The First Visitors to the Undead Swamp

This caravan had set out from Neverwinter for Waterdeep.

Winter was nearly upon them again. They needed to sell handicrafts from Neverwinter, along with wine and furs bought in Luskan, to buy food for the winter and some magical materials.

Caravans like theirs were usually a motley collection of small merchant companies. They could never afford to hire one of the large ships from Neverwinter that could bypass the Undead Swamp.

The distance might not be great in a straight line, but a small boat could never make it across the Sea of the Dead.

Saha, a level-ten warrior chosen to lead the caravan because he was its strongest member, let out a breath. The hardest stretch lay ahead.

They had to get through the Undead Swamp before dusk.

The timing of this stretch was especially awkward. To reach its entrance at sunrise, they would have to travel without stopping for a full day and night.

Even after leaving Neverwinter, they could only camp in the Wilds when they rested. But a day and night of nonstop travel was exhausting, even for a caravan made up of sturdy adults and professionals.

And they would still have another full day of walking ahead. No wonder everything cost so much more by the time it reached Neverwinter.

Sara sighed. The location itself was quite good, and the undead and wild beasts did not cause people that much harm.

The cold, clammy wind was the real danger. Many people had to spend seven or eight days in bed after making the round trip.

Sara glanced at the copper pocket watch in his hand. There was still time, so he let the already exhausted caravan rest for an hour.

He kept reminding the people sprawled on the ground to get as much sun as