⚔ Aᴅᴠᴇɴᴛᴜʀᴇ ⚔

The Way of the Manticore is a well-traveled east-west route connecting Cormyr to Sembia, serving as a vital artery of commerce, diplomacy, and military movement between these rivalrous nations. Originating in the town of Hilp where it branches from Calantar’s Way, the road travels eastward through Cormyrean settlements such as Wheloon, Dreamer’s Rock, Monksblade, and Battlerise, before crossing into Sembia through Daerlun and continuing through Huddagh and Mulhessen, finally terminating at the wealthy port city of Selgaunt on the Sea of Fallen Stars. The road is named for the manticore-infested hills once found near Battlerise, long since cleared by Purple Dragons and local militias. Despite the tensions between Sembia and Cormyr, the Way remains open, with caravans, pilgrims, envoys, and mercenary companies using it frequently. Patrols on both sides ensure relative safety, though spies, smuggling, and political intrigue travel just as freely as goods and gold.

The road begins in peaceful farmland with orchards and stone manors, widening near Wheloon with granite posts bearing the Obarskyr stag. It traverses craggy hills near Battlerise, once manticore-infested, then thins into a lively trade route in Sembia, ending at the smoky, bustling port city of Selgaunt with its towering spires and salty air filled with foreign scents and sounds.