"Literal end of civilization," Mat clarifies. "Only thing beyond us is mountains too dangerous to venture into, let alone cross."

Emunds Field was the last stop. And very far flung from the next-to-last stop. There's no reason to venture out there for most folks. Just around festival time, when folks are likely to buy wares.

"And not with castle mages, my magic's not like the sort they practice in Thorne. No words or anything like that. The kind that just sort of happens when it's time to manifest itself. They were suspicious I had the ability back home, but it came out here. Couldn't control it at first. But there's two Summoned who's magic works the same, they teach me. I have it in hand now."

And is getting better all the time, now that he's worked through his mental block about it all. As he talks he continues to shift the theorbo in his grip, testing the feel of it, getting a sense of its weight and how to angle it comfortably.

"Been at it..shy of a year now, I think?"