South of the Gattainniu there dwelled a people that called themselves the Naundei. These people had long been known to the inhabitants of the river valley, but they were entirely new to the Miecans, who soon started to test what their new neighbours would be like. In a few years, the Miecan bands could be seen venturing southwards both for trading and raiding.

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A group of twenty men rode southwards, their long hair tied at their back. They were dressed in leather clothes, and wore the tusks of hunted boars on their necks. They carried two horses for every one of them, loaded with salt, hemp, honey and cured meat. On their hands they carried spears, while bows were tied to their side. They posed a fearsome sight to an untrained eye, but anyone familiar with the Miecans knew they would have never bothered bringing that many goods if they came with murderous intent.

The group followed the ways that marked the land in Naundeauni, expecting to come across people willing to trade.