The Grand Highway is a meta-setting suitable for many fantasy roleplaying games, including the 5th edition of the world’s most popular fantasy RPG.
This winding, ancient roadway ties together a variety of fascinating communities. In some sections, the path is broad and paved with fine cobblestone and brick, gleaming in the sun. In others, it takes the form of a meager and overgrown cart rail through impassable terrain. Villages, outposts, ruins, farms, and cities line the route. Some are inhabited by festive and hardy townsfolk, eager to pass on news or share their limited resources. Others may contain dark secrets or temptations.
For one long stretch of the Highway, the King’s River (though no one knows which King) parallels the promenade. Enterprising travelers may catch a ride up or down the river on barges or small fishing boats.
Bridges are common along the river, but there is debate over the value of leaving the path.
It is common to meet strange people who may claim to be from other realms or worlds. They may not speak a familiar language. Be guarded. Be open.
Assumptions
At its core, the Grand Highway allows DMs to tie together adventures from a variety of settings without any explanation. This was something I always desired when I DMed in my initial years, pulling ideas and resources from various magazines, modules, and other sources. There should be no explanation for these sudden shifts. It simply is. Such is a journey through the strange world and way that is the Grand Highway.
Utilize these resources as inspiration.
If a player, through their character inquires about such inconsistencies, they should face the unknowable that is life and existence.
History
No one knows how they get to the Grand Highway, but they know somewhere at its end they will arrive at the Eternal Shrine, a booming city and religious center that greets travelers from across existence. If an adventurer finds themselves traversing the route, they instantly sense this and feel drawn to complete their journey.
Game Translation: Whenever a PC comes across the Grand Highway, they gain an internal compass of sorts that points them toward the Eternal Shrine. That may mean nothing to them, but even if they stray from the path or become disoriented, this compass draws them to the Shrine.
A few truths then to consider:
- Every PC who arrives in the Grand Highway knows they are not home – they have traversed into a foreign place.
- They also instantly sense the pull of the Eternal Shrine however.
- There is a strange balance in this – they are not surprised at weird sights even as they can recognize it is weird.
There are no monsters along the Grand Highway. Every living creature has a role, a personality, a purpose for existence – even if it is to survive another day. Of course, many beings choose desperate measures to survive or embrace paths of evil for their own reasons. Most living creatures, even if rumored to be violent and villainous in other realms, desire to live a peaceful life. Murder is a violation of life like anywhere else, discouraged and punished by whatever justice systems exist.
Wild creatures, of course, exist. Whether a rabbit or a giant lizard, these creatures have a beautiful and animated existence – seeking to find food for the day, safety for the night, and an ability to procreate. They will defend their lairs or flee from danger.
The greatest need for all communities along the Highway is food. Daily sustenance is scarce. Droughts and disease are common. As such, farmland can be jealously guarded, and wild game and livestock are highly sought after. This need for food brings many creatures into conflict and forces normally pacifist people to desperate measures. PCs should spend an exorbitant price for a decent meal.
Bargetown
Halfway through the brutal journey, the strange sprawling town of Bargetown unfolds before the adventurers. A ramshackle assortment of shacks and sheds hover near the King’s River bank. Here, working class folk, many who ply their trades fishing or ferrying goods or passengers along the river, eke out a meager existence. On the cliffs over looking the river town, the more prominent estates cast a judgment on those below.
Close to the pock-marked stones of the Highway is a tavern, Billey’s Respite. With a common room and a couple of private rooms, Billey, an aging halfling innkeeper, welcomes a decently comfortable spot for travelers but does most of her business with townsfolk who come for the cheap food.
Hunger dominates the town. The lack of river traffic, down year over year, has folks
Billey’s Respite is run by Billey, a halfling cook who runs a tight ship, offering a daily stew that is cheap and nourishing.
