((Again big Thank You to everyone who participated, performed, and helped keep the event moving so well. I will continue to reply with new excerpts from the night over the next few days.))
The winds swept over the valley in Eastern Thanalan over the merchant stop of Highbridge. For the past fortnight pilgrims and travelers had been making their way to this destination from far and wide. A storm was approaching, but the spirits of the faithful and the determined would carry on despite rain for themselves and for each other.
 "We have gathered here in celebration of the Traders! Our lives, our families, our goals and dreams all a pilgrimage in its own right. That you sacrifice this time to be together for yourselves and your kin speak volumes of your character."
![[Image: T6EuqX8.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/T6EuqX8.jpg)
![[Image: pf61peq.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/pf61peq.jpg)
![[Image: GLwJpUw.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/GLwJpUw.jpg)
The winds swept over the valley in Eastern Thanalan over the merchant stop of Highbridge. For the past fortnight pilgrims and travelers had been making their way to this destination from far and wide. A storm was approaching, but the spirits of the faithful and the determined would carry on despite rain for themselves and for each other.
 *The handbell rings out across the stonework and canyons* Pilgrims, welcome one and all."
 "We have gathered here in celebration of the Traders! Our lives, our families, our goals and dreams all a pilgrimage in its own right. That you sacrifice this time to be together for yourselves and your kin speak volumes of your character."
 "Let not your fears be, stand by the guards and see their strength. Let not the rain shower your faith! Onward, pilgrims!" *the bell chimes, leading the progression*
 "The point of traveling is not"
 "To arrive but to return home"
 "Laden with pollen you shall work up"
 "Into honey the mind feeds on."
 "To arrive but to return home"
 "Laden with pollen you shall work up"
 "Into honey the mind feeds on."
 *rings the bell steady* "Pilgrims are persons in motion – passing through territories not their own – seeking something we might call contemplation, or perhaps the word clarity will do as well, a goal to which only the spirit’s compass points the way."
 "Pray help the elderly, help the young, we all make our pilgrimage as one."
![[Image: hpThOka.png]](http://i.imgur.com/hpThOka.png)
