The recent empowerment of cantrips sparked the greatest interest in the Font of Two Paths out in Western Kin. This place is holy, clearly something unnatural creates the Everflow. Each day a new group shows up in worship, or to search the lands for a clue as to why this Awakening occurred.

A generation ago Telse was just a merchant town that connected upcountry villages to the great port city-states of Mira and Qin. Now it is overwhelmed with newbs. They are taxing the ability of the town to feed everyone. The villages in the area cannot provide enough. Food is now being brought into the area by barge.

Formerly a pastoral town and region Telse is the new frontier. Cultures are mixing in ways that are unexpected. Due to Telse’s history as a faith retreat and shipping region the language is commonly known, but new tongues enter the town constantly. Outside the walls, which enclose the Font, there are districts of the Five Kingdoms, as well as the guilds, clans, tribes, faiths and ways. They have their normal conflicts and worries, but in much closer proximity.

The town guard and militia are overwhelmed. When dustups between the ghettos flare to a great enough level they are ignored. Violence, robbery, assassination, forced conversion, slave trading and other evils disgust the people whose families called Telse home for generations.

Mayor Kellamon (Halfling) is losing control. His guard is needed to have some semblance of peace.

He formulates an idea. Find the greatest scholar in all of Kin. Find the Lorebook. Use its immense power to set things back to normal. Rid the outsiders from Telse. The last Mayor tried creating a rumor that the Lorebook was in Aszel, held by the Emperor. Adventurers ran off to Aszel to take the Book. They were slaughtered or enslaved. Aszel stepped up its involvement in Telse-ian affairs and Kellamon because mayor by freeing a significant number of slaves. Prior to that he was a shepherd with three dogs and even earlier he had a dark past.

Mayor Kellamon gathered a group of about twenty at the base of the Everflow Falls. He stands on a dias that preachers typically use. At his side are Captain Piyu, Corporal Allison, Elder Sealm and Bishop of Quar Ollium. Nils is in the rear with a doubtful scowl on his face.

His amplified voice booms over the selectees and the other crowds.
“Thank you for coming. Telse is changing. It is not the simple place of pleasure and pilgrims, but now boom town. After the various wars and quests of the Awakening, Telse doubled in size. I am trying to get a handle on things here, and am getting help. Bishop Ollium is working with other faiths about shared access to the Font of Two Paths, this should go a long way to soothing the needs of the religious. Piyu and Allison are continuing their efforts to train the guard and militia, as well as leading an effort to build a new wall. The towers are helping provide early warnings about those that would raid our lands.

“These, here before us are on a different mission. They are to search for the Lorebook. If our small village is to become a city, we must know the cause. Maybe then Telse can use the knowledge to build something great together, rather than have outsiders define our future.

“Piyu and I talked with all, and have grouped them together. They are not criminals beings sent on a fools errand as Mayor Benson sent those souls to Aszel.  Some will stay behind to reinforce others that near success.

“You, you, those two, that one, her and her see Elder Sealm when we are done.”
A fight breaks out between two of that group. A sergeant of the guard and his squad pull apart a Halfling and Goliath about to go at it. They are taken to the overcrowded town jail.

With a broad gesture, “those to my right see the Bishop. Those to my left will talk to Allison. Piyu will join you after he  jails the idiots. Thank you for volunteering.”

Kellamon walks away followed by his three herd dogs. Nils starts climbing the Cliffs of the Everflow.

Sealm’s advice for the group is simple. Do not assume the myths are lies. Go West, away from troubled times, because what scholar would seek violence while trying to learn? He hands Aamar a smooth stone and indicates the group should leave on the western trail to the Cliffs of Gallinor and Dakhan Thaeeb.

Samul, Shonie, Saffron, Behn and Aamar lack direction, but not hopes. They have their own reasons for participating in this foolish errand. Heading through the boom town and its multitude of neighborhoods with their menagerie they do not get odd looks, except for Samul due to the rare iguana and Aamar’s bear cub.

The mostly Halfling group does not have a pack mastiff, so they purchase a mule to carry supplies on their journey. They head to the western gate. They look to the hills of the Western Wildes not knowing what their future is.