Auginford — The Old South Road

The Old South Road

The old south road leaves Auginford between two fields and quickly becomes a pale ribbon beneath the trees. Its milestones are too far apart, and the ruts hold rain even after the rest of the ground has dried.

This is the route most directly associated with the Mansions. The road is still passable, but its turns no longer always agree with the map. Travelers who return from the woods describe hearing footsteps on the road behind them even when they walked alone.

Roadside details

• Waystone: the three-house marker stands at the first fork and sometimes faces a different direction by morning.
• Patrol markers: the village watch leaves strips of blue cloth where the road remains safe.
• Abandoned cart: a broken courier cart sits beyond the second milestone, its lock stamped with a brass household seal.