If you look at the map of the kingdoms in the “The World” section of the site, you’ll notice that while the Tamian people may be renowned for their mastery over the forests of their realm, the Western Deep stretches well past their own borders into Aisling to the north and Navran to the east (where the Western Deep becomes the “Eastern Deep”).

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The borders between the kingdoms, before the Treaty of Cenolau at least, were entirely based on natural features. After the signing, some of the borders were shifted around to appease dignitaries who wanted to maintain farmland or trade routes, but the border between Sunsgrove and Aisling was still split by the North Verodun River (which feeds to the massive Lake Verodun between Sunsgrove and Navran, and empties out of the South Verodun River into the seas).

While it seems fairly straightforward where the border is looking down at a map, in practice it’s a bit more difficult. The North Verodun River has many tributaries and creeks that mark slow points between larger stretches of water, making it much trickier to know when exactly you’ve passed from one kingdom to the other. Kenosh, having traveled this way many times, knows that the best way to know for sure is to watch for the thinning trees. When you’re out of the deep woods, you can be absolutely positive you’ve gone from Sunsgrove to Aisling. Of course, for our trio of heroes, their problems extend far beyond knowing which kingdom they’re in!

Normal pages will resume next Saturday, and we’ll continue with the weekly Saturday pages from that point onward. Welcome to Chapter 2, everyone!