Scroll of Hel's Causeway

In the days when the Helcynngae Peninsula was once flat and blanketed by forests there were seven human clans that lived amongst forest. The forest was dangerous and built strong clans, though their numbers remained small. The Elves moved in and used their wild magic to empower nature and make it more wild. The human clans, though great warriors, did not have the numbers nor the knowledge to compete. But even then, the ambition of Humans was noticed by the gods.
The land roared and grew into the air. The forest retreated in fear, creating the Cumorian Mountains. Hel’s machinations had begun. She used these mountains to camouflage their true purpose, to create a causeway connecting to the Under Realms. She sent a demon to treat with the humans of the land.
He stepped onto land, backlit by the setting sun. His skin was putrid and mottled, a patchwork of colors and textures. Grotesque even in flattering light. Slender curved horns ordained the top of his head and his mouth was filled with jagged teeth that always grimaced in pain. The very air around his body glowed a dark green, and labored breathing followed each step.
There he made a deal with each tribe, giving their blood great powers should they dutifully worship his mistress, Hel. Tired of being meek and unable to gain any ground against the Elven civilization they agreed and started their campaign for rulership of the peninsula.

Parts of the original causeway can be seen around the foothills of the Cumorian mountains. Tall pillars with flat sides jut out of the ground and contain between 4 and 8 sides. The Heldring have lost the rites and magic needed to invoke the passageways, but they were once used to travel quickly across the peninsula and could even connect to planes of existence. Rain and wind have worn most of the causeway, leaving behind worn rock and making it indistinguishable from any other mountain range.
The Scroll of Hel’s Causeway shows a map of entry portals along the route and contains shorthand runes for the magic that must be invoked. The Cult of Hel is in search for complete parts of the causeway and experimenting the ancient magic that once controlled it. Guided by Hel herself, they will surely succeed, though it any who have attempted travel have died.
Despite the growing power of the Cult of Hel, the full breadth of the causeway remains hidden. Simple caches of bone weapons have been found but fully decoding the shorthand is slow and tedious work. The true extent of the causeway is unknown, but the cult holds out hope that the answers will be unlocked and the ancient magic will soon be within their grasp.
Once they regain their former glory, with all the strength of Hel behind them, they will send the invader gods away from this land and fully expunge any traces of Foere culture from their ancestral lands. The Kingdom of Foere was crumbling and it now time to restore the ancient balance and this scroll is the cult’s key, if only they could unlock it.

Purpose

To help her followers traverse the new land Hel gave her loyal minions a guide through the new landscape she created. Gates could move them across the realm, allowing them to outmaneuver any enemies. Each entrance required different runes to be invoked to open the portal and once you entered you could only go forward to its linked location.
The scroll is marked with important locations that contain caches of healing potions and other emergency supplies that their warriors would be able to use in times of war, though only surface level intrusions have been made.
Even from the time of Hel’s dominance, few outside the high clergy knew the secrets of the causeway. Yes, it was used to move entire armies along the mountain range, often at the enemy's flank, but the foot soldiers just marched.
The road itself is a 2 foot wide plank of wood raised above Under Realm. Depending on the runes invoked there could be many such walkways running parallel to each other. Large four-wheeled carts were out of the question, but one-wheeled carts could be balanced along and pushed by individual soldiers. Once inside, soldiers would move swiftly along the causeway until reaching their pre-determined destination at which point the entrance closes behind them.

Document Structure

Legal status

The worship of Hel was already beginning to wane on the peninsula, many of the tribes were beginning to question their reliance on the Lady of Pestilence. Many of the powerful thegns were especially against the sacrifice of their children, wanting to solidify their political power instead of making sacrifices for the benefit of Hel, but many were too connected with the clergy to openly suggest any change.
Once Foere invaded there was a great period of change and opportunity for those who wanted to move power away from Hel to instead make alliances with the foreign invaders. Treaties were made and signed and many thegns sided with Foere and converted to the worship of Thyr and Eostre, God of Law and Goddess of Paladins, respectively.
Those who sided with Hel lost the war and worship of her was made illegal, the new government of the Heldring would tie their authority the new gods. The laws of the Heldring have always been strict, so worship of Hel could be punishable by death. Those caught, or even rumored to have whispered her name, would be summarily executed. Anything associated with her or her follows were forbidden, even cloth worn by their clergy would be gathered and burned in great pyres. Powerful artifacts that could not be destroyed would be hidden and studied until their means of destruction could be uncovered. Only the most trusted follows of Thyr and Eostre would be allowed to study the artifacts and very little has been learned about them. Should the King of the Helcynn learn of the Scroll of Hel’s Causeway become known to the Heldring all who knew of its existence would be put to death and scroll destroyed.
The causeway itself has been hidden for many years and the Heldring has made little progress on finding it. That is, until a group of adventurers stumbled upon a portal by chance. They kept its existence a secret, knowing the power it contains, and the danger it poses to those who love Justice and Law.