Sometime in the past few months, something killed a member of the Barbidon hunting party here. We found the partially scavenged bones today as we traveled south along the river, and considering how some of them were scattered in the area, Hibimage thinks a gokdok was responsible. I can’t image why anyone, even a Barbidon hunter returning from successfully dragon hunt would want to attack a gokdok. As is customary when finding abandoned remains, we buried the Barbidon. We won’t be spending the night near the river tonight; something hungry might be lurking nearby.
It is early autumn in the valley, so the trees are beginning to turn colors. Most notable is the color of the lendi trees. I didn’t see too many in Bagda, but in Tanarad the trees are grown and used in food. I’ve learned enough about them over the years to know they grow in male and female varieties. They’re also the only plant I know that has its reproductive season through the autumn and winter instead of the summer. As the season progresses, the leaves on the male lendi trees turn a vivid blue, eventually dropping off to reveal blue pollen stalks. At the same time, the female lendi tree grows violet flowers. Her leaves will not turn blue and fall off until the end of the season. The most interesting part is how the pollen travels from the male tree to the female tree. There won’t be any bees or other insects involved. Instead, a small rodent pollinates the tree. I’ve been told this rodent is a delicacy in Tanarad, but I’ve never tried it. When winter arrives and the reproductive season is over for the lendi tree, all the leaves drop off. When spring comes, the tree will bear its fruit.
One time long ago, a road was through this land. We keep finding segments of it that we missed the first time we passed this way. The large, flat stones we find are heavily weathered, and it’s very likely the forests in the region buried or destroyed the rest of the road after millennia of disuse. I doubt anyone could repair the road, but it might be possible to build a new road following the same path.