"Astan's army and his tax collectors have been pushing east, and from the way it was sounding, they may already be in River Forge. Last I heard they were pushing hard to conquer Aetan,," Layna says. Looking at Karn, Astaban, and Tobie she asks "Do any of you know where River Forge is? No matter what we could really use some more maps."
"The Wildwood stretches from the Sudren lands north into Merui. The Sudren people are rather accustomed to seeing elves and half-elves, especially near the forests. My village was about an equal mix of half elves and humans," she explains nostalgically, a smile creeping across her face. "My elven cousins seldom left the forest, but it was hardly unheard of to see them in the village. Not like here.... where I try and avoid public places" she explains, a scowl coming to her face.
"Anyway, I'd expect the Merui people to a be a bit more tolerant of those of non-human descent, at least in the areas near the northern reaches of the Wildwood," Layna says, turning to agree with Astaban, "But better to try and avoid notice, all the same."
"As for those tax collectors, I can't speak to the eagerness of the Merui collectors, but if it's anything like what happened in the Sudren lands, once the army moves through the locals who take jobs as tax collectors for Astan were if anything more zealous than the Astan collectors."
