... to leave the lovely Pin Hua Pao Chien to visit your relative in Samarkand, we would be absolutely delighted to have an aspiring shaman on the journey! Are you going to summon djinns in the desert and go into mystic trances at inconvenient moments? *looks interested*

Incidentally, my apologies to you both for being slow getting this going - it wasn't til I started trying to work it all out that I realised how much I don't know, and I can either spend the next six months on serious research or we can head off blissfully into the unknown and make it up as we go *grins*. Since its fictional roleplay and supposed to be for fun I'm inclined to do that, unless anyone disagrees? At the moment, it appears to be just us three and our characters, and since we all have commitments elsewhere I don't see this will be a fast-paced story at all :)

I think the information Fei Xue has put up about the Silk Road in her home is good to give us an idea of what we could expect to encounter en route, and I've put a few links up here about Chang'an that might be useful as a starting point, assuming we meet up in the city first to establish our various reasons for the journey. If anyone has any other useful information or suggestions (or indeed questions), please do post them on the planning thread. I'm going to be posting up a few details about my character in the next few days, so please feel free to do the same when you're ready.

Oh, and if there are to be any more slurs on my multitasking or navigational abilities *glares at Genji* I shall be tempted to lose everyone in the middle of the desert and head off to find the nearest bar, so be warned! *grins*