Great Trade Road

{{#if: The Great Trade Road|The Great Trade Road}}
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The great trade road is the first major caravan route constructed in the modern era. The road was built as a joint venture between the nations of Mardur and the Order of the Abbot, with Mardur constructing the sections in the lowlands, while the Order extended the roads down out of the mountains. This connecting of cities is theorized as one of the primary reasons the two nations eventually merged.

The former capital of the Order of the Abbot acts as a hub in the road network, located high in the eastern mountains. From there the completed section of the road travels to the south-west down into the lowlands, where it eventually ends in the Mardurian capital cities. The other half of the road travels down and to the south-east, where it was originally intended to split, one fork heading north to the arid Legion capital, while the other fork would continue traveling eastward, into the small forest that is home to the Alliance coastal capital. However when this part of the trade road reached the edge of the great desert, its construction ground to a halt. It is assumed the terrain was the major factor in the abandonment of the building project, but political factors with the newly created Holy Order of Mardur probably also played a role, as well as silence from Alliances on approval for their branch of the road. Regardless, traders intent on using land routes employ much of the road, and use older, smaller trails after where the trade road ends.