Like a game of Broken Telephone, the deterioration of the Trade Way's depiction (as opposed to its in-world state) can be traced through lapses in mapping between the editions.

The 'broken' Trade Way is a symptom of the maps being drawn and redrawn too many times over the editions, and a lack of careful cartographic referencing far enough back when redrawing them. The Trade Way itself isn't broken - WotC’s cartographers have just forgotten it’s there Is there a canonical reason for this? Does all trade between Baldur's Gate and Waterdeep take place by water? Or is this still a misprint? The Forgotten Realms Wikia shows no such interruption, but it tends to have a heavier focus on earlier editions. The map showing the immediate environs of Baldur's Gate remains consistent with previous editions, although in this the road makes it as far north as Boareskyr Bridge before terminating. With trade ways running north and south along the Sword Coast, a port on the Sea of Swords, and the Chionthar River leading inland, Baldur’s Gate is perfectly situated for its role as a commercial hub.

However, the gap persists.ĭescent into Avernus implies that there is a road continuing north from Baldur's Gate, though it could be interpreted to refer to the stretch of the Trade Way that resumes farther north. The version currently for sale on Mike Schley's website has been updated for Storm King's Thunder, with all of the roads redrawn. I figured the interrupted road between Scornubel and Dragonspear Castle at least was a misprint, but subsequent versions of the same map show the same discontinuity. The version available for free on the Wizards of the Coast website shows the gap: In Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, Mike Schley's map shows a series of gaps in the Trade Way/Coast Way between Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate, Sconubel, and points east.

Cartography trap street