The Eastern Passage
What players would know
The Eastern Passage is the volcanic route that “doesn’t exist” in polite maps: a broken chain of ash valleys, cooled lava tubes, and choke bridges where the wind smells like metal and old heat.
Settled folk call it impassable. Route people call it priced. Caravans that survive it do so with strict taboos, careful timing, and agreements made with things that do not care about imperial seals.
Common rumors
- Fire spirits guard the way and treat trespass like kindling.
- Travelers can cross where armies can’t—because they don’t march, they negotiate.