211. The Road to the Southtap
The road southeast from Deeproot starts off well traveled and maintained, farmers and merchants heading in each direction, but falls quiet after the first few hours. It follows Snake’s Run, a winding river which lines the southernmost outskirts of Deeproot farming land. Decrepit towers from a Ruins line the sky to the east. Hours later, as their shadows become bumps due north, you cross the remains of an ancient road, with its once-regular metal posts fallen in rust and decay.
The Old Ones’ name for Snake’s Run was the Ninnescah River. That ancient road was once I-35.
The river and road bend south, continuing to wind and roll. The land is almost completely flat, with even the highest hill granting a scant few additional meters above the plain.
The grassy plains to the west are in stark contrast to the dense jungles to the east, which threaten to overtake the road. An omnipresent cacophony emanates from the latter: the whistles and shrieks of birds, the trampling and snuffling of boar, the chatter of foxes and racoons, and on, and on. The occasional bounding flight of turkeys, geese, and pheasants can be seen skimming above the grasses to the west, which are otherwise only disturbed by the wind.
Small groups of Striders and Watchers can occasionally be spotted on the plains, easily avoided by staying on the road. There doesn’t seem to be much, or any, machine activity in the jungle, likely owing to its strangling density of vegetation.
The vegetation is so thick, you’re half-way past a mid-size Ruins before you realize it. The stony grays of crumbling ancient buildings are almost entirely covered in mossy greens and vined browns. It’s the relative quiet which draws your attention — the occasional bird call rises above the insect hum, but the area is otherwise devoid of activity.
The river once again twisting even further to the south, a bridge crosses one of its bends to continue the road on the west bank. A bend or two later and the river widens into a lake, small at first but then widening out to be as large as the Great Rootwell. A tall watchtower stands beside the mouth, with the flag atop a second visible some distance to the south. This one appears to be vacant, though people can be seen fishing from the banks beneath it, the sparse buildings of a village just beyond.