Blackstone Tower and the Crooked Corridor
The Crooked Corridor is a pass over the Grey Mountains, running from Montfort to Reikland.[1b][2a]
The path is very narrow and perilous. It traverses along steep cliffs and slopes- one misstep could lead to a death hundreds of feet below.[1a][2b] As it is too narrow for carts, very few merchants use the corridor.[1a] However, some particularly desperate merchants hire mountain guides to take them over the pass, thus avoiding the heavy tolls levied on Axe Bite Pass and Grey Lady Pass. In addition, the Crooked Corridor is used by smugglers wishing to avoid the patrols of the other passes.[1c] It is completely impassible in the winter; only usable during the summer months.[1a][2b]
Until several decades ago, the Crooked Corridor was very obscure, known only to a few smugglers and goatherds. However, a series of Goblin invasions over the pass brought it to the attention of Emperor Mattheus II, who ordered a fortress be constructed to guard it. Today, the Crooked Corridor is overlooked by Blackstone Tower, which, because of Dwarf claims, has been ceded to Karak Ziflin, and is garrisoned by a mixed force of Dwarfs and Reiklanders.[1a]