Raevumil's Road

Criss-crossing the landscape of Linnath are rough dirt roads, leading from one town to the next. These roads, however, are far from safe. While they provide direct paths which are easy on the feet, wild beasts are known to wander them as well, and even when they don’t prove troublesome, plenty of bandits are willing to be just as dangerous to passers by. The Church of Raevumil offers fast, efficient, and safe transportation along these roads.

 

Features
Raevumil’s Road is built from simple dirt roads across Linnath’s countryside. The Church of the Spirit maintain these roads, making sure that any obstructions are cleared, and that anyone with hostile intent on them is removed.

 

Carriages travel semi-regularly on these roads, with times of departure and destination posted on boards placed in most towns and cities. To save a spot on one of these vehicles, tokens can be purchased in matching pairs. One of these is locked into place on the board, while its twin is held on to by the purchaser, who turns it in upon boarding. Some people, especially dignitaries and other people who travel often, buy permanent tokens, often with elaborate designs which can be recognized by anyone with knowledge of noble family crests and similar livery.

 

Protection on the road travel with the carriages, and are usually outsourced. Raevumil’s Church offers fair payment to anyone who is skilled enough to protect a carriage for a leg of its journey. Sometimes, a paladin or cleric of the Church will accompany a carriage, especially if someone of note is on board.

 

Tokens
While passage on a carriage going down Raevumil’s road can be bought at the time of departure, in larger towns and in cities, it is much preferred to have one’s seat reserved. As such, tokens are sold in most towns and all cities.

 

Standard Tokens
The vast majority of the tokens sold are called Standard Tokens. These are rather simple, usually made of wood or stone and often with nothing more on them than the seal of the town they are bought in and an identification pattern or number. When used, these tokens are taken by an official of the town or city they are in, and replaces them to be resold.

 

Custom Tokens
People who must move around frequently, such as ambassadors, noblemen and women, or traveling guild members, might buy themselves a Permanent Token. Requiring a monthly payment to keep, these tokens work the same as Standard Tokens, except that the owner can save time by not waiting in line to buy new ones, and holders of a Permanent Token are often treated better than those without. The designs of these tokens can be quite remarkable, made of ivory or other precious materials, and expertly crafted to be set apart from any other. Unlike a Standard Token, these are given to their owners upon boarding, so that they may be reused at their earliest convenience.

 

Caravans
Even people with their own means of transportation will often wait for a carriage from the Church, and ride along near it, piggybacking off the protection of the guards already hired by the Church. The Church does not mind when people do this, since they see the Road as a public service. Any guards hired by the Church, however, might hold resentment toward anyone forcing them to do more work than they signed up for, and might not protect any other travelers as well as the Church appointed carriage.

This practice is so wide spread that it is rather rare to see someone traveling without a Church caravan, and it will usually rouse suspicion from anyone met along the road, or in any of the towns along the way.