Spice Road

The Spice Road was part of a major trade route between Faerûn and Kara-Tur.

Description
Less used than its southern counterpart, the Silk Road, the Spice Road was a long and dangerous route through the steppes of the Endless Wastes.

Geography
Beginning at Chao Yang in Shou Lung, the road crosses north of the Dragon Wall and across the Plain of Horses, passing through Chang-liu-shui and ending at Ni-Ko Oasis where it met with the Golden Way. The Spice Road and the Golden Way each made up half of the northern trade route between the western land of Thesk in Faerûn and the eastern lands of Kara-Tur.

Trade
Monsters drawn by dead animals, the wandering nomadic tribesmen of the steppe, and bandits looking to attack caravans, were major problems along the road. Due to this, caravans along this route were known to hire twice as many guards as those in the south, and were more welcoming to passengers as a means to increase their protection.

To pay for this additional security, caravans along this route either had to carry more expensive good, or charge more for what they carried. This drew more bandits to the region, creating a somewhat vicious cycle.

Despite this however, some caravans preferred this route as it allowed them to bypass the high taxes charged by the nations along the southern Silk Road.