The Ghost's Route - Dihl al-Taif

The Halwa route is the most heavily traveled land route. After leaving Huzuz, it winds along the river for 90 miles or so, then turns north into the Haunted Lands. After a hundred miles of desert, the land turns green again, and a caravan is but a few days away from the small town of Zarif.

Upon leaving Zarif, a caravan travels for a day or two before reaching to the Oasis of Solitude, the last large oasis on the long trek to Halwa. Caravans usually carry extra containers to load as much water as possible before the last stretch.

Almost 200 miles of parched scrublands later, the land again begins to turn green, a sign that the trip to Halwa is almost over. The caravans are now within 150 miles of Halwa, and the Al-Malih River is available for water. Finally the caravan reaches the ford at the Al-Malih River, in sight of Halwa, A few weeks of trading, celebrating, relaxing and resupplying, and the caravan does it all again.

Of course this description implies that there is no greater danger than the heat. While the baking sun is a problem, particularly for the beasts of burden, there are many other perils along the trail. Bandits, monsters, desert riders, powerful jann, and sudden sandstorms all pose dangers to the laden caravans.

Among the most prominent of the hazards of Dihl al- Taif are the Riders of Blood, a renegade group of the House of Hanif. Long at odds with their tribes' subjugation to the Grand Caliph, the Riders take special pleasure in ransacking caravans bound for the City of Delights. As one caravan leader described it, "I thought we were facing a band of jann, so fast did they come, and so vicious were their attacks."