The Old Road

When the The Wild Hunt rides your back/Turn your feet to the old stone track/And even the fiercest Fae flees/Preferring the depths of the sea

— Fragment of children's verse recorded by Aelithi scholars following the Occupation

The Old Road is an ancient roadway that crosses the archipelago of Laeonesse, potentially existing beneath the sea, and continuing on through whatever lands exist beyond the waters.

Purpose / Function

None know the purpose that the Old Road was originally built for, for it was raised in the earliest depths of time. Some say even that it was Lynur's first processional path as he strode across the world. Other say it was built after he and Ytoniel were separated as a way to commemorate their respective journeys. Yet others claim it was built by the true first inhabitants of Laeonesse before being displaced by the Fae. Of course, that begs the question why the Fae avoid it if it was from peoples that they themselves drove out. Regardless, nothing remains of the original purpose except contradictory song fragments.
However, what is clear is that it was built to be a road and that it still is a road. It was built for individuals to walk upon and to travel across the isles of Ynys Awen, across Ynys Gwyddard, and then across Ynys Alban. Whether it continues across the Endless Sea, none know, and none have sought out anything that might remain in Saisland of it continuing towards the mainland.
What many consider the most interesting and valuable part of the road is that Fae cannot step into its perimeter, cross over it, or affect what lies inside in any way. Something about the road, which has not yet been determined, prevents them from entering it in any way.

Alterations

Some curious children did some digging within a section of the road and uncovered that the road was once paved with great flagstones that have since been cracked and weathered to smaller fragments that underlie the avenue. The bards and the druids guess that these continue the entire length of the road, although what the children discovered was damaged too severely for any runes or other markings to have survived. Since the construction, the roadway itself was shattered and either buried or overgrown. No one can decipher how or why this happened, so the mystery remains open to future scholars.

Architecture

The Old Road is composed of standing stones stretching across the landscape for hundreds of miles. Each stone stands between four and five feet tall, weighing nearly six hundred pounds each. They stand in pairs exactly forty-eight feet apart and twenty feet from the next closest pairs. Overall length of known sections of road is in the several hundred miles, but that is only the sections known to exist as part of the complete Old Road. There are smaller, less-well marked pathways and tracks that connect to it across the archipelago.

History

When the first humans arrived in Laeonesse, the Old Road was already there. Not even the Fae knew its origins and they were unable to enter into its territory. That led to the Old Road being the first great shelters of humanity when they found themselves in conflict with the Fae. Ever since that time, they have fascinated humanity and they have always wished to unlock its many secrets.

Type

Footpath

Parent Location

Isles of Laeonesse