Great North Road
Great North Road – One of the continent’s most vital north-south trade routes. The road connects with a network of roads running through the northern and southern kingdoms. Four major southern trade roads connect with the southern terminus of the road at city of Goutara, a great trading center. The road goes north through the towering mountains of the Spine. The road is kept in a high state of repair by the various lords, merchants’ guilds and local governments that control various stretches. . The portion of the road that extends over the Spine is typically closed by snow from late fall to mid-spring, but unexpected snowfall can temporarily render the road impassible in early Fall or late spring.
The policing and maintenance of the road is funded by tolls collected by the local authorities on the stretches they control. The major merchant guilds negotiate the toll rates that the authorities will charge. The merchant guilds will also hire bandit chasers, bounty hunters or even private armies to deal with threats to the road. Over the centuries defending the road has provided regular employment for the military religious orders like the Alyites and the Zalarites.
North of mountains the roads splits at the city Kaiden. The Great Western road goes through the lands south of the Windy Sea and the Emperor’s Road continues north, eventually leading to Karmis. These roads are generally well patrolled. In the wilder areas travelers can stay at large, secure inns that offer walled compounds, many rooms, extensive stables and provisions. These inns are generally run as concessions leased by the local authorities. The inns often have considerable commercial activities in their compounds including wheelwrights, saddle makers, cobblers and blacksmiths. The inns also offer good opportunities for bards, tavern dancers, professional gamblers and prostitutes to make a living.
Purpose / Function
The road is meant to provide a reliable north-south trade route between the Kingdoms surrounding the Windy Sea in the north and those surrounding the Sea of Lamps in the south.
Architecture
The road is generally paved and well-drained with stone bridges across any water obstacles
History
The road was built roughly 1000 years ago by the now defunct Sallien Empire to open large scale trade with South. When the empire collapsed 800 years ago various local rulers realized that the road constituted an important source of revenue so the continued to patrol and maintain the road. Merchant associations and the military religious order have also seen the maintenance of the road as important to their goals and have used their political and economic to compel cooperation around the use of the road.
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