Standard Imperial Road

All Roads Lead to Home

"You would think the Order of Roads would be responsible for fixing these things, but it's the Order of Stones and the Roadsmiths who get the work. Sometimes, the Empire makes no sense in how it works. But so long as it does, and the roads remain intact, it is a good time in the world."

— Anonymous Traveler

Across all of the Rhyliss Empire, stone roads are a common sight which make it much easier to travel between cities. While the apparent form these roads take is simple, a great deal of care is taken when they are built. Inspectors from the Order of Stones will search out a suitable course for the road to run, making sure to mark it for others who will come later. Roadsmiths are brought in to check the desired path for any obstructions or issues before starting their own work.

The work begins by finding the necessary materials. Stones of similar sizes are shaped to have mostly-flat sides, often being stones more resistant to wear over time. The roads outside of cities are often made of granite or similarly durable rock, while inside cities the choice is often left to the appropriate authority. All trash from this process is saved, as it will be useful later.

Once a supply of stone is prepared, the course of the road is set by digging roughly one human handspan deep and packing the earth underneath. Once this is done, the shards of rock taken from the road stones is laid into the place and fine dirt (or sand) is packed into it. Only after this process are the stones for the road laid down. After the stones are in place, more of the dirt removed from the road bed is packed down between the stones to keep them from moving too much. The edges of the road are sloped downward away from the road itself, to allow water to flow off of the road. At least once a year, and after major storms, the Order of Storms dispatch people to look for any serious damage to the roads which will need repair. There has not been a new road laid down in a generation, leading some to suggest this is a sign the Empire is beginning to fail.

The network of roads connects each major city, military fort, and other major sites of importance. At the borders of the empire, the roads are often set to connect to another existing road, allowing travel to be easier.

• At Fort Redwolf to the east, the Old Alishan Road is just over the Sangua River. The bridge is maintained by people from Helenic due to treaty stipulations.
• In the west, the town of Athander marks the end of Imperial roads and the beginning of the Great Roseroad which travels into Firos.
• North of Pendelholm, the town of Arrowvale connects the Golden Way to Imperial roads at the midpoint of the town. This is done by a special arrangement with Gilvonnaie to extend the road past the established borders.
• Just outside Fort Goldclaw, Durrsian roads connect and wind their way into the wilderness of the Icecrown Mountains. During winter, these roads are not guaranteed to be safe.
• A single exception to the rule extends southwards from Fort Sutherwind in the Kiroan Province. Along the coast there is an Imperial road ending at Sevilan Island, and this is maintained almost entirely through taxes paid by trading companies operating out of that location.

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Development

Among many things which are considered "the pride of the Empire", the development and construction of a standardized road system remains one thing setting Rhyliss apart from other parts of Erisdaire. Roads did exist before the Empire, and some of those roads still exist today. However, there were simply few capable of sustaining a massive realm and its later expansion. To that end, artisans and followers of Bartholomew were tasked with developing a means of travel across the lands under Imperial authority.

Over the course of a year, there were a number of prototypes and tests done to design a vehicle which would be rugged enough to last on poor roads and simple enough to repair on the road with proper skills and basic tools. This vehicle was the precursor to the Imperial wain and helped move the design of the roads. The width of the wagons became the base from which the roads were designed, with the roads being wide enough for two wagons to pass each other going in opposite directions. Due to the amount of expected travel, the road was intended to be made with bricks. However, the cost of building the roads had this be changed to cut stones locally taken from the regions the road goes through.

The design of the roads have not significantly changed over the centuries, only the materials which are now used. Having an existing road network and more plentiful wagons to haul stone has allowed the Order of Stones to steadily replace older stone and keep it visually consistent across the whole empire. The latest other advancements in roads has been attempts outside of the Empire to enchant roads of similar construction for alternative purposes. None of these efforts have been sanctioned by the Roadsmiths, as of yet.

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