the magician, the gnomes, and a few faeries take the high road

Luncheon passed uneventfully by the burbling water, and the road was joined as merrily as could be.

Merysom had locked the house and patted the key in his pocket, though no one knew if they'd be coming back.

 Just after nightfall on the fourth day out they came to the Smiling Geese Guesthouse where the road turned at the top of a rise. The pass proper could just be seen ahead where the twinkling stars met the mountain road.

"It looks to be packed," Merysom said. "There will be refugees and rough folk a plenty. I want to get a feel for how things are," he said.  The gnomes mostly wanted to go in, the faeries did not.

The common room was filled with rough men, goblins, some soldiers, and quite a few ordinary looking rustic folk. A band of well equipped adventurers sat apart, quieter and soberer than the rest. The party's entrance brought mutters and jeers, but these passed quickly, and Merysom sat the gnomes and cloaked faeries at a table and went to get a round of ale.

"Men's ale is not like ours," he said to the gnomes when he returned. "You will find it crude."

"Then maybe we have to drink more to get the spice."

"You will see. We leave early so..."

The faeries asked to retire, and Merysom took them back to the rooms after his mug. When he returned the gnomes had ordered another round, and a couple of soldiers and a saucy wench had joined their table.

"They're so cute!" she squealed.

"And marvelous tinkers at repairs too," he said taking his seat.

"Can i have one!" screamed the woman, who was very drunk. Her generous breasts spilled from her low cut blouse onto the table.

"I'm afraid i can't spare any just now," he said gravely.

She was crestfallen, and fell back out of her seat and onto the floor. One of the soldiers got up and helped her to her seat. The other soldier smiled. "Where do you come from, where going?"

Shishus started to blurt something, but Merysom said, "We came on the east road."

"That is where we leave to in the morning. To the war, you know. How goes it?"

"Ah, that we cannot tell you. It had not yet arrived when we have left our homes which are nestled against the mountains."

"You know naught of the war then, be--"

 "My sources did inform me of an encroaching army--that's why we are leaving...."