East-West Road
From Ardrana
The East-West Road is one of the four major trade routes running through the SouthLands. It runs from Agropthos in the east to Eolis in the west, making it the only road to connect the Golden Ocean to the Living Ocean across Lanad i'Sarois.
Route
The East-West Road begins in the city of Agropthos on the edge of the Cardillic Desert, at the tip of Shark's Fin Bay. It passes through some of the southeastern foothills of the Thair Mountains before entering Hanaellan near the city of Lavat. It continues to roughly parallel the mountains, passing through Wilkarren before intersecting the King's Road at the settlement of The Crossroads.
From there, the road continues west, entering Kellan to intersect the Old Gnome Road in the town of Warshick. It then crosses again into Hanaellan, then into Idrellan at a bridge over the Adrilon River. Shortly thereafter, it forks at the town of Ezrick.
Northern branch
The northern fork continues through Idrellan, going past the city of Nazivonema. It follows the Vorilon River for a distance until a ferry crosses the river at Vinginnore and the road continues. It then proceeds on its way to Vesqui on the shore of the Living Ocean.
Southern branch
The southern fork goes into the country of Faxanadu until it reaches its western terminus at Eolis, the capital city of the Karis.
History
The East-West Road was once the primary trade route through the region, but its importance waned during the Wars of Arin, when it was often near the front lines of battle. Harper's Trail was established to carry much of the traffic, and is now considered more important than this route. That does not mean, however, that this road has fallen entirely into disuse, as it is often used to bring goods from the SouthLands to Agropthos to be taken by caravan to other parts of the Seven Deserts.
The western portion of the road is also heavily used by merchants bringing cargo out of the port of Vesqui into the interior of the continent. Most of this cargo comes from the NorthLands, as it is faster and less perilous than traveling through Shael i'Vor. It is also often used by the Elves of that forest to bring their goods to the nations of the south.