The Augurian Road
The haggard merchant continued to stumble down the path illuminated only the grey sky above and the silver light from the lanterns that dot the Augurian Road. He could no longer remember how long he had traveled this road. A day? A Week? He was unsure just how far Orokeer was but if he could just find a way to change his bad fortune that ruined his business and drove his family away then it would all be worth it. It was then that he noticed the silhouette of a man standing by a lantern up ahead. Eager for information or perhaps just a conversation with another person, the merchant rushed ahead, calling out ot the figure. It was only too late and when he was too close that something was… wrong. The man looked as those something had taken his limbs and head and twisted and rotated them but left them on. Clearly such a figure should be dead and yet it stood there before the merchant breathing silently. As it turned its face towards the merchant, staring at him with eyes spun to the back of his head and an expression of pain and something unknowable, the merchant cursed his bad fortune as he knew that would be the last face he saw… if he was lucky.The Augurian Road is the only safe path, relatively speaking, between Orokeer and Aiteran Road, which spans most of the southern region. The surviving high clergy of Orokeer recreated it somewhat as they were recovering from their downfall. Every 30 ft, on alternating sides of the road, are unique lanterns imbued with the power of Daesaeli and her clergy to ward off the unseen force that continues to warp and twist the Land of Ill Fates. As such, so long as you stay on the road or, at the very least, in the lantern’s light, you need not worry about your fate and your very form becoming warped and twisted. That said, it does not protect travelers from the Ill-Fated that wander the Land with unknown purpose. Rumor has it that traveling the road blindfolded like the clergy of Orokeer protects one the Ill-Fated… however, the road is long and winding, and traversing it blind is more challenging than many expect. The Augurian Road was once the main road that connected Orokeer to the rest of the continent. That being said, numerous roads branch off, fork, or intersect the Augurian Road, causing more than a few who attempt to traverse it blind to follow the wrong road and winding up far from the Augurian Road and the safety of its lanterns.
Tourism
Given the state of the surrounding region, only the clergy of the Visani, pilgrims visiting Orokeer, and those who have business in the Temple City use the Augurian Road. The risks it poses make it an uncommon destination for other travelers and tourists who do not have ties to Daesaela or her followers.
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