Casanii Way Stones

Alternate Spelling: Way Marker

“Way Marker” and “Way Stone” are two terms used interchangeably to describe groups of stones that can be found all across the Empire, but are more prevalent in the south. Although they sometimes consist of a single stone, they typically appear as an arrangement of multiple stones surrounding a notably taller one.

The most well known are the Casanii way stones. It is believed that the Casanii give much weight to how these stone groups are formed or chosen, before they are carefully marked with symbols in a number of colours – mostly yellows, reds and blues. It is widely considered that these are representative of the different tribal colours often worn as body art by both the warriors and the ferals. Most Empire scholars agree that as well as denoting tribal alliances, the patterns of the markings are likely code for identifying both places of safety and danger. Alas, to date no scholar has been able to make sense of them…

As a further complication, a number of traders have reported that the symbols change position and colour over time. Some have suggested this means the Casanii tribes use the stones as a way to quietly communicate between themselves – although it is more widely believed that instead scouts and on’saa? runners are used to relay messages and news. How the Casanii are able to modify the symbols remains a mystery, as the pigments appear to easily withstand the attacks of the weather and cannot be erased even with vigorous scrubbing.

When journeying across the south, the more practical traders and travellers hire Casanii scouts in part for their skill at using the stones as navigational points. Encountering stones during a journey is considered to be a good omen, and caravans will often make camp close to them. It has been claimed that the stones radiate an aura that put travellers at ease and keep predators at bay. Rumours of a “Great Stone” engraved with a great many symbols arise from time to time. This is usually dismissed as pure speculation, and if the stone does exists its location is one of the Casanii’s closely kept secrets.