<span class="mu-i"> ''Divide the light cavalry into one force of sixty men, and the rest into patrols of six; we shall continue on from here. Return before nightfall. We shall encamp at the nearest defensible position. The sixty men shall not scout but actively search for either the nearest stronghold or retinue of the most formidable of the local warlords. As for the rest of you, you will give information about everything of interest within these valleys, whether it be ruins, villages, or the favourite hiding place of the local bandit chief. I want everything in between these mountains to be combed out and on my desk for the following morning.'' </span>
Kicking off dust clouds as they went, the horses and their riders left in good order. You and the others continued along the old road. You would have liked to go with them, but alas, duty comes first, so with the foot and the heavy knights, you stayed.
You travelled along the thalweg, that is, the lowest point of the river where the horses could drink and rest if necessary. The temperature in the valleys is rather pleasant compared to the warm, sweaty fields and hills of Mithras. The higher attitude combined with the mountain blocking out the sun save for the midday makes it much more bearable. You eventually found a good spot near a fork in the river with good slop for defensibility; you had the standard raised so that the scout might find their way back.
There were a bunch of other things you should probably take care of, but most of them were for the long term, and when you establish your presence here, this will be your first time here, so you can take the time if you so wished, aside from any other crusader that will be heading this way, that is.
When the sun began to crawl behind the mountains, the riders began to trickle back in, one by one. Most of the reports you painted paint a picture of something out of a novel: isolated villages and their fields surrounded by wilderness, and whatever else lives away from the few remnants of society. Because the scouts didn't understand Mithradian, they left the villages by the side. Whatever bandits they did see mostly dispersed upon the sight of the horsemen. Aside from a few potshots by some of their archers, the bandits probably knew that your men didn't carry anything to rob. And besides that, no mugger would ever mug a town guard. Aside from that, there was the local militia, either raised by the towns themselves or whatever local aristocrat was still here. The ruins are also interesting. Aside from the old temples, there are the remains of what the Isidorians called 'castrums' as well as even older Mithradian fortresses. Very interesting. If you had the time, you could probably ask Eleftherios or write to him, but that's for later.
