Merchant's Run

Merchant's Run, sometimes called Merchants Run or the Merchant's Run, was a route connecting the realms of Damara and Impiltur in the Cold Lands. It was both the name of the road along this route as well as the name of the narrow gap between the Dunwood and the Earthspur Mountains through which the road ran.

Geography
Merchant's Run ran southeast from the Damaran city of Trailsend, the capital city of the Barony of Polten, to Ilmwatch in Impiltur on the coast of the Easting Reach. It thus connected the main road in Damara, the King's Road, with the main road in Impiltur, the Herald's Road. Within Impiltur, the stretch of Merchant's Run from the River Lench to Ilmwatch was sometimes considered to be part of the Herald's Road.

The western terminus of the Long Road intersected Merchant's Run in Damara just north of the gap between the Earthspurs and the Dunwood.

Defenses
Within Impiltur's borders, the road was well-patrolled by soldiers from Ilmwatch and had fortified settlements at regular intervals at which travelers could spend the night in well-managed inns.

History
Between the founding of Damara in the late 11 century DR until the mid–14 century DR, the road was a key trade route for merchants bringing bloodstone from the north to sell to lands further south. Long caravans of merchants loaded with gems enjoyed the protection of Impilturan soldiers as they traveled the route before turning south along the Herald's Road to traverse Traders Bay to arrive at ports like Sarshel. The road was the slower but safer, more reliable, and more legitimate route from Damara to Impiltur, the other being to travel down the Great Imphras River.

However, this traffic disappeared with the rise of Zhengyi the Witch-King in the, and his ensuing decade-long war and occupation of Damara. Even after the Witch-King was defeated in the Bloodstone Wars of the, trade was initially slow to resume. It was once again a major trade route by the 1370s DR.

After the water level of the Inner Sea dropped following the events of the Spellplague, the Easting Reach receded southward significantly, and travelers along Merchant's Run were able to proceed passed Ilmwatch across the Easting River all the way to Uthmere, where they could take the Great Road heading further east.

Notable Locations

 * Ilmwatch, the southern anchor of the route responsible for patrolling the Impilturan stretch of the road.
 * Cairnpur, an overnight stop in Impiltur.
 * Maracrath, an overnight stop in Impiltur.
 * Guidodale, an overnight stop in Impiltur.
 * Mulltown, an overnight stop in Impiltur.
 * Lenchford, the crossing point of the River Lench, the border between Impiltur and Damara.
 * The Long Road fork, where the road met with the main northern route through Narfell.
 * Trailsend, the northern anchor of the route in Damara.