264. Signpost

Not long after the Valley was first settled, its people spread out from the village of Spire to make their homes in locations that called to them. Before even formal trails were cleared between those locations, such as the well trodden path between Spire and Branch, signposts were placed to help those out in the wild safely reach their destination. The signposts were therefore the forerunners of the trail network, creating the hubs from which trails radiated toward settlements and homesteads.

The script on the signposts, however, has not been kept up-to-date with the ever-changing geography, so that instead of a sign pointing to the village of Meadow, for example, the sign reads "To the Dolewood Stump in the Field" or in place of Tumbledown, "To the Great and Terrible Falls."

Encountering a sign post is like coming across a memory of the past, captured in moss-covered stone, standing undisturbed in the wildness, waiting patiently to be recalled.