The Soremna

The Soremna is a vital trade route connecting three countries in central Faelon: Haradel, Trilias, and Thormenal. Roads that traverse through the Soremna also lead directly to the Paz Zar, the northern trade route into Kandor.   This critical area is a natural gap in the Bar Nol Mountains, Haradel’s southern border, and the Bar Mahn Mountains, which form the eastern boundary of Haradel with Trilias.
The Soremna has been an important trading route for millennia, and its roads bear witness to its history. The main road, the Soremna Dakel, is an old Krai Jan Road.
Krai Jan Roads were built to last, and here they are, thousands of years later, still in use by the inhabitants of these lands. They are flagstone and built three steps wide to facilitate military and trade traffic. Krai Jan roads last because of the care and precision with which they were made.
For all the negative aspects that their Empire brought, the Krai Jan did improve trade and trade routes considerably. As formidable as their military was, the trade the Krai Jan facilitated led to their Empire’s success.
The western terminal of the Soremna Dakel begins in the Haradelan town of Mahnlin (City of Peace), which sits below Castle Vasilar. From there, it leads southeast to the Soremna before heading east through the grasslands of the Trilian Reach and then south into the Ikkendrach Danar and Kandor at the Paz Zar.
At the eastern edge of the Soremna is the Soremna Amalish, the Soremna Branching, where the Soremna-Altanos Dakel splits and leads south into the Thormenalan city of Altanos.
The amount of trade traffic through this area must be considered. Wagon caravans crisscross the site constantly, bringing goods to and from the three countries that share the Soremna.  Goods from four different countries travel the road, making the Soremna Amalish one of the most cosmopolitan crossroads in Faelon.
The Soremna Amalish is a crucial intersection. Long ago, the Krai Jan built a fortress there, marking the border between their territories and the more dangerous and unpacified lands of the Trilians. It served as security for trade flow through their Empire and acted as a jumping-off point in their many skirmishes against the Trilians.
Today the remnants of that fortress form the heart of Karolis. This bustling trade town encompasses the Soremna Amalish. Merchants and guards from many different countries and people groups inhabit it.  Karolis is first and foremost a trade town, often the stop of merchant caravans that know they can unload their cargo to buyers without having to travel to one of the two principal cities of the region, Mahnlin or Altanos.
The Soremna itself is under Haradelan control. The many Thaels of the region, under the Count of Vasilar, have been tasked with its defense and are constantly patrolling both the pass and the road, trying to keep it free of bandits and rogues.
Trilias also helps with the security of the Soremna Dakel, keeping mounted patrols along the road east of Karolis. There are several Reacher villages along the road to the Paz Zar. The veracity of the Trilian patrols keeps banditry to a minimum but never zero. These patrols also have to deal with the occasional slaving raids by the Dusk Cartel coming from their hideout of Skyshadow on the southern slopes of the Irkenddrach Danar.
The Thormenalans do their part, patrolling the Soremna-Altanos road as far north as Karolis and keeping a compound there to house a full-time military contingent that patrols and escorts critical shipments south.
The Thormenalans also keep a small fort at the very tip of the Bar Nol and at the bend in the Ikkendrach Danar above Altanos, where bandits have traditionally been active. Despite the fortresses and military presence, there are still those brave or desperate enough to attack merchant convoys along the road.
The Soremna is a large area. Because it is primarily plains and grasslands, it is easy for bandits to avoid the roving patrols that are constantly on the road. Flanked by the Bar Nol and the Bar Mahn, bandits can quickly raid targets on the road and then retreat to the relative safety of a hideout in the mountains that hem in the Soremna.
Because of this, there is a call in Karolis for mercenary guards and freebands to help bring trade caravans safely to their destination. There are several places to go in Karolis to hire a freeband. Still, many have pledged themselves to specific wealthy merchants and are loyal (as long as the payout comes) to that merchant and their goods.
The freebands in Karolis have become something of local legends, notorious for many reasons. Many adventurers from the region have started in one of these freebands. Some go on to bigger things, and others are happy to continue plying their mercenary trade along the Soremna Dakel.
Besides being noted for trade, the region of the Soremna also sees an occasional conflict. The others only sometimes recognize the boundaries of the three kingdoms that share this area, and sometimes they will go to war over it.
Thormenal has a reputation for being very libertine with other nations’ borders. The area of the Bar Nol sees constant skirmishing over boundaries by Thormenal and Haradel. The Triangle created by the Soremna-Altanos Dakel, the Soremna Dakel, and the Ikkendrach Danar is claimed by Thormenal despite Trilias’ cultural and physical presence in the region.
The last of these periods of conflict was in 1006 when a sizeable Thormenalan army and mercenary force swept into the area east of the Soremna-Altanos Dakel and began engaging Trilian troops there in the name of protecting Thormenalan settlements. The Trilians escalated the conflict, and the whole place was ablaze before long.
Mahnlin and the Thaels of eastern Haradel sent forces into Karolis to guard the town and ensure that neither side interfered with trade. A tense situation developed as the Reachers and Thormenal fought a small war while Haradelan troops massed at Karolis. Finally, Haradelan negotiators brought the two sides to peace talks, and a truce was agreed to that stands to this day.
Despite conflicts and border disputes, the area of the Soremna continues to be one of the most critical trade arteries in Southern Isarshael. Merchant goods continue to pour through it, bringing prosperity and opportunity to all nations bordering the Soremna.

Type

Mountain Pass