Deep Roads
The Deep Roads are a network of subterranean passages beneath Khamria and Orinilure. They were built by the Namuril during the Great Erosion and are now maintained and expanded by the Oinien. The roads connect most of the major settlements of both regions and are the principal route for trade between them.
History
Construction
The Namuril built the first passages during the Great Erosion, as refuges from the conflict between the elements and as protected routes between their strongholds. The passages remained in place after the Namuril withdrew from the region.
Age of Deep Roads
The Oinien settled in the caverns of Orinilure after the Great Migration and began to extend the Namuril passages. The period of this expansion is known in Khamria and Orinilure as the Age of Deep Roads. Oinien tradition attributes the expansion to the influence of Iriché, the Ascendant Spirit of desire and greed.
Oinien tunnels were later extended to the settlements of the Arânzeni, linking the cities of the Baviare Vale to one another and to Orinilure.
Structure
The Deep Roads are not a single structure. They consist of Namuril passages and later Oinien tunnels at several depths, joined at junctions. Named routes run between major settlements, with stations and smaller settlements along them. Routes are named for the settlements at each end.
Routes
Khamria
| Route | Between | Stations and settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Lav-Lep Deep Road | Lavierin and Lepigisţil | Sumbindan Gate, Lainer Station (sealed), Seruric station, Urth-Kelai, Binzicoș Station |
| Lav-Gar Deep Road | Lavierin and Găreag | Eroșeni Station, Gurșiviz |
| Gar-Ier Deep Road | Găreag and Ieriţairan | Urindoă Station |
| Ipier-Lep Deep Road | Ipierbani and Lepigisţil | Ierzivize, Yacinţa |
The Lav-Lep Deep Road ends underground at Binzicoș Station in the Mazissage Mountains, and the remaining distance to Lepigisţil is travelled overland. The Ipier-Lep Deep Road runs the length of the Ilergierze Mountains and is the longest route in the network. Further passages run beneath Şire Bişit toward the Irere Mountains in Orinilure. Several of these are disused or sealed.
Orinilure
The settlements of the Orinilure Mountains are connected by tunnels running the length of the range, from Biulu in the south through Orinilure City, Lirandi, Lirépiel, Aisembier, and Biuleure to Avilîché in the north.
Control
The Arânzeni Confederation controls the roads within its territory, under the authority of the Council of Lavierin. Guzirias staff its stations and checkpoints. The Orinilure Collective controls the roads within Orinilure. Oinien carry out maintenance and new construction in both. Agreements between the Council of Lavierin and the Oinien govern use of the roads and control of junctions, which was a source of disputes during the early Oinien expansion.
Trade
The Deep Roads carry most trade between Khamria and Orinilure. The principal goods are stone, metals, and tools.
Hazards
Parts of the network are unstable, and some passages have been sealed. Lainer Station, formerly the largest waystation on the Lav-Lep Deep Road, was destroyed by a tunnel collapse whose cause has not been explained. The site remains sealed.
Spirits
Biseri, an Ancestral Spirit formed from Oinien reverence for the Deep Roads, is believed to inhabit the oldest passages.