The Laughing Road is a stretch, leftover from the long-ago days of the Verdant Empire, of paved road that was built to a strength and precision that is no longer possible since the Fall. Whether because of some subtle wearing of the stone or an unseen resonant chamber beneath, the road occasionally sounds like it is making a guttural chortle as carts pass above it. The timing is difficult to pin down, as the laughs seem to be totally random aside from a few facts that have been established.

For one, the laughter absolutely never occurs during even a light rain. Large crowds also tend to prevent it, whether by drowning it out or preventing its appearance in the first place. Finally, and perhaps most puzzlingly, the laughter seems to be at its most prevalent when the Laughing Road is being inspected by agents of the Church.

Naturally, the idea that the road is cursed, haunted, or possessed has been proposed. But its heavy traffic and Verdant construction means that Church requests to interfere with it have been firmly rebuffed by the local Landgrave. Various remedies, including the sprinkling of holy water and a mass exorcism, have subsequently failed to dampen the laughter.

High Inquisitor’s Note:
The Archbishop of the Landgraviate’s arrival in an official, investigative, capacity resulted in the loudest and longest laughing sounds yet experienced as carts were deliberately driven to demonstrate the sound to him. Incensed, the Archbishop demanded that the road be closed and dismantled immediately. The Landgrave refused, even when threatened with excommunication, and the Archbishop was talked down by his entourage. Instead, the Church posted a public warning about “demonic activity” that most travels have subsequently ignored.

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