:: Random Location—Benchford, Grassland Thorp ::

Waves of heat rise up from the plain, taking entire clouds worth of moisture with them. It is stifling to say the least. The trail leads straight over a short but cavernous crack in the ground, spanned at the narrowest pinch by a bridge of stone. The height is daunting, but the trip to the other side is a brief one.

The thorp begins almost immediately on the other side of the chasm, a prominent selling-house advertising "ravine tours" on a sign that swings from the porch. This house, though old, is well lit and clean. The rest of the thorp, however, is positively ancient by comparison. As you emerge into the center of the place you see a crude stone bench—dew-dappled and moss-covered—surrounded by a circular garden with flowers of cobalt blue.

By necessity, each of the few dwellings that circle the bench is also tasked for selling the goods and services of those who live there. The trail continues on the other side of the bench, between "Frida's Belladonnas" and "Benchford General Goods", and out into the wide world once again. From that direction also comes the bleating of sheep, followed quickly by the sheep themselves, led by one shepherd and trailed by another.

:: Random Location—Slasher's Circle ::

Slasher’s Circle

by Wm Jay Carter III, 5/23/15

Attraction: Arena

Weather: Muggy

Conditions: Small, Simple

Color: Pastel Red

Keyword: Slash

Wiping the sweat from your brow, you come upon the rubble of a fallen building. Traversing a cleared path in the debris, you see that the center has been swept to the dirt foundation, making an ideal place for several young combatants to play-fight without interruption. As one girl lunges with a “spear” fashioned from a broom handle and a damp sponge, her opponent staggers away with a dab of pastel red paint on his clothes. Thus “wounded,” he falls to the ground, acting out a gruesome demise. Only then do you realize the true purpose for the whole performance, for the adult spectators sitting atop the rubble now stand, alternately cheer or sulk, and begin exchanging money.