Journey of Ten-Thousand Stones

Every year, on the Kalends of Love of the Lightbringer Calendar, hundreds gather on the southern end of The Cairn Road. They plan to undertake the Journey of Ten-Thousand Stones, a grueling trek along the entirety of the Cairn Road. Done in remembrance of the many lives lost and memorialized there, the journey has taken on a new role in recent years - the Marathon of Unending Generations. In addition to the pilgrims making the journey for religious or personal reasons, some come to participate in the marathon and win glory in the eyes of their ancestors.

Origin

The Cairn Road

The Cairn Road began during the Dreamrot plague that swept across Lume at the end of the Fifth Age. To memorialize those whose bodies had been burned to stop the spread of the disease, stones were stacked along the roadside as stand-ins for the burials that could never happen. Over time this became custom, continuing long after the Dreamrot had gone, and to this day common practice in the region is to cremate the deceased and build a cairn in their name.

Journey of Ten-Thousand Stones

The journey started a few centuries after the Imperial founding, roughly two-and-a-half millennia ago. At first it was little more than a personal journey for a small group of travelers, but their trek caught the attention of those in the settlements they passed. As they repeated their journey year after year, more and more joined them, until it became commonplace. In many villages, the journey is used as part of a coming-of-age ceremony, while in others villages a leader can only be appointed after they complete the journey.

Marathon of Unending Generations

Within the past century, a new tradition emerged amongst the communities of the Cairn Road. Stories tell of two towns, Cinderbridge and Veraele, that were engaged in a feud going back generations. From both sides came accusations that the other had lost sight of their traditions, each claiming that they respected the Journey of Ten-Thousand Stones the most. Argument turned to boasting, which culminated in both towns declaring that they could complete the journey soonest.
The competition born of this rivalry spread up and down the Cairn Road. While Cinderbridge and Veraele send the most runners each year, many other towns and villages send runners of their own alongside the regular travelers. The Journey had begun as a solemn rite of remembrance, but with the birth of the Marathon of Unending Generations it transformed into a celebration of life, and has even become an established festival in the larger settlements.

Recent Issues

A large portion of the Cairn Road is within the region of Athela, which seceded from the Exalted Imperium in 3104 IE. The resulting war between the Imperium and the Gracian Confederation, to which Athela defected, brought a halt to the Journey for two years. It resumed after a peace treaty was reached, but crossings over the new Imperial-Confederate border to reach the tail end of the Cairn Road have become more difficult. Over the last few decades, travelers have occasionally been turned away at the border, with the Marathon having to be called off entirely in some years.

Henceforth during the month of Love. Let he who walks the Road of Cairns enter Imperial lands through the province of Athela, and not be waylaid without undue reason. The Imperium shall not interfere in the remembrances of the dead. As declared by the Duke of Athela.

— Imperial edict, prior to the secession of Athela.

Related Ethnicities

• Gracian
• Imperial