Out on the street, you make a mental note to come back here tomorrow morning, but for now, your schedule is clear. The Warrior’s Edge doesn’t offer any classes today or tomorrow, though the tea house is open every day. Other than that, perhaps a little more exploring is in order. You’re determined to see a bit more of the place and will not let a bunch of thugs and thieves deter you. Besides, you’d had the misfortune of mostly exploring in the direction of the slums on the Eastern side of the city; you’ve not even remotely touched the West. And that’s still on the Eastern Shore. Aside from your simple tour of the Central island, you barely scratched the surface there, and who knows what lies on the Western Shore?

You mention to Ameronis that you’re going to have a wander around, and she dutifully hovers along beside you.

The only other place that looked like this part of Steelhaven was one of the streets in South Whint. Neat, large buildings, more open space, with a series of different building styles in clusters; some more modern, but others maintaining an older style. Many buildings, despite their new purposes, have names relating to former steel-working practices. You walk down Slag Lane, pass by The Crucible tavern, and eventually discover The Ironworks residential block and The Open Hearth mission house.

As you walk, you hear the faint, rhythmic sound of bells jingling coming from up ahead, and as you draw closer, the sound is joined by the strumming of a harp. The street you’re on intersects another, and at the junction, the two of you pause as a procession passes in front of you. At least four dozen people form part of the chain, and it is among them that the bell-ringers and lyre-players walk. Those who carry instruments wear deep purple; exquisite robes with belts, headdresses and veils, all embroidered with extensive patterns of silver thread. They are heavily adorned with gold jewellery and look like kings and queens.

They walk in formation, singing and chanting as they accompany a series of gilded carriages, each pulled by two or more horses. You cannot see what is carried by the first as it has already gone past you, but the second carries a beautiful cage containing a decorated ram, horns and fleece painted with swirling patterns, and he too wears gold jewellery. The third carriage contains a cow in a similar arrangement. Then, the final carriage passes by, this one carrying a casket. Made of dark wood trimmed with gold, it is surrounded by a high pile of fresh flowers, leaves and vines. Of the robed attendants who accompany it, four carry sensors, two on either side, swinging them gently and filling the air with a strong scent, both earthy and floral.

The mourners follow along; you suppose that those next in line are close family members of the deceased, followed by the wider family, then friends and associates. At the rear, unrelated mourners, those who simply wish to pay their respects.

You and Ameronis wait for the procession to pass, then follow a short way behind it as well. You note that, although they travel with the deceased, the mourners do not seem solemn. In fact, they seem… peaceful. Perhaps even a little joyful, based on the tone of the song that the attendants sing, though you do not understand a single word they say.

The procession continues, drawing the attention of those they pass on the street and peering from windows of their homes; most stop and stare at the spectacle at least for a moment.

Eventually, they turn and pass through the gate at the entrance of a long driveway leading to a grand temple. Made of pale stone, with dozens of large windows, a uniquely shaped roof, and several towers, it stands out against its surroundings as it sits amidst an array of neatly maintained gardens and trees.

You and Ameronis watch the procession file onto the lot in silence before glancing at one another.

“Let’s hope that won’t be you by next week…”

She smirks at your unamused frown and continues down the road. You sigh and follow after her.

---

Eventually, amidst the quiet of another residential street, you see a small slipway that leads into a narrow canal, along with the start of a towpath. Ignoring your displeasure at the idea of having another terrible time along the canals, Ameronis insists on following the path for a while, at least for a short way.

Now hold on; isn’t she supposed to be following you? But, fine. Considering the nature of the place around here, you don’t anticipate the same horrors as yesterday. In fact, your stroll along these towpaths is aggressively pleasant. The paths on both sides are edged with new, modern housing, each with a small garden, patio and balconies overlooking the water. Directly beside you, the water itself is surprisingly clear and barely has any debris floating on it; most of it is just leaves and some algae, rather than dumped rubbish. You can see the tops of the tall grass-like plants growing from the thick mud at the bottom, as well as a small school of tiny, dark fish that weave in and out of them. But, looking at the water slightly further away, it still appears murky.

This small offshoot connects to another narrow canal, and over the next 30 minutes, you discover a network of these waterways, creating numerous small islands connected by bridges, each one with a unique pattern set amidst the iron bars. Benches are placed periodically along the path against a backdrop of hedges and wildflowers, and there are several paths leading back onto the residential streets, as well as other slipways. You pass by a young man and woman who glide by on a small gondola.

Most of the islands contain more houses, and as you move further along, a few warehouses show up, these ones well maintained, whether they appear to be in use or not. Soon, the houses stop, with the backs of businesses and other buildings taking their place. Further still, across the way, you see an active factory, though it doesn’t make loud, obnoxious sounds like the one by the beggar camp; it’s a lot less intrusive. Soon, you even pass by a trio of fishermen, who greet you cheerfully. Considering their gear, there must be much bigger options than those little dots you saw earlier; indeed, Ameronis enquires if they’ve caught anything so far, and one of them proudly shows a large thing he captured not long before; a fish of green and silver, at least a foot long. The fishermen sit on their stools and wait for the fish to bite, chatting and smoking their pipes and enjoying the peace and the sunshine.

You and Ameronis take a seat on a bench nearby and survey the scene. You mentioned yesterday that you chose to start your journey along the canals by going down the left path and opting not to cross the bridge; Ameronis wonders now if, had you made the decision to go right instead, you would’ve ended up in this area and had an altogether nicer experience. It’s quite likely this canal is connected to the one in Lanor, though you’d need to walk quite far to get here, and there’s still a high chance that the scenery between here and there would change dramatically, as it did yesterday. You point out that, while you were in Chinminton, you did briefly pass through an area similar to this. That was close to Blackminster.

Oh yeah! You tell Ameronis about Blackminster, saying that you thought she might be interested in going to visit it. But, she should probably just get a cab straight there, rather than walking the way you did. She considers the option, as well as whether it’s worth the price.

She checks her pocket watch and notes the time; it just passed 12.

“I think I’ll head back. It’ll take a while to get back to Eastmere, so I’ll go back to Slaryn house now, get ready, and make it to The Forest of Virtue in good time.”

That seems like a plan. By now, there should definitely be someone present at Stardust, so you’ll go try your luck there and see if you can arrange a meeting with Lomack. Now, you just have to find your way back along this tapestry of towpaths…