King's Road

The King's Road was the major travel and trade route connecting most of the major cities in the Kingdom of Damara.

Main Road
The King's Road's eastern origin was at Trailsend, the capital of the Barony of Polten, where the Merchant's Run from Impiltur ended. It travelled north along the eastern shore of Lake Mogador through Withermeet and Daleport to cross the Icelace River at Dalen's Ford. The stretch between Daleport and the Ford traversed a bog, and was the most treacherous and least well-maintained stretch of the road, sometimes taking as long as two days to traverse.

Once across the river, the Road had entered the Barony of Morov, and travelled south along the western shore of Lake Mogador to the Damaran capital, Helgabal (formerly Heliogabalaus). It then crossed the Goliad River into the Barony of Ostel, where it continued along the lakeshore to pass through Portith to arrive in the seat of the barony, Praka. At this point, the King's Road had circled Lake Mogador, and its origin at Trailsend was visible across the water.

The next stretch followed the Great Imphras River south to the city of Zarach, where it turned west along the Sidewinder River to enter the Duchy of Carmathan and arrive in the ducal capital at Ravensburg. From there, it cut northwest straight through Carmathan to the Duchy of Arcata and ended in its capital city of Valls. This part of the route was so well maintained that caravans could travel in a day what might take a day and a half on a regular Damaran road.

Other Roads
Prior to the decline of Bloodstone Pass as a major trade route, the King's Road had continued north from Valls to the Beaumaris River, which it then followed through the town of Ostrav and into the Galena Mountains at Bloodstone Pass to end at Bloodstone Village, the capital of the Barony of Bloodstone. By the mid-to-late 14 century DR, this stretch was no longer well-maintained, and was known as the "old King's Road."

While the King's Road did not pass through Goliad, the capital of the Duchy of Brandiar, the road leading north from Goliad through Helmsdale to Ironspur was sometimes also called the King's Road.

Trade
The King's Road was the major artery for transporting goods to the east and south, particularly the bloodstone that had made Damara wealthy. Supplies from the western half of Damara, including gems and metals from the Galena Mountains, generally arrived first in Praka or Portith for processing, while food from the fields of Carmathan were gathered in great warehouses at Ravensburg and Zarach for distribution along the road to the rest of the realm. Meanwhile, Helgabal was the main clearinghouse for imported goods from the east and south, while Trailsend was the main connection for goods flowing into and out of Impiltur.

While Damara had several rivers, most were fast-flowing and not ideal for trade compared to the King's Road. That said, some stretches of water were used in lieu of the roads, particularly the slow-moving Goliad and the Icelace, which provided the only quick transport for goods coming out of the Duchy of Soravia. Barges from Daleport were also used for crossing Lake Mogador to avoid the treacherous stretch of the Road between that town and Dalen's Ford.

Defenses
The individual baronies and duchies were responsible for patrolling the King's Road within their borders, and guard posts garrisoned with up to 100 soldiers were located at each border crossing. Travelers and merchants were assessed tolls at these crossings, and during the occupation of Damara by Zhengyi the Witch-King in the mid–14 century DR, the toll stood at one gold piece per traveler and 10% of the value of all trade goods. If trouble arose on the road, any barony or duchy could muster a force of 500 soldiers to the King's Road within two days.

Notable Locations

 * Trailsend, the capital of Polten and the eastern anchor of the route which connected it to Merchant's Run heading south into Impiltur.
 * Withermeet, a small village and stopover in Polten.
 * Daleport, a town in Polten founded around the industry of ferrying merchants around the boggy stretch of the road.
 * Dalen's Ford, the crossing point of the Icelace River.
 * Helgabal (formerly Heliogabalus), the capital of Morov and traditional capital of all of Damara, it was also the main destination for foreign merchants.
 * Portith, a moderately sized town and stopover in Ostel with a number of fine inns.
 * Praka, the capital of Ostel and an important stop for goods from the west.
 * Zarach, a farming town in Ostel that managed agricultural trade along the road out of Halfling Downs.
 * Ravensburg, the capital of Carmathan and a major clearinghouse of food and other agricultural goods.
 * Valls, the capital of Arcata and the western anchor of the official King's Road.