The expedition, when at last it was organized, was a very large one, and heavily guarded, as well it had to be. To be sure, the experienced mason-enchanters that would be performing the work needed protection from the usual assortment of desert dangers, including the aforesaid bandits; but they also found that those operating the rest stops along their route, should they discover the expedition's ultimate goal, would express their displeasure in very definite terms. Most, at the very least, saw no future in providing aid to a mission that would put them out of business if successful. It was a reduced and haggard party that arrived at Rukhiltik, a village at the southern terminus of the caravan route, but two masons and some supplies survived, and within a matter of vigils the village had been marked with a prearranged symbol. When Ivridan, having built a gate at their end, suddenly found themselves able to send items through it (they had been regularly poking it with rocks in order to determine when the expedition had arrived), more masons and supplies were sent through to help build a corresponding gate in Rukhiltik. After several turns, Ivridan had its trade route, Rukhiltik could look forward to a new era of prosperity, and, almost instantly, nearly every other xtauh group with an interest in the north-south trade sought to either protect or undermine this state of affairs.