strangers.


That was a year ago, today.