The Sky Roads are located in southern Lustria.
The Sky Roads stretch high over the southern jungle of the continent of Lustria, enormous obsidian pathways suspended from towering pillars. At one time, they connected the Lizardmen temple-cities of Oyxl and Chupayotl and stretched down into the Culchan Plains, allowing travellers to avoid the dangers of the Headhunter's Jungle.[1a]
The Sky Roads were among the Lizardmen's greatest architectural accomplishments, glittering highways hanging above the jungle canopy along which armies marched and glyphs pulsed with magic to light the way. These glories faded with the loss of Chupayotl. Now, large sections of the Sky Roads have crumbled away and travellers must always look out for Ripperdactyls.[1a]
The Sky Roads are an invaluable channel of the Geomantic Web, and the magic which flows through them has, in the past, allowed them to bridge distances far greater than those allowed by their mere physical dimensions. Occasionally, a Slann will conduct the rituals of awakening, channeling power into the Sky Roads' glyphs so they can reach any point of Lustria's magical network.[1a]
The most recent example of this happened in 2349 IC, when an army from Itza used the Sky Roads to reach the besieged Citadel of Dusk and helped drive off the attacking Dark Elves. Each time the Sky Roads are used in this manner their glyphs weaken, so the Slann are loath to resort to them. Still, the Culchan riders have reported occasions when the Sky Roads activated by themselves, taking the Skinks far from their home.[1a]
The Sky Roads are still used as regular pathways. Without the relatively clear paths they provide, crossings into the Culchan Plains and beyond would be far more difficult. These days, they are largely the province of the famed Chameleon Skink Oyxl's Culchan riders. These Skinks patrol the roads on their carnivorous avian mounts, ensuring no threat to their homes can approach along these highways.[1a]
The Culchans are well suited to the task. With their strong legs and sure-footed gait, the creatures bound across ruined sections, and they are more than vicious enough to drive back any other predators they might meet. Culchan rider camps are common on the Sky Roads, with some Skinks spending their entire lives above the jungle, guiding travellers, or driving off those who have no right to walk these ways.[1a]