An hour or so into your travels, you notice the road taking a slight, but constant, downward grade. By the time the sun is overhead, it's working its way into a small river valley that cuts into this stretch of the plateau.
As you descend, the air becomes a bit warmer. Spruce and juniper trees begin to dot the landscape once again. Rocks and thick foliage dapples the landscape with shadows. The river leaves the road for a bit.
In late afternoon, you arrive at the Takaoka Arch, created by three massive, flat boulders held aloft as they interlock with nearby spires of rock and each other. As you get closer, you see a wide assortment of travelers' carts and tents tucked into the various corners and coves of the open space below the arch. Campfires and torches flicker brightly.
If the party looks around, they find two roads:
The Kogen Road continues southwest, leaving this little valley, heading towards the town of Yamazawa. Later, it branches in two directions: southeast, deeper into the country of Minamigawa, and descending west into the country of Herwin.
The narrower Kyōkoku Road winds eastward, further into the valley. It eventually connects back up to the Kogen Road, but it's getting out into the rural areas of Tomoe. Players may need to ask around for more information, as it's not a common path for merchants and traders to take. Eventually, they'll learn that the first stop along this path is a small village called Funabashi.
When the party first arrived, the Kogen Road was blocked by a rockslide about half a day's journey away.