The fact that Gwendolyn Duskminer not only figured out how concordance with the fae realms worked but managed to make it somewhat controllable is absolutely astounding. — Jasper Cameron, Leader of the Bronze Ravens
The start of the world's strife, and the interconnection of its cultures, can all be linked back to Gwendolyn Duskminer and her invention of the Twilight Trade. It was no small feat researching stories and myths. Mapping out the phases of the moon in relation to the length of the day in different regions throughout the seasons.
Oh, and figuring out how to make stable paired dimensional anchors. The fact that you can enter the Trade at dusk and exit the opposite side at dawn half a world away over the course of a few hundred yards. Needless to say there is a reason that it revolutionized trade across the world in less than a generation.
The only reason more traditional means of transportation still exist is due to the extremely limiting conditions of the Trade. It only happens once a month, when the Fae Moon and the Ethereal Moon are both full, pairing only two places based on the phase of the darkening moon means that depending on where one is going it can be easier to just travel regularly. The fact that the place in the Fae realm one passes through changes with the seasons also can complicate things, as if you are not equipped to deal with travel in the lands of Winter even the short trip can prove lethal.
Less lethal than when it first started. The "paths" through the Fae realms are now more like a carnival or bazzar more often than not. This in and of itsself leads to problems, as if one lingers too long you can get stuck in the Fae, and it is much less straight forward when there to make it to the next occurance of the Trade. You may make it back to our world the next month, by our reckoning, but having had years pass for you, or you could only experience a couple of weeks in the Fae, but come out years later.
Using the trade will also blacklist you with certain trading guilds, most notably
The Graceful Blossom Trading Company. There are a number of reasons for this, but most notably, there is no small amount of animousity between the vampire cabals and the Fae.
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