Coast Road

As the name suggests, this highway hugs the coastline from the town of Darnagal through Freegate and Eastwych into the Forest of Hope past the fabled dungeon of Rappan Athuk before merging into the Lowwater Road culminating at Amrin Ferry. It is the primary overland trade route linking the preceding settlements together, and it surprisingly offers a safer alternative than sailing across the stormy seas and the pirate-infested waters of the Pontine Straits. Nonetheless, merchants and travelers trekking over the Coast Road always stick to the well-worn thoroughfare rather than stray into the surrounding wilderness. Small villages and inns line the sides of the road at regular intervals, offering shelter, security, and a warm meal to anyone willing to pay a handsome price for these valuable amenities. Seasoned explorers make haste while the sun shines and wisely hunker down when night falls. Only Eastwych and Amrin Ferry routinely patrol the stretches of road under their jurisdictions; otherwise anyone walking along the Coast Road must go it alone. For this reason, caravan leaders typically hire experienced adventurers to accompany them on the long slog down the Akadonian shoreline.
Brigands are a recurring nuisance on the Coast Road. Concerted efforts to permanently eradicate the threat proves useless, as two ruffians spring up to take their deceased or captured predecessor’s place. Worgs and ordinary wolves plague the route as well, especially when darkness falls across the land within the confines of the Forest of Hope. Meanwhile, ogres and their bugbear minions pay little attention to when and where they attack creatures moving across the Coast Road. Various bog dwellers stalk sections of the highway close to the Great Salt Marsh, while rumors about a vampire haunting the stretch of road through the forest circulate through every inn and tavern along the way.

Type

Road