Vias Akarneh
The Vias Akarneh ("Karn road" in the Karni tongue), also known as the River Road to the Oshahni, as an ancient stone roadway that follows the course of theKarn Rivers east bank from the City of Karnesh to the ruins at Tigrosh 108 miles upstream. Estimated to be at least 1,800 years old, the road is older than any memories of the beings that build it.
Between the ruins of a mighty fortress complex on a small tributary of the Karn River, there are only three very small Karni villages located along the roadway. Nine miles north of the City of Karnesh is the Village of Zikinosh, where Karni farmers and laborers can offer a simple meal and perhaps some cots to travellers on the road. Ten miles further north is the Village of Izua, where the meal might be heartier but the beds fewer. It is then a full 36 miles further up the valley until one reaches the Village of Erretzen, which is the last actual settlement until one reaches the ruins at Tigrosh.
The Vias Akarneh does continue on its path along the east bank of the Karn River beyond Tigrosh. In fact, it isn't fully understood just how far inland the road goes. As the road climbs in elevation, larger and longer sections of the road have become covered or eroded away by nature. Oshahni control of the area along the Vias Akarneh ends just a few miles beyond the ruined fortress at Tigrosh.
There are dozens of Karni villages and encampments between the Vias and the flowing waters of the Karn, and nearly all of them have some path or access to the road, but for nearly all the Karni natives living along the Karn River, it is the river that is the primary roadway and not the Vias Akarneh.
Purpose / Function
Still not fully understood, other than to provide for travel between the coast and the interior of the region. The construction techniques and materials used in the Vias Akarneh have demonstrably stood the test of time, however, as less than 8 miles of the entire 108 miles roadway has been made impassable by landslides and erosion. In fact, the road passes through no fewer than 60 miles of thick subtropical forest (nearly a jungle, by any definition) and there is no evidence that a tree has ever managed to take root and grow through the roadway itself.
Hazards & Traps
While the Vias Akarneh is a passable roadway, it is by no means a safe roadway. More than half its length takes the road through thick subtropical forest where any number of dangers can and do present themselves to unwary travellers. Carnifex, Arakan Tigers, Giant Boar, and even Smilodon have been frequently encoutered along the roadway. In fact, the Village of Izua is named after the local name for a Carnifex ("izua" means "terror" in Karni). The giant predatory birds are famous for pursuing and hunting even a single pony or horse for days, and riders are simply a bonus treat.
Alternative Names
River Road
Type
Road
Parent Location
Included Locations
Owning Organization
