The Kazmak gem road is the chain of caravanserai that connects the Beylik half of the Causeway in the south with the mines of the north. Its intersection with the Causeway is the Sandstair, the widest descent to the ground from its heights. The Sandstair is a strategic checkpoint for the Beylik military overseen by an Aubadian mouse general named “Murad the Vast.” Murad is notorious for his fervor in enforcing the law and he has authority to forbid anyone but the bey from traversing the gem road.
Once one makes it past Murad and ventures north, the midpoint of the Kazmak is the Küzmek, an artificial aquifer river. Where these two meet is the largest of all the caravanserai cities: Kazmak ve Küzmek.
If a traveler is looking for Beylik hospitality, Kazmak ve Küzmek is the absolute pinnacle of affordable luxury. The central inn is a massive square courtyard with a hundred and one rooms. Rumor has it that it accommodates guests at a financial loss, subsidized by Bey Vartan’s personal fortune. There’s no other plausible explanation for how a guest can stay in such lush conditions for the pittance they charge.
A metropolis in the desert is only possible because of the endless water supply from the aquifer under Kazmak ve Küzmek. An incredible system of wells and gravity-powered pumps unearths the source of the Küzmek river. It pulls so much water from the earth that the river runs southeast, all the way to the east Matansil Sea.
The inn would be more than enough to justify the city of ten thousand Arnerians surrounding it. Knowledge is the other treasure drawing travelers to the middle of the desert—Broadgate University’s main campus is located in Kazmak ve Küzmek. Its hallowed halls contain the largest and most respected institution of science and magic. Here, scholars, delvers, and gem merchants walk side- by-side through the streets.