Ivory Road

"The thinglings came in great wheel huts. We ate them and took the shinny things. They gave us small metal suns. Bad to eat but good for trade"

- The Sage of the Ogres

The Ivory Road is the great continent spanning trade route often said to be the only traversable route from the lands of the Old World, through the hazards of the East and into the heartlands of Grand Cathay. The caravans that travel along its treacherous roads are almost like nomadic towns: such is their scale that a Great Caravan can reach a full mile in length. These massive wagon trains are naturally well-defended, as they have to travel through some of the most dangerous and inhospitable lands in the world. Caravans that move through these passes are regularly beset by a multitude of marauding wolf riders, Chaos Dwarf slavers, Hobgoblin raiders, Giants, Goblins, Ogres, Black Orcs, cave-beasts, Giant Scorpions and innumerable other species which seek to plunder the riches of the caravans. As a result, a Caravan will typically employ entire families of Ogre mercenaries to act as caravan guard; a highly prestigious occupation as far as Ogres are concerned, for the combination of gold, good food and a near-constant danger is a powerful draw to any Ogre.

The Ivory Road passes through various cities of the Old World until they reach the World's Edge Mountains, passing through the old dwarven holds of Karak Drazh in the area known as Death Pass. It winds through the treacherous, haunted mountains until it reaches the borders of the Dark Lands, where it veers north into the Howling Waste to avoid the goblin-infested Mount Grimfang. The Howling Waste is plagued by near-constant gale-force winds which shriek and scream across the blasted heath; some whisper that the winds are the voices of those who have died in this evil land. In the midst of this realm stand the gargantuan standing stones known as the Sentinels. Because the journey to this landmark passes through the domains of the Chaos Dwarves, only a heavily guarded caravan stands any chance of arriving in one piece. The Sentinels are a pair of colossal rock formations jutting from the ashen plains, deep within the Howling Wastes. This trading post is the only relatively safe place anywhere in this nightmarish landscape, remaining so despite its proximity to the Chaos Dwarf fortress outpost of Daemon's Stump; a ghastly citadel where the scions of Chaos prowl. The Sentinels host a thriving trade in the Rhinoxen, fur, provisions, and other equipment necessary for a successful trek through the mountains; a caravan will often change guards here before heading off on the next leg of its journey. The sheer faces of the standing stones, eroded by centuries of harsh weather, have countless winches, lantern tunnels, Gnoblar nests, smuggler's holes, pulley system attached to them, and regularly teeming with the activity of merchants and adventurers at all hours. As the caravan heads out of the Sentinels, the road forks into two different routes; one leads to Cathay, the other to the Kingdoms of Ind. The south road, will lead the caravan into the trading settlement of Pigbarter at the mouth of the River Ruin. Pigbarter is a small trading post just south of the Dark Lands, where traders from many nations rest before their final journey through the Spice Route towards the Kingdoms of Ind. The Spice Route passes in between the borders of the Ogre Kingdoms and those of Gnoblar Country. The Spice Route eventually leads the caravan towards the northern borders of Ind, at the tail of a massive mountain range. The Mountain ranges still hold many monasteries belonging to the Celestial Dragon Monks, a cadre of mystical but highly aggressive warriors who have lived in the mountains for many lifetimes, teaching and learning the practice of enlightenment through violence, strict meditations, and training. Some of these monks have even learned to breathe fire and run across water without breaking the surface.

The northern route continues along the Ivory Road, which runs its course through the mountainous Ogre Kingdoms. This route is far more dangerous then the southern route, and many Great Caravans have met their end in this icicle-encrusted wasteland. Caravans along this route have to contend with brutal tribes of Ogres, in addition to the hundreds of raiding Gnoblar tribes who try to steal anything not nailed down. However, under the tyrannical reign of Greasus Goldtooth, the road through the Ogre Kingdoms has been relatively safe. As the numerous tribes are now under Greasus' rule, they must contend with his wrath if they wish to raid a caravan; a tribe will only attack one of these caravans if their situation is in dire need of their plunder. In fact, many Ogres have begun to hire themselves out as mercenaries to these same caravans, defending them from Sabretusk, feral Gorgers, hungry Cave Beasts, and on rare occasions even hordes of Yhetee descending from the mountain peaks.

Once these traders pass the Mountains of Mourn, the Caravan will face one last obstacle in their journey. This obstacle is the great Baleful Desert of north-eastern Cathay. This once-verdant land was the original homeland of the Ogres, but since the arrival of the Great Maw, it has become nothing more then a treacherous wasteland. During this journey, most of the wagons will erect large metal screens to protect themselves from the hazardous landscape. Most of the caravan's occupants spend the remainder of the journey huddled up in these coaches; the only threats to the caravan are the occasional Ogre pilgrims or the monstrous insects of the desert. The main dangers of this leg of the journey are disease, dehydration, and starvation. Although the journey is incredibly difficult, it is also unbelievably lucrative, and all guards and assistants are extremely paid well in the end, while the merchants also pocket a pretty penny.

Source
Warhammer Armies: Ogre Kingdom (6th Edition) p. 54